Serdis’s embarrassed appearance was also worth seeing. Perhaps because he was the male lead, he looked dramatically good no matter what he did.

“What are you suddenly saying, Anette? Marriage?”

“I was going to tell Your Highness yesterday too. But I suddenly collapsed and couldn’t say it.”

The method I had squeezed out was marriage.

Who was it that said marriage was the only escape?

That saying is truly wise.

Marriage was the only sure way to cut off the male lead.

No matter how much Serdis loved Anette, he wouldn’t be trashy enough to seduce a woman who was getting married.

Shocked by the unbelievable fact, Serdis forcefully lifted one corner of his slightly trembling lips.

“You’re joking, right? Anette…?”

“Why would I joke with Your Highness? We’re not that close…”

“……”

Seeing Serdis not responding, I awkwardly looked around. Then my eyes met Betty’s, who was standing with her mouth agape. I gave her a sweet eye smile.

Betty, who had been rolling her eyes, reluctantly shouted “That’s right. That’s right.” Then Serdis asked in a troubled voice.

“I didn’t hear anything about this from the Count.”

“It’s a hastily arranged marriage. Now that I’m of age, shouldn’t I get married before it’s too late?”

“Who… is it? Someone I know?”

“You might know him, or you might not?”

Serdis’s eyebrows shook greatly once.

“Isn’t it too hasty? It’s only been a year since your coming-of-age ceremony. Maybe if you waited a bit longer…”

“No. I’m already mentally prepared.”

“I’m surprised. You were never interested in men before.”

“He’s really a good person.”

I said as I opened the drawer and picked up a pile of letters. Pretending they were letters exchanged with a lover, his pupils shook greatly. On the other hand, I felt calmer as I recalled my long-time pen pal.

“I hope Your Highness also meets a good person.”

His pitiful face made me feel a bit sorry, but I quickly erased that feeling. It’s good for both of us. I’ll be safe, and Serdis will get rid of one of the reasons to roll around.

“I can’t believe it…”

I easily ignored his quiet muttering.

I picked up a macaron with a big smile and took a large bite. At the same time, Serdis urgently reached out towards me.

“Wait!”

As expected. Crunch, something was bitten. Judging by the round, hard object, it was a ring. It seems he was planning to confess after meeting only a few times.

‘What an outdated method.’

I took the ring out of my mouth and said casually:

“It seems the pastry chef dropped a wedding ring while making macarons.”

***

Serdis stood there with a dazed face for a long time before returning to the palace. As soon as he left, I changed into my pajamas and headed to the reception room.

“Father! Mother!”

My booming voice echoed through the peaceful Leanberia County mansion where gentle piano melodies were flowing.

Inside the reception room, Mother was fondly watching a young painter she was sponsoring paint. Father, the lovesick fool, was watching Mother over his book.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

At my urgent words, the heads of all three people, including the painter, turned. Mother was the first to speak.

“Anette. How are you feeling?”

“My body is completely fine. I took medicine too. I haven’t had breakfast yet, but I came because I had something urgent to say.”

“We were so worried. Things seemed quiet lately, but then you collapsed outside. It could have been serious.”

“From now on, I’ll dress warmly. I’ll go to the temple too. But right now, there’s something more important.”

Hearing my rushed words, Father also sensed something was off and approached.

“Did something happen with the Prince?”

“It’s not completely unrelated.”

“But, Anette. Your makeup is too heavy today too.”

Father criticized, looking at my red-painted lips that were trying to hide my sickly appearance.

“Dad. I mean, Father. The heavy makeup isn’t what’s important.”

“What could be more important than the health of my only daughter?”

I tightly linked arms with Father, who was completely on my side.

Since it’s come to this, I really need to get married. It’s only a matter of time before I’m found out. To cut ties decisively, marriage was the only sure method.

Strengthening my resolve, I looked at both of them alternately and said:

“Please find one person for me.”

To really get married, I needed bait. Bait to divert my parents’ attention.

It was an unavoidable choice to convince parents who want their only remaining daughter to be happy about a sudden marriage.

“Anette. Explain in detail. What do you mean by suddenly asking us to find someone?”

I took out the envelope of letters I had brought from my room and showed it to them. On it was written the sender’s name.

“Cassian?”

Father tilted his head and mulled over the three letters of the name. Mother recognized the name as soon as she saw it.

“This is the friend you often exchange letters with, Anette, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Please find Cassian for me.”

Cassian.

Thinking of someone to convince my parents who knew I had no male friends, I thought of him, my only male friend.

He was a pen pal I had exchanged letters with for a long time. Undoubtedly the same-age male who knew me best in this world. Of course, I didn’t know his face or voice.

“Anette. We can contact his family, can’t we? You said he’s from the same academy.”

“I don’t know which family he’s from.”

Cassian was someone who appeared like a comet and comforted me during the most difficult time before my brother Rian died. A mysterious letter left in the academy shoe locker. I ignored it a few times, but one day I was about to tear up the letter when I happened to see the contents and tears flowed.

It was a letter that seemed to really look into my heart, not just superficial comfort. After that, I found myself waiting for his letters without realizing it. Even after Rian passed away, he remained a good friend to me.

So we continued exchanging letters without knowing each other’s faces or families. And now 5 years have passed.

Since he avoided talking about his family, I didn’t ask about his identity separately, so I’ve lived without knowing it until now.

“You said you didn’t want to find out. Are you curious now?”

“I think it’s time we met.”

“Hmm.”

Mother crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Cassian. The name is familiar.”

“The second name of the Serentina family was Cassian, I think.”

“That’s right. The Serentina family. But I heard he passed away in an accident a few years ago. And wasn’t the person who inherited the Vilbert viscounty also named Cassian?”

“That’s right.”

Cassian was that common of a name.

My parents wracked their brains trying to recall someone named Cassian. I shared the information I knew with the two of them who were struggling.

“He’s 2 years older than me. The problem is that there were 4 Cassians in that grade at Markaba Academy at the time.”

I didn’t ask in the letters, but of course I was curious about him, whom I hadn’t seen face-to-face for 3 years. Wanting to at least know his family, I inquired at the academy, but only heard that there were four people with the same name. As Mother said, three if we exclude Serentina.

“The Vilbert viscounty. The Melisen barony. The Gohot viscounty, they say.”

“It would be rude to contact all three families individually. How about asking Cassian directly?”

At Mother’s words, I shook my head with a troubled face.

Actually, it had been over a month since the last letter arrived. He left a message saying he would be busy with estate matters for a while, but this was the first time letters had been cut off for so long.

“I can’t reach him.”

My fingers unconsciously went to my mouth as I grew anxious. Mother gently took my hand, sensing my habit of biting my fingers when nervous.

“You’re still young. You were anxious because you couldn’t contact your friend.”

Father also came closer and stroked my head with eyes full of pure affection.

“I’ll tell them to look into it, so don’t worry too much. Anette. Let’s wait patiently.”

“No. I can’t wait patiently.”

“Is there another reason?”

I smiled brightly at Mother’s gentle smile and said cheerfully.

“Because I’m going to marry Cassian.”

And the two pairs of eyes that had been listening cutely to their youngest daughter’s story turned to surprise at that one sentence.

“What do you mean marriage out of the blue?”

“Father, Mother, you wanted me to get married too, didn’t you? I should get married and start a family before it’s too late.”

Father immediately realized something was wrong and asked in a bewildered tone.

“You’re saying you’ll marry someone whose family you don’t even know? Someone whose face you don’t know?”

I quickly said the words I had prepared before Father’s thunderous voice could fall.

“Yes. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know his face. Arranged marriages are sometimes done with people whose faces you don’t know, right? And Cassian is a friend I’ve been in contact with for a long time.”

“What about the Prince?”

At the mention of the Prince, Serdis’s face flashed by. My lips stiffened at the thought of his perfect appearance that now seemed to cause an averse reaction.

“The Prince is not my match.”

“Just yesterday you were excited about dating the Prince. You went out wearing that thin new dress and that’s what caused the trouble.”

That’s right. Until yesterday, I was a girl whose heart fluttered at the thought of things going well with the handsome Serdis.

Until then, I didn’t know my future. I didn’t know that the family would be ruined because of just one wrong man I met.

Marriage to the Margrave.

Right. I’m not interested in men either, so it doesn’t matter who it is.

But after marrying the Margrave, Anette is killed by his son and the family falls for some reason. Not only that, but my parents’ corpses are hung up in the capital square for all to see.

Come to think of it, Anette wasn’t even a villain, and yet…

Now I didn’t care what happened to my body.

But I didn’t want to see my family get hurt because of me. They were the people who showed me warmth after I spent a long time alone before the possession. For the sake of my parents who couldn’t sleep worrying about their only remaining daughter after losing their son, I had to cut off the male lead no matter what.

“I was just excited to go out after a long time. Not because of the Prince.”

I immediately denied my father’s words. Father gave a dull look at the unfamiliar appearance of his daughter who rarely went against him.

“Anette. From what I saw yesterday, it seems the Prince has taken a liking to you.”

My mouth went dry at my father’s words, trying to match me with Serdis as expected. I deliberately averted my gaze and played dumb.

“Is that so? I’m not sure. I’m not interested either.”

“Your thoughts might change if you meet often.”

“That won’t happen.”

Father moistened his dry lips with an anxious expression.

Of course he would.

The partner I brought to get married,

Vilbert viscounty.

Gohot viscounty.

Melisen barony.

None of these families had much substance.

Moreover, the other party was the Prince. The Crown Prince, first in line for the throne.

What family would refuse when their daughter could become Empress?

“I’d be at ease if it’s Prince Serdis too. He’ll definitely cherish and love you. His character is excellent too.”

Mother also spoke in a calm tone as if soothing me, stroking my hair.

“I don’t like His Highness. Even in the unlikely event that His Highness chooses me as his partner, being trapped in the palace would be horrible.”

“Anette. Did something happen with the Prince?”

“Nothing happened. I just met him and felt he wasn’t my match.”

I shook my head with a disgusted look. As if I hated Serdis to death. But Father, not understanding his daughter’s heart, continued speaking.

“Don’t think so negatively. Try meeting casually at least. As you meet, you naturally grow to like the other person. It was like that for me and the Countess too.”

“There are high-level royal physicians residing in the palace, so it’s reassuring. If you become royalty, you can receive treatment without having to go to the temple so painfully like now. Anette.”

Again, talk of treatment.

“Haven’t I repeatedly said that health is most important? You need to meet someone who can take responsibility for you even after marriage.”

Father, who always spoke with a warm face, lowered his voice. It meant not to ignore his words.

‘Didn’t you tell me before to marry someone I love and be happy?’

Parents’ greed for their daughter was endless. Not knowing what marriage to Serdis meant.

“I don’t want to. Even if I die soon, I’m going to marry Cassian.”

I buried my face in both hands.

“Anette.”

“Honey. Let’s talk again when she calms down later.”

But.

Is there any parent in the world who can win against their child?

In the eyes hidden by my hands, intense fervor burned instead of tears.

Mom. Dad. I’m sorry.

I absolutely won’t meet Serdis,

‘And I won’t marry Cassian either.’

Cassian was just groundwork for what I’m about to do.