Prologue.
“To get straight to the point, I know you have no intention of getting married, Duke.”
A clear, confident voice echoed through the drawing room.
Jack let out a dry laugh.
Of course he would. After all, the one standing in front of him was a nine-year-old girl with messy hair.
“…You have quite the imagination, young lady.”
“Lucian Floyd.”
“…”
“Oh, right, he’s Lucian Floyd now, isn’t he? You’re planning to pass your title to him and stepping down, aren’t you?”
Her next words almost made Jack lose control of his expression for a moment.
He forced a smile and replied with thinly veiled sarcasm.
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting. Do you really think I’d hand my title to some mere distant relative?”
His voice carried a hint of menace—unintentionally. It was the kind of cold edge that could make even grown adults freeze.
But the girl didn’t flinch. Her pale blue eyes stood out against her tangled light brown hair. Calm and unwavering, her gaze met his directly.
“If he were really just a ‘distant relative,’ then yes. But he’s not, is he?”
“Young lady—”
“My mother will be your shield. And I’ll protect him.”
Jack tried to cut her off with a threatening tone, but she quickly got to the point before he could stop her.
That was a wise decision.
The fierce energy he had been giving off—like he might draw a sword any moment—subsided slightly.
His eyes narrowed in confusion.
“…What?”
“First of all, if you marry my mother, you can avoid pressure from others about getting married. Once you have a wife, people will start asking about children, and that could complicate things—especially if it means you can’t pass on the title to Lucian.”
The girl paused to catch her breath, then continued.
“Second, Lucian is still publicly considered as a ‘distant relative.’ If you name him your heir outright, there will be opposition.”
“…”
“And to marry my mother, she has to be unmarried and childless, right? So…”
“…You’re saying you’ll pretend to be adopted, so it seems better to name Lucian the heir instead of raising suspicions?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Heh. Look here—”
Jack’s frown deepened.
Finally realizing the girl was serious, he dropped his mocking tone and spoke gravely.
“You’ll be torn apart by the public. People in the capital can be ruthless…”
“Does that even matter? If we stay in the marquis’ house, my mother and I will just keep being used until we die anyway.”
For a child to speak of death so calmly…
Jack was speechless. He stared at the girl, unsure of what to say.
The girl—Raviella—met his gaze without hesitation and drove to the point.
“So please propose to my mother, Duke.”
Only you… can save her life.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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