Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 5

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“Aren’t you going to throw me away now that I’m useless?”

“Throw you away? How can you say that….!”

“Am I wrong?”

Duke Leontine’s eyebrows twitched at Ravia’s sharp answer.

Perhaps it was still awkward for him to raise his voice at her, so the Duke quelled his anger and answered.

“…I don’t want you to carry false hope.”

“What do you mean by false hope?”

“If I let you be, you’ll want to be my successor, right?”

“Your Grace the Duke.”

She didn’t even call him ‘father’. Instead, Ravia called his formal title with a smile.

“I have been the Young Duke for the past 26 years. So does it make sense for you to say I’m carrying false hope?”

“That’s the past, and now, your brother is here.”

“Yes. However, aren’t you trying to sell me to other families regardless?”

“You have no manners, Ravia Leontine.”

“As a Leontine, I was taught to be proud and not to bend easily.”

Even if she was an abandoned successor, what she learned stayed within her. She gave up her succession, not herself.

Ravia sympathized with herself in the novel.

As soon as Tidwell appeared, everything around her abandoned her as if they were waiting for this moment.

So how many times did she have to prove that she wasn’t damaged goods? How hard did she struggle not to lose herself?

She would rather go crazy. How much pain did her current self have to suffer for her to change this much?

She didn’t even want to imagine.

So Ravia continued to talk.

“Don’t worry. I will not go against this family’s wish and get married.”

“….Really?”

“However, not with the candidates that father picked.”

Although she hadn’t seen them yet, Ravia was aware that each candidate her father picked had an issue.

One guy was a cheater, one guy had ejaculatory dysfunction, and the other was a squanderer. Since all the candidates were like that, it was reasonable that Ravia in the novel went crazy.

But sadly, they were the best option for her.

‘Unproven noble blood like me is really worthless.’

Ravia thought as she saw the portraits of candidates placed upside-down in front of Duke Leontine.

She was clearly the only daughter of Duke Leontine, but at the same time, she was also an unproven daughter.

The late Duchess Leontine gave birth to her, so she was brought in as a Leontine. But since she had nothing in common with her father, people started spreading rumors about the deceased duchess.

There were not many families willing to give their son to such Ravia. Unless they were a small family who wanted to leech on the Leontine family.

However, the Duke said he wouldn’t let those families live in poverty anymore, and he deliberately chose all the families who were stricken by poverty.

‘Yeah. Before you sell a horse, you need to feed it until it’s full. I’d be disappointed if father didn’t do that.’

Ravia briefly laughed and raised her head.

“I’ll take care of my husband, so please prepare a lot of dowries.”

“….Don’t tell me you’re going to bring a strange man to taint Leontine’s name?”

Due to those words, she spilled out her thoughts.

“Whoever I bring, it will be much better than living in disgrace every day due to my husband’s affairs, or being mistaken as a barren woman due to my husband’s inability to do intercourse, or living in bankruptcy because my husband loves to squander money.”

Ravia stood up from her seat. Duke Leontine looked up at her with a somewhat shocked expression.

His stunned expression was quite worth seeing.

‘I was longing for his affection at one point.’

Ravia remembered the moment when Duke Leontine looked so tall and formidable.

The time when she barely reached her father’s waist. She vaguely admired his father even though he was cold to her.

The image of Duke Leontine who wore his uniform and headed out to his office in the Imperial Palace was very cool.

She heard people praising Duke Leontine’s excellence every day.

That cool person is my dad.

Even if my father is unhappy with me because I’m still lacking, as long as I work hard, I’m sure the day when I can stand side by side with my father as a Young Duke will come.

That’s what she thought. Like normal kids, she yearned for his affection and acknowledgment.

Since when did she quit doing that?

Was it when the butler informed him about her birthday and he coldly said that it had nothing to do with him?

Or was it when she saw her father turn away as people were mocking her in the middle of a party?

‘I don’t know.’

But it couldn’t be important now.

Ravia looked away.

It wasn’t too late to leave this place along with her old memories at once.

***

Rattle, rattle. The view of the street quickly passed over the carriage window.

People were bustling about in the busy streets. Ravia glanced over the window absentmindedly.

She was on her way to attend a secret masquerade ball that was held tonight.

The reason was, of course,

‘It’ll be great if I could propose a marriage today.’

To propose to her marriage partner whom she had selected before.

Just like a romance fantasy novel, [His and Her Spring] had a fantasy element mixed in its worldview. Four children who could use four-seasons powers were born.

One season for each person.

Their date of birth, location, and abilities were all different. These abilities weren’t hereditary, but it was developed through particular events.

Therefore, it was very rare for all four-season users to exist in the same generation. Because they were no different from ordinary people if they failed to meet the qualifications to receive enlightenment.

‘Among them, the heroine has the spring ability.’

There were also summer, fall, and winter abilities. However, the only characters who made an appearance in the novel were spring and fall users.

The keyword of spring ability was growth [bloom], and the spring user had the power to revive all creations.

The novel described it as ‘the power of blessing’. Spring users were unable to bring people back to life, but they could heal the sick, temporarily boost people’s power, and make crops grow faster.

But because of that, spring users like to hide their existence.

Because the power of blessing was only beneficial for others, but incapable to protect oneself.

If they got caught by a bad person, they might end up living like a slave in captivity.

‘Even in the novel, the heroine was hiding her identity.’

She had no idea that someone was looking for her anxiously.

Of course, there were so many people who needed the power of spring, but this case was a little special.

Because that person was a fall user.

Season of prosperity, fall.

People who hear it might think it is an auspicious season, but in reality, it was a season that only took something away.

The season to harvest all the grains and destroy all the plants before winter came.

Therefore, anyone with the power of fall could put people to sleep and make anything lifeless.

However, he was unable to control his ability properly, so he was anxiously looking for a spring user, who could undo his mistake.

If necessary, he would do whatever it takes.

‘Unfortunately, his expertise would be stolen by Tidwell…’

It was different this time. Ravia’s marriage partner was the second male lead of this novel. A man with fall ability.

‘If I say I know someone with spring ability, then it won’t be difficult to suggest a contract.’

By the time Ravia was immersed in her thought,

Rattle-!

The carriage stopped.

The busy street wasn’t visible outside the window anymore, but it was a mansion with a luxurious exterior.

“We’ve arrived, milady.”

Her destination. Ravia hurriedly put on her mask, got out of the carriage, and looked around.

‘So this is the so-called secret society gathering.’

This place was a millionaire’s villa built in the mountain, and it was one hour away from Leontine Residence by carriage.

As she turned her eyes, she could see the capital’s lights far below the ridge.

It was rare for her to look at it from this distance, so Ravia looked at the capital’s lights for a long time.

“Welcome, milady.”

If only the footman didn’t approach her and greeted her.

Ravia turned her head, trying not to show her surprise.

A man dressed in a white formal suit bowed down with a hospitable smile. He looked like a normal footman at first glance, but he had a gun on his back.

As expected. This was the venue of a secret society gathering.

“Did you bring your invitation?”

“I left it in a dark flower.”

“You’re confirmed. Please go inside.”

It was also a secret society gathering that was affiliated with influential figures from the underworld.

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