‘A lifeline.’

Never once in her life had Ilenia thought of her own end. If she failed to manage what was directly before her, even her next meal would slip from reach—so reality had always outweighed the future.

Not even in her daydreams had she pictured anything concrete ahead. Dreamers often spoke loudly of a brighter world to come, but such words had never once filled Leni’s life with abundance.

Even now, amid thunderous applause that made her ears ring, she could not glimpse her end.

As she pulled on gloves trimmed with delicate lace, as she slid a jewel-encrusted ring onto her finger, her future remained veiled in mist.

The glittering lights blazed brighter than the sun, and the crowd—draped in silks and adorned with jewels—seemed ready to strip away even her soul.

Ilenia turned her gaze toward the woman dutifully playing the role of the bride’s mother. Each repeated dab of a handkerchief, as if to wipe away tears, appeared steeped in maternal devotion.

Yet the harsh words spoken earlier—warning her that her lifeline was all that would keep her breathing, that she might not live to see another day—were nowhere to be found.

“Ilenia.”

At that moment, a low voice brushed against her ear, anchoring her wandering mind.

“Keep your eyes forward.”

The voice was gentle, but the grip that led her was not. The firm hand clasping hers seemed to grip her down to the bone, jolting her fully awake.

Only then did Ilenia pull herself together and force a smile onto her lips. It was awkward and stiff, but she prayed that from afar it might appear bright, even radiant.

The dazzling light clouding her vision and threatening to consume her was welcome, if only for today. Its flashing brilliance filled her eyes, blotting out the faces before her.

The scornful gazes.

The eyes that weighed and measured.

The looks bristling with disapproval.

They all vanished beneath the relentless blaze of the lights.

Ilenia clutched Delphius’s hand more tightly. On that vast, boundless stage, he was her only lifeline.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

Despite all her efforts, she was still just a country girl a month ago. How could she possibly endure hours of face-to-face meetings with some of the most powerful figures in politics and finance?

Rubbing the space between her brows as though to chase away her fatigue, she remembered how her cheeks had ached from smiling for so long. By the end, her eyelids had grown unbearably heavy.

“Here. Drink.”

Delphius’s calm voice reached her as he poured wine into her glass.

Ilenia stared at him for a moment.

A noble. The heir of a ducal house. The Golden Hand. The firstborn of the Lukehardt family.

And now, across all those titles, a new one had been born. She mouthed it softly, almost disbelieving.

…Husband.

The word still felt unreal. She had vaguely thought that she would marry someday. But who could have imagined that the man would be a noble?

“It will help ease the nerves.”

His gaze flicked toward her fingers. Only then did Ilenia realize she had been picking at a loose edge of her nail. She stilled her hand at once.

“…Thank you.”

Without hesitating, she raised the glass to her lips. The cool liquid slipped down her throat and burned the moment it went past.

A sharp, stinging heat spread through her chest and prickled her nose. This was nothing like the light aperitifs she had tried a few times at the Hildebalt estate.

“…May I have another?”

“If you wish.”

Delphius refilled the empty glass. Ilenia quietly accepted the dark-colored drink as he poured it.

She did not stop again. Although it was a generous pour, she swallowed it whole without leaving a drop, gripping the empty glass tightly.

Late at night. They were alone together in the bedroom.

Ilenia knew the situation she was in, and she understood why she was wearing clothes she would never wear again.

“Marry me and bear my child, Ilenia Hildebalt.”

The time to fulfill the contract was drawing near. Her heart hammered loudly against her ribs.

It wasn’t fear of the act itself. She was not ignorant of what it entailed. In the modest, close-knit village of Tilea Hill, children were hardly innocent of such matters; the curiosities of youth had always been fixed on the opposite s*x. When gossip was at its peak, Ilenia had overheard far more than she ever admitted.

But the fantasies young girls whispered in secret and the hard truths of reality were two very different things. She had never dreamed of giving her first time to someone she loved—she had no lover to give it to.

What pressed on her now was the stark truth that after tonight, there would be no turning back.

‘No—what am I saying?’

She let out a small, bitter laugh and shook her head. Hadn’t the point of no return already passed the moment her parents were safely released?

The soft bed she had never known, the rich food she had tasted—perhaps these comforts were not entirely bad. Yet she could not ignore the price of her freedom, nor the awkward, prying eyes that followed her. Even at the wedding banquet, the stares had been unrelenting. Though she knew little of high society, she could imagine how many more eyes would be fixed upon her from now on.

All the more reason to hold herself together.

At the very least, she did not want to disappoint the man in front of her — the only person who had never belittled her parents and who had treated her dignity as something not to be discarded. If she could fulfil his dream of a perfect family, then this was her only option.

Ilenia’s fingers toyed with the ribbon at her chest. The bow had been tied firmly, secure against the slightest touch. Yet, the moment she tugged at it, the knot loosened and slipped free.

As the front of her gown fell open, her br*ast spilled forth, soft and full, glimmering in the silver wash of moonlight.

“Did two glasses of wine finally give you the courage to sell yourself?”

“It makes no difference. We’ll end up doing this anyway.”

From morning until night, she polished every inch of her body, ensuring that no part was left untouched. By nightfall, she had bathed in oil once again. Beneath the pristine fabric, her skin was as smooth and delicate as a dragonfly’s wing.

‘Just one more layer gone.’

With that thought in mind, she reached for the ribbon again, but it would not come undone. After several failed attempts, she finally looked down at her hands.

They were trembling. They were shaking far too violently to be put down to weakness alone.

“How about another drink?”

The glass was pressed into her palm again. The cool crystal seemed to quiet her trembling as though by magic.

“The night is long, after all.”

Once more, she drank. Whether it was the effect of the second glass or the dulling of her senses, the bitterness no longer struck as sharply.

“You did well.”

“What?”

She startled, lifting her gaze— only to find that his face remained unchanged and his expression remained unreadable.

“I said you did well. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“Ah…”

Ilenia stifled a breath. Did well? Her behavior at the wedding had been nothing short of foolish. From the procession into the hall to the endless receptions with guests, her awkward stiffness had been nothing but fodder for ridicule.

And he, standing at her side, could not possibly have missed it—he had stepped in to shield her more than once. She could not tell if his words now were sincere or meant only to mock.

“…I didn’t do anything.”

“Is that so? Then perhaps the woman in white who stood at my side throughout the ceremony was nothing but a phantom.”

“You must have noticed as well, didn’t you? All through the vows, the way I appeared—at least in that moment—it wasn’t the ideal image of family you’ve been dreaming of.”

Dangerous.

The words spilled out before she could rein them in, unfiltered by reason. It had to be the wine loosening her tongue.

“Compared to you, who does everything so well… who already has so much more than I ever could.”

Ilenia lowered her gaze. Even the empty glass in front of her curved in such a way that she could not ignore it. It was certainly worth more than it appeared — perhaps even more than the meagre sum her father had once tried to sell her for.

She weighed the glass against herself, then let out a small, bitter laugh.

“You have it all — money, authority, power, connections. Enough to live without bowing to anyone. It’s as though the entire world already belongs to you.”

“……”

“But I have nothing.”

Nothing. Even the only family she had once possessed had long since been bartered away.

“Do you not understand what I mean?”

The pink in her eyes wavered like the sea.

“The normal family you wanted… I may never be able to give you that. I’m foolish and naïve, and no one would ever accept me.”

“What is a normal family?”

Her lips froze before she could reply. Memories of Tiléa Hill flashed through her mind: the brief moments of happiness; her small, loving family; the warmth of their laughter.

“Did you ever live your ‘normal family’ life to please the eyes of others?”

“…Wasn’t that what you were hoping for?”

“Ilenia.”

Even when she loosened her gown, leaving only the barest scraps of cloth covering her body, he did not touch her. Yet now, his hand rose and cupped her cheek. His fingers were as cold as the glass she had held against her ear.

“I wanted normality, yes. But never some ideal.”

“Normality is…”

“That from this night forward, you and I are husband and wife.”

He gave a low chuckle as he gently took the glass from her hand and put it down.

“And that the children born from your womb will carry the name of Lukehardt.”

“……”

“That alone is normal, my wife.”

Her body fell back naturally, without resistance. The tremors that had shaken her so violently before no longer touched her.

“If you want to make an effort…”

He lifted the fabric of her gown with his cool fingertips, revealing the delicate pink flush she had hidden.

“…then why not begin now?”

His hand closed over her br*ast, silencing her with a soundless gasp. Her body, which she had never revealed to anyone else, yielded easily beneath his grasp.

“So that you might bear as many children as possible.”