1.

“What is your favorite book?”

How many people in the world can confidently answer the above question? Lenore thought there probably weren’t many.

Of course, there would be people who could answer right away. More people than she might think might not have much trouble with it.

But those people would likely have been asked the question by someone else at least once. Or at least asked themselves.

Unfortunately, Lenore had never had such an opportunity, and her mind went blank at her husband’s question. Too many books popped into her head at once.

The books surrounding Lenore watched her silently with their mouths shut. It was a strange expression to say that books without mouths were keeping their mouths shut, but that’s how Lenore felt.

‘Say that I am your favorite book.’

As Lenore hesitated, unsure of which book to choose, the red book broke the silence.

‘You said you found me very entertaining after reading me for the first time in a long while.’

The red book was a novel about a tense court romance that had recently become a bestseller, so it was quite confident. The title of bestseller itself was almost a guarantee that it matched the tastes of many.

Lenore was not the type to read something just because others were reading it. So, she hadn’t planned to read the red book at first, but she picked it up by chance and had to admit that it was very entertaining.

It was ambiguous to say it was her favorite, but it seemed appropriate to mention to others. As Lenore was about to say the title of the red book, the black book suddenly interrupted.

‘Don’t be swayed by the fame of being a bestseller. Stand firm. You always wondered why more people didn’t read such an interesting book.’

The black book was a novel with a dense plot and surprising twists. However, its fame was considerably lower compared to its entertainment value.

Lenore snapped back to her senses. Right. Since when had she been swayed by the general opinion of others? She had always prided herself on being a sort of missionary who spread the word about lesser-known good books.

Now was the perfect opportunity to promote the black book. She decided to mention the black book. Just as Lenore made up her mind, a book that had been quietly watching from behind spoke up.

‘Did you forget about me?’

Huh? Oh no!

Seeing the white book, Lenore was momentarily horrified to realize she had completely forgotten about it.

The Count of Tivonne, whom she loved dearly. A man who was her favorite in life was holding the white book.

‘Please forgive me, Count!’

Lenore apologized to the Count of Tivonne. This book was the one she had read so much that the gold leaf on the cover had worn off. No story had ever made her laugh and cry and feel such a range of emotions as this one.

She had enjoyed it so much that even after seeing the word ‘The End’ at the last page, she couldn’t let go of the Count of Tivonne. She spent days lying down and imagining how the Count lived with his wife after the conclusion.

Was this what they called over-immersion? Lenore couldn’t just lie there, so she collected her overflowing imagination and wrote it down by hand. She even tried drawing the Count in the margins, but the poor quality of her drawing skills shocked her, and she tore it up immediately.

‘My favorite book, no, my favorite person is you!’

At Lenore’s passionate confession, the Count of Tivonne smiled gently.

‘I know. But can you tell him that you like me?’

The Count of Tivonne gestured with his eyes. Only then did Lenore realize she had been thinking for too long. She turned her gaze to the black-haired man who had asked her about her favorite book.

‘Daniel Shillinger was a very dull man. He didn’t know how to tell a funny story to lighten the mood, nor did he know how to laugh at someone else’s jokes.

Fortunately, he knew how to speak, but he couldn’t carry on a proper conversation. Even now, he showed no particular interest in the answer to the question he had asked. Cutting and eating the meat in front of him was more important to him than his wife.’

Lenore glanced at him and mentally narrated sentences as if describing a novel.

Three months ago, Lenore married Daniel. It wasn’t one made out of love, it was a marriage of convenience entangled with interests.

‘Sister, you’re so lucky to marry a handsome and well-mannered man.’

Her younger sister, Mironica’s grumbling voice came to mind. When Lenore’s arranged marriage to Daniel was decided, Mironica envied her. It seemed that her brother-in-law’s appearance was quite to her taste.

Lenore thought it would have been better if Daniel had waited a few more years and married Mironica instead. Unlike her sister, he was not at all to her taste. He had a strict look and an inflexible atmosphere, completely different from her favorite character, who had a charming and sly personality.

But could she argue with her father’s decision? She had to quietly accept the arranged marriage with Daniel. After all, he was a well-mannered man, so living as his wife wouldn’t be too bad, Lenore consoled herself.

But after getting married, what a surprise. He didn’t give her even the slightest bit of attention that a husband might feel obligated to give. Sometimes, she wondered if he forgot he was married because he would be startled when he ran into his wife in the hallway.

‘I’m sorry. I’m just not used to you being here.’

Every time Daniel said that, Lenore couldn’t shake the feeling that she was staying somewhere she shouldn’t be. She realized for the first time that even without openly ignoring or being oppressive like her father, one could still be quite miserable.

Knowing he felt awkward too, he would try to make small talk, but they couldn’t overcome the uncomfortable atmosphere.

There was no need to force it. Lenore didn’t want to get close to someone who didn’t like her. So she moved around as much as possible to avoid running into him and embarrassing herself.

While maintaining an awkward relationship more uncomfortable than with a complete stranger, she suddenly remembered what her uncle had told her long ago.

‘Listen well, you brats. Only relationships that aren’t for the sake of the family lineage are true love!’

Her uncle, who had caused a scandal by falling for a married man and nearly got thrown out of the house by the Duke of Bergis, shouted that they were in true love and had done nothing wrong.

‘I didn’t understand Uncle’s words when I was young, but now I get it. If you want to love, you have to make a lover.’

‘Oh my. I’ve been thinking that lately too. So, you feel the same, Sister?’

Her eldest and second eldest sisters reminisced about their uncle, whose whereabouts were now unknown.

‘Hey, Lenore. When you get married, make a lover quickly.’

‘If you want, I can introduce you to someone.’

Is that something you say to a bride-to-be waiting for her wedding? Lenore was flabbergasted by her sisters’ words. She thought they were just being mischievous.

But as she listened more, it seemed they were serious. Because both of them already had one or two lovers and boasted about what they liked about each of them.

Did they want to be thrown out like Uncle? Lenore worried and said so, but her sisters burst into laughter.

‘So what? Even husbands have lovers. It’s unusual for Father and Mother to have never had one.’

‘Father didn’t throw out Uncle because he liked a married man. He did it because Uncle, blinded by jealousy, tried to kill the pregnant wife of the man he liked.’

Lenore was shocked to learn the truth she hadn’t known. Her uncle, who had been kind to her despite his extreme personality, had tried to kill a pregnant woman!

While she was surprised by her uncle’s dual nature, Mironica pouted and said,

‘There’s no way someone as dignified as the Count of Shillinger would have a lover.’

Mironica said Daniel seemed like the type to refuse s*x, saying it was a sin, and pray every night. Her sisters exchanged glances and burst into laughter. They teased Mironica, saying that no matter what she said, it was Lenore who was marrying Daniel.

Mironica got angry, saying that wasn’t what she meant, and scolded her sisters for being mean to a bride-to-be by saying her husband would be a playboy.

‘Alright, Mironica. If you’re so confident, how about a bet?’

They had a fun little bet right in front of the bride.