Chapter 2
The circumstances that led Titania to be married off were more unique than those in a typical third-rate novel.
Being the only daughter of the wealthy Venice family—one of the top five richest in the empire—there was no way she would be “sold” due to lack of money. She had to leave only for the peace of mind of the Count and Countess of Venice.
A daughter raised purely out of love in the Venice family was extraordinary.
She was excessively intelligent. At first, the Count and Countess were simply proud of their daughter’s brilliance. So much so that, when the family elders insisted that even a mere five-year-old child should begin heir education, they invited renowned professors to teach her.
In hindsight, Titania was a genius.
She displayed innate talent in handling formulas and structured routines.
Of course—this was her second life. She had reincarnated carrying all the knowledge she had honed through university and graduate school, making it impossible for her not to be a genius.
The Venice couple sent their seven-year-old daughter to the empire’s “fortress of natural genius,” a place for cultivating intellectuals.
It was a treasure trove of knowledge, attracting all kinds of geniuses, including the eccentric ones. There, Titania excelled in chemistry and physics. She grasped formulas faster than even the other prodigies, applied them skillfully, and even created new inventions.
By the time Titania turned ten, there were more than five mathematical formulas named after her.
In other words, she had become a formidable rival to the other academy students.
The academy cried out in protest at the ever-increasing number of new formulas each year, and everyone grew curious about Titania.
By then, the Venice couple had to admit: while their daughter was smart, she was not the type suited to inherit the family legacy.
Had the “fortress of natural genius” remained intact, Titania might have lived a happy life there.
But when Titania turned thirteen, the head of the fortress absconded overseas with all the sponsorship funds.
“If only that hadn’t happened!”
She swore that if she ever met the head, she would administer electric torture until every drop of moisture in their body split into oxygen and hydrogen.
As a result, Titania had to return to the Venice estate, and from that day on, it was a constant battle.
The Venice couple wanted Titania to marry and have a happy family life, just like anyone else’s child—a simple, humble dream any parent could have.
The problem was that Titania had already failed at marriage three times in her first life. She had wriggled and dodged to avoid marriage at every turn. The Venice couple felt as though they had aged ten years in just five.
Then came an offer from the Emperor, and the Venice couple set Titania’s marriage as a condition for their own security and peace.
They firmly believed that Titania could find happiness through marriage.
The Emperor accepted the deal and involved his younger relative, Duke Agaphelia. The Emperor had ambitions to expand his territory by reclaiming land from western monsters—a way to increase his domain peacefully in an already crowded continent.
The population in the prosperous Arnfrit Empire kept growing, and anthropologists predicted that within twenty years, there might not be enough land for people to live on.
While Duke Agaphelia could handle defeating the monsters, cleansing the monster lands required the extremely expensive purification stones, which the Emperor wanted to obtain from Venice.
As the Emperor’s command left no room for refusal, Titania had no choice but to board a carriage sealed on all sides.
However, when she arrived, the wedding hall was completely empty.
“Wow.”
Titania’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Sara could feel her own lifespan slipping away in chunks just by witnessing the moment. She pressed Titania down and firmly instructed the attendants who had come along.
“Make sure you hold on to the young lady!”
“Of course!”
With solemn faces, the attendants stood guard on either side of Titania.
Sara, anxious that Titania might bolt at any moment, stomped her feet while searching for the estate’s lady.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes? Oh, you mean the lady coming today…”
The maid trailed off, looking troubled.
Sara’s heart began to race as she sensed something was wrong.
“Oh, heavens. Countess! Must we really take the young lady back home? I thought it would be disrespectful, but…”
Praying to every god she could think of, Sara listened as the maid delivered shocking news: the groom would not be present on the wedding day.
Duke Agaphelia had been assigned to deal with western monsters, and, as it happened, the monsters had crossed the western border and attacked nearby villages yesterday. As a result, the groom had to depart without seeing his bride, and the estate preparing the wedding was busy organizing for his departure.
“My goodness, young lady.”
As Sara returned, Titania’s eyes glittered brightly.
Sara instinctively stepped back, feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of that gaze.
“What did you say? That I should go home? Surely your mother said that if, by chance, this wedding is canceled, I would be granted freedom…”
“No!”
Sara shouted in a high-pitched voice, shaking her head violently.
This marriage was the Venice couple’s last hope—their final safeguard for their daughter’s happiness. Isn’t it natural for parents to wish for their only daughter to live happily, loved and loving in return?
Yet, to end so abruptly before it even began…
Sara blocked Titania and fired off words like a machine gun.
“The matriarch said that you are indeed to be the lady of Duke Agaphelia’s household. There may be no wedding, but your name will be entered into the family registry. So, wait patiently for the Duke to return.”
Sara felt a thousand times relieved internally.
How often would there be a situation where Titania must marry under the Emperor’s orders? This was a godsend opportunity.
“Tch.”
“Tch? You almost got reprimanded before the wedding even started, and you say ‘tch’!”
“You see, Sara, I believe human relationships should be as simple as molecules splitting apart.”
“Milady?”
Sara leaned close and whispered cautiously.
“You promised not to say things like that! Which daughter-in-law would ever say that at her in-laws’ house?”
“That’s an infringement on my freedom…”
“Please… milady.”
Titania pouted and fell silent at Sara’s plea.
Titania sighed. No matter how many times she said that marriage is not an element of happiness, why couldn’t Sara accept that it could instead be a source of misery?
Of course, the Venice couple seemed very happy.
But Titania was not the type of person to be like them. All three of her previous marriages had ended disastrously. Marriage was a path to ruin. She was certain: she was not someone who could make another person happy through marriage.
Sara hid Titania behind her and greeted the head maid. The head maid of Duke Agaphelia’s household was Countess Evita, a distant cousin of the matriarch.
To make up for her mistress’s displeasure, Sara smiled as brightly as possible. This was one of the ways the powerless daughter of the Manish family had earned the trust of the Venice Countess.
