Chapter 3.5

Aness hugged the maid Dana tightly and finally said goodbye to her sisters. Her eldest sister Imelda sincerely rejoiced and hugged her tightly.

Although Imelda was living as the secret mistress of an old widower, she hoped at least her youngest sister would live proudly and happily as a noble lady.

After saying goodbye to her eldest sister, Aness opened the door to Erika’s room, who had shut herself in. Except for meals, Erika never came out, and her appearance was a mess.

Erika, who always dressed up even at home, now had tangled hair and untidy clothes. Despite her noticeably rounded belly, she wore tight clothes and hung by the window, lost in thought, until she made eye contact with her youngest sister entering.

“Hmph, you’re going to walk the path of roses now. Congratulations, Aness.”

Her tone was strangely sarcastic. They’d both spent a night with a nobleman, but while one was abandoned and shunned, the other got to marry as a legitimate wife. Erika spoke out of jealousy.

“It’s not a rosy path, Sister.”

Unable to receive her sister’s blessing, Aness left with a heavy heart. Erika was no longer the person she used to be. She couldn’t be in her right mind now. So, Aness decided not to pay attention to anything her sister said.

‘Sister, things aren’t good for me either. The real father is someone else, but I have to deceive everyone to protect our family from more harm. This marriage is fake.’

But Erika, half out of her mind, couldn’t possibly know her sister’s inner turmoil.

***

The head of the Perschtmann Ducal family had, of course, long been decided as Caron. Although there was an elder son, he had already given up his claim to the family headship and wished to stay away from politics, so Caron was the obvious choice.

A prodigy who’d drawn everyone’s attention since childhood, Caron was named the next family head as soon as his father passed away.

But now, Caron had no choice but to overturn that decision. Caron, a strict adherent to principles, judged himself unworthy.  

He had failed to uphold the family law that must be kept through the generations. Even as a man, he was supposed to maintain premarital chastity. He was no longer pure.  

He had broken the rule handed down from his ancestors, and he had no intention of taking the position of family head while hiding that fact.  

There was only one solution: if he found and married the woman who had taken his chastity, everything could be resolved. But he had not succeeded in that.  

He searched all over the Empire for unmarried pregnant women, but only found three. One was Erika, the second daughter of the Klein Barony, and two were commoners. He met them all, but none was the woman from that night.  

Joseph, who had plotted this vile act, had already fled early on, and now there was no way to find him. It seemed like payback for not helping with the lobby Joseph had asked for back then.

“I cannot accept the position of family head. I am not worthy before my ancestors; I would have no face to meet them even in death.”  

With those words, Caron flatly refused the position. His elder brother, who had long ago become independent from the family, also declined the role, but Caron’s stubbornness could not be overcome.

“Your Grace, will you be all right?”  

“Hmm, I am not all right. Still, I will not stop searching for that woman.”  

Caron, his mood greatly disturbed, glared at empty space and tried to calm his anger. The more he thought about it, the more infuriated he became.  

Seeing that she asked for nothing and disappeared, it was obvious her goal was his body. Perhaps she was one of the many noble ladies who had sent him love letters.  

‘No, I’ll have to wait and see. She might give birth in secret and later come to demand something even greater. So waiting a bit longer is the answer.’  

“Your Grace, what about your plan to marry at thirty?”  

Even if you give up the family headship, you must at least marry to continue the line. The late Duke, your father, would be so disappointed.

“There’s still time, so I’ll wait. Until then, I’ll keep searching for that woman. I’ll search again for a woman with blonde hair and purple eyes….”  

As Caron spoke this far, he suddenly stopped. A look of great confusion flashed in his eyes.

“Your Grace? What’s wrong?”  

“D*mn it….”  

At that moment, he realized something and jumped to his feet.

There was one thing he had overlooked.

“Why didn’t I think of that, how foolish….”  

He slammed his fist on the desk once again. Come to think of it, hair and eye color could easily be changed by magic. He had foolishly assumed that an ordinary woman could not change her hair and eye color, and had dismissed the possibility.

“That woman from that night, Aness, the youngest daughter of Baron Klein…?”  

Her eyes had shone strangely, and the thick scent of apples was dizzying. Yet she had brown hair and brown eyes. He had foolishly decided she could not be the one.

“Send word to the Baron’s house immediately! Find the youngest lady, Aness. No, I must go myself.”  

As the Duke hurriedly prepared to go out, Butlerman Volteman was at a loss.

He himself had stripped them of their barony, so they were no longer a noble family. Why was His Grace suddenly in such a hurry to find the youngest daughter?

With his mind spinning, the Duke of Perschtmann quickly boarded a carriage and headed for the Klein estate.

***

Arriving at Joseph’s mansion, Aness was so surprised that her eyes went wide.

“It feels like I’m at the Imperial Palace! How can it be so grand? Is it really possible for a private noble to own a house like this?”  

Of course, she had never actually been to the Imperial Palace. But seeing this place, she could believe it was the residence of the highest nobility.

The exterior, entwined with ivy and rose vines, looked even more majestic in the sunlight. The garden was as vast and lush as a forest, and the endless stairs and corridors inside were splendid and beautiful.

“How rich must he be to have a place like this?”  

Only now did she truly realize that Guildmaster Joseph was a noble of considerable status.

“Miss, do you like it here?”  

As she looked around with wide eyes, Joseph slowly appeared. He had been leaning on the second-floor railing all along, watching her wander about. No matter how he looked at it, she was a country girl. The more insignificant and laughable she seemed, the more Joseph enjoyed it.

The Empire’s greatest, Caron, was probably going mad searching for this girl, so Joseph could not help but find it amusing.

“Will I really be staying here? Can I live here freely and have my baby? Of course, only until we officially divorce, but still.”  

“Of course. You may live as you please, as if it were your own home. I’ll assign a few maids, so just order whatever you need.”  

Joseph replied generously, as if he were a magnanimous man. But suddenly, Aness stared at him in silence for a while.

“Hm, what is it? Do you have a complaint…?”  

Joseph asked, his expression slightly annoyed. He was doing this much for her—if she had more demands, it would be truly bothersome. He hated inconvenience.

“I just wanted to ask, just in case. Why are you helping me this much? Even if it’s a fake marriage, doesn’t it hurt you? My family is ruined, and you’re still a successful noble—your reputation could suffer. Why?”  

“……”  

Her sharp, persistent questioning made Joseph’s face cloud over with even more annoyance and displeasure. He hated people who nitpicked. No matter how much you did for them, they always had something to say. Still, he had to appease her to keep up this sham marriage. Soon, something interesting would happen.

“Ah, well, that’s because…”  

As he tried to come up with an excuse in his mind, Aness quickly cut him off.

“Phew, I get it now. You don’t have to make excuses.”  

Aness sighed, as if she understood, and looked at him.

“You feel responsible for me, don’t you? Out of guilt. But it’s fine. I don’t think my life is ruined because of this. I don’t want to cling to Duke Perschtmann pathetically, either. The baby is coming, so I’ll just do my best to raise it and find my own way.”  

“Hm….”  

As Aness rambled on, Joseph shrugged his shoulders and nodded as if in agreement.

She seemed to be the type to solve problems and draw conclusions on her own. Not bad. The ability to live strong and steadfast no matter what others say is a virtue anyone should have.

“You really do understand me well. Very admirable. Well then, I’ll be off….”  

Having finished his business, Joseph hurried away. Now that he’d set things up nicely, all that was left was to enjoy the show.

He immediately left for the port to handle a request from the noble alliance of the neighboring country, Grevis. After about a month’s work, he planned to take some time off.

‘When I return, something very interesting might be happening. Caron, you fool. I heard you even gave up your position as family head. Now your time of suffering begins. I’ll enjoy myself until the day your reputation is utterly ruined. Hahaha.’

He planned to appear before Caron as soon as he returned and formally introduce his wife, Aness. By then, Caron would realize that his wife was the woman from that night. How interesting!