Translator and Editor: Skye and Nabi

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Chapter 3

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After leaving his fourteen-year-old child for his title, he had his arms crossed and a scary look on his face.

‘He’s not going to shut his eyes at this rate. I need to show him me throwing up.’

Then, it would be worth riding in a carriage with embarrassing sounds coming out.

Eventually, I began to chatter, so he would never close his eyes.

“I’ve never seen Evan before. Does Evan know he’s married?”

“He doesn’t know.”

What a great father he is.

‘Hello, it’s my first time seeing you in front of the academy. My name is Laria, and I’m a year older than you. Oh, by the way, I’m also your wife,’ he would be utterly speechless.

“I see. So one day at the age of thirteen, he would be graduating from the academy and suddenly got a wife…”

However, it is the fate of the weak to pretend to be there even if it is ridiculous.

“…That’s quite possible.”

Early marriage is not uncommon in Aristocats, but there had never been such cases where children were married without asking for their consent.

‘For absolute power, the son uses long-term words… but if it goes against his purpose, it’s going to be easy for me, right?’

In the original work, the Duke of Icard did everything with common sense, including owning a new building to accomplish his purpose.

The more I thought about it, the more I should not be caught deviating from the villain’s plan.

“I hope Evan likes me.”

I looked into the Duke of Icard’s eerie red eyes and quickly added.

“I want to get along with Evan.”

“Why?”

I answered with a big smile because I wanted to impress him.

“I think he’d be handsome if he looked like father.”

Right, right? You’re smiling, right?

And the timing was incredible.

The cough started to come up.

“I’m happy with you and Evan at the dukedom… cough, cough, cough!”

Awesome.

Blood came out on the handkerchief that was covering my mouth.

I’m still sick! He said that I look better than the first time he saw me and have gained weight, but I’m passing the time limit! Hurry up and look at me!

After the cough stopped, I looked up at the Duke of Icard and stared at him intently.

“Cough…”

I deliberately turned my handkerchief to the bloody part and sighed.

“It’s not a big deal, it’s been happening ever since I was a kid…”

The Duke of Icard didn’t say anything.

“I apologize.”

I muttered quietly, dropping my eyes.

I practiced doing this in front of the mirror for the past few days. I looked cute, but when I made a sullen expression, it showed a very sad and pitiful side.

When the Duke of Icard asks if I looked sick, I really look sick.

‘No…no…’

I was getting ready to answer, but he said something completely different.

“Tell me.”

No, at this point, shouldn’t he ask me if I’m sick or not?

“What?”

“What does it mean to be happy for the Duke?”

That’s what I said….

“I mean, Evan and I, how can we be happy?”

However, it is too scary to say that it was just a polite remark without much thought.

I rolled my head desperately.

“So… Cough.”

Coughing was the best way to kill the silence.

“Kek, cough, cough.”

A little while later, I started to list the things that a harmonious family does.

“We eat, talk about what happened at the end of the day, go out for walks, picnics…”

“…”

I racked my brains desperately while enduring the silence.

“If there’s an occasion, we can organize parties, and if there’s a hard time, we can comfort each other. If there’s something fun, we can laugh together. We can take care of each other… those little things.”

I couldn’t think of anything more besides that.

But after saying that, I realized something.

Despite the fact that I made them up by trying to adjust to the situation. I realized it was something I really wanted to do.

I had no family in my previous life and had never done such things with anyone.

I was unhappy in my past life, and I lost my sense of duty.

“That’s what you’ve been up to at the Rostry County?”

Of course, the Count of Rostry is a family that is far from loving.

My father, Count Rostry, was a hooligan. He was unfaithful and had affairs with other ladies.

Even my brother, who went abroad to study in the East in defiance of his father, said, ‘Studying abroad was just like deportation. They just kicked me out and sent me to the public academy, where tuition is free with cheap living costs.’

The sea route was blocked three years ago with the appearance of a beast.

There are more than six years left before the sea road will resume. At that time, the main character in the original novel quickly moved and made a lot of money from trading. Then Fred heard about the death of his entire family.

Anyway, I had to count out my older brother as someone who didn’t exist in this story.

My father was addicted to all kinds of gambling and never gave me any inheritance.

The only thing that was left behind was debt, not the legacy. It was the Duke of Icard who paid off all the debts and brought me back.

So, it could be another scheme that was orchestrated ahead.

Even so, he was a benefactor who made me a Princess, from someone who almost died in an orphanage while rolling around in my relative’s house.

Even if I escaped from the Duchy of Icard right now, I had nowhere to go and didn’t have any penny.

“No…”

I shook my head slowly.

“You know, I didn’t get along with them… because my father didn’t come home much.”

“I see.”

“So I wanted to live differently with my new family.”

I grinned while holding my bloodstained handkerchief.

“When I first met father, I thought I wanted to look decent for you.”

“You paid all my debts…and became my benefactor. So I’ll do my best.”

The Duke of Icard didn’t say anything and just stared out the window for a moment and sighed quietly.

Then he took something out of his hand and handed it to me.

“Father?”

I blinked bewilderedly when he gave me a new handkerchief.

“You can’t throw up blood again on that handkerchief. It’s already dirty.”

Oh…but aren’t you a blood-stained person.

But that can’t be helped. The best way to show that I am sick was to spit blood.

“Thank you, Father!”

There is nothing I could do about it.

I am the weakest person here, so I had to beg for my survival. Therefore, I must have a humbled personality.

“I’ll use it well. Thank you very much!”

“It’s just a handkerchief…”

“Still.”

I said while folding up the handkerchief I received and holding it in my arms.

“My father never took care of me like this.”

“…Hmm.”

The Duke of Icard didn’t say anything until we arrived at the Academy.

I also kept quiet and didn’t cough anymore.

Duke, little mistress.”

A servant approached and opened the carriage door.

“We’ve arrived.”

Oh, it was a little awkward to hear the title ‘Little mistress’ when I am only fourteen.

From now on, they would just call me ‘Laria’ anyway.

We got out of the carriage after hearing the servant’s polite words.

Evan’s academy is more normal, and a little smaller than the dukedom.

Well, in the West, the rich and powerful children are usually educated at home.

Children of lower aristocrats were not able to afford home teachers and just went to academies.

The Duke of Icard irresponsibly put his only son in such a place.

“I haven’t looked at him properly for years.”

“But I’ll make sure to do it when I go back to the Duchy.”

Then, the Duke spoke bluntly to his servant.

“Order a hundred high-quality handkerchiefs.”

You want me to throw up even more blood?

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