Since My Time is Limited, I’m Entering A Contract Marriage

Chapter translated by Loulou

 

[…] These are for flashbacks.

 

Etisha knew she didn’t have much time left to live.

“They say I have one year left at most,” she stated, a bitter smile forming on her lips.

She felt like she could burst into tears at any moment, yet she didn’t hesitate or shed a single drop…..

“Perhaps I will die before even a year goes by.”

Because there was no time to waste on things like tears.

She was only twenty, and although it was a short period of time, she had already wasted most of it hesitating, and being unsatisfied with her life.

That was all over now.

“I heard a rumor that you are looking for a noble blood marriage partner. Is it true that you need a spouse?

Etisha glanced at the man sitting across from her.

Despite the bustling party venue, the area around him was quiet.

Duke Kaiyen Windell.

Anyone who found themselves in his presence would naturally fall silent, their breath caught in their throat. They could only keep their gazes fixed on him endlessly.

He was a someone who overwhelmed his opponents by just being there; a man Etisha would have never dared to talk to before today.

“Lady Heinz. What do you want to say to me?”

Etisha didn’t answer, but gestured quietly with her eyes, insinuating that they would need to continue their conversation on a secluded balcony, away from prying eyes.

“I heard the Duke has a secret mistress.”

She stood on the balcony and spoke in a calm voice.

“People say that the official wife title is just a facade, and that your affection is solely reserved for your mistress. Rumor has it that you even have a hidden child.’

“So?”

“You don’t really want a partner, do you? You only need an air-like wife to occupy the Duchess position.”

“…..”

“I…”

Etisha looked straight into the man’s eyes.

“I can be that wife.”

She was someone who had always stared at the ground whenever she had to speak up.

 Someone whose hands had trembled every time she stood in front of others.

She was always the subject of mockery whenever she appeared in social circles; even her parents and sister turned their backs on her.

Yet, the woman confidently standing in front of the Duke right now seemed quite odd as if she had transformed into a completely different person.

“It’s okay if it is me. I will die soon.”

“….”

“I will never bother the Duke or the woman you love so dearly. I will live as if I don’t exist and disappear without causing any trouble when my time comes. Plus, once I’m gone, no one will ever mention that you need take a wife again.

“I can live comfortably with my mistress?” The man asked.

“Yes. And if you wish to formally adopt the child of your concubine into the household, I will cooperate with that as well.”

Kaiyen listened to Etisha’s offer without any reaction. His figure leaning against the balcony was dazzling.

The man was sporting black hair, black eyes, a perfectly tailored suit, meticulously styled hair, but above all, his striking facial features were immaculate.

“Why should I accept your offer? I don’t particularly want to play with someone else’s life,” he finally answered.

And when those words left his mouth, Etisha, caught off guard, blinked nervously. Her sapphire eyes, shining as clearly as the sky after rain.

“But wouldn’t that be better than playing with someone else’s feelings?” She refuted.

“What?”

“All the young ladies know. They know whoever marries you will gain the Duchess title, but not a husband.”

Kaiyen’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at her words.

“You have no intention of loving your wife, Duke. Isn’t that the real deception? Playing with someone else’s feelings……”

“Lady Heinz. That’s just how marriages among nobles work.”

“I’m aware of that. That’s why I’m making a similar proposal to you.”

Etisha calmly adjusted her long hair before clasping her hands together and bowing her head in front of Kaiyen.

“I’m going to die anyway, so there’s no need to waste your feelings on me. The Duke just needs to marry me.”

Her sincerity was palpable from her deeply bowed self.

“Before I die, even if it’s just for one year, I want to get away from the Heinz Family,” she continued. “Our house, my parents, my sister…. I want to spend the time I have left in peace, somewhere they can’t reach me.”

There was a bitter taste in her mouth, and she knew it wasn’t from the wine she had drank earlier.

“Please, take me to the north. That all I want,” she pleaded.

Kaiyen looked down at the bowing woman; his brows were a little more distorted than before.

His expression was like that of an angry beast.

“Lady Heinz,” he called.

“Yes.”

 “Are you serious about your limited lifespan? You will die within a year?”

“I am. There is a buildup of magic in my body. Soon, the blocked mana will explode all at once.”

“So, it’s Mana Overload.”

“That’s right. It’s already at stage three.”

Mana Overload was a disease that primarily affected ordinary people who were unable to use magic.

The mana continuously builds up in the body and cannot be discharged in a timely manner. And when it explodes, it usually leads to the person’s death.

There was no known cure for it.

“…..”

After listening to Etisha, Kaiyen’s expression became normal again. At first, he suspected that she was pretending to be ill in order to get him to marry her. However, based on her actions and words, it seemed that she was telling the truth.

‘Mana Overload is a disease that cannot be faked. If I were to conduct an examination on her, her lies would be immediately exposed,’ Kaiyen said inwardly.

Moreover, Etisha Heinz’s unfortunate familial circumstances were also familiar to him.

Just like there were rumors about Kaiyen having a mistress and a hidden bastard child, there were also rumors about the Viscount Heinz Family.

And they were known by nearly everyone.

‘A remarriage. A rarity in noble society,’ he thought.

Viscount Heinz had immediately remarried after his first wife’s death.

His new wife was a widow named Dorothea. The viscount had a daughter named Etisha, and Dorothea also had a daughter, Larienne.

Even before the grief from losing her mother subsided, the young Etisha had to deal with her new stepmother and sister invading her life overnight.

And even if they were not blood related, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Etisha to get along with them if they had decent and upright characters. Unfortunately, both the new mother and sister were far from being nice individuals.

To make matters worse, her father, who was her own blood, didn’t act like a father at all.

So, with no one to protect her, Etisha’s life descended into chaos.

As if they had joined forces, the pair of stepmother and stepdaughter treated her harshly. And while she had received a somewhat humane treatment in her early years, but as Etisha grew older, the abuse became worse.

Larienne bullied and belittled her, while Dorothea blamed everything on her, criticized everything she did, and always compared her with Laurenne.

Using strict discipline as an excuse, Etisha’s father often punished her, while comforting and protecting his stepdaughter.

And Etisha had endured it all, believing that everything was her fault.

She believed she ended up in that situation because she was stupid, shy, and incapable of doing anything right.

But that wasn’t the case.

The mistreatment she received from her family was not due to her personality or lack of intelligence.

They simply didn’t love her.

[Mana Overdose? We should cancel your birthday party then. How can we have a party when we don’t know when you’ll blow up?]

Those were the first words the Viscount and his wife said to her after learning abut of her condition.

[Eek! I’m scared! Don’t ever come out of your room! What if you suddenly explode in front of me?]

And this was the first thing that came out of her dear sister’s mouth.

In that moment, Etisha finally realized the truth.

She had no one.

Those people were living under the same roof as her, but they were not her family. She couldn’t call them that.

That wasn’t how family was supposed to treat each other.

‘Whether I die here or alone on the street, it’s all the same,’ Etisha had thought then.

It was right after that incident that she heard the rumors regarding the Duke; rumors that he was looking for a bride.

Coincidently, it was also time for the National foundation Festival to be held, and Duke Kaiyen would surely have to leave the north to attend said festival.

This ceremony was her first and last chance to meet him and propose a contract marriage.

‘If it’s all the same no matter where I die, then……..I’d rather leave.’

So, for the first time in a very long time, Etisha went out of the house.

And it was a once-in-a-lifetime escapade for her, who had been confined within the Heinz Mansion for a while now.

‘As long as I can leave this house, it doesn’t matter if it’s just an empty Duchess title.’

She wanted to use the Duke’s power to leave the capital. She doubted her so called family would come looking all the way north for her. She never wanted to see their faces again for the rest of her life.

And as expected……

“Lady Heinz.”

Duke Kaiyen extended his hand to Etisha; she stared at him for a moment before taking his hand and slowly straightening her posture.

“Yes,” she replied.

“You are right. What I need is not a bride, but a way to fulfill my family’s wish to see me married. I have never wanted a wife.”

“….”

“Therefore, I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to accept your offer. A contractual union agreed upon by both parties, without the involvement of unnecessary things like feelings.”

Yes, she only needed a year.

Just until her last breath.

At the dream-like result, Etisha was dazed for a moment, however, it was still too early for her to be shocked.

While still holding her hand, the Duke suddenly said, “Etisha, show me your fingers.”

As she extended her trembling fingers, Kaiyen took of the ring adorning one of his.

The ring’s white diamond had a snow eagle, the Windell Dukedom’s emblem, imprinted on it.

“You are no longer a Heinz, you are a Windell,” he announced.

“…..”

“You are Etisha Windell,” Kaiyen added while sliding the ring on her left ring finger.

For a moment, a dazzling light shone on the balcony, then the once oversized jewelry shrunk to a size that perfectly fit her finger.

“You are now the Duchess of Windell.”

Only then did Etisha’s expression lightened.

Her heart beamed with relief and a sense of accomplishment; she would finally be able to leave this hell-like house. And as the two emotions intertwined, a genuine smile bloomed on her lips.

“Thank you, Duke Kaiyen. You will not regret it.”

They say people change when they are about to die. Well, it was true, and Etisha was no exception.

She was like a quiet doll before, without any strong opinions about anything, or even the ability to raise her voice.

She was just a lady with a faint presence, like a fog or a shadow.

She was the type of woman who wouldn’t even cry in pain if she were to get hurt.

That was the kind of person she was, but the present Etisha was completely different.

“And umm, I’m sorry but I would appreciate it if we could announce the wedding as soon as possible. if possible, during this festival.”

“You want to announce it so you could leave for the north once the festivities end?”

“Yes, that’s what I want. Is it doable?” she asked, glancing up at Kaiyen discreetly.

It was customary for nobles to go through certain formalities when it came to marriages.

Even for someone as high ranked as the Duke, it was a must to announce the engagement first, then set an appropriate time for the wedding announcement.

Therefore, such sudden marriage new that disregarded proper decorum would be a perfect target for scandals.

After all, there was only one obvious reason that would push a man and a woman in their prime to get married so fast.

An accident.