Chapter 3.4

Joseph greeted Aness warmly as she entered his study, where he sat drinking tea.

“So you finally agreed to meet. Now, what are you going to do about all this? How will you take responsibility? What kind of relationship do you have with the Duke, to drag even me into this mess?”  

Aness fired off her questions the moment she saw him, not even pausing to breathe.  

Joseph, unconcerned by her agitation, simply rested his chin on his hand and watched her leisurely before replying,

“My, calm down, Lady. Is it really proper to blame others when both parties willingly shared a passionate night?”  

“What did you say?”  

Aness, furious, looked ready to roll up her sleeves and attack. If not for this man, she would never have experienced any of this.

“Come now. Isn’t the urgent matter not your emotions, but putting out the fire? Shouldn’t you deal with the crisis first? Your family must be in terrible shape.”  

“…!”  

“Both your sisters are in bad shape, so you don’t need to make things worse. Isn’t that right?”  

“…My sisters? Then, is there a problem with my eldest sister too?”  

As the guild master who could recite the entire noble registry, not a word could be ignored.

“Yes, didn’t you know? Your eldest sister, Imelda, is someone’s mistress.”  

“What, what?”  

At this shocking news, Aness staggered backward. Her quiet, elegant eldest sister was worlds apart from her and Erika. If their family had been better, Imelda could have married into any high house—how could she be someone’s mistress?

“Stop with the nonsense. Don’t say such ridiculous things!”  

Aness, upset, snapped coldly and glared at him.

“Hah, so you doubt my guild’s abilities. Then go see for yourself. She’s living quite well as Baron Eckras’s secret mistress, a man with two children.”  

“No… That’s… impossible…”  

Aness held back tears, thinking of her family’s tragedy. A mother who preached premarital chastity and a father desperate to marry his daughters into noble families.

However, all the daughters were facing ruin, the complete opposite of their parents’ wishes. What would happen to their mother if she found out? Just the thought was horrifying. Her own situation was no different.

“Now then, Lady Aness, I hope you make a wise decision. You wouldn’t want your pregnancy to be discovered in this situation, would you? If you raise an illegitimate child without a father, that rumor will spread far and wide, and what will become of your family, now stripped of its title?”

“Ah…!”

Aness groaned, covering her face with both hands as if the thought alone was unbearable.

“The Duke Perschtmann I know wouldn’t even bat an eye if a woman he spent a night with ended up pregnant. In fact, it’d be the opposite. He’d probably try to get rid of you.”

“……”

For a moment, Aness’s face turned pale. That was her suspicion as well. Just picturing the Duke’s cold, emotionless face sent a chill through her entire body.

“That’s why I’m making this proposal. If you become my wife, everything becomes simple.”

“What? What kind of nonsense is this…!”

At such an absurd suggestion, Aness jumped up on the spot. She’d never liked this scheming man from the start, and now he was proposing marriage using the baby as an excuse—it was disgusting and infuriating.

Joseph, on the other hand, was just as baffled. Now that she’d even lost her title and become a commoner, with nothing to her name and about to give birth to an illegitimate child, how could she refuse his proposal? She must be out of her mind.

As for himself, he was the most successful guild master in the Empire and, by status, a well-off descendant of the Marquis of Arpis. If he wanted to get married, noble ladies would line up for him, yet this Aness, who couldn’t compare to them, was stubbornly refusing—his pride was wounded.

“You really are thoughtless and selfish. Who said it would be real? I’m asking you to be my fake bride. Do you think I have such low standards? I do have an eye for women, you know. Besides, I’m not so reckless as to marry without considering my family and status.”

When he spat those words out in annoyance, Aness, startled, quickly nodded in agreement, realizing she’d hurt his pride.

“Of course! You shouldn’t marry out of pity either. So, you want me to be your fake bride and claim you’re the father of my child? Then, what do I owe you in return?”

‘Ha, what right does he have to ask for anything? Isn’t all this mess his fault? Even if it’s not related to what Erika did, what about me? I’m about to raise an illegitimate child as an unwed mother!’

After the trap Joseph set with the Duke, Aness hated him more than ever. Even though he offered to help, she felt no gratitude—she thought it was only right.

“There’s no need for payment. Instead, I’ll handle the marriage and divorce cleanly. Only your mother and family, who are anxious at home, and a few others will know about the marriage. Once things settle down, I’ll divorce you as you wish.”

As if I’d really marry a girl like you. Besides, my real goal is to watch Caron squirm up close. You’ll never know that.

Joseph hid his true feelings and smiled slyly. Aness, reassured by the promise of a clean divorce, finally nodded.

Thinking of her mother, bedridden from shock, she couldn’t add the problem of an illegitimate child on top of everything else. Absolutely not.

So, Aness decided to become Joseph’s fake bride. Even if it was fake, she hoped her poor mother could find some peace, even for a little while.

“Then, from now on, you’ll be the Marchioness of Arpis. Even if it’s fake, isn’t it still an honor for the family?”

“…Excuse me? What did you say?”

At the mention of the Marquis of Arpis, Aness looked puzzled. In the Empire, whether the eldest or youngest son, the father’s title was inherited directly, and Joseph already held the title of Marquis.

***

“Oh my goodness! Is that true? Really?”

The maid Dana nearly burst into tears, unable to believe it.

“I always thought it was Duke Perschtmann, just because you said so, Miss. But to think it’s actually the son of the Marquis of Arpis—this is wonderful! A noble marriage in your situation—what better news could there be?”

As long as it wasn’t that arrogant, cold Duke Perschtmann, Miss Aness would surely be able to live well. 

Overcome with joy, Dana held the hand of the Madam lying in bed. Tears of relief welled in the Baroness’s eyes, who’d been bedridden from shock.

Even though it was disgraceful that her daughter had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, at least she could preserve her honor by marrying because of it.

With just one of her three daughters finally married safely, the Baroness let out a sigh of relief and, for that day at least, managed to eat half a bowl of soup.

Watching her mother finally regain some strength, Aness breathed a sigh of relief inside. She wasn’t happy about the fake marriage to Joseph, but thinking of how pleased her father in prison would be made her feel a little better.

And unexpectedly, Joseph helped a lot. Contrary to the claim that it was a marriage in name only, he provided a large dowry of food, necessities, and even quite a bit of gold.

For the first time in a while, the family ate chicken and cake, and the house was filled with a festive mood. Though the son-in-law never showed his face for some reason, the Baroness was somewhat reassured. She believed he must care for his wife, since he was so thoughtful toward her family as well.

On the day Aness left for her husband’s house, the Baroness simply held her youngest daughter’s hand and wept. She’d never expected much from her youngest compared to her older sisters.

But now, seeing her safely married and giving her peace of mind, the Baroness was happier than she could have imagined. She’d once hoped for all three daughters to marry well, but she’d given up that dream. Now, she just hoped at least one would live well, and she held Aness’s hand tightly.

“Aness. Please, live well. Listen to your husband, and never lose your dignity as a noble lady.”

Now that even their barony had been taken away, the Baroness just wanted her daughter to be happy.

“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll really live well. I’ll come visit as soon as the baby is born. Until then, please stay healthy, and let me know if you need anything.”

Aness felt a bit rebellious at her mother’s words to “listen to your husband.” Gender inequality was still severe in the Empire, but she had no intention of following that rule.

If she didn’t like her husband, she should be able to leave him at any time. Of course, Joseph was only a fake husband, but if she ever became financially independent, she wouldn’t rely on him at all.