That evening, I was invited by the Duke to have dinner with him.

Since I had been eating in my room to avoid drawing attention, this was my first time seeing the dining room.

It was so extravagantly decorated that I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

Eating in a place like this, I’d probably be so distracted by my surroundings that I wouldn’t even know whether the food was going into my nose or my mouth.

The Duke, already seated at the head of the table, gestured toward the seat next to him when he saw me.

“You’re here? Sit…”

As he wiped his hands with a damp towel and motioned to the seat beside him, he suddenly paused.

Then, without warning, he stood up and walked over to me.

“What are you—ah!”

“This chair is higher than a sofa.”

Before I could react, the Duke effortlessly picked me up and placed me in the seat next to him, just as he had done before.

I appreciated it, but being treated like luggage left me grumbling.

“I can climb up on my own, even if it looks a bit awkward.”

“That’s the problem. It’s unpleasant to look at.”

“What…?”

“…What does that mean?”

“It means you’re unlucky. Anyway, thank you.”

I gave a curt nod and turned my gaze to the plate in front of me.

The Duke let out a faint chuckle and rested his arm on the table, tilting his head slightly as he asked,

“You seem to be speaking quite casually now.”

“It means this place feels comfortable and nice.”

“…Your tongue is as sharp as ever.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

…If I threw this fork, I’d probably get kicked out. But why are there so many forks here?

I stared at the forks next to my plate, but unable to decide which one to throw, I gave up. What a shame.

“Enough with the wordplay. Let’s eat.”

With that, the Duke signaled the start of the meal, and warm dishes began to fill the table.

The meals I’d had in my room were excellent, but the food brought directly to the dining room was on a completely different level.

The sight of a roasted duck—or maybe it was a turkey—nearly the size of my head left my mouth agape.

But the Duke, as if this was just another ordinary day, calmly picked up his fork and knife.

“Shall I cut it for you?”

“…You’re already cutting it, so why ask?”

“It’s polite to ask. Eat.”

The Duke skillfully carved the meat and placed it on the plate in front of me.

After some hesitation, I picked up the smallest fork that fit my hand and brought the meat to my mouth.

“…!”

For a moment, I almost forgot I was sitting in front of the Duke and nearly exclaimed out loud.

The meat melted in my mouth before I could even chew it properly, it was so tender.

My face naturally turned serious. I glared at the roasted bird—duck, or whatever it was—deep in thought.

‘I knew from the original story that the Esperanza family was incredibly wealthy.’

But I hadn’t realized I’d be able to feel it so vividly just from a meal.

Maybe I had underestimated just how powerful a family I was dealing with.

‘Well, it suits Mom perfectly.’

After all, my mother was someone who had originally lived a life where this kind of luxury was the norm.

Maybe this was better for her.

I continued eating, trying my best to hide how awkward I felt.

However, throughout the meal, the Duke kept carving new pieces of food into manageable bites and placing them on my plate, all while making disapproving comments.

“Why can’t you eat more than this? Eat more.”

‘…Is he provoking me?’

His tone was too condescending to be considered thoughtful.

Was he implying I was eating too much?

I glanced down and noticed that the dress, tailored perfectly to my size, was already puffing out noticeably.

Hmm, if I ate any more, I might actually burst.

Regardless, the Duke’s constant provocations—or whatever they were—sparked a strange sense of determination in me. I ended up eating every single thing he placed on my plate.

‘I’m so full.’

When the meal finally ended, the servants brought out small plates with something on them.

Thinking it might be chocolate, I leaned in to inspect the small glass dishes. They were filled with a yellowish substance that didn’t slosh around much when I tilted the dish. It wasn’t quite a liquid or a solid.

“…Is this soup?”

After much deliberation, I swallowed my pride and asked the Duke. He looked at me with a somewhat ambiguous expression and muttered something under his breath.

“…A child of a marquis family, and yet…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

His voice was too soft for me to catch.

Instead of answering my question, the Duke explained something else.

“This is custard pudding. Use the smallest spoon next to it to eat.”

“Oh…”

Following his instructions, I picked up the smallest spoon and cautiously scooped up some pudding.

The texture was oddly jiggly, which gave me goosebumps, but it was also oddly satisfying.

When I took a bite, the unfamiliar texture made my eyes widen.

“…Wow.”

After a small exclamation, I eagerly continued scooping up the pudding.

Before I knew it, a second pudding appeared in front of me.

The Duke had pushed his own dish toward me.

“So, about your plan.”

I didn’t think the Duke had invited me to dinner just to watch me eat, and sure enough, he brought it up as the meal was wrapping up.

‘Time to earn my keep.’

I paused and set the spoon down. The Duke looked at me with a faintly regretful expression.

“What is it?”

“…Nothing. Anyway, what’s your concrete plan? I’ve already sent a reply to the Marquis saying when he’d be available to meet.”

“Hmm…”

As I thought about it, my brow furrowed slightly.

‘Wait a minute. How could the Marquis have responded so quickly?’

It had only been three days since I proposed the deal to the Duke. In that time, he would’ve had to deliberate over my offer, send a letter to the Marquis, and receive a reply.

The timeline didn’t add up.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the Duke suspiciously.

“Were you planning to send me back to the Marquis’s house the whole time I was unconscious?”

“Not planning. It was simply the natural course of action when finding a lost child.”

‘Yeah, right…’

He had no right to criticize me for being sharp-tongued.

From what I could tell, the Duke was capable of cutting someone down with words alone.

I shook my head and continued.

“So, to summarize: the Marquis of Diarmuid wants to use my mother to manipulate the Esperanza family, and you need to safely pass your title to Lucian when he comes of age.”

“Correct.”

The Duke nodded.

I pondered for a moment, folding my fingers one by one as I pieced together information from the novel and what I had learned from Paul.

“Indeed, marriage would be a risky gamble for you. Anyone who manages to secure the position of Duchess of Esperanza would undoubtedly aim for the heir’s position as well.”

“…Exactly.”

The Duke let out a bitter laugh, likely acknowledging the truth of my words.

The Esperanza family was one of the few ducal families in the empire and held immense prestige as the leader of the emperor’s faction. Even the Marquis of Diarmuid coveted it.

In a world as vast as this, the Marquis of Diarmuid wasn’t the only one of his kind.

Many people were eager to push their daughters into the position of Duchess of Esperanza, and their ultimate goal was usually to have their daughters bear the heir to the Esperanza family.

Thus, if the Duke were to marry, the risk of Lucian losing his rightful title would skyrocket.

For Lucian’s sake, the Duke couldn’t afford to have children of his own.

But precisely because of this, I had an opening to propose my deal.

“My mother doesn’t like men like you, Duke.”

“Cough! …What?”

The Duke choked on his water and coughed at my words.

He looked at me with a bewildered expression, so I repeated myself firmly.

“My mother doesn’t like men like you, Duke.”

“…I never confessed to the daughter of the Marquis of Diarmuid, so why do I feel like I’ve been rejected?”

“Anyway, my mother doesn’t like people like you, and she already has me as her child. So she has no reason to want an heir with you.”

Of course, my mother didn’t know about this plan yet, but I was certain of this much.

She always said she would never remarry, clenching her fists as she muttered it.

‘…Probably because of the trauma of losing my father to the Marquis’s schemes.’

But I didn’t want to share that with the Duke.

Likewise, the Duke never asked about how I had lived before coming here, though he occasionally seemed curious.

“So, in exchange for rescuing my mother from the Marquis of Diarmuid, propose a contract marriage. Ask her to be your shield against the pressure of marriage and heirs until Lucian inherits the title.”

“But if the Marquis’s goal is to control the Esperanza family, he’ll certainly try to interfere through your mother.”

“That’s your job, Duke. During the contract period, you must ensure the Marquis can never lay a hand on my mother again.”

Even if I died and the contract between my mother and the Duke ended, the Marquis should never be able to touch her. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless.

“…But for the duration of the contract, you’ll have to pretend that you and the Marquis’s daughter aren’t related in front of others.”