Chapter 3

One month after the engagement break-up scandal, while clearing up after dinner, Ridel was called by a servant.

"Miss, Master is calling for you."

"Huh?"

It had been a long time since she was called by her uncle. It had been since her childhood friend Gilbert broke off the engagement. She didn't want to see him if she could help it. As Ridel was at a loss,

"Hey, don't just stand there, go quickly!"

The butler of this house said this with a raised eyebrow. The kind butler who had been there since old times was dismissed as soon as her uncle and aunt moved in, and the servants who treated Ridel rudely despite calling her "Miss" took his place.

However, despite this, the flashy Ibonne never came to the countryside estate. When they met occasionally, she would act superior, but she didn't go as far as to bully Ridel like her aunt, so Ridel managed to get along reasonably well. She never thought she would lose her fiancé...

When she entered her uncle's study, he said right away,

"Actually, a marriage proposal has been made to you."

It was like a bolt from the blue. She had been prepared to remain single for life after her engagement was broken off.

"Really? From whom?"

If she could leave this suffocating house, she would want to leave immediately, but the only thing she could think of was becoming a second wife to an old man.

"It's from Lord Friedrich of the Weller Marquess family."

"Eh? The Weller Marquess family?"

Normally, Ridel, who was unfamiliar with high society, would be overjoyed at such a match. However, she had heard rumors about the Weller Marquess. He was known as a young general and a military god, favored by the royal family, but was rumored to be a battle maniac in private. He rarely appeared in high society, and though he was said to be beautiful, Ridel had never seen him.

His family was said to have risen thanks to the war, and various dark rumors followed them. However, the Dromore family was only a baronial family. Was it not a mismatch?

"Why would such a high-ranking noble want me?"

"It's because the other party wants it. You will be happy to marry into the Marquess family."

"Huh?"

The wound from the engagement break-up had not yet healed. Moreover, the head of the family was the Ice Marquess, rumored to be cruel and inhuman. She had heard that despite having assets, the Marquess, who was 24 this year, had never had a fiancé.

"We have debts. Lord Marquess has offered to take you as his wife and pay off our debts. This matter is settled. Lord Marquess will visit our home tomorrow. Be on your best behavior."

The news of the debts was like a bolt from the blue.

"Such... Uncle, what do you mean by debts?"

However, her uncle only waved his hand dismissively, as if to brush her off, and did not answer.

"The Dromore family owes a debt to Lord Marquess. Therefore, you must serve him with all your heart."

"I can't accept that."

"Shut up! They are offering to take you, who had your engagement broken off. Moreover, it's not as a mistress or a second wife to an old man. It's a match far above your station."

Her uncle's reasoning was absurd. There was no way she could accept it. But before she could ask for more details, she was about to be forced out of the study.

And at the doorway, Ibonne's figure suddenly appeared.

She burst into the study as if to push Ridel aside.

"Father! Is it true that Ridel is going to marry into the Marquess family? That means she will be of higher rank than me, who is to marry into the Viscount family, right?"

"Hey, Ibonne, what are you saying!"

Her uncle said, surprised.

"That's not right! Can't I take her place?"

Ibonne had said she loved Gilbert and was about to get married. What was she saying? Ridel was taken aback.

"Is your sister not carrying Gilbert's child?"

Her uncle glared at Ridel.

"Ridel, how long are you going to stand there? Get back to work."

"But Uncle, my sister—"

Ibonne suddenly grabbed Ridel's hand tightly.

"Ridel, stay here. Father, I'll give Gilbert back to Ridel. I will marry into the Marquess family. That way, Ridel will be happier, right?"

Ridel was stunned by her cousin's words.

"Sister, what do you mean? What about the child in your womb?"

"Ibonne, be quiet! Enough! Hey, is anyone there! Take Ridel out of this room."

Ridel was forcibly removed from the study by the servants, rather than by her uncle.

(What's going on? What does she mean by giving Gilbert back to me? I'll ask her first thing tomorrow morning.)

Her heart was pounding with anxiety, and she couldn't sleep that night.

However, the next day, Ridel was unable to see Ibonne. Servants stood in front of Ibonne's room, and she couldn't even approach. It seemed Ibonne was locked in her room, and a shadow of unease crossed Ridel's heart.

In the end, Ridel was forcibly dressed in a dress by her aunt and the maids who had returned from the townhouse, and was made to wait for the Marquess's arrival, without any preparation or even a glimpse of him.

On a mid-afternoon when her appetite had been lost due to the tight corset, a grand carriage from the Weller Marquess family, carrying the general, arrived. She greeted it with her uncle and aunt at the entrance.

Soon, a tall man with a mantle, with sandy hair and a high stature, typical of a northerner, descended from the four-horse carriage. His deep-set, well-structured face was beautiful, but his cold, ice-blue eyes, which seemed to scrutinize everything, the faint scar on his temple, the glimpse of his military uniform under his fluttering mantle, and the sword at his waist made Ridel's legs tremble. It was the first time she had seen a soldier.

The Marquess removed his sword and handed it to his attendant. Seeing this, Ridel let out a sigh of relief.

"Welcome, Lord Marquess, from afar..."

He passed by her uncle, who was rubbing his hands in greeting, and approached Ridel with a steady, rhythmic sound of his military boots, his expressionless face moving straight toward her. Ridel took a step back, overwhelmed by his presence.

(He won't kill me just because I made a mistake, right?)

His cold gaze was so sharp that it made her spine shiver.

"Are you Miss Ridel Dromore?"

"Y-Yes."

She was afraid of his cold, sun-reflecting eyes and tried to curtsy, but he knelt down before she could.

"Miss Ridel Dromore, I have come to propose marriage to you. Please accept my proposal."

Without any greeting, after confirming her identity, he suddenly proposed marriage. And Ridel had no choice but to accept.

"Yes."

She answered with a strained face and a barely audible voice.

He stood up and turned to her uncle and aunt.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I will take my leave now."

Ridel watched as he walked away, feeling a mix of relief and unease.