“Kisa, what in the world have you learned? How could you utter such foolish words?”
The Count loosened his cravat with a nervous gesture.
“Even if Daniel initiated it, you should have firmly refused. How could that come from your mouth?”
Kisa replied with a voice that began to tremble like her hands.
“B-but… I don’t want to spend my life being ignored by my spouse.”
“So what if you’re ignored! If we break the engagement, even more people will gossip about it as a spectacle.”
Unfortunately, regardless of the truth, this kind of scandal hits women harder than men.
Furthermore, their engagement had been long, fueling even more curiosity.
“B-but, it’s not like my chances of marriage are completely ruined.”
“You mean you’ll find a replacement for Daniel?”
“Yes. Wasn’t Father keeping me in the capital to prepare for a situation like this?”
“What?”
“To show me off to as many people as possible in case the engagement with Lowens falls through.”
Otherwise, there was no reason for the Count, who constantly traveled between the capital and their estate, to keep his daughter solely in the capital.
Social activities in the capital were never cheap. Kisa’s dresses, her jewelry, and the gatherings where she was the center of attention—every single thing cost money.
Count Vansfelt wasn’t the type to spend a significant amount of money solely for his daughter’s enjoyment. So why keep her here?
In a way, the reason was quite obvious. The fundamental purpose of young noblemen diligently participating in social activities: to find a good marriage partner.
Even though his daughter already had a fiancé, Daniel, the Count wasn’t one to put all his eggs in one basket.
Perhaps Daniel might die unexpectedly in a foreign land, or the Lowens family’s fortune might decline… or perhaps a man with even better conditions and a more romantic personality might fall for Kisa’s beauty.
Even if none of that happened, the higher Kisa was regarded as a desirable bride in society, the higher her value would rise.
Daniel and the Lowens family would also want Kisa even more intensely. Unfortunately, in reality, such calculations didn’t work on Daniel, but that’s how the Count thought, at least.
“You’re saying quite a lot.”
Was it because his true intentions were laid bare? Or was it because he thought his daughter was completely naive? The Count avoided her gaze with an embarrassed expression.
“Anyway, let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. You may go now.”
“Father, I’ll find another suitable match soon. As you know, I’m quite pretty, am I not?”
While she wasn’t thrilled about having to rely on her looks, it was the best option for now.
Although it’s awkward for her to say it herself, there’s no denying that Kisa Vansfelt is beautiful.
Everyone said so, and the Count had constantly warned her not to become arrogant because of her good looks. The burdensome nickname of “the most beautiful flower in society” wasn’t simply because she embodied the ideal noblewoman.
“A sufficiently good match will come along.”
Kisa’s appearance and background were far too good for her to be shunned because of a broken engagement or two. She could guarantee that if news of the broken engagement spread, marriage proposals would pour in from everywhere.
“But there’s no one who surpasses Daniel Lowens.”
“Father.”
“Am I wrong? If you think there’s a man better than Daniel who would propose to you, tell me his name.”
“…….”
She couldn’t. Because no one came to mind.
Within the kingdom, there were only a handful of families comparable to, or surpassing, the Marquis Lowen’s family in terms of reputation and wealth.
If you narrowed it down to families with an unmarried head of the household or heir, the candidates became even fewer, and even they already had their respective betrothed.
It was unusual for a member of a family with such reputation and wealth to remain unengaged until marriageable age.
Kisa bit her lip. Her thinking had been shallow. The ‘suitable match’ Kisa could bring wouldn’t satisfy her father.
Count Vansfelt took out a new sheet of paper from his drawer and began writing with a fountain pen. It was a nonverbal signal to leave if she had nothing more to say.
“How long are you going to stand there? I want to concentrate on writing a congratulatory letter to the new Duke of Hillan.”
“……Father, are you really determined not to let me break off the engagement?”
“Kisa Vansfelt.”
Her father, without even glancing at her, said,
“This marriage is your duty. If you’ve enjoyed a high-quality life as my daughter, then marry the person who will bring the greatest benefit to our family.”
“But Daniel—”
“I don’t want to hear it. You’re not a naive child anymore. Do all nobles in this world marry the person they want? Most people settle for what they can get and make do.”
That was the end of the conversation. After telling her not to disappoint him further, the Count completely ignored her. Kisa had no choice but to leave his office.
Her father’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Kisa accepted her marital obligations as a noblewoman to a certain extent.
Even before knowing the truth, she hadn’t only envisioned a rosy future with Daniel.
“Daniel, Daniel! Let’s play together!”
“No. You’re no fun. I’m going to play war games with my friends, so you go play with your dolls.”
Since childhood, he had almost always found his fiancée annoying. She loved him because the occasional moments of unpredictable kindness were so dazzling, but she wasn’t oblivious.
She thought it was okay. Daniel wasn’t particularly interested in other women, and Kisa was the woman he was closest and most familiar with outside of his family.
Or so she thought, until she learned about the teahouse owner.
The image of Daniel openly belittling Kisa and calling her stupid in front of that woman came back to her like a nightmare. She knew what her father was saying. She knew, yet she wanted to avoid marrying him.
Even if Daniel changed his behavior after hearing her father’s words, if she married him, Kisa would constantly doubt herself. Did what she just said sound stupid? Did her actions look stupid?
Even if he didn’t show it outwardly, wasn’t he secretly mocking her? Wouldn’t he go to that woman and gossip about his stupid wife, using it as an anecdote to strengthen their friendship?
If she hadn’t known about his true feelings and his relationship with that woman, it would have been different. But now that she knew, she could never go back.
Yes, if it were a stranger with no feelings involved, it would be different, but she couldn’t marry Daniel. She would suffocate and wither away.
She realized she was running down the hallway. Such unladylike behavior was unprecedented, except for when she was very young.
However, Kisa couldn’t stop her legs.
“Oh, Miss!”
A maid she met around the corner looked at her in surprise.
“Have you seen Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Daniel Lowens. Have you seen him?”
“Ah, I saw your fiancé heading towards the garden.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh my, Miss! It’s dangerous to run like that!”
The man in question was leaning against a gazebo in the garden, watching the scenery.
“We meet again, Miss.”
His greeting carried a smoky smell, as if he had just finished smoking a cigar.
“What business do you have with me this time?”
“Go to my father right now and tell him you want to break off our engagement.”
“What?”
He widened his eyes at her sudden words, then slowly smirked.
“Ah, so your father won’t listen to you, so you’re bothering me instead. Is your father scary, and I’m easy to manipulate?”
“Think what you will. So, your answer?”
“I refuse. I intend to marry you.”
“You…why are you doing this? Why do you want to marry me, not your beloved Hazel?”
The moment that name was mentioned, the smile disappeared from Daniel’s face. Kisa taunted him, finding it absurd.
“Ah, so love and family connections are separate things? Then it wouldn’t matter if it were another woman, right? With your background, there are plenty of women with good enough conditions to accept a loveless marriage.”
Even Kisa might have resigned herself and married him if she hadn’t known he despised her so much. That’s how noble marriages usually were.
“Let me correct one thing. What I have with Hazel is friendship, not love. I feel like I’ve said this many times, why can’t you remember?”
He lowered his voice a tone and slowly approached Kisa.
“This time, I’ll make sure it’s firmly implanted in that lovely, not-so-bright head of yours.”
Every time she stepped back, he took two steps closer.
“And, no matter what you say, I won’t break off our engagement, so give up your futile efforts.”
“……Why are you doing this to me?”
Kisa found herself trapped between Daniel and the gazebo fence, unable to move.
His large body completely confined her.
“You say I’m stupid? Why would you marry someone as stupid as me? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to have a more intelligent spouse?”
“Because, Kisa, what I need isn’t your intelligence, but your background and…”
He raised his index finger and tapped her lower abdomen.
“…this here.”
A cold voice whispered kindly in her ear.
“Just marry me obediently and bear my child.”
