Chapter 1
A loud train whistle broke the quiet night.
It was late, and the train station was almost empty.
There were only a few people rushing to catch the train heading from the North to the capital.
Among them, one woman quietly boarded the train. She wore a plain dress and pulled her bonnet down low over her face. She didn’t stand out at all.
No one knew that she was the Duchess of Winteren.
‘I just need to leave now.’
Her husband, the Duke of Winteren, was away fighting monsters. It was the perfect time to run away.
By the time he came back, she would be gone. Even if he looked for her, he wouldn’t be able to find her.
[Let’s get divorced.]
A few days ago, she finally said what she had been keeping inside.
He didn’t expect it—his face cracked with surprise.
[It was just a one-year contract marriage. I’ve done my part, so it’s time to divorce, just like we agreed.]
Their marriage was only meant to last a year. They weren’t really a couple.
So getting divorced now was only natural.
He smiled when he heard the word “divorce.” It was a charming smile that could win any woman’s heart.
[Let’s forget the contract ever existed.]
Riiip—
He tore up the contract with that same beautiful face.
That’s when Estelle made her decision.
She had to run away from him.
She packed the signed divorce agreement—the one they both signed when they got married. All she had to do was take it to the court. Then, legally, they’d be strangers.
Her heart was pounding as she looked for her seat on the train.
Suddenly, she froze.
‘…Lennox?’
There was a tall man with black hair ahead.
Her heart sank.
‘No, that’s not him.’
When she looked closer, he was shorter and had narrower shoulders. She sighed in relief and sat down.
The train began to move, huffing steam as it rolled out of the station. Estelle relaxed a little while watching the scenery rush past.
But then—
“Security check!”
What? Why now?
She turned her head in shock. The train staff were checking everyone’s faces, one by one.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s an emergency. Please cooperate.”
Some passengers complained, but the staff only repeated the same line.
The inspection was getting closer.
Estelle clutched her suitcase tightly with sweaty hands.
She didn’t know for sure if they were here for her, but something felt wrong.
‘Just in case… I should hide.’
She picked up her suitcase and quietly left her seat.
As she moved to the next train car, someone grabbed her wrist.
Was it a staff member?
She was about to explain, but then a low, familiar voice froze her in place.
“Tia.”
It was a voice she knew very well. A voice that shouldn’t be here.
Slowly, with a bit of hope left, she turned around.
“Lennox.”
Her voice trembled.
“Why are you here…?”
“I came to find you.”
He smiled as if nothing was wrong, just like when he tore the contract.
It was like they had planned to meet here.
“Where’s your seat? Your bag must be heavy. I’ll carry it for you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Maybe for you, but not for me. After all, our divorce papers are in here.”
“…!”
He knew everything.
Her hands loosened in shock.
In that moment, Lennox smoothly took the bag from her.
“Tia.”
He called her with such a soft voice that it made her hesitate.
He looked so downcast, and her heart wavered.
“Do you really hate me that much?”
“Well…”
Just then—
Tap tap tap!
Fast footsteps echoed nearby.
“Mom!”
A small boy with black hair ran toward her.
“Don’t leave, Mom!”
It was their adopted son, Duren.
He hugged her leg and looked up with teary eyes.
“I’ll eat broccoli now! I promise!”
“Duren…”
Fuzzy dog ears poked out from his head, and a droopy tail hung behind him.
A child clinging to her leg…
A husband looking at her with a sad face…
Estelle ended up stuck between them.
This wasn’t how their marriage started.
[If you want a kind husband who will love you, give up now.]
[…]
[I will never love you, and we will never have a child together.]
That’s what he said before.
But now…
“Tia!”
Even her rude sister-in-law shouted from behind the child.
“This is all my brother’s fault. If someone has to leave, it should be him! Please don’t leave our family!”
Even the sister-in-law didn’t want her to go.
…How did things end up like this?
* * *
Who’s the most beautiful woman in the empire?
If you asked, everyone would answer:
“Of course, Estelle Bellonsa!”
The thorny rose of the Bellonsa family.
The poisonous apple.
A man-eating seductress.
She was famous for one reason—her marriages.
She had married four times.
Her first, second, and third husbands all died on their wedding nights.
Her fourth husband didn’t die—but they didn’t even spend the night together before he divorced her.
It was said he had a serious problem in bed.
Most people would call it tragic to lose one husband.
She lost three, and even got divorced once.
Now, she was about to marry for the fifth time.
So when Estelle tried to die before her fifth wedding, it wasn’t a sudden decision.
‘Better to die than live like this.’
She drank poison, but survived.
She was sick for a week, but woke up alive.
And then—she remembered.
She was a character in a book she read in her past life.
Was she the main character?
Of course not.
The book was called Vera.
Her role?
“Just one more marriage.”
Estelle looked at her father.
“You know our family is struggling. We’re even worried about Vera’s school fees! You need to help us.”
She was Vera’s stepsister—the main character’s older sister.
“This will be your last marriage. You’ve already survived four. One more won’t hurt.”
She was the one who brought money into the poor Bellonsa family by inheriting wealth from her dead husbands.
“I’m not asking you to be happy. I’m asking you to help the family.”
But Estelle was never part of that “family” her father talked about.
‘According to the book, I die early anyway.’
Her role was simple.
Marry a rich man. Inherit his money. Then die, so Vera can live comfortably.
“…So?”
“While you were sick, I found some possible husbands. Count Blim seems like a good match. We’ll go with him.”
Her father didn’t wait long to push her into another marriage.
“Estelle, you know you’re our family’s treasure, right?”
“…”
“Just stay alive. That’s all we ask.”
Those words sounded more like a curse than kindness.
“It’s not hard. You’ve done it before. Just make sure he dies on the wedding night again.”
That’s how her fifth marriage was arranged.
“…Count Bellonsa.”
Estelle spoke in a dry voice.
“Why don’t you say the same to Vera?”
“What?”
“Tell your real daughter to marry an old man who might die any day.”
The Count’s face twisted.
“Is that something a sister should say?!”
He shouted angrily.
Estelle’s expression hardened. He quickly tried to calm down.
“Don’t drag Vera into this. She’s busy studying abroad. You know she’s delicate.”
And what about me?
Just because I’m your stepdaughter, I don’t matter?
The words rose to her lips, but she held them back.
She already knew the answer.
She didn’t want to feel more miserable.
“You’re not thinking straight after your illness. I understand.”
The Count smiled wide when Estelle seemed to agree.
“Just rest well until the wedding—”
“I want to attend a party before then.”
“A party?”
He frowned.
“The Duke of Winteren is returning after defeating the monsters in the West. The palace is holding a celebration. Many people will come just to see him.”
“…”
“I want to go to that party, just once before I marry.”
“People will gossip. You won’t hear nice things.”
“But if people see my face, my value might go up, right?”
If her family treated her like a golden goose, then she would act like one.
“Count Blim must’ve heard the rumors about me. If he hears more praise, maybe he’ll pay more.”
She was ready to change her future herself.
“Hmm…”
The Count thought for a moment, then smiled greedily.
If it was good for him, he didn’t care.
“Fine. Then…”
He nodded, and Estelle smiled.
To change her fate, she had to choose her fifth husband herself.
‘Lennox Winteren.’
She planned to meet him—
The side male character from the novel Vera,
The man who destroyed the world when his love for Vera was rejected.
