Chapter 10
She was the perfect example of a student who stood out only within the school.
The kind of person who lost her way the moment she graduated and was thrown into the real world.
What on earth was Father doing all this time without even giving her advice about things like this?
Roerston eventually grumbled while even bringing up his deceased father, then put down his pen with a click and crossed his arms.
“At this rate, when are you ever going to repay everything? Even if you kept paying until my children grew up, you probably still wouldn’t be finished.”
“Then…”
Roerston raised a finger and gestured for her to listen to what he had to say.
“All right. So you have about two choices. First, stop thinking of it as money you have to repay and accept the support without complaining.”
“……”
“Second, if you absolutely insist on repaying the money, then after becoming independent from the laboratory, get a permanent position and publish a paper that turns the entire kingdom upside down. The Royal Society holds a research paper award ceremony once a year, you know. The prize money is enormous. So, is there anything wrong with what I just said?”
“…No, there isn’t.”
A shadow fell over Adelia’s face.
“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Adelia was startled and quickly waved both hands.
“It’s just that publishing a paper doesn’t guarantee that I’ll win an award. O-Of course! Since that’s my goal, I’ll do my absolute best, but…”
Roerston swallowed a groan filled with complicated feelings and pity.
Then he suddenly lifted his head.
…That’s right. There is another way.
There was a way for Adelia to continue attending the laboratory without feeling burdened, while also solving his own problem.
But even so, isn’t this a little too shameless?
Roerston thought about it for quite a while.
Depending on how he phrased it, this brilliant junior of his might either slap him across the face or hold his hand.
“If those conditions really feel too burdensome, there is one thing I’d like you to help me with. If you help me with this, you won’t have to feel guilty about receiving financial support anymore.”
Adelia’s expression immediately brightened.
It was almost as if sparkling light had appeared around her wide-open eyes, and Roerston found himself momentarily captivated by her.
There was such desperate hope in her expression, as though she had discovered a tiny lighthouse in the middle of a dark, endless sea.
“Please tell me. What is it?”
“Are you really willing to do anything?”
“Yes! Anything! I’ll work hard, whether it’s cleaning or whatever else!”
As she said that, she even rolled up her sleeves.
Roerston couldn’t understand what she intended to clean with those skinny arms that looked like twigs.
He cleared his throat, then stared at Adelia with his usual mischievous smile.
“Well, what I want is…”
“Yes! Just tell me!”
“I want you to become my temporary wife, Junior.”
A terrifying silence fell over the room.
Adelia froze like a wooden statue, her sleeves still rolled up.
It was almost necessary to check whether she was still breathing.
“…Actually, ‘fake wife’ would be more accurate. In other words, we only have to pretend to be married in front of other people.”
“……”
“I’m constantly being pressured by my relatives to get married. I’m almost sick of hearing it. But I have no intention of marrying unless I meet someone I truly love…”
“……”
“Junior, you didn’t faint, did you?”
Only then did Adelia suddenly come back to her senses and lower her arms.
Thank goodness.
If she had hit him while still frozen like that, he probably would have at least gotten a bloody nose.
“Senior…”
“Yes?”
“Um… I understand what you’re saying.”
“You understand? That’s impressive.”
Roerston sincerely admired her and clapped twice.
However, Adelia had a very serious expression as she began moving her lips again.
“But for me to become your bride… that’s, that’s almost like…”
“Like what?”
“Like… a microorganism suddenly multiplying and causing an explosion during the inoculation stage even though no conditions were set beforehand.”
“……”
She doesn’t seem to have understood the situation at all.
“…In other words, you’re saying it’s impossible?”
“Huh? No. It’s not because the potential of microorganisms is limited. Microorganisms have endless possibilities, but there are so many different types, and each type requires a different culture environment. Once cultivation begins, even if we predict what will happen afterward, there are still so many variables…”
I really need to stop this conversation before she starts talking about microorganisms for the next three hours.
Roerston held up one hand toward Adelia.
“All right. Let’s skip the microorganism discussion and think about this instead. I’ll give the brilliant Miss Whitton a question. If you had to summarize the situation I’ve just presented in one word, what would it be?”
Adelia furrowed her eyebrows in an unusual way.
She lowered her eyes and thought for quite a while.
Then she finally mumbled her answer.
“Marriage fraud.”
It was both completely accurate and brutally straightforward.
Roerston suddenly burst into laughter.
“Did I… say something wrong?”
At Adelia’s confused question, he laughed while shaking his shoulders and waved his hand.
“Ah, that was a good laugh.”
“……”
Roerston looked at Adelia cheerfully as she tried to hide her flushed cheeks.
Then he rested his chin on his hand with a particularly playful expression.
“That’s right, Miss Whitton. That’s exactly what I want.”
“I don’t think something like that could possibly happen so easily.”
“Your speech suddenly became much more formal.”
“……”
“I think it will actually be easier than everything you’ve accomplished throughout your school years.”
Roerston gave the bewildered Adelia a charming smile.
“Miss Whitton, you’re a genius among geniuses, aren’t you?”
Adelia stared at his smile blankly before suddenly looking away with an embarrassed expression.
“Well… I wouldn’t go as far as calling myself a genius.”
“A genius like you can’t manage something as simple as pretending to be a Duchess?”
“……”
“And you can leave most things to me. I won’t put much of a burden on you.”
Adelia’s lips moved slightly.
She couldn’t tell yet whether he was telling the truth, but what he was saying sounded incredibly tempting.
As she fell into thought with a complicated expression, Roerston spoke again.
“Well, I know it’s difficult to make a decision in one day. Fortunately, there’s still some time before the new semester for research students begins. So let’s take our time and see if we can come to an agreement. How does that sound?”
“…O-Okay.”
And that conversation would completely change the course of Adelia’s life.
Back to the Present
Roerston never failed to take Adelia to the entrance of the laboratory every morning and come back to pick her up.
There were many professors’ laboratories in the area besides Professor Siern’s, so the surroundings were generally rather plain and quiet.
Against that ordinary background, the Duke’s luxurious four-wheeled carriage naturally became the center of attention and curious whispers.
“Look over there. That’s Adelia Whitton. I used to see her sometimes in the Academy library.”
“That’s right. She was that little girl who always sat by the window reading some difficult book.”
“I never expected her to grow up this pretty. And she became the Duchess of Ipsel? Ah, I’m so jealous I have goosebumps.”
“Why didn’t they hold a wedding? He treats her like she’s incredibly precious.”
“I heard Whitton didn’t like the idea, so they decided to postpone it.”
“That’s devotion. He’s really devoted to her.”
Adelia tried not to listen to the familiar whispers as she leaned forward and kissed Roerston on one cheek.
“…Let’s do this today.”
It was her own little strategy to prevent Roerston from suddenly kissing her on the lips.
But the moment she actually did it, she felt so embarrassed that she thought her face might explode.
Roerston even placed a hand over the cheek where Adelia’s lips had touched and simply stared at her.
“D-Did you not like it?”
Adelia finally gathered enough courage to ask.
Roerston rubbed his cheek, then gave her a mischievous grin.
She’s actually doing something this cute.
“How could I dislike it, my wife?”
“……”
He took Adelia’s left hand and kissed it near her ring.
“Have a good day. I’ll see you this evening.”
Then he gave her a handsome smile that anyone would have found impossible not to return.
Adelia lowered her head slightly and turned away.
Just then…
“Good morning, Your Grace!”
“Oh my! It’s so nice to see you at this hour!”
Adelia had already turned toward the laboratory when she glanced back at the high-pitched voices coming from behind her.
