Why is he suddenly telling me not to get married?
Could it be that Sir Dylan also knows my ex-boyfriend is trash?
Has everyone already heard about how much of a pushover I am?
This is seriously making me question my life choices.
I was extremely confused.
I scratched my head vigorously and muttered,
“I’m not going to marry that man.”
“Ah.”
With that soft whisper, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
His mouth slowly curved upward, and a faint glimmer appeared in his lowered eyes.
Is that the smile of Sir Dylan that everyone says is so difficult to see?
It was beautiful enough to make me admire him without even realizing it.
If he was smiling at me like that, he probably didn’t dislike me, right?
“Ah, but I think I’ll probably get married soon anyway.”
For a moment, his eyelids fluttered like a butterfly.
“…What?”
Just as I met his intensely shaken gaze, Henry called out to me loudly from a distance.
“Ishael! We’re short on épées! This is a disaster!”
Wait, being short on épées could get us disciplined!
“Gasp! What happened? I’m coming right now. Then, Sir Dylan, work hard!”
I dashed toward Henry as fast as I could.
And while recounting the épées from the beginning all over again, I cheerfully forgot all about my conversation with Sir Dylan.
But forty-eight hours from now, I would be marrying that man.
With all sorts of miscellaneous work coming at me from every direction, I completely forgot about breaking up with my ex-boyfriend.
But there was another problem.
I had to deal with my damn family!
There was always a chance that my family would cause trouble again.
Like taking out loans from loan sharks.
They really did something ridiculous every other day.
And so I arrived at the house where I lived with my parents and younger sister.
It was a small but pretty house in the suburbs, with ivy beautifully covering the modest stone wall.
And then, in front of the mailbox—
I saw a very ominous letter.
[Recipient: Ishael Lorelai]
I hardly had any friends because I had been working all my life since I was young, so there was almost never any reason for me to receive letters.
[Mugwajang Loan Shark Shop]
Oh, for crying out loud.
In the past, the present, and the future, my family kept taking out loans from loan sharks.
And I was the one who paid back every single one of those debts.
I’ve had enough. I’m going to hit them.
I clenched my fist and was about to forcefully swing open the front gate.
But through the slight gap in the gate beside the stone wall, I heard my mother’s gentle, flower-like voice.
“Pedro, you broke up with Ishael?”
“Yes. Now that things have turned out this way, I was thinking I might date Soldica instead of Ishael.”
“Oh, Pedro. You mustn’t do that. The two of you have been together for so long. Don’t you think so? Ishael liked you so much. And once we buy a noble title, Soldica is going to marry a proper nobleman. She’s completely different from Ishael. From her appearance to her behavior.”
I decided to give those two some credit.
They really do have a talent for saying completely insane things as calmly as if they were perfectly normal.
A man who wanted to date my younger sister the moment he announced that he was breaking up with me, and a mother who calmly went along with it while insulting me behind my back—they were equally ridiculous.
“Then, Madam, when will your noble title be restored? In a few months, I’ll receive my own title as a mage.”
We were commoners now, but the Lorelai family had originally been from a fallen noble house.
Apparently, our family fortune had declined rapidly before I was born, forcing them to sell off the title.
“Don’t worry. We were short by three hundred million gold, so I contacted the Mugwajang Loan Shark Shop. It means there are only a few months left before our Lorelai family becomes noble again!”
“Hmm. That’s strange. Does the Mugwajang Loan Shark Shop lend money to unemployed women as well?”
“Hm? Of course not. They’ll be lending the money to Ishael instead. She has a job, after all.”
My mouth fell open.
Is this guy seriously insane?
Even then, their conversation continued smoothly.
“Our eldest daughter is such a responsible girl that she’ll pay off a loan shark debt in no time, so don’t worry.”
“Oh?”
“Let’s see. Pedro should receive his title around summer, then we’ll purchase our title, and once our daughter has paid off a decent portion of the debt, you can marry Ishael around then.”
“Haa… Ishael is certainly good with her hands, but her looks are a little lacking…”
“That is true.”
I never said I would marry him.
Why were they discussing my marriage as if it were already decided?
“And what if she can’t repay the debt? I met her recently, and she’s become quite fierce.”
Yes, I had become fierce.
“Hm? There’s no way our daughter would say such things. Besides, didn’t His late Majesty introduce the ‘Family First’ policy?”
Ah, damn it. That’s right. That existed!
The previous Emperor despised illegitimate children and single-person households.
He had actively promoted a family-centered policy that encouraged what he considered a “normal family.”
And one of the policies that had tormented me was that one.
It was an absurd law that allowed direct blood relatives to freely use one another’s names to take out loans!
In the future, the law would eventually disappear after victims like me suffered terribly because of debts taken out by their own parents.
But unfortunately, the law was still in effect at this point.
They shamelessly borrowed money under my name and became nobles. I was the one who paid it all back, and it drove me to the brink.
While I was grinding my teeth in anger, Pedro cheerfully continued.
“So Ishael will repay the debt with her salary and side jobs?”
“Exactly. Ishael is a mage, so she should be able to pay it back quickly. Everything is perfect.”
Even though they never asked for my consent!
They looked at each other and smiled warmly.
“Indeed. Everything is perfect. Then, Madam, when will you take out the loan?”
“I think I’ll go there the day after tomorrow. I also have Ishael’s administrator business card and our family registry certificate.”
Thank you very much for that incredibly useful information.
I slowly relaxed my clenched fist.
Even if I make a huge scene here, nothing will change. She’ll just find a way to take out a loan under my name behind my back.
I needed to think bigger.
There was only one reliable way to completely sever my ties with my family.
Get married to start a new family, and obtain a new home.
“Once we become nobles, everything will change.”
No, it won’t.
Neither of you is becoming a noble.
Because I’m going to hit you both where it hurts.
Mother and Pedro looked at each other and laughed happily.
“Then our plan is perfect.”
Everyone has a seemingly perfect plan.
Until they get hit…
I smiled as I gripped the recording magical tool I had brought with me just in case.
Now that I had secured excellent evidence, the first step was cutting ties with my family through marriage.
And after that—
I would make you experience just how difficult it was to live with debt.
How miserable and humiliating it was to struggle desperately while being treated like a beggar by everyone around you.
I’d make sure you experienced it too.
The next morning.
The very first thing I did was find a lawyer.
Then I had my contract marriage notarized.
If I want my existing family to stop using my name, there are only two ways, right? Adoption or marriage?
“Yes. You need to form a new family in order to legally separate yourself from your existing family.”
“Then what happens if my husband tries to steal my identity and take out loans under my name?”
“You can sign a legally binding mutual agreement before the marriage. That will prevent future legal disputes.”
I scraped together what little property I had left and paid the lawyer to prepare and notarize the marriage-related contracts.
The plan was perfect.
Now all I need is a man to marry me!
I thought a knight I already knew would make the best marriage candidate.
So I first headed into the training grounds inside the Knights’ Order.
Normally, I came here to take care of facility management.
But now I was here to pick out a husband!
Strangely enough, I felt a little excited.
I casually stepped into the training grounds.
Inside the netted-off area, the knights were sparring in groups.
Outside the net, administrators and noble ladies were watching the matches beneath parasols.
I sat down beside the ladies.
Perfect timing. It’s group sparring.
It was the perfect opportunity to search for a future husband with my hawk eyes.
The sparring continued nonstop.
Handsome knights, ugly knights, potato-looking knights, hardworking knights.
But then I kept hearing whispers beside me.
“Doesn’t it seem like Sir Dylan keeps looking this way?”
“Perhaps he knows Lady Garnet is here and is looking over?”
I stared into the air for a moment after hearing them.
I feel like I keep making eye contact with Sir Dylan. Is it just my imagination?
Of course, I was wearing a pair of ridiculous-looking glasses.
There was no way our eyes could actually meet.
It must be my imagination.
I took out my notebook and began writing seriously.
I planned to make a list of knights who looked ordinary, had no interest in me, and were basically well-mannered.
Some knights had ignored me because of my messy hair and glasses, so I excluded them.
Wealthy knights and noble knights were too burdensome, so they were out.
Knights who stood out too much and those who already had fiancées were also excluded.
After crossing them off one by one, only two names remained in my notebook.
[1. Sir Tov
– Warm personality. The knight I’m closest to. Good-natured. Currently single. Good at sparring, too.
– He claims to be against marriage, but I once heard him say at a drinking party that he wouldn’t mind a contract marriage. (But if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean he isn’t really against marriage?)
– Anyway, before my regression, he mentioned that he was short on money.
If things go well, this marriage could be a business win-win for both of us.
2. Henry (Not a knight)
– He can understand my situation. He’s an administrator like me and my closest friend.
– The fact that it would be an office marriage is a little concerning, but knowing Henry’s personality, I think we could remain friends even after getting divorced.
– He’s… actually pretty fun.]
Those were the only two candidates.
I should probably propose to my first choice, Sir Tov, first, right?
