Chapter: 82
‘Then…… all I have to do is get married, right?’
After stumbling several times, he finally managed to get to his feet.
He had drunk so much that it felt as though shards of broken glass were tearing his brain to pieces.
“Ugh, seriously…….”
Even though he was staggering from drunkenness, Gregory slowly walked out of the room where he had been holed up for several days.
A sinister smile, the meaning of which was impossible to read, was plastered across his face.
My peaceful daily life was shattered by a single letter.
“My lady, a letter has arrived from the Marriage Registry Office.”
It was a lazy afternoon.
I had been idly crunching on some cookies when I looked at Amy with a bewildered expression.
“Hm? From the Marriage Registry Office?”
The Marriage Registry Office.
It was a government office that managed marriages and divorces among the people of the empire.
It handled marriage-related affairs not only for commoners, but also for nobles and members of the imperial family.
Of course, commoners went through a somewhat simpler process, while nobles had to go through a more complicated one……
But that wasn’t the important part.
‘No, there’s no reason for the Marriage Registry Office to contact me.’
What reason could there possibly be for the Marriage Registry Office to send a letter to an unmarried lady who wasn’t even married yet?
‘Did they accidentally send me a letter that was supposed to go to someone else?’
Up until that point, I had been fairly unconcerned.
But the moment I opened the letter…….
[Congratulations on the marriage of House Gusto and House Ancy.
As Lady Ancy currently holds the title of Junior Viscount Ancy, we are writing to inquire how the title will be arranged after the marriage.
Will the title of Junior Viscount Ancy remain in Lady Ancy’s possession?
Or will it be transferred to her husband?
Please contact us once you have made your decision.]
……I immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.
‘What on earth is this?’
I stared down at the letter in disbelief.
‘The marriage of House Gusto and House Ancy?’
It had been ages since I sent the divorce papers, so why was the Marriage Registry Office suddenly sending me a letter like this?
And on top of that, the words ‘Congratulations on your marriage’……
‘No way. Did someone register a marriage under Gregory’s and my names?!’
My eyes flew wide open.
Was that even possible?!
I had never agreed to marry him in the first place!
But then.
‘Hm?’
I perked up my ears.
That was because I suddenly heard music coming from outside.
It was an old-fashioned serenade, the kind of song used to confess one’s love, though it had long since gone out of fashion……
“My lady!”
At the same time, another maid hurriedly ran into the drawing room.
I jumped to my feet.
“What is it?”
“Master Gregory has come to see you. He’s currently in front of the townhouse……”
The maid glanced at me before cautiously continuing.
“The thing is, he brought a band and they’re playing a serenade.”
“…….”
I was rendered completely speechless.
‘A serenade?!’
By definition, it was a song sung as a declaration of love.
Long ago, serenades had apparently been an essential part of marriage proposals among nobles.
Of course, it was a custom that had almost completely disappeared by now.
Even my late grandfather used to wave his hands dismissively and say,
“What serenade? My father never sang a serenade either.”
……Hadn’t he said that?
It wasn’t as though Gregory wanted to announce to the entire neighborhood that he was proposing to me!
‘No, wait. Maybe that really is what he intends.’
As a throbbing headache began to set in, I pressed my temples and stood up.
First, I had to stop Gregory.
I walked outside and was confronted by an utterly absurd sight.
The entrance to the Ancy townhouse was piled high with gifts.
A small band stationed in the garden was playing an elegant serenade.
For reference, our house was located on Ridel Street, where the townhouses of numerous middle-ranking nobles were clustered together.
In other words, there were plenty of other nobles’ townhouses nearby.
And those nobles had all poured outside and were watching the ridiculous spectacle unfolding in front of our house with great interest……
“My goodness, what on earth is going on?”
“Is Master Gregory proposing to Lady Ancy right now?”
“Oh my, I never thought I’d hear a serenade in this day and age.”
Meanwhile, Gregory, who had been busy ordering the workers around as they carried in the gifts, turned toward me with a bright smile.
“No, not over there. Put it over here…… Ah, Rari!”
Rari? Rari?!
Hey, since when did you start calling me by a pet name?!
I was so dumbfounded that I felt like grabbing the back of my neck!!
After staring blankly at Gregory for a moment, I frowned and asked,
“What on earth are you doing, Master Gregory?”
I had deliberately maintained a sense of distance from Gregory by using formal speech and even addressing him as ‘Master Gregory.’
But……
“My, Rari.”
Gregory widened his eyes as though he had just been subjected to an outrageous insult.
“Why are you speaking so formally between us? And what’s with ‘Master Gregory’?”
Then he gave me a sly smile.
“Just call me Gregor. Okay?”
Wasn’t that fancy little nickname something he had only allowed Seraphina to call him?
I was just about to snap back at him when I stopped.
Because at that very moment, a sinister smile spread across Gregory’s lips.
“We’ve even registered our marriage, after all.”
“…….”
When something is so absurd that you’re left speechless, you really do become speechless.
I was living proof.
I could only open my eyes wide and move my lips soundlessly.
There were so many things I wanted to say that they became hopelessly tangled together in my head, making it impossible to form a coherent sentence……
‘Pull yourself together, Rari.’
I clenched my molars tightly.
I couldn’t let Gregory drag me into this situation.
“As for that marriage registration, who gave you permission to register it?”
I shot back sharply.
“I didn’t even know that a marriage had been registered.”
At that, Gregory stared at me with a knowing look.
It was unmistakably condescending, like someone looking down at a pet that was being deliberately difficult.
‘Oh my God. Is he insane?’
I felt goosebumps rise along my spine.
‘Why is he looking at me like that?!’
Gregory soon shook his head and continued in a lecturing tone.
“Rari, you must have been very hurt by how inadequate I’ve been all this time.”
“What did you say?”
“But no matter how much you’re sulking, you shouldn’t deny something as sacred as our marriage registration.”
What on earth was he babbling about?
I felt my mind going blank.
At the same time, Gregory knelt down in front of me.
“I know I’m still lacking, but I prepared all of this to show you that I’ll be faithful to you from now on.”
Then he looked up at me with a greasy, lovesick gaze.
‘No way. No way……?!’
And that ‘no way’ turned out to be exactly what I feared.
“Will you marry me, Rari?”
With those words.
Gregory forcibly took my hand and pressed his lips against the back of it.
Smack.
The moment his damp lips touched the back of my hand……
“…….”
I felt goosebumps break out all over my body.
Smack!
I instinctively slapped Gregory’s hand away, wrapped my other hand around the back of my hand, and stumbled backward.
“I think there must be some kind of misunderstanding.”
Gregory clicked his tongue and scolded me.
“Rari, how long are you planning to keep being so difficult?”
So difficult?!
I was instantly infuriated, but I forced myself to calm down.
Whatever I did here that could give him an excuse would only work to Gregory’s advantage.
The letter from the Marriage Registry Office, Gregory’s brazen attitude……
Rather than rushing into anything, I needed to understand the situation clearly.
Having reached that conclusion, I decided to proceed according to the proper rules.
“Master Gregory, this is the private property of House Ancy. Taking over private property in this manner is illegal.”
“Why are you saying something so hurtful?”
Gregory deliberately drooped his eyebrows.
“We’ve already completed the marriage registration. We haven’t held the wedding ceremony yet, but we’re already husband and wife……”
“Have the gifts and the band removed.”
I cut Gregory off mid-sentence and glared at him fiercely.
Then I took a deep breath and continued in as businesslike a tone as possible.
“If you don’t, I’ll report you to the city guard.”
After delivering that warning, I turned around and went straight back inside the townhouse.
