LI | Chapter 002

Chapter 002

The most handsome man in the kingdom, the finest suitor on the continent, a walking statue, the wealthiest man in the kingdom, and a crazy scoundrel.

The titles bestowed upon Theodore were numerous and varied. Some were widely known, while others were only used by those closest to him.

For instance, the title “crazy scoundrel” was one circulated only among his close friends.

Thus, for Hazel, who had never once seen Theodore, she knew him only through the titles that invariably included the word “best.”

This was information she neither wanted to know nor cared about.

“Sister, I saw that duke from afar once, and he’s truly stunning!”

To call someone “stunning”…

To Hazel, it seemed a term better suited for a disguised criminal in a murder novel than a description of a real person, but she nodded indifferently nonetheless.

She stole a glance at the clock and let out a sigh.

Only thirty minutes had passed since Charlotte began her lecture about the duke.

Charlotte seemed ready to talk all day, but Hazel was so bored she could barely suppress a yawn.

Hazel struggled to stifle the yawn that surged to her throat, causing tears to naturally well up in the corners of her eyes.

“Sister! You’re not listening to me, are you?”

She had hoped not to be found out, but quick-witted Charlotte immediately noticed the signs of boredom on Hazel’s face.

Instead of dodging, Hazel admitted simply:

“I’m sorry.”

“Sister, you need to care about people a little more.”

Charlotte placed her hands on her hips, mimicking the boarding school headmistress.

“Miss Hazel lacks interest in others. A person cannot live alone. Care about those around you, be kind and friendly. Otherwise, you’ll end up alone, living in isolation, and growing old as a lonely spinster.”

Charlotte tucked her chin to her chest and deliberately roughened her voice. She was truly skilled at imitation.

“You have a talent for acting.”

Hazel was genuinely impressed by Charlotte’s skill.

Not only did Charlotte mimic the voice, but she also perfectly recalled the exact words the headmistress used to scold Hazel.

The headmistress hadn’t liked Hazel, who skipped lessons in etiquette, embroidery, and music—the core subjects at the girls’ boarding school—and devoted herself solely to law, mathematics, and astronomy, which were included only for show.

On top of that, Hazel wasn’t kind to adults and was curt with the boys brought in with difficulty as her dance partners, making her, in the headmistress’s eyes, a genuine problem. She even questioned the institution of marriage!

In short, Hazel never aligned with the school’s goal of raising “a quiet and gentle wife.”

At first, the headmistress and teachers tried enthusiastically to reform her.

They emphasized the sanctity of the role of a quiet wife who manages the household with tenderness, respects her husband, and raises her children uprightly.

Each time, Hazel responded with a shocked and puzzled expression:

“Does a home become warm through a woman’s efforts alone? How can she respect her partner if the husband is bad? And what does the husband do besides eat and sleep?”

No one had ever asked such questions, so the headmistress and teachers hesitated, repeating obvious answers like parrots:

“That is the role of a woman since time immemorial.”

As this attitude persisted, the headmistress began to see Hazel as an unsolvable problem, a disgrace to the school, and eventually cursed her:

“You will become a lonely old spinster.”

That was the worst fate the headmistress could imagine for Hazel. But Hazel, on the contrary, welcomed it, secretly praying: ‘May I live as you’ve cursed me.’

If Hazel found a way to earn a living, wasn’t it better to live alone without having to offer false respect or sacrifice herself?

“I’d have plenty of time to read books, too.”

Even if servants handled household chores, marriage would impose countless responsibilities on her as a wife, reducing her personal time and limiting her hours for reading and reflection.

That was far more terrifying to her than being labeled a spinster.

It seemed the rigid headmistress, whom Hazel deemed unqualified as a teacher, had some foresight, as Hazel did indeed become a spinster as predicted.

In her sixth year after her debut in high society, Hazel had reached the age of twenty-five.

In a society where girls were expected to debut at nineteen after graduating from boarding school and marry before twenty-two, twenty-five was an age that made her a burden to her family and earned her the title of “spinster.”

“Please, Sister, focus a little. Isn’t it possible that this man could make your heart race?”

Hazel’s hand, which had been instinctively reaching for the book, paused.

Finally, Hazel understood why Charlotte had clung to her to talk about the finest suitor despite her lack of interest; it seemed Charlotte aspired to play matchmaker.

“What?”

But she didn’t understand why.

Hazel tilted her head in confusion, so Charlotte grabbed her wrist firmly.

“Think carefully about why you become ‘wallpaper’ at dance halls.”

“Wallpaper” was a term used in high society for those who didn’t care about the primary goals—love and marriage—and stood by the wall, merely eating.

It wasn’t a kind description, but it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Hazel sometimes wished she could remain wallpaper at dance halls forever.

“Why don’t you care about men and marriage? It’s not like no one has ever proposed to you!”

“None of them were normal.”

“Exactly! That’s the point! The first to propose was Sir Philip the Bald, the second two years ago was Sir Bertison with three children, and the third last year… who was it?”

Hazel frowned.

It wasn’t because she was upset by Charlotte recounting her dark history, but because she couldn’t remember.

In truth, Hazel had long erased from her memory the men Charlotte mentioned.

All that remained was a faint recollection of Charlotte and their parents’ intense frustration over those humiliating proposals.

“Anyway, he was the worst of the three.”

Charlotte struck the bed with her fist, as if merely recalling it angered her, causing a small cloud of dust to rise and then settle.

Hazel had reached her limit.

She had listened to stories that didn’t interest her, her past had been dredged up, and all she wanted now was for Charlotte to return to her own room.

“And then what?”

Hazel urged Charlotte to get to the point quickly.

“What do I have to do with the finest suitor?”

“I know why you don’t care about love and marriage.”

Hazel nodded as a sign for Charlotte to continue.

“You haven’t met the man who can make your heart race, that’s all. Since you were young, you’ve always said you want someone smarter and more rational than you.”

“Isn’t that what everyone wants?”

“No! I don’t like overly smart people, and I think my friends feel the same. People who are too smart flaunt themselves like peacocks. Oh! Of course, it’d be different in front of you. You’re the smartest woman in the kingdom!”

Charlotte admired Hazel’s intelligence.

Though she didn’t graduate at the top due to the boarding school’s system, Hazel was never defeated in subjects men delved into, like law, mathematics, and astronomy.

She even, after hiding her gender, took first place in a prestigious academic exam! But her admission was revoked because she was a woman.

“Anyway, I heard the duke has never lost first place at the academy. And he’s so tall that you’d never look too tall beside him!”

Hazel’s height was one reason for her lack of popularity among men. In a kingdom where the average height for women was 160 cm, a woman at 170 cm was not welcomed.

“Do you think that’s all? No! They say he’s very kind. I’m sure he’s the one who’ll melt your frozen heart. And he’s rich! You need to think about your future, too. If you marry him, you’ll be able to buy all the books you want!”

Charlotte knelt, raising her hips and clasping her hands, staring at the ceiling as if receiving a descending angel. The angel she awaited must be Theodore, the finest suitor in her eyes.

“If he’s that wonderful, why don’t you marry him?”

Hazel stood, unable to listen any longer, and the words slipped out without thought.

But upon reflection, it seemed a brilliant idea.

Charlotte was so interested in Theodore, and if he was as she described, he was smart enough to be an acceptable brother-in-law.

“His family is prestigious, and he’s wealthy, so he wouldn’t make you suffer. And didn’t you say he’s kind?”

For Charlotte, who easily felt lonely, Theodore was an ideal husband.

Hazel’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“That’s the best idea, Charlotte. You marry the duke.”

“Oh my gosh! Sister, I really don’t like overly smart men.”

“But if that smart man cared only for you, wouldn’t you change your mind?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Charlotte hesitated, biting her lips.

“If you become a duchess and help me live with dignity, I won’t have to worry about my future anymore!”

Those words weren’t entirely true, as Hazel had been saving early to ensure her and her sister’s livelihood even if she remained single.

“That’s true. But even if I don’t necessarily marry the duke, I’ll help you if you stay unmarried.”

Charlotte’s eyes wavered.

If Hazel stirred her emotions just a bit more here, Charlotte might lose interest in Theodore, or at least leave the room.

“Charlotte, you’re the best bride in the kingdom. You’re the one who suits the duke.”

These words were meant to shoo her younger sister away, but they weren’t entirely empty.

Charlotte, dubbed the “Ruby Flower” of the kingdom, hadn’t lost the title of the best bride since her debut in aristocratic society last year.

During the social season, their family home was swarmed with suitors, and the scent of the flowers they brought gave Hazel headaches.

The corners of Charlotte’s mouth trembled.

It was a sign her emotions were wavering.

‘If I push just a little more, it might work!’

Then Hazel could read her book in peace alone!

Hazel stealthily reached out, pulling the book to her chest, and opened her mouth:

“Charlotte, when I imagine you as a duchess, my heart races. How splendid you’d be as the lady of a ducal house.”

Charlotte listened hesitantly to Hazel’s words, but her eyes suddenly sharpened.

She caught sight of the book Hazel was carefully clutching.

“Sister! You’re sweet-talking me because you want to read the book, aren’t you? You don’t care about my marriage at all!”

“How could I! Your happy marriage is my greatest wish in life!”

Due to her exaggerated reaction, Hazel’s words sounded less sincere.

But despite that, Charlotte’s mouth, which had been firmly set, collapsed without resistance.

“Aww~ You love me so much. Oh, but that’s not the point now! If you really care about me, put the book aside and listen to me more. I swear, this man is the one who’ll make your frozen heart beat! Oh, Sister!”

Charlotte, who had nearly fallen into Hazel’s cunning trap and ended up alone in her room on a rainy day, almost screamed.

Hazel secretly scoffed at her naivety.

‘A man who makes my heart race? That’s impossible. No such man exists in this world.’

She was certain of it.

But someone had once said…

The gods are exceedingly cunning; they do not favor humans who declare with certainty that something is impossible.

Thus, the moment one asserts that something cannot happen, events take an unexpected turn, leading precisely to that very thing occurring.