8. A Proposal  

There was no immediate answer to her plea for him to protect her. He remained silent, and the longer that quiet stretched on, the more it was Judy whose insides burned. His silence had to hold many meanings. No matter that she had told him a secret known only to the two of them, it still might not be certain that she was truly “Judy,” and even if she was Judy, friends—who were not family—had no obligation to protect her.  

If he decided instead that she had dragged him into something troublesome, then the worst decision—the one that would throw Judy into an abyss—would be to cast her aside.  

She was anxiously holding her breath, desperately hoping he would not turn his back on her, when—  

“Let’s get married.”  

“……Huh?”  

That was not the answer she expected. Thinking she had misheard, she tilted her head and opened her lips again.  

“Do what?”  

“Is there a surer way to protect you than marriage?”  

“…….”  

“Either way, you have to come into my arms for me to have a reason to protect you, don’t you?”  

From Judy’s perspective, she had only thought of staying at his estate and being guarded by his knights. But his idea of “justification” was entirely different. He shattered all her expectations. He was already convinced she was Judy—and was willing to protect her beyond the bounds of friendship.

“You weren’t planning to just freeload at my house and rely on my knights, were you?”

“…….”  

He pierced her pathetic plan so sharply that even her conscience stung. Judy could not even answer yes or no, and had to endure his bombardment of scolding.  

“Do you think the Leroni family would just sit still? And if I brought a noble lady into my house for no reason, do you think my father would allow it? Maybe if you were still the old Judy, but now?” 

“……No. I’m sorry. I didn’t think that far. But don’t think I’m completely pathetic. I was afraid someone would kill me, it was hard to think perfectly rationally.”  

“The pathetic one isn’t you.”  

Irritation seeped thickly through his exhaled breath.  

“It’s me—for not recognizing you.”

It was only a moment, but he looked at Judy with eyes heavy with something like guilt. Theo pressed his lower lip, then, as if frustrated, swept his hair back once more and stood.  

“Rest for now. Let’s talk about this again tomorrow.”  

“Okay.”  

Theo quietly watched Judy, who answered with no strength left, then took the towel she had been holding and began drying her wet hair slowly. His touch was very gentle and careful.  

“Don’t worry about anything. No one will be able to lay a finger on you.”  

***

How long had it been since she had shaken off anxiety that had surged to its peak and slept with such peace of mind? Judy felt refreshed all over, her mood bright—only to sink again at the reality that nothing had changed. She needed to accept it to some extent now, but it still felt awkward.  

To let them know she was awake, she rang the bell hanging by the bed. Not long after, a servant knocked and came in.  

“You called for me.”  

“Please tell the Young Duke that I’m awake.”  

“Yes. I will pass it along.”  

The servant withdrew, and just as Judy managed to get up and change only her dress, a knock announcing Theo’s arrival echoed through the room again.  

“You’re here?”  

“Did you sleep well?”  

He closed the door and walked to the vanity where Judy was sitting. Unlike Judy, who had woken in the best mood after sleeping well, Theo looked languid with fatigue.  

“Yeah. I slept well. But you look tired.”  

“I searched through some books all night. In case there was another case like yours.”  

“……Is there?”  

“No.”  

In the firm voice that answered the question she had asked on a scrap of hope, she could hear how lost and regretful he felt.  

“But I’ll keep looking.”  

Of course, those words followed, meant to soothe her despair. Just knowing she was no longer alone made hope swell again in Judy’s chest, as if it could be resolved soon.  

“I’m really glad you’re by my side.”  

“You only realized that now? I’ve always been by your side.”  

Speaking indifferently, he looked at the hem of the dress she was wearing, then bent and stroked it with his fingertips.  

“The dress is very worn. After breakfast, let’s go buy dresses first.”  

“Okay.”  

“But before that…….”  

Theo straightened again, pulled over an empty chair, and sat facing her, meeting her eyes.  

“We need to settle what we said yesterday about a contract marriage.”  

“Yesterday was too chaotic for me to say it. I want to find another way, because a contract marriage feels like it’ll burden you and cause you harm.”  

“We’ll think about other ways after you get your body back. For now, I want a contract marriage agreement.”

He spoke with a strength that seemed to say he would not repeat himself twice, then immediately changed the subject. The fact that he would help so actively, even at the cost of himself, was a deep kindness she could never fully repay—but it was also clear she would not be free from the feelings of guilt and burden.  

“The condition will be: you can divorce whenever you want.”

Whether he knew Judy’s worries or not, Theo continued laying out his plan.  

“You never know. Your body might switch back again.”  

“…….”  

“And I really don’t want to become spouses with the real Asilly Leroni. Not even for a single day.”  

Judy understood exactly what he feared—and what he, too, was placing his hope in. Because her fears and hopes were the same, she had no reason to hesitate.  

“Then I’ll impose on you for a while.”  

“Yeah.”  

“But there’s something we need to do before we hold our wedding.”  

“What is it?”  

“My broken engagement. We have to break the engagement between Judy Grant and Earl Wesley Wilderun first.”  

For Theo, who did not know the details, she told him the truth—that Earl Wesley had cheated. His gaze turned sharp at once.  

No one knew when her body would return. And it absolutely could not happen—her body marrying Earl Wesley.  

***

After finishing breakfast, the two of them headed to the square. After leaving the carriage in a suitable place, they walked side by side through the throng. This chaos could not have been sorted out in just a single day, and yet Theo showed nothing, staying at her side as usual. No—he had become even gentler.  

“Walk on the inside. You might get hit by a carriage.”

In the past, he would have silently grabbed the end of her dress and shoved her inward—only to get scolded for it, even though he was looking out for her. As she walked along the inner side of the street as he said, he reached his hand out toward Judy. At her startled flinch, Theo lightly furrowed his brow.  

“We’re going to announce an engagement soon. Shouldn’t we look at least somewhat close?”  

Theo finally took her hand and hooked her arm through his, and Judy realized he was serious about this act and had no intention of doing it halfheartedly. Of course—if they meant to fool even Baron Leroni’s side and the eyes of the Crawford Dukedom family, they could not do it carelessly.  

Once Judy reached that thought, she no longer hesitated in her actions. She pulled his arm closer to her side, linking it firmly, and walked with poise. It was to look like an elegant, dignified noble young lady befitting him.  

“Tomorrow, I’ll propose to you.”  

“That’s really fast. Thank you.”  

“Once my family hears, they’ll arrive by that night at the earliest, or the next morning.”

“…….”  

Judy vividly remembered his family from the few times she had seen them in childhood. Unlike his father, who was warm and gentle, his mother and sisters had been very fierce, cold, and frightening. Back then, Judy would rush out only a quick greeting and then hurry to hide behind Theo’s back.  

“If that happens, they’ll head straight to the Leroni Barony.”  

“I’m worried about how Baron Leroni’s side will react, too. Those people really hate Asilly. So they might oppose her marrying into a good family.”  

“I think they’ll approve instead. Hoping that if you marry me, something—anything—will fall into their hands from our family.”  

“That could be true. They’re greedy people.”  

The leg that had been beaten by Baron Brooks Leroni still throbbed, not properly healed. Judy judged there would be plenty of benefits in this marriage, so more than Baron Brooks Leroni—who would likely approve—she was worried about the other side.  

“What if…… your family objects?”  

“That won’t happen.”  

“They might object. Asilly is just a Baron’s daughter from a family that isn’t even wealthy.”  

“That absolutely won’t happen.”  

Theo said it firmly without blinking. That firmness only made Judy more uneasy.  

“How can you be so sure?”  

“If a son who declared he’d never marry, even if it killed him, suddenly says he’ll marry—wouldn’t they naturally approve?”  

Judy had never heard anything like that, so it was puzzling.  

“Why did you say you’d never marry, even if it killed you?”  

“It’s something I still can’t tell you. And I don’t want to do it like this.”  

“…….”  

“It might make you even more confused.”  

His words sounded vague. Then a terrible thought flashed through Judy’s mind. There was a discreet rumor that had spread in whispers: that His Majesty the Emperor’s body could no longer produce children. Of course, the Imperial Palace put forward a plausible-sounding yet ridiculous line instead—‘He doesn’t want to see brothers fighting over the throne.’  

“Don’t tell me, you…….”  

When Judy covered her mouth and looked at him as if she felt sorry for him, Theo furrowed his brow and tilted his head.  

“What are you thinking?”  

“Nothing at all.”  

Even as she said it, she could not hold back a ‘pfft’ of laughter. Theo seemed to realize at once, and let out an incredulous sigh.  

“Ha……. I can’t exactly prove it to you.”  

He muttered in an extremely low voice along with a big sigh, so Judy could not hear him properly.  

“Huh? What did you say?”  

“Nothing. So…….”  

He opened the shop door wide.  

“Go ahead, my beloved fiancée.”  

With a plain smile, his low, husky baritone made it feel as if he truly loved her.