Chapter 1.5

The wedding was a modest affair, attended only by immediate family.  

The marriage of a woman raised like a flower in a greenhouse and a man whose unforgettable face charmed people of all ages became the talk of the town for days after the ceremony.  

The Kingdom’s royal family even sent their congratulations for the union between the Heston family, one of the Kingdom’s founders, and the House of Trovill.  

Unfortunately for the curious, the striking couple left the capital immediately after the wedding and settled in Melfir, a southern region of the Kingdom.  

Luette Trovill had received the title of Earl of Melfir from his father upon his marriage.  

Melfir, known for its year-round mild and breezy weather, became the couple’s home, and they never appeared in the capital’s social circles.  

Time passed, and nearly a year had gone by.  

No one doubted the couple’s relationship. Instead, gossip columns occasionally speculated about how the young, beautiful pair, who seemed destined to fall for each other, were spending their idyllic days in Melfir.  

One surprising fact was that paintings of their wedding continued to sell like hotcakes.  

Though most were cheap imitations painted with inferior materials, young ladies often purchased these to hang in their bedrooms.  

“People say it’s the marriage everyone envies.”  

The aide who delivered the news explained further.  

“There’s a strange trend going around. They say that looking at paintings of couples they admire makes them become like them.”  

Luette found nothing unpleasant about this. In fact, it was welcome news—it proved how perfect their marriage appeared on the surface.  

Of course, the marriage was running perfectly behind the scenes as well. Both had nearly achieved their goals.  

By appearing in each other’s lives as partners, Luette Trovill had silenced any disputes from his family’s collateral branches and solidified his position as heir. Meanwhile, Solnia Heston, having married at the end of her eighteenth summer, was now nineteen. In July, she would complete her coming-of-age ceremony, claim her inheritance, and, after the divorce, both would return to their lives as free individuals.  

Truly, everything was perfect. All that remained was the divorce.  

But then came a twist.  

“Please stay my husband for just a little while longer.”

Startled by her calm tone, Luette regained his composure and asked,  

“What are you talking about? Explain yourself.”  

“My grandmother is suspicious of us.”  

At that moment, an image of the elderly woman’s gentle smile flashed through Luette’s mind.  

“Read this.”  

Solnia placed an envelope on the table. The seal of Dowager Heston was unmistakably stamped on it.  

Reluctantly, Luette picked it up and began to read.  

「To my beloved granddaughter, Solnia.

I know Melfir isn’t exactly the best place for newlyweds to live, but it seems to suit you quite well.  

There were endless rumors about how amusing and sweet your married life is, and for a while, I enjoyed reading gossip magazines because of it.  

People’s imaginations are truly trivial and adorable.  

By the way, I’ve been hearing some strange rumors lately. They say you two are pretending to love each other.

I’ve even heard that you’ve already set a date for your divorce and are living separately while acting as though you’re married. Isn’t it ridiculous? There are so many idle people in the world.  

Being born into the Heston family means you must endure even the smallest things being the subject of gossip. But I cannot tolerate my granddaughter being embroiled in such dirty scandals.  

What made me even angrier was hearing that you two are doing this to inherit the wealth.  

No matter how powerless an old woman I’ve become, I’m not that feeble, am I?」

By the time Luette finished reading, he couldn’t help but picture the face of Dowager Heston.  

Though her face was always smiling, even the wrinkles around her crescent-shaped eyes couldn’t diminish the piercing brilliance of her blue pupils, which didn’t seem to belong to a seventy-year-old woman.  

Those blue pupils seemed as if they could still be watching him from the vintage bedroom of the grand estate through some glass orb or another.

「So, I’d like you to attend my upcoming birthday party.  

Wouldn’t you agree we need to shut those filthy mouths once and for all

My dear Solnia, your grandmother is someone who always returns what she receives tenfold.」

The long-winded closing remarks didn’t even register. Only the paragraph about attending her birthday party to silence the rumors caught his attention.  

In other words, it was a command to come to the capital immediately and prove their relationship.  

After a long silence, Luette placed the letter back into the envelope and asked,  

“Who is behind this?”  

“I don’t know.”  

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Are you saying there’s no one you suspect?”  

Solnia’s brow furrowed.  

“Are you doubting me right now?”  

“Perhaps you unknowingly let something slip.”  

Her gray eyes glared at him as though she might tear him apart, but Luette remained unfazed.  

“Are you certain?”  

“What about you, Lord? Did you let slip anything about our marriage to someone?”  

“I have no friends.”  

“Neither do I.”  

Solnia retorted sharply, and for a moment, only a silent exchange of resentful gazes passed between them.  

The fact that their marriage was a business arrangement for mutual benefit was a closely guarded secret. Not even the servants of the estate or Luette’s closest aide, Philip, knew the truth.  

Thus, there were hardly any leaks…  

“In any case, the important thing is that we have to go to the capital.”  

Solnia’s firm voice cut through Luette’s tangled thoughts. He looked up at her.  

“We have to go to the capital.”  

“…”  

“I said we have to go.”  

Her gray eyes glimmered with a peculiar light, the same as when she had barged into his villa one spring day to propose marriage.  

A light that seemed both rushed and anxious yet earnest.  

But Luette shook his head.  

“No. I will not go to the capital.”  

“…”  

“The play is over, Miss Solnia.”  

Yes, the play was over. That was what he thought.  

One of them had become the rightful heir of the Trovill household, and the other was only a few months away from inheriting a vast fortune as a divorcee.  

With everything settled, there was no reason to risk going to the capital now.  

Above all, Luette had no intention of resuming that exhausting charade.  

During his time holed up in Melfir, he had been forced to visit the capital three times, and each time had felt like an eternity. Pretending to be a madman deeply in love with one woman and marrying her had been more grueling than he had anticipated.  

“Do you not understand what this means?”  

Solnia pushed the letter from Dowager Heston back toward him and spoke.  

“I told you before. I don’t want anyone to question my divorce. I need to remain married during my coming-of-age ceremony to inherit my parents’ fortune without any complications. If I don’t go to the capital, my grandmother will become suspicious of me. My brother won’t sit still either, as it’s an inheritance that would have been his if I hadn’t married.”  

The absurdity of her words made Luette chuckle. Solnia’s grandmother, Dowager Heston, and her brother, Alec Heston, the Earl, were not the type of people to act that way.  

Although Luette didn’t particularly like either of them, he agreed with the general opinion that they were exemplary nobles who embodied the true spirit of aristocracy. They were generous with what they had and supported the less fortunate through numerous charitable endeavors.  

But Solnia pressed on as if to corner him.  

“They will object to my marriage and may even try to have it annulled. No, they will. They’re the kind of people who would do that.”  

“…”  

“If that happens, everything will be ruined.”  

It sounded as though she was treating her own family like thieves. While Luette hadn’t realized she was this greedy, this was excessive.  

“Calm down, Miss Solnia.”  

“If you refuse to go to the capital, I’ll go alone.”  

Solnia bit her lip as if she had made a firm decision. Her resolute demeanor only made Luette laugh.  

“What do you plan to do if you go alone?”  

“If I show up in the capital by myself, everyone will find it strange. They’ll start doubting our marriage, and then I’ll have no choice but to tell the truth. That we married for our own purposes and, as rumored, have set a date for our divorce.”  

Was she serious? 

Luette raised an eyebrow.  

“Are you threatening to destroy yourself?”  

“I can’t be the only one to suffer. You’ll have to give up what you gained too.”  

Her bold words left him speechless.  

“We married for mutual benefit. You agreed to this arrangement as well, didn’t you? I inherit the fortune, and you become the head of the household.”  

“…”  

“So cooperate. The contract is still valid.”  

A tense silence followed. Their sharp gazes clashed in a fierce, wordless battle.  

After a while, Luette let out a hollow laugh. There was no other choice. After all, she wasn’t wrong.  

There were only about three months left until the one-year agreement expired. If he thought of it as fulfilling the agreed-upon term, it wasn’t much of a loss.  

Of course, it would involve some inconvenience, irritation, boredom, and patience, but it was better than being hounded over this issue.  

And there was always the possibility that Solnia might actually destroy herself.  

She seemed like the type who would do it if she said she would.  

“Fine. When should we leave?”  

“The sooner, the better.”  

“I’ll review the schedule.”  

When Luette reluctantly agreed, Solnia seemed satisfied and immediately stood up.  

As she adjusted her skirt and gathered her bag and the letter from Dowager Heston, she prepared to leave the study.  

Just as she was about to step out, Luette, who had been watching her silently, made a remark.  

“Make sure to send the agreement on time.”  

“…”  

“I’m just reminding you in case you forget.”  

This might very well be the end. The final chapter of a marriage planned for mutual purposes.  

The proud lady halted her steps and slightly turned her head. Her face, with its soft contours, curved into a sly smile.  

As if she were a predator who had finally achieved her goal.  

“Don’t worry. I’m looking forward to that day too.”  

Solnia left without hesitation.  

***

As soon as the study door closed behind her, Solnia staggered. It felt as though all the blood had drained from her body.  

The thought of having succeeded lasted only a moment before a wave of shame swept over her.  

‘Make sure to send the agreement on time.’  

To think she had to beg a man who was eagerly counting down the days until their divorce to keep pretending to be her husband until the very end.  

“Hah…”  

A shallow sigh escaped through her lips, but Solnia shook her head.  

‘Still, it’s resolved now.’  

Clinging to a man who disliked her was a deeply humiliating act, but she could endure far worse if it meant safely inheriting her parents’ fortune.  

‘That’s all that matters.’  

Still leaning awkwardly against the wall, Solnia suddenly glanced around to make sure no one had witnessed her ridiculous state. Then she straightened her posture.  

With her characteristic elegance and pride, she began to walk, just as she had when she went to find her husband.