Chapter 20
Seeing Brinnen being so active about the marriage made Idette feel strange.
Maybe it was because of the dying Duchess.
“…It’s not because it’s Brinnen, but I don’t want to marry anyone,” she said honestly. “Still, since I need to avoid the temple, I think I’ll need at least a pretend marriage for now. I was hoping to do it with someone who wouldn’t feel pressured even if we break it off later…”
“Okay.”
“Do you actually want to marry me?”
Idette asked carefully. She needed to be sure before this went any further.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“…Because you’re not the type of person who would suggest marriage for selfish reasons. I like that.”
“That’s it?”
“What more is there to need?”
It was such a plain, calm answer that it left Idette feeling uneasy. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“If I die… what will you do then?”
“…Why do you keep talking about dying?” Brinnen said, scolding her gently.
He didn’t like how casually she spoke about it.
“Then what if I don’t die? Will the marriage actually happen?”
His look said, Isn’t that obvious?
“To be honest,” she continued, “I want to live, but my body is weak. I could die anytime. That’s why I don’t want to get married. But I really don’t want to become the temple’s Saintess either.”
“Okay.”
“So… I’d like some kind of help. Brinnen, if you’re okay with it, let’s make a contract.”
“A contract?”
“Yes. One that lets us end our engagement easily if you ever meet someone you really like.”
Brinnen seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. And so, their “contract” was made — even though they were only twelve years old.
That was why Idette didn’t take it too seriously. They were just kids; it wasn’t binding. Either of them could change their minds at any time.
“…Still, just in case, should we write a contract on paper?”
It was Brinnen who suggested writing it down, so Idette figured he didn’t plan on keeping it long-term either.
“Alright!” she said brightly.
She quickly brought out paper and wrote:
***
Contract
I, Idette Lushe, make a contract with Brinnen Sheyard.
The agreement is for a temporary marriage.
(☆ Must be kept secret!)
Term: □□□□
***
Since she had never written anything like this before, she hesitated and asked,
“Can we set the limit to when we’re 18 years old?”
Eighteen was the official marriage age — and also when Idette was supposed to marry Brinnen in the original story.
If they ended the engagement by then, it would be perfect.
“Yes,” Brinnen replied.
“Do you have any conditions?”
“…What if, by the time I turn eighteen, I still don’t have someone I like?”
“Then we’ll still break the engagement, of course.”
What was so hard about that?
After all, Brinnen would eventually fall in love with Hezbeni, and Idette could simply step aside. She could just tell her father she had no plans to marry and live quietly.
By then, the temple problem would be taken care of anyway — thanks to Hezbeni.
“Then write that part down — that if we don’t find anyone we like, we’ll still cancel it.”
“Anything else you want?”
“No. Do you?”
“Hm… no, that’s all.”
So they wrote two copies and each kept one. Somehow, Idette felt relieved after that.
***
Brinnen wanted Idette to be his real marriage partner someday.
He could tell Idette wasn’t feeling the same way, but that didn’t matter.
It wasn’t that she disliked him — she just worried too much.
She said her weak health was a flaw, but Brinnen didn’t care.
Idette was one of the few people who didn’t look down on him.
People treated Brinnen in four different ways:
those who hated him, those who tried to please him, those who didn’t care, and those who worried about him.
Most people in his life fit into one of those extremes.
His father — and the Count Ivan family — belonged to the first group: those who hated him.
The ones trying to please him were people chasing after his family’s power.
The indifferent ones didn’t need the Sheyard family’s backing — like the Lushe family or even the imperial family.
And then there were the ones who worried about him — like his mother.
Idette was similar to Count Lushe, but she seemed to care about him a little more.
Still, she wasn’t like his mother. His mother worried about every little thing he did, treating him like a child who couldn’t stand on his own.
Idette wasn’t like that. She didn’t fuss over everything. She only seemed to worry about how fragile and temporary his surroundings were — as if she knew he didn’t have many people he could depend on.
Brinnen was sharp enough to notice it.
She wasn’t avoiding him because she disliked him — she was keeping her distance out of concern.
Maybe her words earlier — “I could die anytime” — had come from the same place his mother’s concern did.
If Idette really were to die one day, Brinnen wanted to be by her side until the end.
It was better than being stuck here, in a house that suffocated him.
Most of the servants followed his father’s orders, not his mother’s or his.
Still, he didn’t resent it. His mother was sick — of course she came first.
“Marriage…” he murmured.
When the topic of marriage came up, he hadn’t objected.
He thought maybe marrying Idette wouldn’t be so bad. In fact, he wanted to.
Honestly, Brinnen was in a hurry. Before sending him to the duchy, Count Ivan had tried to arrange his marriage to Melody, his daughter.
Even the recent letters hinted that the Count planned to push that match soon.
Marrying Melody Ivan sounded miserable — so Idette was much better.
This marriage contract was mutual benefit for both sides.
“…Until eighteen, huh.”
Even though they set that limit, Brinnen didn’t intend to let it end there.
He wanted this “contract” to become real — and permanent.
His mother had told everyone she was the one who wanted this engagement, but in truth, it had been Brinnen who went to her first and said:
“I want to marry Lady Lushe.”
“Did you fall in love with her?” his mother had asked.
Her eyes had sparkled with a light he hadn’t seen in so long — she looked alive again.
Was it love? Maybe not exactly. But if love was required to make the marriage happen, then yes — he’d call it that.
“Alright, son. Leave it to me,” she had said, smiling warmly.
And that was how it all began.
The Duke hadn’t cared at all about this marriage, but his mother had worked hard to bring Count Lushe and his wife to visit.
Idette had no idea about any of that. She probably thought she was just being swept along by fate — but Brinnen had chosen it.
So even when they turned eighteen…
Brinnen still wanted to marry Idette.
This contract had no real power over him.
He would make sure of that.
Thinking nothing of it, Brinnen stared at the contract for a long moment — then tossed it into the fireplace.
With a whoosh, it caught fire, curling into ash in seconds.
The “contract” disappeared completely.
