Chapter 1

A black cloth hanging from the ceiling. Two people- a brother and sister, were seen in mourning clothes.

“I can’t imagine how heartbroken you must have felt.”

Such empty words flowed from the passing nobles who did not care about the Leire siblings at all. Instead, they were only interested in the enormous inheritance of their parents that fell on top of the sibling’s head.

“Once Lady Archel turns 20-years-old, it’s possible to hold her coming-of-age ceremony.”

“And then the first thing to do is to deliver the flowers…” The crowds continued to talk despite the grieving atmosphere. Archel, who heard that, bit her lips to suppress her boiling anger.

Those people were going to put someone to become her husband when she became an adult. Even though she’s only 17 years old, those people were already talking about the event set three years in the future. As if it already decided.

‘I can’t just stand still.’ Archel bowed her head and gritted her teeth.

“…sister.” A familiar voice calling out to her. She then glanced at the source of the voice.

Her brother who turned 13 years old this year, Michael, gripped her hand tightly. The tiny hand clasped Archel’s hand, which was slightly bigger than his. It was a desperate grip as if he was barely holding on to a branch on the edge of a cliff.

“Don’t cry.” A resolute voice was heard from Archel’s mouth.

‘ Michael nodded his head at the soft whispering voice.

“Then me too, I’ll protect you, sister.”Michael’s little arms wrapped around her neck as he continued to speak, “From the enemy.”

Archel hugged her 13-year-old brother, a brief thought came across her mind whether her young and naive brother knew who exactly the said enemy was.

However, Archel has no idea. Michael with his dead-pan expression, cast a cold gaze while looking down on the nobles that were talking about his sister’s marriage. That child at least knew exactly what the enemy was and who it was. On that day, the enemy and allies were clearly mapped out in Michael’s mind.

And his ally was only one person. It was his older sister, Archel.

———-

‘I’ll protect you no matter what. So that your future will not be ruined.’

Archel swore an oath to Michael on the day of their parent’s funeral. Then she thought to herself, ‘If I must get married, I will find my own marriage partner.’

She had her status as Countess Leire and the head of the family, and countless islands belonging to the state of the Leire County, that she would inherit once she became an adult.

Before she possessed the body, she already read the whole book and was well-versed in the knowledge about this world. Although she couldn’t read the complete story, she knew the continent’s condition like the back of her hand so she could instantly think about who is her ideal marriage partner.

‘The Dukedom of Zenat.’

The famous dukedom with a vast maritime territory. A noble family that was wrapped in a veil and well-hidden, whose real headquarters is on an island.

Around this time, their family would be under pressure to accept the emperor’s marriage request. Moreover, the 20-year-old duke, who had a slim chance of succeeding ever since he was young, doesn’t listen to the talks at all.

‘Because he doesn’t trust people.’

With a personality that extremely abhorred to be caught in a state of uncertainty, he would welcome this marriage offer.

‘It’s because I don’t love him.’

‘I don’t want the inheritance, I just want to keep my marriage life until my brother meets a good woman and marries her.’

And The Duke of Zenat, Gael Von Zenat, will be liberated from the pressure of the imperial family. Then when the time comes, we’ll get divorced.

‘Isn’t this a perfect deal?’

Their surroundings were filled with those who wanted to take advantage of them and snatch their inheritance, anyway.

‘We need to survive.’ Archel thought, her face was brimming with the new-found determination, ‘I need to head to Zenat Dukedom tomorrow.’

It didn’t matter if they cursed her as a child who left to find a marriage partner a day after her parent’s funeral.

Because in her mind, survival was more important than reputation.