Chapter 5
“Thaaat’s why…”
I blinked slowly. What did I just hear?
“So, um, right now, that is…”
“Take your time to think. I’ll give you a few hours.”
“…?”
Was he telling me to calm down, or rushing me to make a decision?
“A contract marriage with me.”
“Engagement.”
“Ah, right. Contract engagement.”
He corrected himself sharply after a flustered slip.
“A fake engagement for appearances,” the Grand Duke said calmly, handing me a handkerchief.
“Three years.”
Leaning back in his chair, the Grand Duke gazed at me and continued slowly.
“After that, I’ll compensate you with enough money and a new identity—so that you may live the happy life Miss Tekins desires.”
Though his words were tempting enough to make my ears perk up, I couldn’t focus. My head was full of one persistent question:
‘Why is he offering this to me?’
Sure, the offer was sweet, but that only made me more curious about his reason.
Why propose a contract engagement to someone infamous as the worst villainess?
What if I were truly a terrible person?
‘Wait a minute—he said three years, didn’t he?’
Clutching the handkerchief tightly, I started calculating fast.
It was exactly three years until the original novel began.
Now, what was Grand Duke Leandro’s situation at that point again?
I vaguely remembered a short mention in The Princess Always Walks on a Flower Path.
‘Ah… that’s it.’
It felt like a candle had lit up in my head.
“A lot of people are eyeing you, aren’t they?”
The Grand Duke’s lips parted to speak, but my sudden comment made him pause.
His golden eyes fixed on me.
“You only just returned after defeating the Demon King’s army. With your position, achievements, and all the spoils of war, there must be many who covet what you have—but few you can trust, right?”
Grand Duke Leandro had spent over twenty years on the battlefield.
When he finally returned, his parents were gone, and his only sister had long since disappeared.
Most of his loyal subordinates had perished in the war.
All that remained were relatives and acquaintances who had grown fat in safety—and were now greedy for a share of his wealth.
And in that situation, Veloa had appeared.
A child so weak and fragile she could only become his weakness.
The future was obvious.
“I understand what I need to do. I know what you want from me.”
As if hypnotized, I nodded and looked straight at the Grand Duke.
“You want me to act as your fake fiancée and protect Veloa.”
Thoughts led to more thoughts, and a new conclusion emerged. I poured out my words.
“More precisely, you want the public’s attention to focus on me, right?”
The Grand Duke has returned.
But he has no child, and no fiancée.
If he were to die, his vast wealth would be inherited. And in that moment—Veloa appeared.
His niece. If he were to die, she could potentially inherit not just his fortune and power but even the dukedom.
Naturally, those targeting the Grand Duke’s assets would go after Veloa.
But what if he suddenly got engaged?
‘That would change the story.’
A sudden engagement—and one close enough that the fiancée was living in the duchy.
And if, say, she suddenly got pregnant—if she had a child.
If that child were to be born as Leandro’s heir…
‘Then the others would completely lose any chance at inheriting.’
And the Grand Duke’s already unstable position would solidify.
So all attention that would’ve gone to Veloa would now be directed at the fiancée.
In other words, all the scrutiny would fall on me.
“Also, this way, you’d be free from the pressure of surrounding engagement proposals. A win for you as well.”
The Grand Duke looked at me with a hint of surprise, his tightly closed lips parting.
“Yes. I won’t deny it.”
He nodded lightly and leaned toward me.
“I’m using you as a shield for my niece.”
His golden eyes scanned me, almost studying me.
“Are you disappointed?”
But his gaze soon drifted away as if he no longer cared.
“You’re free to refuse. There are others who can take your place.”
His tone was indifferent—as if he wouldn’t stop me if I left. Though, of course, he would.
He needed me in prison.
“But none of them would fit the role as perfectly as I do.”
I tilted my head and glared at him.
“Veloa is fond of me, and you’re holding my weakness in your hands.”
“…….”
“I don’t think this is a bad deal.”
I rested my chin on my index finger and shook my head slightly.
“In fact, I appreciate your honesty. A mutually beneficial partnership feels more comfortable than a charity with no reason.”
“A partnership with reason?”
“Yes.”
I sniffed lightly and nodded.
“Better a relationship where both sides grasp hands than one where only one party holds on. Don’t you agree?”
Of course, in this situation, Grand Duke Leandro held more power.
But now that I understood my own usefulness, I could start to ask for what I wanted, too.
“And besides, even if you say otherwise, you’re not going to let me die so easily.”
“If that’s so…”
The Grand Duke stood as he listened to me. Simply leaning forward made him suddenly feel much closer.
“Does it not cross your mind that I could kill you, Miss Ermia Tekins?”
In an instant, I was engulfed by his massive shadow, those sharp eyes glaring down at me.
His large hands looked ready to strangle me at any moment.
But—
“You wouldn’t.”
I lifted one side of my mouth into a confident smirk. Though to be fair, I had been sobbing not long ago, so it probably wasn’t that convincing.
“Because you just realized how useful I am.”
Sure, he could find someone else.
But no one would suit the role as well as me. And considering it was Grand Duke Leandro making this offer, he clearly had a reason to fill this position quickly.
‘Which means, until I’ve served my purpose, I’m safe here.’
It was all about perspective.
After all, prisons can be the safest places in the world—just like how pleasure can be ‘bliss’ and the abyss can also be ‘bliss’…
‘Okay, that was dumb.’
I shook my head, clearing out the nonsense, and focused again on the Grand Duke.
“I know you’re not foolish enough to kill someone as useful as me.”
And unlike the people of House Tekins, he wouldn’t torment me either.
‘Because he’s the kind of person who shows mercy to his own.’
As long as I was even slightly on the side of “his people”—even if only by a toe.
He would at least respect that minimum line.
“Right?”
“…”
What’s with that face?
Do you not like that I know you so well?
“I’m glad this didn’t take too long,” he said.
Then, after ringing a bell, he received a sheet of paper and placed it on the table.
“Take a look.”
Thorough as ever.
What the Grand Duke handed me was a written contract for the “contract engagement.”
It seemed freshly written—some of the ink hadn’t even dried yet.
“These are the terms we just discussed, written out.”
“Indeed.”
The document was stamped with an elegant seal and listed exactly what he had said.
A three-year duration. A fake engagement to protect Veloa. At the end, if I completed my role, I’d be given a new name and a large sum of money.
“This part is the most important.”
He pointed to a specific section.
And written there was:
“Must never fall in love.”
Before I could even finish reading, the Grand Duke read it aloud.
“And never speak of it after the engagement ends.”
He looked up, locking eyes with me to make sure I remembered.
“Lastly, remember that I’ll be watching you, Miss Tekins.”
Meaning: don’t do anything stupid before your neck gets slit.
I nodded, then boldly picked up the quill.
“Very well.”
No love, no foolish words after three years.
“I’ll cleanly and properly play the role of your fake fiancée!”
Leave it to me!
Loyalty and salute!
