At the sudden word, ‘marry,’ my thoughts came to a complete halt for a moment. This man is supposed to marry Hesse Herrmann… something had gone very seriously wrong.

“You seemed to dislike being engaged to Marquis Ter Giuo as well.”

“That is my own affair. Breaking off the engagement with the marquis is also something I must do myself.”

“I have no intention of taking what is yours to do. I am simply trying to make it a little easier for you.”

Hylus was right.

A count daughter breaking off an engagement with a marquis, it was something unheard of.

But what if that broken engagement came by the power of a duke?

It was entirely possible.

“And what does Your Grace stand to gain from this?”

“…Let us call it a bit of amusement.”

“Amusement?”

“However, the young lady will also have to fulfill the role of my wife in public settings.”

“You are proposing a contract, right now?”

“If you insist on putting it that way, then yes.”

“Very well. But let us make it a clean divorce after one year.”

At the word divorce, Hylus’s eyebrow twitched for a brief moment. He held my gaze with an intrigued expression as he slowly shifted his posture.

The longer he spent stroking his chin and watching me, the more I found myself instinctively shrinking without meaning to.

“What is your reason for wanting a divorce?”

“I wish to spend the rest of my life with someone I truly love.”

“Someone you truly love…”

“Is it not the same for you, Your Grace?”

“Well, we tend to view marriage as part of business as well.”

Right, that was how it was. But in the novel, you were absolutely mad about the female lead, Hylus.

“I am nothing like those mad businessmen.”

“So then, who is it that the young lady loves?”

“That is something I can find out gradually while in a marriage of convenience with Your Grace.”

“You intend to have an affair behind my back?”

“An, an affair? But if that is how Your Grace feels, then I shall look for them after the divorce.”

“One year is too short. Four years.”

“Two years. No more than that.”

“…Very well.”

Within the brief exchange of words, a significant matter had been decided.

First, Duke Hylus would help with breaking off the engagement with Marquis Ter Giuo.

And then, living as the Duchess of Hylus for two years.

After two years, divorcing him and marrying my favorite character, Siobhan Akane!

One fortunate thing was that divorce was not considered a flaw in this world.

If anything, it was rather… liberating?

Originally, no one paid much mind to commoner divorces, but nobles, who were conscious of appearances, rarely divorced.

It was common for emperors to take concubines, but the previous emperor had not done so. He had chosen not a concubine, but divorce followed by remarriage.

Declaring that taking a concubine was no different from doing a terrible wrong to the empress, he had been the first to proceed with a divorce by mutual agreement.

After that, divorce ceased to be considered a flaw even among the nobility.

‘I will marry someone I love.’

It was actually a good opportunity. Since Hylus and Siobhan were close, after marrying him, all I had to do was find out what Siobhan liked and who his ideal type was.

I was quite pleased with the brilliant plan taking shape in my mind.

“Where did you learn archery?”

“Since I was young, I did archery… ah.”

I had nearly let slip something from my days as Jang Hye-a.

“Since you were young?”

“Yes, I often picked up a bow from a young age, following my father around.”

Hylus gave a light nod upon hearing my answer and then murmured quietly.

“So that’s why, in that forest…”

“Pardon?”

“We will skip the engagement and go straight to marriage. I will send a marriage proposal to the young lady’s family right away.”

“R-right now?”

Hylus looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask why I was stating the obvious.

Hylus shook the small golden bell on his desk, and the butler from earlier entered.

“Send a marriage proposal to Count Rumania at once.”

“Yes, a prop… a marriage proposal, did you say?!”

To the butler, who was just as startled as I was, Hylus responded without so much as batting an eye, in his characteristically sly manner.

“She will be the most audacious duchess among all the duchesses in history.”

***

Upon returning home, I went straight to pulling Eloa’s diary out from under the bed.

I had already read it all when I first found it, but I wanted to make sure I had not missed anything. However, just as I was beginning to think there was nothing more to gain from reading it again, I discovered a blank page.

Why is only this page blank?

Among the pages densely filled with writing on both sides, only this one sheet was clean. Even when held up to the light, nothing appeared. It was simply a clean piece of paper.

I thought nothing of it, put the diary away in its place, and threw myself onto the bed.

The previous owner of this body. Knowing that the real Eloa had performed a soul exchange, I had searched through every bookshelf in the count’s residence, but there were no books related to sorcery or souls.

Sorcery was nothing more than a legend that had vanished two hundred years ago to begin with. The only places likely to hold books that old were the imperial palace library or the temple library.

The temple library could not be entered by anyone other than priests, so the only option was the imperial palace library.

The families permitted access to the imperial palace library were the Hylus ducal family and the Herrmann ducal family. Only those of rank three or above working within the imperial palace were granted entry.

To reach rank three, one would need to be a prime minister or the commander of a knighthood. Since becoming rank three or above was not something that could be done immediately, the closest means available was to marry Hylus and gain entry as a duchess.

So much had happened in such a short span of time that fatigue came washing over me.

The moment I became aware of my exhaustion, my eyelids grew heavy and sank.

I’ll have to think about this gradually…

It was not long before I woke from a deep sleep. It was because Brandt, that is, the real Eloa’s father, Count Brandt, had returned home after receiving the marriage proposal from Hylus.

Summer’s words that Count Brandt appeared to be in a displeased mood had me tensing up considerably. Even in reality I had been a blunt daughter who was not particularly close with her father, but since these were not my real parents, I was even more nervous.

Knock knock.

The moment I had been dreading had arrived.

I swallowed dryly before managing to open my mouth with great effort.

“…Yes.”

“Loa, it’s Papa. May I come in for a moment?”

“Yes, please come in.”

In his hand he held a marriage proposal bearing the Hylus ducal family’s crest.

He really did send it right away.

“Loa, I came because I wanted to hear your side of things.”

What was the right thing to say. Just as I was parting my lips, struggling to find the words.

“Loaaa, my one and only daughter!”

From outside the room, the voice of Kayla, my mother, could be heard calling to me as she entered. Unlike Brandt’s, her voice sounded utterly elated.

Fling!

Into the room, which had been filled with nothing but tension, came the bright and lively atmosphere of curiosity and delight that Kayla brought with her.

“Dear.”

“My, I heard you came straight home, so I wondered where you were, and here you are in Loa’s room?”

“Well…”

“The marriage proposal! Let me have a look.”

Even the usually composed countess was giving off a completely different air right now. Before Brandt could say a word, she snatched the marriage proposal from his hand and began reading it.

“I hereby request your hand in marriage. Eden Cler Hylus.”

“……”

“Goodness! Loa, is this really true? When I first heard about it, I thought it was a joke.”

“Mother, about that…”

“Mama approves. I like Duke Hylus far better than Marquis Ter Giuo.”

Unable to bear Kayla’s nonstop chatter any longer, Brandt let out a sound as though clearing his throat.

“Ahem.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, dear.”

It was only after Kayla sat down beside Brandt that I was able to speak. Her arrival seemed to have created a somewhat lighter atmosphere for conversation.

“I wish to break off the engagement with Marquis Ter Giuo and marry Duke Eden Cler Hylus.”

“Since when?”

“It has not been very long.”

Brandt, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth.

“I see, Loa. If that is what you wish, we have no objections. However…”

However…?

“Getting married right away seems a bit too soon. Let us have an engagement first, and then proceed to marriage.”

“Yes.”

“Papa… still… you… huff.”

Huff…?

Thinking I must have misheard, I looked over at Brandt, and he had already tilted his large frame toward Kayla and was crying against her.

“Please don’t cry so much. The time has come for us to send our Loa off.”

“But, dear… huuuu.”

“Now, your father is a bit of a crybaby, that’s his only flaw. But isn’t that endearing in its own way?”

They were truly parents full of nothing but surprising charms.

Only after she had comforted him several times did Brandt stop crying and open his mouth again.

“For now, I will send a letter to the Duke to convey that we would like to proceed with an engagement first.”

Kayla, who saw the still-sniffling Brandt out first, gently took my hand.

“My dear, is the Duke a good person?”

Is he a good person? Well.

Contrary to the answer that came to mind, the words that came out of my mouth were positive.

“Of course.”

“What a relief. To be honest, when you said you were going to marry Marquis Ter Giuo, you wore such an expression, as though you were being sold off, and I worried greatly.”

“……”

“Mama and Papa just want you to be happy. Please do not think of the family, and marry for your own happiness.”

“……”

“Rest well, my dear.”