While You're In Love

3. Marriage contract

The ‘special’ information about Aslan Tordell came to my mind, a few days after my first brief meeting with him.

I have thought about him often since the time I received cufflinks from him.

It wasn’t a grand delusion.

Just a few thoughts like what is he doing right now, did he forget me completely or does he remember me a little bit, these little things filled my head.

Then, suddenly, I realized that this world was a world in a “novel,” just as I naturally remembered the memories of my previous life on my 10th birthday.

There was no great jaw-dropping event in the novel.

A handsome male protagonist with wealth, power, and beauty rescues and supports a female protagonist from a pitiful situation, and they fall in love with each other.

It’s a common romance novel like Cinderella.

Aslan Tordell was the male protagonist of this novel.

What was even more unbelievable was that I also appeared in the novel.

She was not the heroine who would be his eternal love. It was not even a supporting role.

I, ‘Helena Larestine’, was an extra who, for some reason, had a contract marriage with Aslan Tordell , before he met the heroine.

When the main female character appears and the novel begins properly, Helena leaves with only one sentence.

There was an incomparable shock that could not be compared to when I remembered the memories of my previous life.

I couldn’t believe I was just an extra who appeared in someone else’s main story.

All the things I’ve been through, all the things that kill me day by day, were just letters scrawled by someone’s hand.

Even my short story did not entertain the readers in the novel.

My life had no effect on the people who read the novel.

Realizing that my life couldn’t even be a mere game, I despaired. I also felt betrayed.

Even if others laughed at me for being insignificant, I valued it, it was my life and I thought it would shine someday.

That’s why I was not easily broken by the contempt of the count, the mistreatment of the countess, Glock’s molestation, and the neglect from the servants of the count’s residence.

I promised myself that someday I would go back to my family and live a happy life as Lyla.

I did…

Tears came to my eyes as I felt that the life I had cherished so much was stuck in the mud.

For the first time since I entered the Larestine mansion, I gasped and cried.

Even though I was used to crying silently, I couldn’t stand it then.

So I cried until my head was tingling and hurting, until my throat was hoarse.

As I collapsed from exhaustion from crying, I made a promise to myself.

Even though this is a fictional world, and even if I’m just a minor extra, I’ll never be swayed by a ridiculous fate.

But when I was standing at the edge of the cliff, the first thing that came to my mind was Aslan Tordell.

To be exact, the story of the novel in which he is the male lead came to mind.

In the novel, ‘Helena Larestine’ caught Aslan’s weakness and forced him to marry her.

Aslan Tordell was young, handsome, rich, and above all, strong enough to play the male lead in romance novels.

In addition to physical strength, he possessed the power to easily move others.

If I marry him and fall under his protection, I can escape from Count Larestine.

The fact struck me like lightning.

After only three years of fake marriage to Aslan Tordell, I could get the freedom I wanted. After the divorce, wealth will come with a lifetime of peace.

According to the explanation in the story, Aslan Tordell has a kind personality, so he won’t persecute me or violate the contract at will.

‘There’s no reason I shouldn’t marry him.’

My head, confused with tension and fear, continued to think in a jumble and came to a strange conclusion.

However, I did not have time to carefully reconsider the decision I had made.

‘Things should work out.’

After leaving the Larestine Mansion, I nervously moved my feet.

I was in a hurry to run away, so I couldn’t even wear my coat properly, let alone get ready to go out.

Naturally, I had no money to rent a wagon, so I stepped out on the snow piled up to my ankles with worn-out and thin shoes.

When I arrived at the Tordell Mansion by asking a few people on the street, the sun had already set to the west.

The guards also did not panic at my sudden request. They seemed to have experienced many cases where strangers came and blindly asked to see Duke Tordell.

The guards were annoyed.

“Get rid of the commoner!”

“I am not a commoner. I came here because I have some business with the duke.”

The guard looked at me and snorted.

“If you want to visit the Duke, make an appointment in advance. Do you think this is the bottom of a market? I’m letting anyone in just because they have something to do?”

Without hiding the ridicule that rose to his lips, the sarcastic guard muttered to himself.

“Is it something else then? People who come here like this are mostly random merchants.”

I was not angry at the words of the guard who seemed to despise me. I thought that could be the case for him.

To meet someone as good as the Duke of Tordell, you must have made an appointment with him in advance and passed the gate in a precious carriage.

Not like me who is trudging along with this shabby look.

So instead of expressing anger, I said calmly.

“I got something from the Duke. Look at this.”

I took out my cloth bag that I had kept in my arms. The guard frowned at the old dirty cloth bag.

“No, I mean…”

“Please take a look at this.”

I interrupted the guard who was about to say something to me and pulled out the cufflinks.

If I didn’t do this, it seemed that he would never open the door to me.

“Hmm!”

The guard openly revealed an uncomfortable review.

However, as soon as he caught a glimpse of the cuff button, he corrected his twisted posture.

“Wait.. No way, this is……?”

The guard’s eyes widened the more he inspected the cufflinks.

“This, this, how…… !”

The guard was startled and could not speak properly.

“The Duke gave me this and said that if I need his help later, I just need to show this.”

After explaining calmly, the guard, who was already restless, began to tremble .

“All right, in that case, uh, I made a big mistake earlier, no, wait a minute!”

The rambling guard quickly went inside, leaving a message to wait for a while.

Left alone in front of the gate, I stood still holding the empty fabric pouch tightly.

The cold winter weather froze my body in thin clothes.

I couldn’t feel under my calves because I was walking on the snow piled up on the road, and aa little snow started piling up on my head and shoulders.

My teeth trembled and my hands and feet were numb.

When I was busy running away from that hellish place, I never felt this cold and pain.

Now that I was in a safe place, I felt relaxed.

I couldn’t follow the guard inside and was left alone in front of the gate, so I was killing time by looking at the cloudy sky.

Not long after, someone came up to me with quick steps.

A well-dressed young man with silver-framed glasses which looked good on him and bowed politely.

“Hello. My name is Dalton, the butler of Tordell Mansion.”

“Hello. I am… … .”

I was speechless. How should I introduce myself?

When I hesitated and didn’t properly introduce myself, Dalton asked cautiously.

“The master is waiting in the drawing room. May I guide you?”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

I quickly accepted his favor.

The Larestine mansion was also huge and splendid, so I was so nervous that I broke into a cold sweat when I first stepped into it, but compared to Tordell mansion, it was quite small.

The Tordell mansion was so large and complicated that I thought I would get lost in the building if I took a wrong step.

As I walked after the butler with concentration to prevent such mishaps, I arrived at the drawing room where Aslan Tordell was waiting.

knock, knock.

“We have a guest here.”

Perhaps he heard the butler’s report, a low voice came from beyond the door.

“Come on in.”

Dalton grabbed the doorknob and bowed to me.

“Please go on in.”

“Yes.”

The drawing room door carefully closed behind my back as I cautiously entered.