Chapter 5
“His Highness said he couldn’t accept a proposal from someone he hasn’t even seen in person, so I came to meet you myself.”
“I see.”
His voice was deep and calm. His way of speaking wasn’t rough or irritated either.
But still, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
Every time Ezequiel carefully observed me, my heart froze with fear.
If I saw those eyes on our wedding night in the dark, I might faint. I could only feel sorry for his future wife.
Oh, wait. Wasn’t I the one trying to become that wife?
“I’m sorry for coming without notice, but I thought a lot before sending that letter. So I really hoped we could talk again.”
He let out a short laugh. But it was cold, almost mocking.
“I see, Miss Viola. How exactly do you expect me to respond to such a ridiculous idea as a contract marriage?”
“Well, I understand that it must’ve sounded shocking at first. But think of a contract marriage as a kind of short-term agreement between two people.”
“You want to offer me a deal using marriage as bait?”
The moment I mentioned negotiation, the air around him turned frighteningly cold.
“Y-Yes. I mean, if I can get out of the uncomfortable Starace family, that’s good for me, and Your Highness can avoid the hassle of merging duchies… right?”
“Do you find your family uncomfortable?”
“They treat me like I’m worthless. Even the servants look down on me.”
I tried to sound lighthearted, but Ezequiel’s expression grew even darker.
“That’s unfortunate. But that alone is not a reason for me to accept your proposal.”
He leaned back in his chair with a lazy motion.
“There are many who would love to propose marriage to me. After all, I’m the second-in-command of a duchy with self-governing rights. Many would die to become the duchess.”
“But I’m the only one who’s actually made the proposal, right?”
“…?”
“They say the bold one gets the handsome man.”
I gave him an awkward wink. The duke stared at me with a serious face.
…Did I mess up? Still, I couldn’t give up now.
“I promise you won’t lose anything. I’ll behave properly as a duchess-in-training, and I won’t try to take your inheritance.”
“…”
“You’re the only person I’ve ever truly wanted in life.”
Cough!
Whoa. Convincing a future husband is hard work.
I tried to make myself sound as appealing as possible, but he only smiled mysteriously. Maybe he was thinking about how to get rid of me.
“Miss Viola Starace.”
He sat there looking completely relaxed and slowly spoke.
“About the contract marriage you mentioned…”
* * *
Inside the carriage on my way home.
If I had to sum up meeting the duke in one sentence:
[Scary.]
‘I thought I was going to die when he glared at me.’
The original novel only described him as having a “cold atmosphere,” but that was a massive understatement.
‘It wasn’t just cold—it was like an ice age!’
His expression got darker the more I talked, so I kept scanning the room nervously.
‘Is there a sword hidden somewhere? Or is that fireplace poker his weapon?’
I mentally rewrote his character traits:
[#GrumpyMan #ScaryGrumpyMan #SuperScaryGrumpyMan]
Every time I saw him forcing a smile with that dark look, it felt like I was losing years of my life.
To be honest, maybe there were tons of people out there who would agree to a contract marriage—even if they weren’t the male lead.
‘Should I look for someone else instead?’
But I was the one who came to him first. Since I’d started this, I had to see it through. That’s why I tried so hard to convince him.
“They say the bold one gets the handsome man.”
In the end, I even made a joke. I copied that line from my cousin Zenovio, who always used it to flirt with women at balls.
But the Duke’s expression only grew stranger.
Did I say something wrong?
Just when I started to regret it, the Duke gave a surprising answer:
“I will try this contract marriage you mentioned.”
He actually accepted my proposal—just like that!
“Huh? Really? Are you sure? You can still think about it again.”
“Why are you surprised by something you offered? Did you already change your mind?”
“N-No, I just didn’t expect you to say yes so easily. I was honestly just taking a chance.”
“I appreciate your honesty. And since you came here yourself to speak face to face, you’ve shown me your sincerity. Now that I think about it again, it’s not such a bad offer.”
Everything worked out more smoothly than I expected.
I should’ve been happy—but maybe because it went too well, I felt uneasy instead.
“Wait a minute. Is the world suddenly on my side?”
Thinking that way made me feel a little better.
Maybe this is one of those lucky breaks that come to main characters in romance novels.
Since I’m working hard to live my life, maybe the world is finally treating me like the main character too.
Rather than overthink it, I smiled proudly and took out my notebook to write:
[Today’s Diary: Got myself a future husband!]
And there was even a bonus.
“I heard your family is hosting a ball soon. I’ll come by to greet everyone. Even if I’ll only be your husband for a year, I should meet your family.”
A ball? I didn’t even know our family was planning one.
Does the Duke just have great information sources?
Or am I just that poorly informed?
Probably the second one…
* * *
As soon as I stepped into the house, I ran into my aunt.
She looked me up and down and started talking.
“Where have you been? Going out on your own is dangerous. You should’ve at least told me.”
She sounded kind—but don’t be fooled. That tone is her specialty. She acts sweet while insulting you.
“I had someone to meet.”
“Oh? I didn’t know you had any friends.”
She smiled, acting surprised.
“Ah, are you talking about those sweet young ladies from the last ball? They were so kind, comforting you when no one asked you to dance.”
And she added with a soft but sharp jab:
“They were really sweet to you, weren’t they?”
“I’ll just go to my room now.”
“Why? Weren’t they your friends? Strange… I didn’t know you had any others.”
The more you talk to her, the more you fall into her trap.
It’s best not to engage at all.
“Are you ignoring your elders now?”
But wait—didn’t I decide to live like a main character from now on?
‘No. I have to change. I need to respond differently.’
Main characters always have their own way of handling things.
“If you keep being so distant, no man will ever ask you to dance—”
“Oh my, Auntie. You must’ve really wanted to see who danced with me, since you were watching my every move so closely.”
I suddenly blurted it out.
Even though I decided to change, my voice trembled like a goat.
“W-What?”
“I was too busy hiding from all the men chasing me, sticking close to my friends, to even notice you watching.”
She seemed shocked that I, who usually stayed quiet, actually spoke back.
“You! Just how easy do you look that men keep sticking to you like that?!”
“I guess I do look easy. I have lots of friends and plenty of admirers. It’s really a blessing, isn’t it?”
I pushed myself to the limit with that one. I felt dizzy from the effort.
Then I saw her lift her hand—was she going to slap me?
I stared straight at her.
“Please don’t. Is it proper for a branch noble to slap the legitimate daughter of the main family? That would be very inappropriate.”
“What did you say?”
“You wouldn’t want to break the hierarchy, right? You always say how much you care about manners and order.”
“You little—!”
She trembled with fury, hand still awkwardly in the air, eyes darting.
“Young Madam! Miss Viola! A letter just arrived!”
Just in time, I heard Anna’s voice calling out.
My aunt quickly lowered her hand and rushed off to get the letter, leaving me alone.
Just as I planned.
‘I did it… I got through that safely.’
Anna always brought letters to my aunt at this time. I was lucky to use that moment to escape.
That small success gave me a boost of confidence. I’ll write this in today’s diary too.
It was the first time I faced my aunt and didn’t end up feeling terrible.
* * *
That evening at dinner, my biological father—the Baron—spoke up with a big smile.
“We’ll be hosting a ball at our estate soon. It’s the social season, and noble families take turns offering their homes.”
He opened the letter that had arrived earlier and added:
“And this time, a very special guest accepted the invitation. None other than Duke Ezequiel Vetra!”
Ezequiel is coming.
As soon as she heard that, my cousin Camilla put down her fork.
