The Crazy Prologue Never Ends

51. My beloved’s fiancée.

“I’m here.”

Deon approached right at the end of the conversation.

“…Right?”

I threw a question at him as he approached. His eyes widened at the abrupt and unexpected question. The usually stern gaze transformed into a somewhat innocent-looking expression, which was quite pleasant to see.

“What?” His lips formed the shape of the question, but I just poked his side without saying a word.

“Ladies are waiting for an answer. Excuse me.”

I covered my mouth to laugh, and he made a sheepish expression.

“You said you’d stop anything happening in the capital. You should acknowledge that everything I say is correct.”

In a reluctant whisper, he finally spoke up.

“Yes, you’re right.”

Deon replied. His pleasant voice echoed in the hall.

Though to me, who had spent a long time by his side, it felt like a begrudging response, to the ladies, it seemed polite and dignified enough.

“Oh my.”

“Ah.”

Another sigh escaped.

“Then, have a good time.”

Deon wrapped his arm around my shoulder and headed towards the terrace.

Closing the terrace door and drawing the curtains, he asked, “What did you say to the ladies?”

“I didn’t say anything special. Just…”

It seemed like he hadn’t heard anything at all. Suddenly, I wanted to tease him.

“I told them that the Duke has a passionate one-sided love for me, and I entered into a contract with the household to repay my debts and stays by the duke’s side. I beautifully crafted our love story.”

And he chuckled mischievously.

“To deliver a convincing performance, it’s not easy to grasp the characters, right? It’s difficult to pass off as the seductive femme fatale I’m supposed to be. But I can’t speak the truth either. Well done, don’t you think? It’s plausible.”

He sighed deeply.

“In the future, it would be nice if you let me know in advance about the storytelling we’re going to create. So we won’t be awkward with each other.”

You may censor and rewrite it as you wish, but the truth will remain.

I pursed my lips. He was stubborn enough for that.

“I’m trying to match our stories. I’d be in trouble if I spoke carelessly about Young Lady elsewhere.”

“I’m not, but that’s okay, feel free.”

He looked puzzled.

“Really? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Because I said it is.”

He chuckled wickedly.

“Is that so? If someone had doubts about why we didn’t come out of the bedroom for a long time after drinking blood yesterday, there seems to be only one thing I can say.”

“What are you saying?”

He lowered his head. Then he whispered softly into my ear.

“If a man and a woman in a romantic relationship don’t come out of the same bed, there’s only one thing they could be doing. It’s more believable than drinking blood.”

My cheeks flushed.

I quickly moved back and looked around nervously. I was afraid someone had overheard the embarrassing conversation.

“You can’t say that! Even as a joke!”

“I’m just saying it could be true.”

He chuckled lazily. It was a teasing tone. Only then did I realize his true intentions.

I’ve been fooled.

He was definitely not the type of man to say such things out loud. Even if it were true.

“So, let’s agree to give each other a heads up. So we can handle it.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The study was filled with letters.

I carefully held up my skirts as I approached the sofa. To my dismay, several letters that had slipped from the desk suffered the unfortunate fate of being trampled upon.

The butler brought a beautifully arranged stack of letters every two hours. The mailman even pulled a cart loaded with letters. Before I could even check, the letters kept piling up, filling the room with unopened envelopes.

Letters of congratulations on my appointment, invitations to small gatherings, promotional letters from famous brand shops and companies.

Although various news were mixed together, half of them were engagement invitations.

Even without opening them, I could tell.

With flower decorations and beautifully written calligraphy in red ink, they were not ordinary letters of greeting.

Different from plain white paper, the materials of the papers varied. They were so soft as if they were mistaken for silk. They were quite expensive papers. Even as simple love letters, they looked luxurious.

“I wonder if everyone hasn’t heard my news?”

I wondered if I should have said more. I remembered Young Lady from yesterday’s argument.

“It’s not a big deal, is it? There are still two spots left even if you’re not there.”

Originally, there was no intention of vacating the spot. He added in a nonchalant tone.

“Is it okay for a man about to get married to have a lover? Doesn’t it hurt his pride?”

“They would feel more humiliated by making a connection with lower nobles. Although the moment of sending engagement invitations and waiting lasts only a few months, marriage lasts at least 50 years.”

Viter replied, his gaze fixed on the letters.

“Even the nobles who were hesitant are now getting serious. The families who didn’t want to send their daughters to the harsh North are now comfortably sending engagement invitations. The sorting has begun. Maybe it’s a good opportunity.”

Viter quickly sorted through the letters.

“I heard the youngest sister of the empress is also looking for an engagement partner, so it should be easy to understand the situation compared to that side. The list of engagement invitations sent to the youngest sister, and the ones sent to us will be different. Depending on which side they sent it to, it will show which noble families are favorable. Should we attach people to find out?”

Deon nodded.

“What about those who sent invitations to both sides?”

I asked, and Viter replied calmly.

“Middle-class or power-oriented opportunists who will look at the situation on both sides and move on. They don’t need to vie for power. They’ll naturally move to where the power shifts.”

Viter took a step back with a handful of letters and went to a corner where a tall partition was set up. I followed him, holding my arms and looking at the letters.

The partition was soundproof, so even though we were in the same space, it was a separate area from Deon’s study desk. It could accommodate two more rooms and was a preferred location for major meetings.

I picked up a letter.

It was made by inserting a yellow frisée into the center of a green envelope. The sender’s name was written at the bottom.

Julia Oakom.

“You got one from the Oakom estate too.”

Edan remarked as he looked at the letter I picked up.

Without a word, Viter took out that letter and placed it in the upper basket. It was a basket for sorting letters from upper-class families.

The brown basket contained a list of candidates selected by Viter for consideration. There was hardly any difference between those who passed the preliminary screening and those who didn’t, according to his criteria.

“Where is the Oakom estate?”

Viter raised his head and glanced at me.

“You’re not interested in anything other than yourself, are you? Do you really not know?”

“Yes.”

He nodded hesitantly.

“I am Viter Oakom.”

Ah, I see.

“Do we need to check it?”

“There’s no need to look. It’s probably my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

I tore open the envelope.

Brown hair, green eyes. It was unmistakably little Viter.

She had a girlish face. Her neatly braided hair fell down in two parts. She seemed to be trying to look serious, but her face was full of mischief. It looked like she was suppressing a laugh.

And underneath was her age.

Sixteen. Goodness.

“Isn’t the age difference too much? And she’s too young!”

“Anyway, it would take three years to maintain the engagement before marriage. What’s there to worry about?”

“Did your sister agree to this?”

She was too young to form a family and be confined to the imperial palace. It was an age more suitable for running around than hosting boring tea times.

“Those directly involved usually have no idea what’s going on. My sister might know since it’s about her. Maybe she even picked these flowers herself. They’re blooming in her room’s flowerbed.”

I couldn’t help but feel a fluttering heart in the hands of a girl who picked flowers with tender hands.

But unfortunately, she didn’t know his tastes. Her marriage counseling partner wasn’t that romantic. He would prefer blood over flowers. Whether it’s the fresh blood of the chosen one or the slaughter in war, anything would do.

“My sister actually likes the prince more than me. She’s a fervent fan. I barely managed to stop her from coming over last birthday. I opposed sending these engagement invitations as well. Although I heard about it in advance.”

He sighed deeply.

“Actually… I’m not particularly pleased that our family’s Young Lady is one of the three seats. Even if it’s my sister.”

I thought he would be ambitious. Instead, wouldn’t it be better if his younger sister became Deon’s wife, making their bond even stronger?

“Why?”

Is it because if the plan to seize the throne fails, the entire family will be implicated? Is that why they’re preparing an escape route in advance?

But what he said next was even more shocking.

“I prefer someone who has a deeper background than my family, has high-ranking relatives, and can be a power in the imperial court. For example, a princess from another kingdom. Or someone from the Snowa family. So…”

What should I do with this foolish loyalty?

He looked me straight in the eye.

“It’s good to act, but I hope you don’t obstruct the Duke’s path too much, Young Lady.”

Perhaps it was because of the dry flower petals fluttering around, but the air in the study was bad. My eyes felt gritty. I answered, pressing down my eyes.

“There’s no need to point that out.”

He made it clear that we were in the midst of a contractual performance, even though he knew.

As if I were afraid of falling in love.

Sending engagement invitations seemed to be done without the knowledge of the parties involved. Among the engagement invitations was also one from the Snowa family.

In the Snowa family, there were only Elizabeth and Isella who were married, so this must be hers.

In this life, she extended an engagement invitation instead of a sword.

The deep pink envelope was soft. It seemed to be made of her hair.

If the person involved knew, she would have told Elizabeth for sure, and Elizabeth would have told me that she sent the engagement invitation.

And she would probably apologize. Holding my hand, she would cry and apologize.

I should pretend not to see this. I didn’t want to hear her apology anymore.

Just the thought that her guilt was trying to harm her child was enough.

TL/N: I lost access to my old files as my phone was stolen, and I can’t even remember the names of the side characters😭 I feel lost and like I need to start over. Please understand and don’t judge me. I’m sorry.