39.

“I came to talk about our marriage.”

Our marriage. Judging solely by Cardier’s words, their marriage seemed all but decided. After all, the Duchess was welcoming it with open arms… Even if Rosetta vehemently opposed it, her resistance would be meaningless.

Therefore, no matter how unpleasant it was, she had no choice but to cling to the hope embedded in his own words—the promise that the decision to marry would rest entirely upon Rosetta’s will.

Rosetta slouched sideways in her chair, then tilted her head to the side. Her entire posture screamed defiance, as if to say that no matter what arguments he brought, she would stubbornly reject them.

“Didn’t I make my refusal clear enough back then?”

“Just sit and listen first.”

Cardier gestured toward the chair opposite him, then sat down himself. Rosetta crossed her arms and scoffed.

“Why should I? Why do I have to?”

“Because the terms won’t put you at a loss.”

“No matter what, it’s still insane…”

“I’ll let you personally manage and dispose of the diamond mine originally intended as your dowry as your private property.”

“…….”

……Cunning as a fox skinning another fox. Now that she thought about it, this bastard wasn’t a dog—more like a damn fox cub.

Rosetta let out a hollow laugh and sat down across from Cardier. She’d just check what the conditions were. It wasn’t like anything bad could happen just from listening.

To show she wasn’t letting her guard down even slightly, she replied with her brow deeply furrowed.

“I’m sitting. Talk.”

“I heard from the Duchess that you’re looking for a fiancé.”

Rosetta lifted her chin slightly. Well, that was already common gossip in high society—nothing surprising. Rosetta nodded calmly, completely unperturbed by a topic that would normally make a typical noble lady blush.

“I could find one much faster if you didn’t keep interfering at every turn.”

“If we hadn’t already been featured side by side in the gossip sheets, yes, perhaps that would’ve been possible.”

“…….”

“But now, every time you try to take another man as your partner, your reputation will plummet. That’s just how scandals work.”

“That’s none of your damn business…”

Rosetta nearly snapped back sharply, then pressed her lips tightly shut. After all, she was currently wearing Lea’s body, and Lady Valdemore valued reputation above life itself.

Even if this man seemed convinced she was Rosetta, there was no need to go ahead and stamp her approval all over it.

She had wanted to act tough and tell Cardier it was none of his business, but the fallout from the scandal was significant. Even the noble lords who had once drooled over the diamond mine now scrambled to avoid her calls.

Damn it. How could she counter this? Rosetta anxiously bit her lower lip.

“If the scandal is the issue, why not just order the servants in your estate to testify that nothing happened?”

“And who would believe that?”

……Damn it. That was true too.

“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that we did something. Shouldn’t we start with an engagement before jumping straight to marriage?”

“The scandal has already become too severe to be covered up by mere engagement.”

“…….”

“Marriage is the best solution. For you, and for me.”

Cardier continued, crossing his long legs and placing his interlocked hands on his knee.

“I have no interest in forming a conventional household, and constantly rejecting marriage proposals from all directions is exhausting. I suspect you feel the same.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

“In other words, a contract marriage.”

“…….”

“If we marry, the only obligation we’d have is occasionally attending social events together.”

Rosetta scrutinized Cardier with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

It was suspicious. Deeply, profoundly, overwhelmingly suspicious. The most troubling part was that he was actually trying to persuade her—like some nobleman coaxing a reluctant noble lady into marriage.

But there were two problems with this plan. The first was that with a contract marriage, the endpoint of the contract wasn’t clearly defined. The second was…

“What about children?”

No matter how prettily they dressed it up as a “contract,” on the surface, this was still a union between two noble houses. Valdemore had Blair, so lineage wasn’t an issue, but as far as Rosetta knew, Cardier was the only child of the Montrosa family. Surely they’d want an heir—yet the only obligation was attending banquets together? Rosetta shot him a deeply skeptical look.

“There are dozens of cousin heirs. It’s not necessary.”

……Whether or not he meant that sincerely could be debated later, but as far as the terms went, it sounded almost perfectly ideal. A man from the East, a marriage with virtually no obligations, and even an impressively handsome appearance that promised anything but boredom.

Most appealing of all was that she wouldn’t have to struggle endlessly to find a fiancé anymore. If only she hadn’t known he suspected her to be “Rosetta,” she might have fallen for it completely.

But still, there were lines in this world that simply could not be compromised. Rosetta firmly crossed her arms again.

“I might accept an engagement, but I won’t marry.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

Rosetta hesitated, fumbling for words.

Damn it. What could she even say? That an engagement was acceptable but not marriage? That marriage couldn’t be easily undone? That this body wasn’t even hers? None of these were things she could easily voice… but a large part of it was also due to the symbolic weight of marriage.

Eastern natives believed marriage bound both body and soul, and Rosetta had grown up deeply believing in that notion. For her, agreeing to marriage was akin to being told she must live as “Lea” and not “Rosetta” for the rest of her life.

Marriage was out of the question. Absolutely not. Rosetta clenched her fists tightly.

“Anyway, it’s not happening.”

Cardier, who had been observing her shifting expressions with quiet interest, tilted his chin and let out a soft chuckle.

“At least think it over.”

“There’s nothing to think over! I said I don’t want to.”

His expression instantly darkened, nearly becoming blank in the wake of her sharp refusal. He stared at Rosetta’s face with an indescribable look in his eyes, lips tightly sealed.

What’s with him? Rosetta was inwardly flustered but raised her chin even more defiantly. Cardier asked in a cold, stiff tone:

“Or is there someone else you’ve set your heart on?”

“It’s not like that… Wait, what? How did we jump to that?”

“If there isn’t, then that settles it.”

Just moments ago he’d looked so grim, but now, upon hearing her denial, he broke into an utterly cheerful smile.

No, nothing is settled… Before Rosetta could fully process her frustration, Cardier pulled a pocket watch from his coat, checked the time, and stood up.

“It’s a pity, but I have another appointment, so I must take my leave.”

“Fine. Just go, go already.”

She waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing him away, but Cardier caught her wrist.

“I’ll return when you’re ready with the engagement contract. I won’t proceed against your will.”

He bowed slightly and pressed his lips to her hand. It should’ve been a simple, standard gesture of etiquette… yet his lips lingered on each knuckle. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers, as if deliberately ignoring the grime on her fingers, holding her gaze with intense focus. Only then did Rosetta finally decipher the true meaning in Cardier’s eyes.

They burned with such raw hunger, as if he wanted to strip away not only the maid’s uniform she wore, but also the very flesh that cloaked her soul.

Finally releasing her hand, Cardier gave a brief, soldier-like bow and left the parlor without looking back.

* * *

Rosetta’s mind was in chaos—just as jarring as the rickety carriage she was riding in.

The moment she let her guard down, memories of that day automatically replayed in her head. The day Cardier had proposed marriage to Rosetta. Though she had outright rejected him, Cardier’s striking face kept flashing in her mind, almost once every ten seconds.

“Let’s get married.”

And each time the memory repeated, it became more distorted—now, flowers even fluttered around Cardier as he proposed.

……This was bordering on illness.

Rosetta gnawed at her thumbnail until it made a sharp clicking sound. Officially, Cardier’s proposal was still pending. Unofficially, it only awaited Rosetta’s final consent.

For now, she was managing to delay her answer, but she couldn’t keep this up forever. Her fate was ultimately in the hands of the Duke and Duchess. No matter how much she resisted, if the Duke commanded it, she would have no choice but to obey.

In her mind, a future in which she walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with Cardier formed all too easily. And the problem was—she didn’t find that future particularly unpleasant.

Yes, that was the biggest problem of all.