Chapter 1

In my past life, I was overweight, a geek, and a spinster. I was reincarnated into a different world.

Born as the third daughter of a viscount's family, I had my engagement broken off and, to revive the declining family, I became the head of the viscount's household—Grace Wilcox.

This is the story of the events that led up to my marriage to Lord Vincent Rockwell, the earl who would become my future husband.

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At the beginning of the social season in the Lapis Kingdom, the topic that dominated the social scene was my engagement to the earl.

Lord Vincent Rockwell, the earl who was considered the number one bachelor by countless eligible young ladies, was getting engaged.

Moreover, his fiancée was me, who had my engagement broken off a year after my debut, took over the management of the estate from my father, and became the head of the viscount's household after my father's death—... a woman with a notorious reputation in society.

Yes, I am Grace Wilcox, the head of the Wilcox Viscount's household.

The White Birch Hall, which boasts the second-largest space for social gatherings in the capital of Lapis, after the Crescent Palace.

Here, the engagement announcement of Lord Vincent Rockwell, the popular earl who is the envy of the capital's young ladies, and Grace Wilcox, the head of the Wilcox Viscount's household, took place.

In this country, noblewomen wear white dresses at their debut, engagement, and wedding ceremonies, but for post-engagement announcement balls, the dress color is relatively free.

My dress tonight... the main color is champagne gold. The A-line dress is made of heavy, lustrous satin, with the hem adorned with lace made from the silk of the small arachne from the Wilcox territory, forming a balloon shape, and a series of rose corsages cascading from the diagonal seam. This dress was designed by my sister, Jessica.

Even while gossiping, they seemed quite interested in the design of this dress.

Of course, my sister's dress design talent is so renowned that a popular designer in the capital once said, "If Miss Jessica were to become a dressmaker, my business would surely decline."

Indeed, my sister, my talented sister!

"Is Lord Rockwell in his right mind—"

"To choose that woman of all people!"

"Surely she must have deceived him."

"She's a greedy woman who drove her father to death and became the head of the viscount's household."

"Poor... Lord Vincent..."

"Shouldn't someone put that woman in her place?"

Despite the engagement announcement of the earl I admired, or perhaps because of it, the unmarried young ladies who were actively seeking marriage were gossiping about me, the fiancée,

"Hey, where did that dress designer come from?"

"The balloon hem is quite innovative."

"Moreover, isn't that the lace fabric that's currently trending?"

"The corsages are also exquisite, aren't they?"

The whispers of the fashionable ladies and young ladies were divided among the gentlewomen.

Well, of course, no matter who the fiancée of the admired earl is, there would be dissatisfaction.

Especially since the fiancée is me, Grace Wilcox, the voices of discontent would be louder.

My reputation in society is quite poor.

I pushed aside my biological father, took control of the estate's management, and even obtained the title, managing the estate as a woman, cold and arrogant, and someone who had her engagement broken off, on the verge of spinsterhood.

However, there is no young lady in this crowd who has the courage to approach me and say a word.

Most of them can't even approach the earl proactively.

If they come from a powerful noble family, it might be different, but the trend is to avoid being seen as too forward.

And some might be intimidated by the earl.

There are a few brave ones, but not this time.

The first to surround the earl and me upon entering the venue were his colleagues and superiors in the military, dressed in their uniforms.

Military uniforms are quite impressive.

It's unlikely that any young lady would push through this crowd to speak to me.

However, the earl is not in his military uniform tonight but in a tailcoat.

He chose this attire to match my dress.

The formal attire for gentlemen attending a ball is a military uniform if they are in the military, or a tuxedo or tailcoat, with the fabric color being black, navy, or dark gray.

But a fashionable gentleman will also pay attention to the fabric of the attire, cufflinks, lapel pins, and pocket squares.

And these accessories can be quite expensive.

The color of the pocket square the earl is wearing tonight is champagne gold, matching my dress.

It complements his golden hair beautifully.

And the lapel pin and cufflinks.

The main stone in the design is not actually a stone.

It's a material found during the earl's inspection of his territory.

The earl's lapel pin is matched with a slightly smaller version of the same white stone, which I have scattered in my hair as hairpins.

Actually, these are gifts from the earl.

I received them as a thank you for the lapel pin he gave me, and he asked me to wear them for the engagement announcement.

I immediately recognized that the earl had them made from the same material as the lapel pin.

The opaque white, polished to a luster and shaped into pearls.

My sister once said, "I want to scatter real pearls in my sister's hair," so I used these as a substitute for pearls.

They don't have the same luster and shine as pearls, but I'm sure the fashion-conscious attendees will be curious about the material... and I hope they are!

I want to make this one of the special products from the earl's territory.

That's why the earl is not in his military uniform tonight, to showcase this new gentleman's accessory to the noble lords who own territories.

The background to my engagement and marriage to the earl is the order to revitalize the border territory of Eubachar, which the earl received.

Among the unmarried young ladies in society, I, with such a poor reputation, received a proposal, and when I pressed for a reason, I received this explanation.

Reincarnated as a noble lady in a different world, due to the outdated trends in the noble society, it was impossible for me, a woman, to hold the real power in my family for long.

There was the option of adopting a son-in-law, but with my poor reputation, it was unlikely to find a suitable candidate.

So, I decided to leave the family to my sister and her husband and was actively seeking a marriage myself...

Then came the earl's proposal.

With so many admirers and being so popular, why would he choose me, someone with such a poor reputation?

When I pressed for his true intentions, he explained that he was in the military and not well-versed in estate management, and he wanted to revitalize the newly granted border territory of Eubachar.

He recognized my physical stamina to travel between the estate and the capital, and my skills in reviving a declining family, and proposed marriage based on my achievements.

I agreed, thinking, "Marriage = supporting estate management, here we go!!"

So, I accepted the earl's proposal.

However, leading up to the engagement and the engagement announcement, there were many things that happened... and now, well, it seems, well, we are, sort of, in love...?

It's nice to hear the earl say he likes me, but I lack confidence.

After all, I have a history of having my engagement broken off.

At any moment, he might say, "I've found true love, I want to break off the engagement"!

No matter how beautiful I became in this life, I, with such a notorious reputation!

With a handsome earl like him, who I've never met in either my past or this life?

Marriage!?

I can only agree with the frustration of the young ladies who admire the earl.

If I were not the one involved but just an observer, I would definitely think, "Damn, that woman got the best deal!"

When I look up at the earl standing next to me, he gives me a melting smile.

Oh... what a feast for the eyes...!!

I'm so weak... I really am so weak!

If I can see this smile—... I want to support the earl in any way I can...

And the only thing I can do is support the management of the estate, as he mentioned when he proposed.

That's why this ball, part of the engagement announcement, is also the first showcase of the products from the earl's territory, which I inspected before the social season.

I have to put in a lot of effort!

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On February 9th, the book "The Reincarnated Lady is the Notorious Viscountess" ~ A Contract Marriage for Estate Management, Accepted ~ will be published by Kadokawa BOOKS!

If you're interested in the web version and want to continue reading, I would appreciate it if you could bookmark and rate it!

By the way, today is my birthday, so if you think, "Well, I'll celebrate a little," please do so! Thank you very much!