Chapter 2
“!”
For a moment, my body froze, as if I were standing before a wild beast.
But soon—
“……”
Whether this was fortunate or not, the Duke shifted his gaze naturally to the papers before him after seeing my expression.
‘Well, it’s not like he’s being considerate of a stranger.’
He was probably just showing that he’d rather deal with paperwork than waste time on an uninvited guest like me.
‘Ah, or maybe he has seen me before—at least once?’
In any case, thanks to that, I had a brief moment to relax my tense shoulders and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Whew. As expected of the Duke of Ivernum. His presence is overwhelming.’
Trying to compose my breath to avoid showing nervousness, I observed him more closely now that his gaze had lowered, making it easier for me to look.
Kyle Ivernum.
With striking red eyes and pitch-black hair that seemed to reject all other colors, the Duke bore both traits characteristic of the Ivernum lineage. His cold appearance fit the name of the house, which meant “winter.”
‘……I can see why the noble ladies swoon over him.’
Seen up close, his chiseled features were so captivating they could make you momentarily forget the sheer intensity of his aura.
I was so taken in that I momentarily forgot the speech I had prepared.
‘Ack! This isn’t the time to be dazed—get it together!’
Even if the man in front of me was possibly the most handsome on the entire continent, now was the time I needed my wits more than ever.
I consciously looked away from his dangerously distracting appearance that could easily shatter my composure before a once-in-a-lifetime negotiation.
“Is this a message from the Sincere family?”
The Duke’s nonchalant question helped snap me back to reality.
I quickly sharpened my eyes to look alert and responded in a confident tone, like a job applicant in an interview.
“No! I’m not here on behalf of the Sincere family. I, Evely Sincere, came to speak with you personally, Duke.”
At that, the Duke finally looked up from the document he’d been fixated on and gazed at me curiously.
“You have something to say to me?”
“Yes. And it’s something only you should hear.”
I glanced meaningfully at the aide standing in the office, clearly indicating I wanted to speak in private.
This unexpected request from an unfamiliar young lady made one of the Duke’s brows arch in surprise.
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
But you’ll hear me out.
“I say this for your sake, Duke.”
“For my sake?”
“Yes. What I have to say—”
Taking a breath, I hoped my next words wouldn’t come across as an attack.
“—is about the night of the brightest moon.”
“……!”
At that moment, the Duke’s hand, which had been flipping through documents without concern, suddenly stopped.
* * *
“As you wished, the room’s been cleared.”
His expression told me to get to the point now.
‘As expected of the Duke. He’s not giving anything away—no questions like “what do you mean” or “how do you know.” Not a single slip of information.’
His poker face was that of someone used to ruling at the top tier of nobility.
‘Still, he couldn’t have expected this.’
Choosing my opening words carefully, I lifted the corners of my lips to look as confident as possible.
“I’m not mentioning that night to expose a weakness.”
“……”
“Quite the opposite. I’ve brought a medicine that can make that night safe.”
Only after I said this with my most socially skilled smile did the Duke’s brow twitch slightly.
Maybe playing it cool like a seasoned negotiator had worked?
‘Seems like he won’t say a word about the secret until I mention something concrete.’
So I went straight to the heart of it, to prove I wasn’t just here to poke around.
“Everyone knows Ivernum uses dragon magic.”
Dragonslayer.
That was the famous nickname of Ivernum.
The founder of the ducal house, Grand Swordmaster Ivernum, slew a dragon and claimed its power.
That inhuman magic was still passed down through the Duke’s bloodline.
That much, everyone in the empire knew.
But…
“What’s not known is the side effect that comes with such overwhelming power.”
“……”
Even then, the Duke’s expression didn’t change, but I didn’t miss how his eyes deepened at the word “side effect.”
‘Thought so.’
“The stronger the dragon’s power becomes, the more strain it puts on the body… That’s the real secret, isn’t it?”
Dragon power housed in a human body—just the idea screams “massive side effects.”
On the night of the brightest moon, when the dragon’s energy is at its peak, the already immense magic inside Ivernum flares violently.
So violently that it becomes unbearable for a human to endure.
‘That’s why they never disclose the Duke’s whereabouts during that time.’
Everyone knows the Duke’s power—but not the cost that comes with it.
‘And I have the secret to solving that side effect.’
Thinking of this secret weapon, a smile naturally formed on my lips.
“I didn’t come here to threaten you with this information.”
I addressed the assumption the Duke might’ve had about my family, the Sinceres.
“Rather, I’m here to say I can help eliminate that dangerous secret for good.”
“That the medicine you mentioned earlier?”
At the Duke’s direct question, I flinched a little but didn’t let it shake me. I boldly placed the pouch I’d brought onto the table.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“……”
“It’s a medicine only I know how to make.”
The Duke’s gaze slid up from the pouch in my hand.
When I met his eyes again, I was surprised by the calm in his red irises.
‘After all, I just exposed his family’s deepest secret—and maybe even a cure.’
I expected some shock, even from him…
A quick glance.
‘Is he… not that surprised?’
His face remained as composed as ever.
“……”
Swallowing hard, I thought quietly to myself:
‘Definitely not an easy opponent.’
Well, I never expected him to be easy in the first place.
This is the Duke of Ivernum we’re talking about—no ordinary negotiation tactic would work.
So I threw my usual approach out the window and went straight for it.
“To be honest…”
I thought back to my family’s reaction when I first developed the medicine.
“The Sincere family wanted to use this to manipulate you, Duke.”
“The family did?”
“Yes. But I’m different.”
That I disagreed with my family—it was something most noble ladies would never say. It could be a fatal flaw in character.
But I had to say it.
‘Because what I’m doing now is exactly trying to escape that family.’
The Sincere family—a name that sounded noble, but whose members were anything but.
That was the house I was born into this life.
‘They’ve got the name and the prestige, but not enough for me to escape on my own—just a lowly count family.’
This unfair noble hierarchy.
A mere noble daughter like me didn’t have many options if she wanted to go against her family’s will.
Even if they tried to marry me off to a widower over forty.
Normally, I’d have no choice but to cry and accept it.
‘But that’s in normal cases…’
Thinking of my fake family who surely expected me to cave, I smirked.
‘Unless someone of higher status than the count house ruins the marriage deal first!’
In noble society, status is everything.
Fight a marriage proposal—with another marriage proposal!
I clutched my hands together in my heart, recalling all the contract-marriage female leads I’d read about in my past life.
‘Romance-fantasy heroines of contract marriages, lend me your strength!’
“I have a proposal to make, in exchange for removing Ivernum’s side effects.”
Even for me, saying the next part out loud was incredibly embarrassing.
‘Whew. Gotta do it if I want to change the genre of my life.’
I placed the vial in the Duke’s hand like it was a ring, offering my sincerity.
Then, squeezing my eyes shut, I blurted out:
“Please marry me—for just one year!”
And silence fell. For a long while.
“……”
Damn it.
I wanted to crawl into a hole.
“Uh, Duke?”
Unable to bear the silence, I finally mustered the courage to meet his gaze again.
And I couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Huh? That look in his eyes is…’
