“What are you telling me to do right now?”

When Mercian, who was spending time as usual secretly bringing pie from the kitchen to her own space in the tree in the garden, dropped her snack in surprise at Penelope’s sudden words, Penelope frowned as she watched the pie fall to her feet.

“Oh, really, how can a child I gave birth to love eating so much? That’s why you’re getting so fat. Mer, look at your sister Lucy. When she has time, she reads books or does embroidery, but you, child, only eat. I really don’t like a single thing about you from head to toe. Tsk!”

Mercian’s face froze for a moment at Penelope’s words, but soon she picked up a snack in front of her and put it in her mouth as if nothing was wrong, and retorted.

“Mom, that’s not important right now. What are you telling me to do? Marriage?? What marriage all of a sudden?”

“Mer, stop eating and come down from the tree. It hurts my neck to look up and talk. No, you’re really amazing. How can you climb trees so well with that body?”

Mercian frowned at Penelope’s words as she looked over her own body and muttered inwardly.

Sure, I’m a bit chubby compared to Lucienne, but it’s not a body to be criticized like that.

How can children from the same womb be so different?

Unlike Lucienne, who had been lovable and pretty enough to put in her eyes from birth, Penelope looked at Mercian, who had absolutely nothing in common with her from head to toe, with disapproving eyes.

“Have you heard the name Ruan Canoloup by any chance?”

“Ruan Canoloup? You don’t mean Duke Ruan Canoloup, called the God of War, do you?”

At Mercian’s answer, Penelope looked at her as if genuinely surprised and said,

“I thought you were only interested in eating, but it seems that’s not the case.”

“Mom!”

“Anyway, I heard that duke recently went to war and came back seriously injured.”

At Penelope’s words, Mercian rummaged through the snack basket, answering as if she wasn’t very interested.

“So?”

“You know, don’t you? That His Highness the Crown Prince regards that duke as a thorn in his side. Moreover, Duke Canoloup is Prince Hamen’s man, the First Prince.”

“Mom. Just tell me simply. I’m not here to listen to stories about the empire’s power struggles right now.”

“Well, anyway, I heard the duke was given six months to live.”

Six months to live?

“What does that have to do with my marriage now? Don’t tell me? Mom!”

Seeing Mercian shouting with an expression that said ‘surely not’ at Penelope’s words, Penelope continued speaking calmly as if to soothe her.

“Mer, don’t get excited and listen to me. You’re 20 years old now, so shouldn’t you start thinking about marriage? Moreover, we are a fallen viscount family, aren’t we? After your father died in an accident, the family fortune has been dwindling, and honestly, even buying one dress for Lucy is burdensome now. And in two months, there will be a royal ball at the palace, won’t there?”

What does the ball being held in two months have to do with me getting married now?

Mercian looked at Penelope as if she didn’t understand her words and asked back.

“Mom, what does the ball being held in two months have to do with me getting married now?”

“Mer, you know when you look at yourself that you’re not in a position to get married easily, right? I found out that because the duke has a limited life, they’re giving quite a lot of dowry. Of course, it’s a duchess position limited to six months, but if you receive an inheritance after the duke dies, it might help you live for the rest of your life, don’t you think?”

Help? How does becoming a widow and living alone help me?

“Mom, if you put it that way, isn’t Lucy, who’s two years older than me, more of marriageable age? And as you said, the highest position in the empire is duke, right? If Lucy isn’t going to form a connection with His Highness the Crown Prince at the ball, wouldn’t it be much better for her to marry a duke with a definite position rather than going to the ball? As you said, mom, if Lucy receives a lot of inheritance after the duke dies, it might help her live for the rest of her life, don’t you think?”

At Mercian’s words, Penelope burst out angrily and shouted.

“Mer, how can you say such nonsense, do you want your sister to become a widow?”

Nonsense, so it’s okay for me to become a widow?

Mercian felt anger rising as she looked at Penelope, who always only thought of Lucienne.

It had always been like that since childhood.

The good things were always for her sister Lucienne, and even basic education that noble young ladies should know, such as etiquette lessons and dance classes, were always only given to Lucienne, citing the family’s lack of money.

As a result, Mercian had to learn everything from reading to manners by watching Lucienne do her homework or practice etiquette, almost like self-study.

Perhaps the reason Mercian became obsessed with eating was because it was the only thing Lucienne wasn’t interested in.

Neither Penelope nor Lucienne said much about Mercian’s eating.

“So you’re telling me to become a widow now? It’s okay for me but not for my sister?”

Seeing Mercian getting upset, Penelope held her hand tightly and said,

“Mer, don’t get angry and listen to me carefully. I looked into it a bit, and the marriage conditions aren’t that bad. Although it’s a condition of being a terminally ill duchess for only 6 months, they will pay 500 gold coins as dowry upon marriage and give us 100 gold coins every month while the marriage lasts, so isn’t it good for both you and us? Of course, it’s a terminal marriage condition, but what if you happen to have the duke’s child? You might be able to live as a duchess for life? Honestly, you know best that a marriage partner this good will never appear again with your conditions, right? It’s better than regretting later not being able to marry and ending up as a second wife to an old rich nobleman, don’t you think?”

Terminal? So if I don’t have a child before the duke dies, I have to leave the duke’s family? And if I say I can’t marry the duke, you’re threatening to send me as a second wife to a rich old nobleman?

Mercian looked at Penelope with an unbelievable expression and said,

“Mom, am I really your biological daughter?”

“I don’t want to admit it either, but yes, you are my biological daughter that I gave birth to. So just listen to me this once. It’s absolutely not something that will harm you. And with this much dowry, we can buy Lucy’s dresses and accessories too, so isn’t it good for everyone?”

So you’re selling me to the duke’s family because you need money to buy Lucy’s dresses!

Do I really not exist to mom?

Looking at Penelope, who was unusually obsessed with Lucienne despite having two daughters, Mercian let out a small sigh.

Although she was a count’s daughter, Penelope had to marry into the low-ranking Beano viscount family because she was an illegitimate child. Under the aspiration to marry Lucienne to a son of a prestigious family, she poured all her passion into Lucienne.

Seeing Penelope treat her and Lucienne noticeably differently when they were young, Mercian used to think that she might be an illegitimate child.

If that were the case, she could have accepted such discrimination as natural.

Mercian, who longed for her mother’s love, tried her best to get a warm look from Penelope, but Penelope never gave Mercian a warm look, let alone even a glance.

At least when her father Charles was alive, Penelope didn’t discriminate noticeably between Lucienne and Mercian, mindful of his dislike of discrimination. But after Charles died in an accident, Penelope began to ignore Mercian as if she had nothing to hold back anymore.

After a long time, Mercian no longer yearned for love that she couldn’t get from Penelope, who wouldn’t look at her no matter how hard she tried, and only waited to turn 20 and become an adult.

According to the laws of the Omancourt Empire, when you turn 20 and become an adult, regardless of whether you’re a commoner’s child or a noble’s daughter, you could become independent even without marriage.

Unlike commoners, not a single noble daughter had ever left a wealthy noble family to become independent, but after hearing from Charles long ago that she could become independent when she became an adult, Mercian had been counting the days until she turned 20 and could become independent. But suddenly, marriage?

And to marry a man who won’t even live for 6 months?

Once again disappointed in Penelope, who didn’t even think of her as a child, Mercian was so hurt and upset that she couldn’t even get angry.

“Mer, don’t hate your mother too much. Your mother is a pitiful person if you look closely. She received so many wounds just for being an illegitimate child when she was young, that’s why she’s so obsessed with Lucy. Instead, you have this dad, don’t you? Don’t worry. When you turn 20, this dad will surely make you independent.”

Mercian recalled Charles making this request to her before he died and muttered inwardly.

‘Dad, mom sold the estate you had prepared for my independence a few days ago to buy Lucy’s dress. If I say I want to become independent in this situation, mom and sister would absolutely say no. Especially Lucy wouldn’t let me be. The best way for me to become independent from this family would be to marry the duke, right? Whatever the reason, the real reason mom wants this marriage is not for my happiness, but for the dowry from the duke’s family and the money they say they’ll give to the viscount family every month. Anyway, I only have to live for 6 months, so when the duke dies, I can really find freedom then, right?’

After looking for a long time at Penelope, who was speaking with an excited expression as if she had just set a date, Mercian seemed to have made up her mind and said, looking at Penelope.

“Do you really want me to marry that duke?”

“Of course. Mer. Although it’s a 6-month terminal marriage, you’re becoming a duchess, aren’t you? Plus, if you have the duke’s child, you might be able to live as a real duchess for life, not a fake one, so isn’t this a great thing?”

To say it’s a great thing for a daughter to live raising a child without a husband.

Mercian smiled bitterly and said,

“Haa. Okay. If that’s what mom wants so much, I’ll do that marriage. But I have a condition too.”

“Condition? What condition? Surely you’re not asking for the dowry, are you?”

“You can keep the dowry, mom. What I want is not that, but after I marry the duke, if 6 months pass and I don’t have a child when he dies, then don’t interfere with what I do with my life after that.”

After saying these words, Mercian’s heart trembled without her knowing as she waited for Penelope’s answer.

Of course, she thought about becoming independent and leaving the capital to live in a rural village, buying a small house, tending a vegetable garden, and raising a few livestock, but on the other hand, she also hoped that Penelope would get angry and hold her back.

Saying where would a woman go alone.

Saying that since she’s alone now, she should come into mom’s arms and live.

If she could hear just that one word, it seemed like she could forget all the hurtful things Penelope had done to her until now.