Chapter 2 – The Only Option

One of the good things about being born into a novel is that you can predict, to some extent, what will happen in the future. However, even this wasn’t a great advantage for me.

From the beginning, I was just an extra who didn’t even get a single line in the story.

I had some information that could help my father’s business, but even that became useless when my father passed away.

Moreover, I had no reason to struggle to change the future. Born as the only daughter of an Earl’s family, I grew up receiving all my parents’ love.

Though we weren’t wealthy enough to be extravagant, I lived comfortably enough to have a new dress made for the annual ball and to learn whatever I wanted. Because of my memories from a past life, spending money to learn something without any talent felt like a luxury, so I gave up on everything early on.

Until my father passed away, I was just a fortunate girl. After adapting smoothly to social circles, I indulged in quietly fangirling over the main characters of the original novel.

Among them, my favorite character was the second male lead, Ian Keppel.

He was a devoted man who deeply loved the heroine but couldn’t fully express his desires and respected her choices.

In fact, I have a condition called “Second Male Lead Syndrome,” where I become infatuated with the second male lead. In romance novels, the man who catches my eye is almost always the second male lead 99% of the time.

Ian Keppel was the man who broke my heart the most. When the heroine, Celia, fled while pregnant with the emperor’s child, he protected her and even tried to register her child under his name.

That’s how good of a second male lead he was.

I always looked forward to my debut in social circles. I wanted to see what Ian Keppel looked like with my own eyes. There was no other reason.

After my debut, I attended every party where Duke Keppel might appear, secretly admiring him from afar. My friends and parents all misunderstood, thinking I had a crush on Ian Keppel, but there was no way to explain that it was admiration, not romantic feelings, so I just left it be.

Then my father passed away, and a matchmaker, Madame Blanche, sent me a marriage proposal from a mother-in-law who pitied my situation. It was after the novel had ended.

A story unknown to the readers. Ian Keppel, recognizing that his unrequited love for Empress Celia would bring her disgrace, accepted his mother’s suggestion and married any woman. That woman was me.

It was a win-win deal where Ian Keppel could pretend to have moved on from his feelings, and I could use the Keppel family’s money to take care of my mother. But as time passed, people began to pity me.

Three years into the marriage, with no news of pregnancy, rumors spread that Ian Keppel loved the Empress so much that he ignored his wife, me. I didn’t mind being mocked.

But my mother developed depression because of it!

I resolved to settle things with Ian Keppel this time. As soon as I left my mother’s townhouse, I went straight to the prime minister’s residence.

Today, I intended to put an end to the awful rumors about our separation. With a determined stride, I reached the office door and took a deep breath.

“May I see the Duke?”

“Of course, Your Grace. Shall I go in and inform him that you’re here?”

“Oh, wait. I’m not ready yet.”

Phillip, the chief aide, who had been smiling kindly at me, stopped in his tracks as he was about to open the door.

I took a deep breath. Once, twice, three times, four times—I kept taking deep breaths, and Phillip looked at me with pity.

“Or, if you’d prefer to wait in the drawing room, I can bring the Duke to you.”

“No, it’s fine. You must be busy, so you can go. By the way, is the Duke busy right now?”

“Not at all. He woke up at dawn and finished all his work in the morning.”

“Really?”

It was welcome news. Every time I visited the prime minister’s residence, I was always turned away because he was busy. I took one more deep breath. What should I do?

No matter how many deep breaths I took, I couldn’t calm my nerves. I just closed my eyes tightly and knocked on the door. Perfect timing, Phillip shouted.

“Your Grace! The Duchess is here.”

Then he simply opened the door. Just like that?

“Please go in, Your Grace.”

Phillip held the door open for me to enter. Reluctantly, I stepped inside. I saw Ian Keppel, my husband on paper, reclining on the sofa, then sitting up.

It seemed he had fallen asleep reading a book. He spoke in a low, sleepy voice, typical of someone who had just woken up.

“I didn’t say you could open the door.”

Why do you have to be so sexy in such a vulnerable state? With his slightly unbuttoned shirt, tousled hair, and deep voice, he looked like a model in the middle of a photoshoot. Oh yes, my eyes were thoroughly pleased.

“When have I ever waited for permission to enter? Please sit down, Your Grace. Please. I’ll bring some tea.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Phillip’s efforts to help me are appreciated, but sometimes they can feel a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, I smiled at him gratefully before turning to face Ian.

However, no matter how long I waited, he didn’t say a word about sitting down.

Phillip had told me to sit, so should I? But this was Ian’s office. While I hesitated, Ian, who was slowly adjusting his clothes, glanced at me and sighed.

“Sit down.”

Relieved by his permission, I sat on the sofa opposite him. To be honest, I was a bit afraid of Ian. Despite him being my favorite character, the circumstances made it difficult…

Ian hadn’t liked me from the beginning. It’s only natural. I remembered what he said when we first met.

“Miss Hershey, I don’t know if you are aware, but I have someone in my heart. If you stay married to me for just three years, I will guarantee your future afterward.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I am suggesting we get married on the premise that we will divorce in three years.”

Being a second male lead in a romance novel, our first meeting indeed kicked off with the cliché of a contractual marriage. But at that time…

“No.”

“…No?”

“Yes, no. Your Grace, Duke Keppel, you have titles and wealth, so divorce might not be a blemish for you, but it’s different for me. I’d rather consider other marriage proposals than enter a marriage knowing it will end in divorce.”

Few would dare to speak to someone with power second only to the emperor like that. Ian seemed intrigued by me. Regardless of my true feelings, I had to make a bold front. It was a matter of survival for me.

It might be better to live as a pitiful old maid who missed her marriage chances after losing her father than to live as a divorcee from the Keppel family, where sympathy would be hard to come by for fear of offending the Duke.

Nevertheless, the reason I attended the arranged meeting was, first, if I had to marry for my mother’s sake, I wanted to reach the highest position possible. Second, I knew Ian Keppel well.

He was a man who adhered to principles and was not easily swayed by love. If he continued to love Celia, and I played my role well, we could live as a plausible show-window couple.

“Even if you make the same proposal to another noble lady, you’ll get the same answer. I heard there was no one willing to accept your proposal because of the rumors.”

“You are in a similar situation, aren’t you? Don’t you want to take good care of Lady Hershey?”

Did I laugh then? I can’t quite remember. But he knew my situation well too. I could live like a commoner, but my mother wouldn’t be able to endure it.

For someone like me, who couldn’t imagine being physically intimate with a man I didn’t love, he was practically the only option.

“Yes, that’s right. We align well in terms of interests, so we’ll make a good couple.”

Ian had laughed at my words and left, but it wasn’t long before a marriage contract arrived at my house. A regular marriage contract without a clause about divorce after three years.

“What do you want to say?”

Ian asked wearily. I couldn’t look him in the eye and instead stared at the edge of the book he seemed to have been reading, titled ‘The Definition of Love’.

“Isn’t it inconvenient living in the prime minister’s residence?”

“It’s comfortable.”

“Then I think I’ll live here too.”

I quickly blurted out what I had prepared before he could say no.

“There’s no law against the prime minister’s wife living in the prime minister’s residence. There’s even a family suite already prepared. I’ll stay quietly so as not to disturb your work.”

“Why?”

“There are rumors because we don’t live together.”

“…”

“You married me because of the rumors, didn’t you? Now there are bad rumors again, so I’m saying that… If we had lived together from the start…”

“They would have rumored that you are barren or that I am impotent. How is this different from now?”

I was startled by his harsh words and looked up, only to meet his sneer and quickly lowered my head again. He looked like he no longer cared about the rumors. Still, impotent was too much…

“It is different. We could pretend there’s no problem in our relationship, right?”

Ian slowly folded his arms and replied.

“Is that important to you?”

“Pardon?”

“Is there no other real purpose?”

What purpose? I was dumbfounded, not understanding what Ian was getting at.

“Didn’t you tell my mother that you would be satisfied just being by my side?”

I was so shocked I opened my mouth wide. When did she ever… I had no idea when such a conversation could have taken place between the distant mother and son.

“Th-that’s…”

I hurriedly tried to make an excuse, but I couldn’t think of a single word to say. In the end, while I was fumbling, Ian sighed and spoke.

“After three years like this, do you think living together now will make me develop feelings?”

His voice was cold.

“After living together, will you then ask to share a bedroom?”

This isn’t right. I couldn’t say anything and just gripped the hem of my skirt under the table tightly. I needed to say something, but I was afraid I might start crying, so I couldn’t utter a word.