The estate of the Sodel family was located in Southern Delmira.

Its specialty was fruit. With abundant sunlight, peaches, cherries, and apricots bloomed splendidly each season.

However, this was no different from the neighboring regions of Semtil and Doit, so there was nothing particularly special about it.

In fact, the truly remarkable aspect of the Sodel family lay with their young lady.

Esteller Sodel, who had suffered from a severe case of smallpox at the age of five, had a grotesquely scarred face, a body as fat as a pig, and a personality so twisted that it was the worst.

Rumors swirled that the Sodel couple was extremely embarrassed to show their daughter to the outside world, raising her in isolation in a separate building since childhood.

“Her face is so bumpy and twisted that just looking at it gives me chills.”

“I heard that there was a servant who fainted on the spot after accidentally encountering her.”

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but I can’t say I don’t understand the Sodel family’s position. Her personality is so wild and feral that she bites people’s arms if things go even slightly wrong.”

“By the way, how many years has she been locked away in that separate building? Ten years? Fifteen years?”

The group clicked their tongues. They subtly mocked the idea that even a sane person would go mad after such a long time.

If infamy is a type of fame, Esteller Sodel was renowned in Southern high society. People regarded her as a town fool and constantly gossiped about her for entertainment.

“The century’s ugly woman.” What a delightful topic to tear apart.

Whenever the rumors began to settle down, Esteller’s uncle’s family would throw more fuel onto the fire.

In the past, there had been some incident in the Sodel family that caused the second son to inherit the title. The eldest son, who was Esteller’s uncle, bore a deep grudge from this event and tarnished her reputation as if they were sworn enemies.

However, all of this was merely worthless gossip among bored nobles, with no significant intentions or schemes hidden beneath.

Yet, sometimes fate is peculiar; what starts as a butterfly’s flutter can ultimately transform into a massive storm that engulfs the entire area.

No one among the Southern nobles could have anticipated that the stories they casually gossiped about Esteller Sodel would accidentally reach the ears of the Second Prince, who happened to be visiting for leisure. He found it amusing and relayed it to the Emperor, who, in a hurry, sent someone to verify the rumors, only to be delighted by the truth.

Little did they know that this would lead to the marriage between his unmarried nephew, Grand Duke Dante Odear Leodinas, and Esteller Sodel.

Indeed, they would never have imagined it.

⁕⁕⁕

The Sodel family’s separate building was situated quite far from the main house.

The location itself was sufficiently secluded, with no visible doors leading outside, so ordinary servants and maids had no reason to come this way.

Esteller Sodel, the only young lady of the Sodel family, lived quietly in the separate building, accompanied only by two maids.

If one were to point out a unique feature of this separate building, it was that it had its own kitchen.

It was not uncommon for noble families to confine members who committed wrongdoings to a separate building. However, even in such cases, food was typically brought from the main house’s kitchen.

The servants likely assumed that it was difficult to even catch a glimpse of the daughter’s face when bringing food.

Of course. It made sense. Even aside from her looks, the young lady was known to be the type who would bite someone if their eyes met!

It was only natural that no one wanted to go near the separate building.

Thus, this separate building was rarely crowded.

At least until today, at this moment.

“Esteller!”

“Jacone, your voice is too loud. You’ll scare the child.”

Her mother, Winneka, scolded.

Jacone’s face was flushed from running a long distance in excitement. Though his chest heaved with heavy breaths, he hurriedly lowered his voice to apologize, fearing he might startle his sister.

“Eshe, were you eating?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Oh dear. If I had known, I would have come a little later.”

Her father, Robert, frowned apologetically, looking sorrowful.

The man, with his eyes gently drooping down, had a perpetually kind appearance, which made his expression seem even more pitiful.

“No, it’s fine. Urgent matters come first.”

Esteller replied plainly as she set the dish she was holding down on the table.

Today’s menu was lasagna made with fresh basil and fragrant celery from the garden, topped with a carefully simmered ragu sauce. It was still steaming hot, having just been served.

The delicious aroma wafted through the air….

Unconsciously, Robert’s stomach growled.

“What a glutton!”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. It just smells so good…”

Winneka poked Robert with her elbow, and he, feeling embarrassed, rubbed his shoes against the floor.

The Sodel couple, despite having grown children, still appeared innocent and naive, much like newlyweds.

Esteller, watching them with warm eyes, said,

“It’s okay. Complimenting the food is the best praise for someone who loves to cook.”

“Our daughter speaks so beautifully, doesn’t she?”

“That’s because Mom always taught me pretty words.”

As Esteller playfully winked, Winneka felt her heart melt.

However, recalling the purpose of her sudden dash to the separate building, her expression soon hardened.

‘To think such a kind-hearted and gentle child…’

At a loss for words, she merely twitched her lips, but Jacone could no longer hold back and jumped in.

He handed a rolled-up piece of paper to Esteller.

As soon as Esteller felt the texture of the paper, her expression darkened.

The smooth, uniform texture, reminiscent of finely woven silk, was lavishly sprinkled with gold leaf on the surface. Even though it was just a single sheet of paper, it exuded extreme opulence.

‘Ha. I tried so hard to avoid this, yet here I am entangled.’

Such paper was only used in the royal palace.

To hide the murderous glint in her eyes, she lowered her lashes and unfolded the decree.

Jacone, feeling anxious, waited until Esteller finished reading the contents inside.

Numerous complex emotions flickered across her face in a short span of time.

“Grand Duke Leodinas and I are to marry….”

She suddenly found herself at a loss for words, as if she had swallowed something wrong.

“Marry….”

It was not difficult to guess the Emperor’s intention behind this command. Having experienced it firsthand, she knew all too well.

So, her speechlessness was not out of surprise.

‘Truly. Nothing has changed.’

Her irritation and anger bubbled up involuntarily at the Emperor’s unyielding narrow-mindedness.

As Esteller struggled to continue speaking, Robert misinterpreted her silence as fear. He hurriedly comforted her.

“Our dear. If you don’t want to marry, you don’t have to. If the grand duke is scary, tell Dad. I’ll go see the Emperor and refuse.”

Winneka also seemed genuinely worried.

“Everyone talks about marrying into high nobility as if it’s a tremendous fortune. But is there anything in this world that is purely good? High noble families have countless rules to follow, and their households are large and complicated. Besides, if you ever find yourself in an unfair situation, it might be hard for us to help you…”

“……”

“No matter how much others say it’s good, it only matters if you like it, Eshe. If you feel fear or discomfort in your heart, there’s no need to hesitate. You can refuse; just tell your mom honestly how you feel.”

“If I speak honestly, you won’t scold me? Even if I say I never want to marry for the rest of my life?”

Esteller asked playfully.

“Scold you? Why would we scold you? We can keep living together.”

Winneka gently stroked Esteller’s cheek.

“Mom and Dad are always on your side.”

At her reply, Esteller felt tears welling up. She bit the soft flesh inside her mouth, trying hard to hold back her tears.

Many people mocked her parents, saying they were pathetic. They claimed they lacked ambition or drive to rise to a higher position and were simply foolish.

While it was true that her parents’ personalities were simple, the claim that they couldn’t grasp reality was wrong.

They prioritized their daughter’s happiness over a lavish life filled with power. To her parents, their child’s happiness always came first.

‘They truly care for me.’

A sweet light flickered in Esteller’s eyes.

To protect this happiness, for the sake of her loving family, she could do anything.

Swallowing her tears without a trace, Esteller smiled brightly.

As if this marriage were nothing short of wonderful and that she naturally desired it.

“I don’t dislike it! The reason I couldn’t finish my sentence a moment ago was that I was so happy. I heard Grand Duke Leodinas is truly a wonderful person.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes! No matter how strong a demonic beast is, they say the Grand Duke can handle it. Plus, one of his eyes is a divine eye, right? Just imagining such a wonderful person being my husband makes my heart race.”

“I’m glad if you like it, but….”

Seeing Esteller, who rarely showed much emotional change, so excited, Robert and Winneka no longer pressed her for details.

However, Jacone’s complexion was darkening like muddy water, in stark contrast to his parents.

“Mom, Dad. I want to talk to my brother alone. I have questions about the Grand Duke.”

As she said this, Esteller deliberately pretended to be shy.

‘Is our daughter really feeling shy now?’

Robert was shocked, and Winneka gasped in admiration without realizing it.

It was true that they were startled and anxious at the sudden decree ordering marriage, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. They felt displeased at the complete disregard for their opinions.

However, seeing their daughter, who had always shown a quiet and mature demeanor beyond her age, genuinely happy like a child for the first time, relieved them.

To the Sodel couple, their daughter’s happiness was more important than anything else.

“We’ll step aside. Jacone, if your sister is curious about anything, make sure to tell her everything.”

“Uh, um. Yes….”

Jacone responded hesitantly.

Esteller gestured to the maid who had been silently standing by the entrance.

“Rona. When they leave, please take some lasagna for them. Also, the milk pudding for dessert.”

Like a child, Winneka beamed with joy at the mention of pudding.

Soon, the happily married Sodel couple left the separate building with their arms linked….

As soon as the door closed,

“Eshe, are you serious?”

Jacone’s beautiful golden eyes gleamed with a fierce light.

Is she serious? Of course, she was.

Esteller slouched in an antique armchair.

With a relaxed expression, like a cat basking in the sun, she looked nothing like someone who had just received an order for a forced marriage a few minutes ago.

“What is the Emperor thinking?”

“The decree says… let’s see. It says that my older brother fixed the Second Prince’s broken carriage without expecting anything in return, and that it moved him. It seems the Sodel family’s virtues are quite commendable.”

Beneath that, there were meaningless remarks about her gentle nature and how the Emperor was very concerned about his unmarried nephew.

Having skimmed through the written content carelessly, Esteller tossed the decree onto the table.

Jacone, seemingly irritated, ruffled his bangs.

“Damn! If I had known, I should have just left the carriage stuck in the mud.”

“The carriage was just an excuse. Even if you hadn’t helped, after staying here for a few days, the Second Prince wouldn’t have just sat idly by. The important thing is that he attended the ball held in the South.”

The Second Prince, Heinz, was just like his father, horrendously fond of entertainment and women. A sparrow wouldn’t just pass by a mill.

“I heard he attended a ball in Semtil with some acquaintances. Someone must have brought up the rumors about me there.”

The ugly woman Esteller was practically the town fool of Southern high society.

Semtil was geographically adjacent to Delmira, and like a peaceful rural territory, it had very few interesting stories. It was highly likely that some foolish individuals tried to strike up a conversation with the Second Prince about her.

“The Second Prince is loose-lipped. He’s good at spreading words here and there. He probably mentioned the ‘interesting young lady’ he happened to hear about while explaining to the palace why his journey was delayed. The Emperor must have found it intriguing.”

“You said the Emperor only cares about beautiful women?”

“That’s when he’s trying to gauge whether to take them as his mistress.”

The current Emperor was a notorious libertine in the history of the Helion Empire.

Moreover, he had strong possessiveness and obsession; if a beautiful woman caught his eye, he had to possess her at all costs.

“The Emperor thinks that there is no man who can love and cherish an unattractive woman. To him, marrying an ugly woman is… a painful punishment in itself.”

Esteller was well aware of the Emperor’s way of thinking.

Jacone’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Then, the reason for issuing the decree is….”

“Yes. The Emperor, having heard that some young lady is the century’s ugly woman, must have thought it was a good idea. He likely considered it a tool to inflict pain on someone he dislikes.”

The Emperor despised his nephew, Dante.

To think he personally arranged a marriage for his unmarried nephew out of concern… It was a laughable notion even a passing dog would scoff at.

He merely sought to punish Dante through marriage, someone he hated but couldn’t recklessly touch.

“Listen. The Emperor’s plan is this: ‘If I marry Esteller Sodel to Dante, he will surely be horrified by her appearance, right? Conversely, the girl will be angry at Dante’s coldness. Once it gets to that point, their relationship as a couple will be irreparably broken. Brilliant!’….”

“……”