Wilhazelle fell silent, carefully observing Chase’s expression.
‘Did I sound too greedy?’
Ten times the reward…
As she mentally calculated the amount, she unintentionally blurted out her thoughts.
Scolding herself inwardly, Lizelle shook her head at how easily she shifted gears.
Just moments ago, she had been adamant in her refusal, yet now she found herself reconsidering.
But Lizelle was realistic by nature and couldn’t help worrying about the future.
This unfamiliar world required financial stability to avoid constant worry and ensure a comfortable life.
“…”
Meanwhile, Chase was frozen and dazed.
Lizelle called him ‘husband’ and it left a big impact on him.
The sound of her calling him ‘husband’ kept ringing in his ears.
As the dictionary meaning of the word husband came to mind, Chase’s ears turned bright red.
He inwardly admitted defeat.
He had convinced himself that the purpose of this arrangement was to see if Lizelle could truly ignore him after a year together.
But in truth, he had already lost before it even started.
His pounding heart after just one word told him everything.
Covering his face with his hand, Chase tried to steady himself.
How much further would this feeling drag him down?
Every time he faced Lizelle, the walls of defense he built over a lifetime crumbled effortlessly.
He barely recognized himself.
“Your Grace?”
Lizelle’s voice broke through his thoughts.
Startled, Chase finally snapped back to reality and spoke the words he had been pondering.
“If you’re unsure, we can draft a contract. The marriage will last for one year. After that, you may proceed as you wish. If you wish for a divorce at the end of the year… I will comply without any fuss.”
He spoke with resolve, hand still covering his face.
If he lowered it now, she would see his red face.
When he spoke of divorce, he felt sad, but if Lizelle wanted it, he would comply.
This was the only way to keep her nearby.
He knew he was acting pitiful.
Still, he wanted to be greedy.
The moment he heard the word ‘husband’, the desire he held for her in his heart soared to an unfathomable height.
Perhaps it all started the day she suddenly appeared in his world, which had been rotting like stagnant water.
It was already too late to go against the ripple that had begun to move in a certain direction.
“Why are you going to such lengths?”
Lizelle was curious. She genuinely wanted to know.
To be honest, his suggestion didn’t do her any harm.
The money she would earn after one year of contract marriage was 1 billion shillings.
One billion shillings was enough money to play around with for the rest of her life.
While it might not allow for endless extravagance, it would certainly provide for a life of comfort and security.
The Frosier Barony was a failing household weighed down by debts, with little left to its name.
With such a fortune, she could pay off the debts, restore the family’s standing, and still enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.
She understood that being labeled a divorcée after their arrangement would attract gossip, but she didn’t care.
Lizelle had never imagined herself marrying for love and raising a family in this world.
If she ever found someone she truly cared for in the future, she believed they would understand her circumstances.
It was clear she was not a conservative person of this era, but a modern person, a capitalist to the core.
Money is everything.
However, one thing that raises a question was that, unlike herself, Chase was from this world.
If he got divorced a year later, he would also be labeled as a divorcee, and it was certain he would be criticized.
Of course, it would be less than a woman, but it would damage his image as a duke.
Moreover, he was also paying her, so why would he do this?
“Is it because of Raphel?”
Lizelle answered on behalf of Chase, who remained silent.
There was only one reason he would do this.
Raphelion.
As described countless times in the novel, it was clear he was a fool for his nephew and willing to make sacrifices for him.
The reason he, who treated women like stones and showed no interest in marriage or having an heir, wants to contract marriage is because Raphel looked up to him.
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Chase said nothing else. He just nodded. It would be better for both of them to use Raphelion as an excuse.
It was obvious that even if he explained his feelings now, it would only burden her.
“You are a devoted uncle.”
To think of his nephew this much…
A small smile formed on her lips.
Unexpectedly, Chase’s favorability level increased by 1.
***
“Father!”
Selena burst into her father’s study, almost running.
“Selena.”
Count Humphrey frowned. He told her to act with dignity…
Count Humphrey placed great importance on etiquette and manners and believed that a person’s character was revealed through his or her everyday actions.
He was unhappy with his daughter’s frivolous behavior.
“Oh, I’m sorry, father.”
As always, Selena realized her mistake too late and showed respect by slightly lifting the hem of her dress and curtseying in front of her father.
“What is it?”
Count Humphrey returned his attention to the documents before him.
Her perfect curtsy softened his expression slightly.
“Father. Duke Chase is also attending my birthday banquet, right?”
In a few weeks, Selena would celebrate her 19th birthday.
The event marked the day when she, who officially entered the social world last year, became a true adult.
Nobles of the empire could debut when they turned 18.
Selena first saw Chase at the debutante ball held at the Imperial Palace last year.
From the moment she laid eyes on him—his red gaze observing the crowd with an air of detachment—she had fallen in love, to the point of obsession.
His arrogant and aloof attitude, as if everyone else were below him, was only possible because he was Chase Halos.
The Dukedom of Halos was a family with wealth and power that could surpass even the imperial family.
His face was so perfect that no one could even compare.
Selena had a strong desire to possess him.
If there was something others did not have, she had to have it herself in order to be satisfied, and she had to show it off in front of others.
Everyone in the empire had to know she was great.
Therefore, there was no way she could associate with young people who had not yet received a title.
She needed a partner who could make her shine even more.
A person who had enough power and authority to bow to no one, and enough wealth to hold the empire in their hands.
She thought that Duke Chase was the only one who met all those conditions.
Although he had the disadvantage of not being the eldest son of the Halos family, he eventually became the head of the family when the former Duke Yorne died in an accident.
He was perfection itself.
Selena had no doubt.
Chase was the man who would make her shine even brighter.
“Right? The duke is also attending?”
Selena gazed at her father, Count Blair Humphrey, with an excited face.
Now that she had officially come of age, it was time to secure her place by Chase’s side.
To ensure the success of her grand plan, she had painstakingly acquired a potion.
A love potion, said to make anyone who drank it fall in love with the person before them.
Selena intended to use this love potion to make Chase hers.
If something happened at her birthday banquet, and in her room no less, even he wouldn’t be able to escape the consequences.
The attendees of the banquet would be witnesses, and her father would also become aware of it.
There would be no way to brush it off as if it never happened.
She was confident that once he fell into her trap, there would be no escape.
In the end, she would become his bride.
“I will send an invitation. Whether or not he attends is up to the Duke.”
Count Humphrey replied without much interest.
He would never have been able to imagine what his daughter was scheming.
“Father, please! The Duke must attend and make my banquet shine!”
Selena pleaded with the Count with an earnest look.
After all, her meticulous plan could only be executed if Chase attended the banquet.
“…”
Count Humphrey raised his gaze from the documents and looked at Selena.
He knew well that his daughter had always loved being the center of attention, even when she was young.
Thus, he assumed her insistence on Chase’s attendance was for the sake of gaining attention in high society.
“I will do my best.”
Reluctantly, the count nodded in agreement.
It was his daughter’s first birthday banquet as an adult, and he couldn’t help but take it seriously.
And since the Humphrey family had frequent business interactions with the Halos family, unless the duke had work to do, his attendance was not impossible.
Chase, too, would know that the Count rarely made personal requests like this, so he would likely make a brief appearance.
“Really? Really, Father?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Father!”
“Now, off you go.”
Selena smiled happily.
She was so excited, her mind already filling with fantasies.
Looking at his daughter who was so happy, Count Humphrey also smiled in satisfaction.
As Selena left the study with a satisfied face, Count Humphrey began personally writing the invitation to Chase Halos to invite him to the birthday banquet.
