Chapter 3
A child?
Marriage was one thing, but starting off with talk about children was strange. Yulia glanced at Kayente, but his eyes were fixed on the Baron, just as they had been earlier. It meant that the decision for this marriage rested entirely with the Baron.
Under Kayente’s unyielding gaze, the Baron lowered his head silently for a long moment before letting out a sigh and giving a small nod—accepting Kayente’s proposal.
“I’ll write the marriage proposal here and now. Could I have a pen and paper, please?”
As soon as the Baron gave his approval, Kayente didn’t hesitate to prepare the proposal. Marrying Kayente all of a sudden? The only one who seemed flustered by the sudden turn of events was Yulia, who wasn’t even given a moment to process it. The Baroness and Ian looked elated, and even her father—who should’ve asked for at least a little formality—remained silent despite the rush.
“Could you also write the response letter now? I don’t want to drag this out.”
It felt like they had already anticipated everything. Kayente’s behavior at the ball—turning her away as if they had prearranged something—only made it seem like the two of them had already spoken about marriage beforehand.
If this was how it was going to go from the beginning, why did Father make her attend the ball and meet other men?
Yulia was baffled at how her marriage could be decided in an instant, but she couldn’t object. As Kayente said, the money was desperately needed by her family. She had set out to find a marriage partner in the first place because of that very reason.
She was shocked by how simple marriage could be, and by Kayente’s financial power—so vast that he could casually hand over a fortune. But most of all, she was stunned by Kayente himself.
Even when Baron Luper offered him tea, Kayente didn’t touch the cup, nor did he even acknowledge the gesture. If he didn’t want to drink it, he could’ve at least offered a polite “thank you,” but he didn’t bother with even the bare minimum of courtesy.
Sitting arrogantly in the host’s seat in the drawing room, he leaned back deeply with his back straight, his chin raised high, and looked down at everyone regardless of age or status. His domineering attitude left even the usually talkative Baroness and Ian unable to open their mouths.
It was as if he had decided beforehand to act this way—so arrogant it was almost unbearable.
Why has he changed so much?
The thought naturally popped into Yulia’s mind. Before he disappeared, Kayente wasn’t like this.
Even back then, though still young, he had been tall and mature-looking. Now, he had simply grown more sturdy and masculine. His face and voice hadn’t changed much… but in the time they had been apart, something had clearly happened—he was a completely different person.
“Hello.”
Where had that boy gone—the one who used to smile and politely greet Yulia, four years his junior? The Kayente before her now felt like a completely different soul had taken over, cold wind blowing from his very being.
“The terms of the contract are clear. No divorce under any circumstances. At least three children. The first child must be born within three years.”
As if he were buying a machine to produce children, he spoke without the slightest regard for Yulia, who was sitting right there. She felt embarrassed that she had greeted him so cheerfully just yesterday, not knowing how much he had changed.
“…Understood.”
Yulia had so much to say but had to hold it in again. Normally, her father would have stepped in and said something about how inappropriate it was to talk about children in front of the bride. But he remained silent. If she spoke up, it might ruin everything. It was clear—this relationship had started with her already at a disadvantage.
“It seems everything has been resolved. I’ll take Yulia with me now.”
“…What?”
Standing up as if there was nothing left to say, Kayente made the most shocking statement yet. They hadn’t even had a wedding, let alone received the church’s approval—and yet he wanted to take her now?
“We need the church’s approval and there’s still so much to prepare!”
“You can’t do that!”
As Yulia frantically objected, the Baron murmured, “That’s a bit…” trailing off. But unexpectedly, it was the Baroness who firmly objected.
“Our family may not be proud, but we’re still nobility. Sending our daughter to live with a man before the wedding? That’s a disgrace.”
True to her reputation for gossip, the Baroness brought up something neither her husband nor Yulia knew. If the man’s home included his family, there were cases where the bride would move in early to learn the household customs. But Kayente lived alone—so no.
“I didn’t expect a family that sold their daughter for a bit of money to be talking about disgrace.”
Kayente scoffed. He openly criticized them, mocking the idea of shame after selling off their daughter for money. Yulia’s eyes widened in shock at how blunt he was.
That’s too much.
It might be technically true, but it was too harsh. Even if this marriage was driven by necessity, he could’ve said he just wanted to help their family. That would’ve sufficed… Why did he have to say it like that?
Yulia bit her lip lightly, feeling the warmth from yesterday’s reunion vanish. She couldn’t understand how he had changed so much.
“This all seems like a waste of time, but I’ll humor you. The wedding will be held at my estate. I’ll handle the church approval en route. I’ll send the guest list later. As for the rest of the preparations, the Baroness and Yulia can take care of them.”
Kayente, who had stared only at the Baron the whole time, finally turned his eyes to Yulia as he said that. Just moments ago, she had felt hurt that he hadn’t looked at her even once while talking about their marriage. But when their eyes met, Yulia’s heart thudded loudly.
She still believed Kayente had changed. The eyes that once made her smile now seemed unfamiliar and cold, even frightening. And yet…
It made sense now why all the women at the ball had looked only at him. His cold, composed face was captivating in a completely different way than when he had been kind. Even someone indifferent to everything seemed powerful when he looked straight at her.
I really have no defenses left, huh.
But maybe it wasn’t strange. After all, she had once liked that face, those endlessly deep gray eyes. Back then, those eyes always looked at her with a smile… So maybe this wasn’t so bad. If she had to marry anyway, better someone familiar than a complete stranger.
And… he did step up for me.
“Yes, I can do it.”
“We’re finished here. I’ll take my leave.”
Even though the Principality of Esacudia and the Rishikan Empire were on opposite ends of the continent, she had thought the adults might’ve kept in touch. But apparently not. For eight years, her father and the former Count Clue had no personal contact.
And yet, Kayente had learned about her family’s situation and stepped in.
