Chapter 4
“Alright, Anna. If we want to stop the annexation, the Vetra family needs someone who can inherit the Duke title.”
“That’s true.”
“But a spouse who marries into the family becomes part of the Duke’s household too, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, what if the spouse is named as the heir?”
“Oh…?”
“It’s a bit of a trick. I’d just be putting the spouse’s name down as the next successor.”
An emergency wife—and a temporary heir.
“I’ll take on that role.”
Of course, I planned to tell the male lead that I’d divorce him after a year, once things settled down.
Even if I gave up the heir title to his nephew later, I wouldn’t care.
By that time, I would’ve secured a strong position for myself in the family.
In the end, everyone would win.
“It’s better to give everything to a temporary spouse than leave it vulnerable to the Emperor and let him target the nephew for a year, right?”
Anna understood my reasoning and her mouth fell open.
“Young Lady… are you serious? You’re going to propose marriage to the Duke like it’s a business deal?”
“Women can inherit noble titles too. There’s no law saying I can’t be a successor.”
It was better for me—an adult—to stand against the Emperor than let a child be threatened.
“T-that’s not the point…”
“Just watch. He’ll accept it right away.”
“That’s not it… I mean, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime marriage!”
“Exactly. That’s why I have to play my cards right.”
I was confident.
In romance stories, there is no male lead who refuses a contract marriage—that was a rule.
Besides, during this time period, Ezequiel tried to fix the problem by offering the Emperor massive amounts of money and power.
He barely managed to keep his title and territory, but this incident left deep trauma for both him and his nephew.
In the original story, the kind heroine Monica later helped heal his emotional scars.
But someone like Monica would live a successful life whether or not she ended up with Ezequiel.
‘Right now, I just need to put out the fire in front of me.’
So, I sent Ezequiel Vetra a letter proposing a contract marriage.
“A contract marriage… my goodness…”
Anna seemed a bit shocked by the revolutionary idea coming from a noble lady.
Still, I waited.
A few days later, a reply came.
With high hopes, I opened the letter—
[Not possible.]
I was rejected instantly.
What the—why?!
* * *
At the Vetra Ducal Estate…
“She’s a strange one.”
While sorting through letters at the Vetra estate, assistant Ollie tilted his head.
The Duke of Vetra, Ezequiel Vetra, was sitting comfortably in his chair reading the newspaper and looked up.
“What is it?”
“This letter.”
Ollie handed over a personal letter from the daughter of Viscount Starace.
There was no family seal, so it seemed to be a private note, not an official document.
“Oh, that one. I read it too. Something about proposing a contract marriage.
It was so unusual, it was almost bizarre.”
Ezequiel dismissed the whole idea with one sentence:
“She’s a con artist.”
Marriage was sacred.
To him, the idea of using it as a trick was ridiculous and unacceptable.
He avoided reading the newspaper headlines about “heirs” and “duchy annexation” and shook his head.
“Even if things are urgent, I can’t marry just to make an heir.
I should marry someone I actually have feelings for.”
Besides that, he didn’t like the Starace family either.
“Yeah… I’ve barely even heard of that family.”
“I’ve heard of them. Their Viscount is said to be incompetent and deeply in debt.”
Ollie frowned immediately.
“Really? If they have debts, then we should stay far away from them.”
Ollie pushed the letter away without hesitation and asked,
“By the way, Your Grace, where did you hear about that kind of information?”
It made sense to ask. The Starace family was so minor that even their name sounded unfamiliar to Ollie.
“I got it through an information guild I manage on the side.”
“Ah, those guys. I guess they did a good job again?”
“Of course. I need to have information in my hands if I want to maintain the duchy’s autonomy.”
Ezequiel answered jokingly and recalled the contents of the letter again.
“She asked to be named as the heir, right?”
No one could say what such a person might try to do afterward.
In the worst-case scenario, she could try to assassinate him right after becoming heir.
He couldn’t rule out the chance that she might be working with the Emperor.
‘No matter how I look at it… it’s dangerous.’
Unless the woman who sent the letter came in person and managed to convince him, nothing would change.
“Viola Starace. Nice try, but not good enough.”
Ezequiel was about to toss the letter into the fireplace but decided to write a short reply out of politeness.
[I cannot accept. Accepting such a proposal from someone I’ve never met is unreasonable.]
Ezequiel smirked coldly. Ollie, seeing his expression, flinched.
“A-Are you angry, sir?”
“No. I was just smiling.”
“I thought you were thinking about how to chew that letter up and spit it out.”
“That’s a misunderstanding. Do I look that evil to you?”
Ollie didn’t reply.
Ezequiel stared at him.
Only when the Duke looked down and started reading another letter did Ollie turn his head in a panic and let out a breath.
So, the incident was brushed off as a small joke for the day.
* * *
But the next day…
“Your Grace. Miss Viola of the Starace family has come to visit.”
The woman who had written the letter was now standing right in front of the Duke’s estate.
I made up my mind and came to see Ezequiel.
Normally, nobles sent letters ahead of time to arrange visits properly.
But I had no time for that.
I couldn’t just sit and wait while my plan was falling apart from the very first step.
So, I came without notice, hoping that if I waited long enough at the gate, they’d let me in.
I had left Anna behind at home and came alone.
With no one to talk to, I just stared quietly at the huge front gate.
‘Wow. So shiny.’
The massive gate of the Duke’s mansion in the capital was full of grandeur—totally different from my poor, debt-ridden Viscount Starace estate.
In the center of the gate was a large golden lion emblem—the symbol of the Duke’s family.
Beneath it, in ancient writing, were the words:
“Glory to the Doxe of Vetra.”
Guards wearing uniforms in the Duke’s family colors stood on either side of the gate.
They were both knights and private soldiers loyal to the Duke.
“Ahem.”
The guards looked at me awkwardly.
While I endured the awkward silence, thankfully, Ollie the aide came to find me.
“Please come in. His Grace is waiting for you.”
Following Ollie inside, we passed through dazzling hallways lined with portraits.
It felt like the ancestors of the Vetra family in the paintings were all looking at me like I was crazy.
‘I’m sorry. Just passing through.’
While I apologized in my head, we arrived at the parlor. Ollie bowed respectfully to the Duke.
“Miss Viola has arrived.”
At last, it was time to meet the male lead.
But I didn’t need to be scared.
Even if he was a “cold handsome man,” he was probably just a slim guy who looked at people sharply.
…That thought shattered the moment I looked at him.
‘…What is that face?’
Just meeting his eyes made it hard to breathe. His sharp gaze felt like it pierced through me. My vision went dark for a moment.
That man was Ezequiel Vetra?
Even though he was just sitting there, he gave off the pressure of a lazy but deadly predator—like a panther watching its prey.
And the novel described him with just “a chilly vibe”? Really?!
“G-Greetings, Duke Vetra. I’m Viola Starace, the one who sent the letter about a contract marriage…”
I was so nervous that I stuttered from the very first sentence.
Honestly, the reason his face never showed up in articles might be because he had all the reporters who took photos… buried.
Wild conspiracy theories popped up in my head.
“I was wondering about your letter, Miss Viola.”
He nodded slightly, gesturing for me to explain.
Carefully, like I was approaching a wild animal, I sat down on the sofa opposite him.
Even then, he continued staring at me with an unreadable expression.
