Contract Marriage with the Devil Duke (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
“What? Who’s come?”
Count Odor, upon hearing the news from his butler, froze in surprise. Everything had gone perfectly so far in preparing for Grand Duke Dimidius, but ever since the butler approached him with hesitation, he’d felt uneasy—and now this truly was a serious matter.
Of all times, his adorable young niece, who knew little of the world, had arrived without any notice.
Under normal circumstances, he would have welcomed her with open arms, even without prior warning—but that was impossible now. Count Odor’s entire attention was fixed on Dimidius, who had come for business.
Dimidius, who had been sipping tea alongside him, noticed Count Odor’s suddenly darkened expression and asked with a curious tone,
“What’s the matter?”
At those few words, Count Odor’s mind raced through countless thoughts.
‘Should I just be honest and ask for his understanding?’
‘No. Even if my niece is disappointed, it’s better to send her elsewhere.’
‘There are plenty of lovely villas nearby.’
Ultimately, resolved to endure his niece’s resentment, Count Odor calmly spoke with the same composed expression he’d worn when first greeting her.
“It’s nothing at all, Your Grace. By the way, do you find the jasmine tea to your liking?”
He smoothly shifted the topic. Though his body instinctively trembled in Dimidius’s presence, he did his utmost not to let it show.
Dimidius watched intently as the butler, having received something from Count Odor, swiftly exited the garden.
Though Count Odor claimed it was nothing, Dimidius had a good idea what news the butler had delivered.
After all, he had instructed Kilrun to keep watch over that woman with strong holy power—and just now, Kilrun had reported her whereabouts.
‘She has arrived at Count Odor’s residence.’
Amused by how things were unfolding, Dimidius gave a faint smile.
[This is the timeline separator]White blossoms swayed like gentle waves across the vast jasmine fields.
Orentia shook her head enough to make her hair flutter, then stepped into the villa. The small, charming villa right before the jasmine fields was built for her uncle, Count Jack Odor, to rest briefly whenever he personally inspected the herb fields.
Except for one wall, the entire living room was floor-to-ceiling glass, and a leather sofa upholstered in velvet sat in the sunlit center.
A triangular crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling; during the day, sunlight streamed through the windows, making artificial lighting unnecessary.
As soon as she entered, Orentia flopped straight onto the enormous sofa and took a deep breath. Since only Bobby was with her, she could afford to relax.
A while later, just as the sun began its slow descent toward the western mountains,
Count Odor arrived at the villa.
His thick hair swung heavily, and his large, round eyes looked downward.
The moment he saw Orentia, Count Odor clasped his hands together pleadingly.
“Orentia! My dear niece! I’m truly sorry.”
Orentia and Jack Odor shared a friendship-like closeness.
Orentia sat up and crossed her arms tightly, adding a deliberately aloof expression for good measure.
“I’m disappointed in you, Uncle! Sending me not to the main mansion but to a villa so far from the estate—even though I haven’t visited in ages!”
“Well… isn’t that also your fault? How can you just show up without notice?”
Worried her uncle might genuinely be upset, Orentia quickly softened her expression—it had only been a playful jab from her end.
“Of course it’s my fault. If His Grace, Grand Duke Belial, hadn’t come, you’d have welcomed me anytime.”
At that, Jack Odor’s eyes widened in admiration.
“Exactly! My dear niece! You truly understand my heart!”
“Enough with the flattery. I have something I want to ask you, Uncle!”
“I’ve got plenty of questions too. What on earth brings you all the way here? It’s been three years since your debutante ball—does that mean you’re managing your entire inheritance now?”
She hadn’t expected the inheritance topic so soon.
She’d wanted to ask about Archbishop Verbu’s whereabouts and about Dimidius, but apparently, Count Odor had many curiosities of his own.
Orentia hesitated briefly, flustered, then answered honestly.
“Well… first of all, Sokor doesn’t seem willing to return my inheritance easily. I ended up coming here because I’m practically being forced into marriage.”
As Orentia spoke, Count Odor’s expression hardened.
Only after explaining everything in detail to her uncle could Orentia finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“…Anyway, that’s why I’m here. It’s been so exhausting. Is this how it feels to be interrogated?”
“Interrogated, my foot! I’ll summon Count Armenuaka right this instant!”
Jack Odor jumped up, excited, but Orentia tugged at his frock coat.
“If you get involved, things will only get more complicated. Besides, it’s a matter within House Armenuaka—you can’t really help me anyway.”
“But I can find you a good husband—someone better than a snob like Marquis Luxus! Didn’t he promise to return your inheritance along with a dowry if you married? They say even verbal contracts hold legal weight, my dear niece.”
“I know that. But I don’t want to marry unless it’s someone I truly like.”
“This uncle will find you the perfect match! Though I’m not sure any man truly deserves our lovely niece.”
“Uncle!”
Feeling the warmth of family affection after so long, Orentia’s heart grew tender.
Still seated, she leaned into Count Odor’s embrace.
“But… I don’t want anyone you introduce me to.”
Count Odor flinched slightly at Orentia’s words.
“Why?”
“Because matches arranged by family always end up awkward in so many ways.”
She disliked marriages based purely on conditions. Deep in her heart, she still held onto the romantic dream of love-based marriage.
[This is the timeline separator]Under a bright full moon,
“I did nothing but talk about myself and failed to properly find out why Archbishop Verbu came to Lordod territory.”
Orentia muttered to herself as she strolled through the fragrant jasmine fields. After devouring the lavish dinner her thoughtful uncle had prepared, she felt sluggish and decided to take a walk.
From her conversation with her uncle, she’d learned where Archbishop Verbu was staying. The archbishop was currently at the Odor provincial cathedral. Given his rank, it was only natural he’d reside there—it was exactly what she’d anticipated.
‘Was there some incident at the Odor provincial cathedral? Is that why His Grace came down? It must be serious if it warranted the archbishop’s personal visit…’
When she’d tactfully asked the count, he’d evaded answering.
‘My dear niece, that’s not something you need to know. Just come with me to the Odor provincial cathedral tomorrow. I can at least help you pay your respects to His Grace.’
Since he’d offered such generous assistance, Orentia immediately accepted his proposal,
forgetting neither to thank him nor to give a thumbs-up.
Shortly afterward, Count Odor departed, saying he had to attend an evening banquet.
Dressed in a pure white gown, Orentia spun slowly in place. The lightweight dress, trimmed with minimal ruffles, left her feeling refreshingly light.
Just then—
She spotted a flickering white light in the woods near the jasmine fields, like heat haze shimmering above a road.
“Oh! What’s that?”
At first, she thought it was moonlight breaking into shards, but it was entirely different. Unlike moonlight descending from the sky, this white glow emanated from within the forest.
‘Is such a thing even possible?’
Orentia stepped from the jasmine-scented area toward the thick greenery, her body instinctively drawn toward the source of the light.
Tramp, tramp.
Though she walked alone through the forest path, strangely, she felt no fear. Even the privet trees filling the woods seemed like friendly companions.
Following the light, Orentia stopped when she saw it coalescing in one spot.
There, unfamiliar flowers resembling sunflowers gently swayed, each cradling a massive cluster of shimmering light—as if dancing of their own accord.
Entranced by the sight, Orentia gasped.
“Wow! I’ve never seen these before! Do flowers that emit light really exist?”
She reasoned it was possible—the floral world was boundless—so it was simply new and wondrous to her.
At that moment, her Pieta bracelet flashed white and vibrated slightly from side to side.
[Find your true power.]Then, an unfamiliar voice spoke.
Startled, Orentia looked around.
“What—what was that?”
It was clearly a sound she’d heard not with her ears but within her heart. Just like that time long ago at age twelve, when she’d heard the voice of God as she nearly tumbled down the stairs, goosebumps prickled across her entire body. It was astonishing—as if electric current ran through her fingertips and her eyes shot wide open.
“No way. Did I just hear a divine voice? Pieta!”
Orentia stared at her Pieta bracelet. The white glow had faded, leaving it looking ordinary again—but what had just happened was undeniably real.
‘What’s going on? Is Pieta finally activating?’
She’d sensed the bracelet’s power three times around age twelve—and now, at twenty-three, it had been nearly eleven years.
While Orentia stood dazed, a low murmur drifted toward her.
“…Lady.”
‘What’s this now?’
Startled anew, Orentia whirled around.
“Gah!”
Beside her stood Grand Duke Dimidius Belial, who—though she didn’t know why—seemed to share the same destination.
“Y-Your Grace, the Grand Duke?”
Orentia’s eyes widened in shock. It felt as if a particularly irritable fawn were prancing around in her chest—especially since she’d just been flustered by the Pieta bracelet, and now Dimidius might have witnessed the entire spectacle.
After a long pause, Orentia finally took a deep breath to calm herself and regarded Dimidius with confusion.
‘But why on earth is Your Grace here?’
Dimidius wore a long black cloak and leather boots shaped like leaves. His ever-present bauta mask, as usual, felt unusually eerie tonight—perhaps because they’d met deep in the woods.
‘No, something’s off. This is a restricted area… He must have come here secretly.’
Unlike Orentia, Dimidius was an officially invited guest of the count’s estate. If a guest were to leave the manor grounds, Count Odor or at least one of the estate’s knights should accompany him.
Yet no one was with him—so Dimidius must have slipped out alone. For what reason, she couldn’t guess.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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What about her cousin Sokor? It might explain his personality changes.