Chapter 2.1 – Adele Limier

Adele Limier gazed silently at her pale reflection in the mirror.  

Her fine silver hair was tied up high in a flawless bun, without a single stray strand. Her sharp blue eyes, as always, remained calm and cold.  

Nothing about her appearance had changed from yesterday, yet Adele found herself staring at the mirror for an extended time.  

‘A marriage has been arranged.’  

Her father, Viscount Limier, had said this while hastily gulping down wine.  

He had already been drinking before Adele entered the dining room, his flushed face breaking into laughter.  

The Viscountess, who had been laughing along with him, turned to Adele and continued.  

‘You’re familiar with the Marquis Beneaire family, aren’t you?’  

‘How could I not be?’  

It was one of the oldest marquis families in the Terria Empire.  

Adele replied while silently slicing her steak without making a sound. Even if one wasn’t the head secretary of the Imperial Knight Order, it was impossible to live in this country without knowing that family.  

But did that family even have a man of marriageable age? 

Adele’s question was quickly answered.  

‘You’re going to become the Marchioness.’  

In the most absurd manner possible.  

‘What?’  

Her grip on the knife tightened. Adele hoped what she had just heard was a hallucination.  

‘…The Marquis.’  

‘He lost his wife two months ago. A position like that shouldn’t remain vacant for too long. Especially not in a family like the Beneaire.’  

The Viscountess made the sign of the cross as if to honor the late third wife of the Marquis, but there wasn’t a shred of respect or sincerity in her gesture.  

She looked so delighted that it was hard to believe she was a mother marrying off her daughter as the fourth wife of a man in his mid-sixties.  

Adele, having lost her appetite, quietly set down her utensils.  

‘Is this true?’  

‘Do you think I’m the type to make frivolous jokes?’  

‘Congratulations!’  

Daisy Limier, Adele’s sister, exclaimed cheerfully. Daisy, who saw Adele as a thorn in her side and feared her abilities might interfere with her own marriage prospects, seemed genuinely pleased.  

The Viscountess, who had been glaring coldly at Adele moments ago, now affectionately patted Daisy’s head as if she were the most adorable thing in the world.  

Familiar with this sight, Adele slowly stood up.  

‘I’ll take my leave now.’  

‘Alright.’  

The Viscount replied absentmindedly, finishing his glass.  

The Viscountess’s attention had already shifted back to Daisy.  

‘Our Daisy is such a beauty.’  

Adele glanced at them briefly before quietly retreating to her room.  

Once inside, she collapsed onto her bed and clenched her teeth.  

“…The Marquis Beneaire?”  

This was absurd.  

For a noblewoman of Adele’s caliber, there was no shortage of marriage proposals.  

She possessed all the qualities most highly prized in the social and marriage markets.  

To be precise, she had all the traits of a noblewoman who was “perfect for being sold off.”  

From a modest family that a man could easily dominate, with exceptional beauty, and just enough ability to manage a household on her own—these were the ideal conditions.  

That was why Adele Limier had fought so hard.  

She had foreseen a future where she would be sold off as the wife of a wealthy old man.  

Born as the powerless child of the Viscount’s first wife in a family on the brink of bankruptcy, Adele’s life had been a thorny path from the start.  

After the Viscount began his affair with the current Viscountess, Adele’s mother had met an untimely and suspicious death.  

From then on, Adele had been forced to tread a path of hardship.  

To avoid being sold off, she had applied for a secretary position in the Knight Order.  

With her sharp mind and efficient work ethic, the position suited her perfectly.  

Moreover, considering the conservative noblemen her stepmother often introduced, it was an ideal job since many despised women with ties to the Knight Order.  

Thus, Adele had climbed as high as she could on her own merits, reaching the highest position available to her.  

And, fortunately, she was beautiful.  

If one were to nitpick, her pale complexion from spending little time in the sun could be considered a flaw.  

However, even that was seen as an advantage in the Empire’s social circles, making her appearance all the more desirable.  

Even nobles from better families worked under her in the Knight Order, and her exceptional abilities had earned her high praise.  

So much so that her superiors had even offered her contracts to continue working after marriage.  

But had it all been for nothing?  

―Plop.  

A single tear fell.  

Her anger surged to the top of her head.  

Clenching her fists tightly, Adele abruptly stood up and stared at her reflection in the mirror.  

As always, she had no choice.  

Even before she could read, the word “obedience” had been drilled into her.  

It was infuriating.  

But what was even more infuriating was Adele herself.  

At work, Adele Limier, the head secretary of the Knight Order, was known for speaking her mind even at the risk of her life and for never acting against her principles.  

But at home, she became the despised daughter, treated worse than the family dog.  

It was always the same.  

Having been conditioned from a young age to submit to her parents, Adele instinctively obeyed them.  

And only after returning to her room did she let her anger surface.  

She sneered at her reflection in the mirror.  

Barely restraining the urge to smash the mirror, she turned her head away.  

After all, it would only be her hand that ended up broken.  

***

The next morning was no different.  

‘If the Marquis Beneaire sends someone, make sure to greet them warmly.’  

Adele could not refute those vile words.  

“Good work today!”  

As Adele exited the lounge and walked back to her office with perfect posture, knights passing by gave her slight bows.  

Without even glancing at them, Adele’s heels clicked sharply as she continued walking.  

Fortunately, to others, she seemed her usual self.  

Even though she was seething inside, Adele refused to let anyone find fault with her, so she hardened her expression even further.  

“No matter how I think about it, this isn’t right.”  

It was unfair—completely unacceptable.  

Her mind was consumed with indignation and frustration.  

How many times had she postponed marriage? How hard had she worked to avoid being sold off? It couldn’t end like this.  

Looking back, the mediocre proposals she had rejected under the pretense of work now seemed like blessings from heaven.  

The kind of man Adele wanted was simple: someone stupid.  

A man who wouldn’t meddle in her work, who would find other ways to satisfy his physical needs, and who would even bring children from elsewhere—that would be ideal.  

Having grown up in a harsh environment under the paranoid scrutiny of the Viscountess, Adele had developed an aversion to physical contact and hated others touching her belongings. This only strengthened her resolve.  

Adele had been searching for someone who met her conditions, but in these matters, the Viscountess was always one step ahead.  

The Viscountess had her own clear goals, different from Adele’s.  

The suitors the Viscountess sought for Adele were always from wealthy noble families with little risk of downfall.  

Her ultimate goal was to use the wealth Adele brought into the family to secure a marriage for Daisy Limier with a man whose future was guaranteed. Adele was nothing more than a tool for that purpose.  

As a result, the men the Viscountess introduced were invariably of high status but lacked intelligence, morality, and were overtly lustful toward Adele.  

‘It’s because I need to focus on my work in the Knight Order.’  

The fact that Adele had managed to hold out this long was commendable. She had used her work as an excuse to reject proposals, but the Marquis Beneaire was beyond her ability to resist.  

He was a man who could provide the Viscount Limier family with enough wealth to flourish. There was no way the Viscountess would let him go.  

―Grit.  

In the empty office, the sound of Adele grinding her teeth echoed.  

She had encountered the Marquis on official business a few times.  

‘Ah, so you’re Adele Limier?’  

She clearly remembered the way his gaze had shamelessly roamed over her.  

At the time, she had smiled and let it slide for the sake of the Knight Order, but now, she didn’t even want to imagine what he might be thinking as he signed the marriage documents exchanged between their families.  

“…There’s nothing to do.”  

Today, there wasn’t even much work to distract her.  

Dragging out a task that would normally take an hour into two just to appear busy had its limits. Eventually, she sent a message home.  

[It seems I’ll need to stay at the Knight Order today because of work.]  

…That was her excuse.  

“I don’t want to go back.”  

Today, of all days.  

The Marquis Beneaire was an impatient man. Who would have thought he’d be the type to suggest testing their compatibility before marriage?  

‘After three divorces, I’ve realized the most important thing is physical compatibility.’  

And the Viscountess, who happily accepted such a suggestion, was equally disgraceful. No doubt, if she went home, the household would be in a frenzy preparing for the “new bride.”  

“I’m not going.”  

Tonight, Adele resolved to do whatever she wanted, just for once.