Contract Marriage with the Devil Duke (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Bobby brought out a warm cup of tea for Orentia, who was lost in thought.
“Miss, are you really all right? It doesn’t seem like nothing’s wrong.”
Bobby was quite perceptive. No matter how much Orentia insisted she was fine, Bobby kept asking the same question.
“I wish you wouldn’t hide anything from me. I don’t want to see you suffering alone.”
“Well… it’s just a bit embarrassing, so I’d rather not talk about it.”
“That our lady has something embarrassing happen? That surprises me more! Usually, you just brush things off as if they’re nothing.”
Orentia absentmindedly fiddled with her lips and tucked her long hair behind her ear. Her heart was filled only with anxiety.
‘Instead of fretting alone like this, wouldn’t it be better to just confide in Bobby?’
“So, about what happened outside today…”
Eventually, she gave in and told Bobby everything. She had expected Bobby—usually so composed—to be utterly shocked.
Just as predicted, Bobby nearly dropped the teapot she was holding.
As Bobby’s arm went limp,
“Bobby! Snap out of it!”
Orentia cried out in alarm.
A moment later, Bobby regained her strength, lifted the teapot again, and spoke with a pale face.
“T-t-t-the Grand Duke himself?! Are you all right? Nothing happened, did it?”
Bobby seemed far more focused on Orentia meeting Grand Duke Belial than on her encounter with the human traffickers.
“What do you mean, ‘nothing happened’?”
“I mean… you know, like he drained your energy or something. Or—impossible as it sounds—that you were utterly charmed by His Highness!”
Seeing ever-wise and practical Bobby babble incoherently made it clear just how notorious the Grand Duke’s reputation really was.
‘If anything happened… it was that His Highness kept saying outrageous things whenever he got the chance.’
Orentia bit her tongue, recalling Dimidius from their meeting earlier that day.
“W-well… it’s nothing, really.”
“What?”
“I mean… if I think about it properly, he actually helped me out. It’s just a bit complicated.”
After all, she had escaped the human traffickers thanks to him—so it truly was significant help. Wasn’t that exactly why she’d wanted to learn his name?
Yet now that she knew Dimidius’s true identity, even the fact that he’d helped her felt strangely ambiguous.
Wasn’t that a bit unfair?
She didn’t want to act so cowardly.
Orentia spoke firmly once more.
“He helped me. I am grateful.”
Bobby let out a relieved sigh.
“Whew… Then I’m glad. I was afraid you’d run into someone even worse while trying to avoid the traffickers.”
“Honestly, maybe the rumors are exaggerated. He didn’t seem like such a bad person to me.”
“I’m not so sure. His Highness Grand Duke Belial is still half-human, half-demon—that hasn’t changed. There are even people who claim they’ve seen him kill someone themselves.”
“K-kill someone?”
Orentia’s voice trembled like a candle flame in the wind. Just imagining Dimidius—whom she’d met in broad daylight—choking someone sent chills down her spine.
Especially since his sheer size already exuded such an intimidating presence.
Orentia shivered, clutching her own shoulders with both hands. The thought of having been so close to such a man made her feel as if her whole body had turned ice-cold.
“Bobby, you’re right—I really was in danger.”
At Orentia’s words, Bobby set the teapot on the table and clenched her fists tightly.
“I should’ve been by your side! From now on, please always move with a guard knight. I can’t stand worrying like this!”
“You’re right. I was too optimistic, thinking I’d be fine on my own. Now that I’ve even hired a lawyer, I really should hire my own personal guard.”
“You’re going to bring mercenaries into the count’s manor? Is that even allowed?”
“If it’s not allowed, then I’ll just have to leave the manor. I should’ve done that from the very beginning.”
It wasn’t as if she lacked money. Given that Count Sokor’s side kept filing appeals, the legal battle would drag on—so she couldn’t possibly stay at the manor forever.
Thinking that she was now truly stepping into a new world, Orentia’s heart swelled with anticipation. Sipping her rosemary tea, she said,
“I hope only happy days lie ahead. I’m burning with desire to become independent.”
Just as she began to relax and unwind,
the door suddenly burst open, and Countess Kikozelia strode in. She almost never visited the side residence—and even when she did, she always knocked first. Why was she acting like this now?
Kikozelia, deliberately skipping the knock, swept in with her lacy dress swirling and stood before Orentia.
She seemed in high spirits, her face brighter than usual. Her large eyes sparkled with curiosity, and her thin lips curled upward.
‘Something feels off.’
Orentia set down her teacup and frowned.
“What’s the matter? At least knock before coming in.”
Though reprimanded, Kikozelia paid no mind and addressed Orentia directly.
“Miss! Archbishop Verbu has set the wedding date! Isn’t that wonderful news?”
Orentia looked up at Kikozelia with wide eyes.
‘What is she talking about? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me they’ve already set the wedding date just because I said I have no intention of marrying?’
Clutching her skirt tightly, Orentia cried out,
“You didn’t actually get a special marriage license without my consent, did you?”
She couldn’t believe they’d go that far. Even though Count Sokor had done plenty of despicable things and Countess Kikozelia constantly put on airs, she never imagined they’d force her into marriage.
But seeing Kikozelia’s ever-brightening expression, it seemed her assumption was wrong.
The special marriage license was a traditional method issued only under urgent circumstances requiring an immediate wedding. Once granted, it signified the Archbishop’s approval—making it very difficult to cancel the marriage.
Her mistake had been trusting Sokor’s words and delaying her application to terminate guardianship.
Orentia’s face grew steadily paler. She knew all too well whom Count Sokor and Countess Kikozelia had in mind as her prospective husband.
Marquis Luxus.
Every morning, he came to propose with endless bouquets and jewels. He was Green Park’s notorious playboy—famously an alcoholic and a shameless womanizer who changed lovers every other day.
Not long ago, he’d even visited Count Armenuaka’s manor and refused to let go of Orentia’s wrist.
‘What is this? Marquis Luxus!’
Orentia had sharply cried out, trying to pull her hand away, but the Marquis only moistened his dry lips. His eyes, fixed on her, were disturbingly clouded.
‘It’s only natural that we should be joined. Why do you keep pushing me away like this?’
‘What are you talking about? I have absolutely no intention of marrying you, Marquis!’
‘The heavens themselves bless this union, my Lady. Even your tender, trembling flesh welcomes me.’
His words were unbearably vulgar.
Feeling nauseous, Orentia tightened her grip on his hand.
Just then, Count Sokor descended the stairs, and Orentia cast him a pleading glance. Surely, if there was any shred of their old bond left, he would help her. But instead, Sokor only laughed heartily and extended his hand to Marquis Luxus.
‘Haha! You truly fancy my cousin sister, Marquis?’
That was the last thing she clearly remembered—watching the two of them laugh together. She’d been so utterly shocked at the time.
Even now, facing Kikozelia, Orentia’s head spun dizzily.
“So you’ve finally crossed the line. Was this really necessary? You already live so comfortably—must you really sell off a human being like this?”
Calmly shouting with a cold face, Orentia prompted Kikozelia to merely shrug her shoulders.
“Ask anyone else, Miss. Aside from the Belial Grand Ducal House, which family in the Bonus Empire can rival the House of Count Armenuaka?”
Countess Kikozelia of House Armenuaka wore a dress entirely unlike the late Countess Malisa’s style. Where Malisa favored luxurious, elegant fabrics like silk, velvet, and satin, Kikozelia adored lightweight materials adorned with extravagant, dangling embellishments.
Thinking how perfectly that outfit suited her, Orentia replied,
“Does it really have to be so simplistic?”
“There’s no one but the House of Marquis Luxus! I’ve found the perfect match for you, Miss. You should be grateful.”
Having said her piece, Kikozelia left Orentia’s room. Left alone with Bobby, Orentia gritted her teeth.
“Does this even make sense, Bobby? Marquis Luxus? They must’ve already struck a deal with him over my inheritance.”
Bobby’s eyes, too, welled up with tears, clearly overwhelmed.
“We can’t possibly send you to such a scoundrel!”
“Of course not! The mere thought of marrying Marquis Luxus is horrifying.”
“What will you do?”
“First, I need to speak with Sokor. I have to find out whether he filed the application himself and get the full story straight.”
Honestly, she suspected Sokor—the guardian—had applied for the special marriage license himself. After all, Kikozelia’s opinion was practically his own. Yet she still wanted to confirm directly—to gauge his true intentions and understand his exact stance.
[This is the timeline separator]One day earlier.
Having just bought every new dress presented by the tailor, Kikozelia headed toward the Tulip Garden—one of Count Armenuaka’s manor’s proudest features—for lunch.
Masses of tulips bloomed in vibrant hues, painting the ground below in every color imaginable.
On pleasant days, she often dined here with Count Sokor.
Count Sokor was already in the Tulip Garden. He wore a white waistcoat beneath a navy frock coat—a look of refined elegance.
A spring breeze blew, sending Kikozelia’s well-groomed, camellia-oil-slicked hair fluttering.
With a cheerful expression, she took her seat and sipped her aperitif.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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