Chapter 6
Harold paused for a moment before speaking up.
“Did you really understand what I said?”
“You’re saying that if you get betrayed, it won’t just end with ten times a thousand gold coins.”
“…So you answered that cheerfully even though you understood?”
Harold rolled his fingers near his ear, a gesture that seemed to say, “Are you crazy?”
“Yeah. I would never betray you, Duke.”
Diana’s voice was confident and unwavering. The more she insisted, the darker the shadow on Harold’s brow grew.
Diana scratched her cheek.
It would make her happy if he believed her right away, but she wasn’t going to force him to trust her. Given their existing relationship, his treating her this well was actually surprising.
‘If I just act like myself, maybe Harold will gradually adapt to the new me?’
“Well, I’m going to head in now since I’m tired.”
Diana flashed a grin and thanked him again before leaving.
Left alone, Harold swept his hair back and chuckled to himself.
Diana, who was grateful even when he took away her old clothes and smiled brightly at him, was a side of her he had never imagined, like a wildcat backed into a corner.
“…She really only does things that are so unlike her.”
Harold pressed between his eyebrows, unable to tear his gaze from the door for a while.
* * *
I was looking at the newspaper Anna had given me.
[Breaking News! Who is Harold Weissen Duke’s Fiancée!?]
Less than a day after the wedding announcement, we had become the talk of every newspaper in the capital.
Unlike typical noble weddings, they hadn’t revealed who the bride was.
‘It’s coming soon.’
Even if it’s just a fake marriage.
I folded the newspaper and handed it to Anna.
“I need to go see the Duke.”
Thinking about the fake marriage made me realize I should go take care of Harold.
Frequent contact was essential, even if holding hands wasn’t very efficient.
I needed to heal him quickly to get half the remaining money.
“…Heh.”
Thinking of the 5,000 gold coins I received in advance made me feel happy.
‘I should invest that money in real estate.’
The 10,000 gold coins I was supposed to get from Harold would be a nice amount, but it seemed I would need more money to buy a fake identity and live comfortably in another country.
‘You never know when something could happen.’
The moment I got possessed into this world, I was exposed to the cold, hunger, and all sorts of dangers.
And it changed me.
I had learned how important money was, even when I was once satisfied and happy with my situation.
Moreover, even if the main story was over, I still had the knowledge of the side story.
The side story was set three years later, and I remembered all the details of the novel since the moment I got possessed.
‘It’d be a waste not to invest when I have the answers right in front of me.’
I arrived in front of the office. As I cracked the door open, I froze at the voice coming from inside.
“Duke! How can you suddenly announce you’re getting married without introducing me to anyone?”
…Oh. That voice.
I peered through the crack in the door, recognizing it as a familiar voice from Diana’s memories.
‘So it’s Amanda, Kaiden’s mother.’
She was Harold’s stepmother, the second wife of the late Duke. I was sure of it after seeing her styled white hair and extravagant dress.
“Should I have heard about this from the newspaper?”
“We’re not close enough to exchange good news, are we? Mother.”
“Still, I am your mother, aren’t I?”
“Let’s be honest. You’re scared of your inheritance getting divided.”
Amanda exploded with anger, and Harold responded with a chilling smile.
“You should be the one being honest. You’re marrying just because you don’t want my son Kaiden to inherit everything after you die.”
“Oh, that’s definitely horrifying.”
I took a step back as the tension between the two of them intensified.
‘Should I come back later?’
Just as I was about to quietly close the door, Harold’s deep blue eyes locked onto mine.
His almond-shaped eyes narrowed.
I awkwardly smiled and lowered my head, signaling that I was leaving.
“But the marriage isn’t about inheritance. Hm. Let me introduce you.”
I quickly lifted my head. Harold walked confidently toward the door.
Just when I was frozen in place like a meerkat, he gently pulled the door open.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and sweetly called my name.
“My love.”
…Excuse me?
For a moment, my mind went blank, but I snapped back to reality at the warmth of his gaze resting on my head.
“I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t realize we had a guest.”
…That should be how I say it, right?
“Why are you apologizing, my love? There’s a rude person barging in.”
Harold delicately brushed his fingers through his hair. That gentle smile I had never seen before was unsettling.
“This is the person I love. I won’t bother with introductions since you already know each other.”
“Hah, Duke. You should’ve brought another woman instead. so I might have believed it a little.”
Seriously, I was surprised when I suggested to Harold a week ago that we pretend he had fallen in love and proposed to me.
But Harold wasn’t just pretending to love me for no reason.
He removed his gloves. His hand intertwined with mine.
“It’s upsetting to have our hot love questioned, my dear.”
“Y-you two are holding hands…?”
Amanda’s face went pale with shock.
It was widely known in high society that Harold didn’t touch women.
And Amanda was the one who spread that rumor.
“It’s infuriating that our private time is being interrupted by an unwelcome guest.”
Harold confirmed it to Amanda, who couldn’t believe it, by rubbing my hand against his cheek.
I was the only one he could touch without hesitation.
Anyone could see that Harold loved me deeply.
“Don’t be too upset, dear. I showed you a lot of love this morning too.”
I reached out with my free hand and gently stroked his cheek.
Harold’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly.
But he soon composed himself and pulled his lips into a deep smile.
He gently held my chin with his hand.
“If the love we shared this morning isn’t enough, what should we do?”
Uh, Duke…? Your face is getting a little too close…?
I shook my head lightly, thinking it might be best to stop here.
But Harold didn’t stop. My breath caught as I felt trapped.
“Enough! What are you two doing in front of an adult?”
Amanda shouted, her face turning red.
“Oh. Mother, you’re still here?”
“Duke!”
“Sorry. When I’m with the one I love, I tend to lose track of my surroundings.”
With every word Harold spoke, Amanda’s face turned redder.
It was surprising she could get any redder than she already was.
Her sharp, purple eyes shifted focus onto me.
“Lady Diana, come speak with me for a moment.”
“I can’t do that, Mother.”
Harold unbuttoned the first button of his shirt.
“I’m kind of in a hurry right now.”
“…! What on earth are you doing!”
He unbuttoned the second button, giving a charming smile.
“If you don’t want to become an embarrassment, you should just leave.”
My gaze was drawn to the seductive collarbone revealed through the gap in his shirt.
Just then, Harold’s hand moved to the third button.
“Ugh…! Lady Diana, let’s talk again soon.”
In the end, Amanda left the office, holding the back of her neck.
Harold stepped away from me.
Oh no, I quickly gathered my wits and lifted my gaze from his collarbone.
Our eyes met—awkwardly.
I immediately dropped my head and stared at the floor.
“Lady, are you a pervert?”
“No! I’m just visually sensitive!”
“That sounds the same to me.”
“It’s different. So please button up your clothes, Duke.”
I pouted at his voice, which was teasing me slightly.
Fortunately, Harold quickly buttoned up.
“But if we get married, we’ll need to change how we address each other.”
“Definitely. If we keep calling each other like this after marriage, people will catch on. Darling.”
Hearing him say “darling” with a seductive smile was way too much for me to handle.
“…What about just using our names?”
“Sure. I can’t call you ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’ in public, after all.”
“Yeah.”
Phew. Thank goodness.
* * *
Two weeks later.
Today was the day of Harold’s and my wedding.
