“Yes, that’s right. Just as you guessed.”
“……”
Of course.
Daniela scoffed in disbelief, casting a disapproving glance at him before speaking in a mocking tone.
“You admit it so easily. I thought you’d at least try to deny it.”
“And if I had, would you have believed me?”
“No. Of course not.”
“There you go, then.”
Ashid shrugged as if he had expected her to respond that way. Daniela bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at him as he looked down at her with a smirk.
“Hah. You’re acting as if you already know exactly what I’m thinking. Then, you must also be able to predict how I’ll respond to Your Grace’s proposal, right?”
“You’re saying you’ll reject my proposal?”
“Yes. I have no interest in marrying a man who plans to use me to the bone and then discard me.”
Ashid’s smile deepened at her words.
“You’ll regret it.”
“And why are you so sure of that?”
“Look at your situation. You don’t even have the money to properly maintain this rundown estate. Am I wrong?”
With those words, Ashid gestured toward the overgrown garden. His pointed remark made Daniela bite her lip even harder.
Seeing her reaction, Ashid let out a short laugh. He found it amusing—her desperate attempts to maintain her pride despite being cornered. Perhaps that was why. He wanted to see this cunning and stubborn woman bend to his will.
Consumed by that strange emotion, Ashid continued in a voice as smooth as honey, as if he were coaxing her.
“I can give you as much money as you want. So, sell me everything you have. This estate, the rights to the relics left by the Duke of Enchanto—everything.”
“If that’s what you want, there’s no need for us to marry. I could simply give you the information you’re after…”
“And how can I trust that you’ll hand it over willingly? As your lawful husband, I would have unrestricted access to everything owned by the Duke of Enchanto.”
There was a glint of vengeance in Ashid’s eyes, an unwavering determination that he would not back down.
Daniela swallowed dryly and asked, “And what if I refuse? What will you do then?”
“Well, I’d advise against making such a foolish choice. Unless, of course, you want to be abandoned by Adrian and make an enemy out of me as well.”
“……!”
“I’m far more persistent and petty than you think.”
With those words, Ashid smiled. His lips curled smoothly, but his eyes remained unchanged, exuding an overwhelming sense of menace.
Daniela felt a chill run down her spine.
‘This lunatic!’
As expected of the infamous villainous duke, his tactics of persuasion and intimidation were top-notch.
The real problem was that she couldn’t simply ignore his threats. His offer was also quite tempting.
She had no desire to get entangled with this man and end up in a miserable fate. But at the same time, rejecting this deal outright seemed unwise. After all, as Ashid had pointed out, Daniela needed money.
On top of that, having been cast out of high society after her broken engagement with the crown prince, she couldn’t afford to make an enemy of this mad warlord bent on revenge.
‘What do I do? Seriously, what should I do?’
Her mind was spinning with worry.
Then, suddenly, she recalled a scene from the original novel.
‘That’s right. Ashid is going to fall in love with Camellia soon.’
About three months from now, at the imperial New Year’s banquet…
The villainous duke, Ashid, would see Camellia Edith Seaton—Adrian’s lover and the novel’s heroine—for the first time and fall in love at first sight.
Already consumed by his twisted obsession with revenge against Crown Prince Adrian, Ashid would completely lose himself in his love and possessiveness for Camellia.
Until his downfall and tragic end, he would never once let go of his obsession and love for her. He was the very definition of an obsessive second male lead.
‘Once he sees Camellia, he’ll start to think of me as a nuisance. He’ll want to get rid of me.’
In other words, the moment Ashid met Camellia, Daniela would have a chance to break free from his grasp.
Realizing this, Daniela’s face brightened slightly with newfound hope.
Now that things had come to this, she would use this situation to her advantage.
With that decision in mind, Daniela cautiously opened her mouth.
“Fine. But I have conditions.”
“Go ahead.”
“First, you must ensure that I won’t suffer any consequences in the future because of my father’s legacy. And second, three months from now, you will grant me a clean divorce along with the compensation you promised. If you can agree to these two conditions, I will accept Your Grace’s proposal.”
Her terms were far from unreasonable. In fact, they were too favorable to Ashid.
He wasn’t sure what her true motives were, but there was no reason for him to refuse.
Without hesitation, he nodded.
“Alright. I agree.”
“You promised. Don’t go back on your word later.”
Saying that, Daniela extended her hand toward him, as if inviting a handshake.
Ashid chuckled briefly before grasping her hand.
“You too.”
Just two days after the news of Crown Prince Adrian’s broken engagement spread, the aristocrats of the Aschilad Empire were shocked by another unbelievable rumor.
The abandoned fiancée, Lady Daniela of House Enchanto, had accepted a marriage proposal from none other than Duke Ashid Alberic, the Crown Prince’s half-brother and the ruler of the northern territories.
Following imperial protocol, the duke declared that he would wed Lady Daniela as soon as he received the emperor’s approval.
The news sent high society into an uproar.
Some speculated that the two had been secretly meeting behind the prince’s back all along.
Others gossiped that the war-hardened Duke Alberic had finally lost his mind.
There were even rumors that the spurned Lady Daniela had seduced the duke out of spite for the crown prince.
Another theory suggested that the crown prince had some unspeakable flaw, causing Lady Daniela to abandon him first.
Countless rumors spread, but none were ever proven true.
Naturally, this shocking development also reached Crown Prince Adrian’s ears.
The head steward of the imperial palace, looking extremely displeased, relayed the news of his former fiancée’s engagement.
“How could Lady Daniela do this! Has it even been a month? Or two? And her fiancé is none other than Duke Alberic! And His Grace—how could he propose to Lady Daniela of all people?”
Adrian merely listened with a surprised expression. Then, tilting his head slightly, he muttered to himself,
“…I didn’t know my brother had feelings for Daniela. If I had, I would have broken off the engagement much sooner.”
“Your Highness! That’s not the issue here! Do you realize what the nobility is saying? Do you understand how much your honor has been damaged by this scandal?”
“Gossip is just gossip. It’ll die down soon enough.”
“Your Highness!”
“What concerns me more is my brother. He’s always been rational and perceptive. I wonder if he’ll be able to handle Daniela’s fiery and unpredictable nature.”
“……”
“Maybe I should subtly warn him.”
With a thoughtful expression, Adrian pondered his next move.
The steward, meanwhile, stared at him in exasperation.
‘How naïve can you be!’
Even if Adrian had grown up under the empress’s protection, unaware of the harsh realities of the world, the steward found it unbearable every time he uttered such innocent remarks.
This was Duke Ashid Alberic they were dealing with. He had to have an ulterior motive.
Recalling the sight of a young Ashid being dragged out of the palace, eyes burning with fury, the steward clenched his teeth.
He had to act before it was too late.
Just then, a servant burst in with an urgent expressions…
