In the Omankurt Empire, it was customary for nobility to hold weddings at the residence of the higher-ranking family when marrying.

Typically, members of the lower-ranking family would finish all preparations at dawn, board carriages to travel to the higher-ranking family’s home, and spend the entire day there for the wedding ceremony and reception.

Originally, Mercian was also supposed to complete all wedding preparations at the Beanomann Viscount’s estate, don her dress, and travel by carriage to the Canoloup Duchy along with Penelope and Lucienne.

However, Cassel, who had gauged Mercian’s position at the viscount’s estate while delivering the marriage proposal last time, had spoken to Ruan and brought Mercian to the duchy first to prepare her as the perfect bride.

Unexpectedly brought to the duchy at dawn to be dolled up, Mercian was left alone in the bridal waiting room after Charles left.

As she smelled the fragrant soup and savory bread placed before her, the tension eased and she suddenly felt hungry.

As Mercian hurriedly picked up a spoon to eat the soup, she stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror for a moment.

If Father were alive, would he be overjoyed to see me like this now?

No, he probably would have prevented this marriage altogether.

When will Mother and Lucy arrive?

Will they come to the bridal waiting room to see me before the wedding?

Surely they’ll come see me, since it’s the last time I’ll be at Beanomann Castle?

Mercian expected Lucienne and Penelope to come see her, but also thought they might not come.

Well, it doesn’t matter if they come or not, right?

After the wedding, I probably won’t see them much anyway, and after the Duke dies, then maybe I’ll never see them again…

Never… Will they miss me?

Or will they be glad the nuisance is gone…

Mercian suddenly lost her appetite as a bitter taste rose in her mouth.

Mercian, snap out of it!

Today is your wedding day.

Don’t be gloomy.

As Father said, now is the time to find your true self.

The lazy, gluttonous, incompetent Mercian that Penelope and Lucienne think of no longer exists.

Well, she never really existed in the first place…

Mercian shook her head as she recalled Penelope and Lucienne who always judged and viewed her by their own standards no matter how hard she tried.

Just think about living quietly for 6 months as if you don’t exist, then leaving this place.

As she thought of the freedom that would come after the contract marriage ended, Mercian’s gloomy mood lifted and she felt much more at ease.

I should eat now in case my stomach growls embarrassingly in the ceremony later.

As Mercian pulled the soup towards her and brought a spoonful to her mouth, a savory yet fragrant mushroom flavor spread across her palate.

“Wow, this is really delicious! The duke’s chef must be very skilled.”

Mercian couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as she took a piece of bread from the basket beside her and put it in her mouth.

“The bread is delicious too. Wait, since I’ll be staying here for 6 months anyway, instead of just lounging around doing nothing, I should learn cooking from the chef here. With food this tasty, if I open a small restaurant in a rural village after 6 months, I wouldn’t have to worry about making a living at the very least.”

A restaurant owner…

Mercian felt an inexplicable happiness wash over her just thinking about it.

Oh right, come to think of it, I don’t even know who my husband is yet.

Well, it’s not like this is a marriage born of passionate love, so I can’t really say much, but still, isn’t it a bit much that I don’t even know the groom’s face when the wedding is less than an hour away?

Mercian thought about what she knew of Duke Ruan Canoloup as she nibbled on the bread.

A man called the God of War who has never lost a battle since going to the battlefield at age 15.

I’ve heard he has the nickname “Demon” for his ruthlessness in killing, and is also called the Cold-blooded Devil or Ice Duke, as they say God gave Ruan Canoloup the ability to never lose on the battlefield in exchange for taking all his emotions.

On top of that, they say he bathes in the blood of enemy slaves every day to erase his emotions. Ugh! That’s a bit much, isn’t it?

Mercian felt a chill run down her spine as she imagined a bathtub covered in blood.

If he has no emotions, there’d be nothing to sort out, so why would he need the shackles of marriage…

Come to think of it, isn’t it odd for someone without emotions to get married?

Moreover, I heard he has no interest in women at all.

Why is someone like this really getting married?

Could it be to continue the family line?

I heard all the men in the Canoloup ducal family have short lifespans, perhaps because they’re a family of knights.

I heard the previous duke and his wife both died in a carriage accident when the current Duke Canoloup was 5 years old.

There are rumors going around that this marriage isn’t because the duke wants it, but due to strong pressure from Olivia Canoloup, the duke’s aunt and younger sister of the previous duke.

If those rumors are true and the duke has no interest in women, then…

Maybe there’s no need to have children?

Well, it’s not like I have an delicate figure like most noble ladies that could be blown away by the wind, so he probably won’t find me attractive at all.

A normal noble lady would probably be sad and distressed by that fact, but for Mercian who yearned for freedom, the current situation seemed even more fortunate.

[Mer, even if I were a man, I don’t think I could bring myself to embrace you while sober. Any lust would disappear the moment you take off your dress. Hohoho.]

Mercian recalled Lucienne’s words that she always muttered when looking at her figure, and gave a bitter smile.

Right, as Lucy said, I should be thankful if he doesn’t run away after seeing me on our wedding night.

Bang!

Lost in thought, Mercian was startled by the sudden sound of the door flying open. She looked up to see Lucienne entering with an elegant smile, wearing a silver dress similar to her own.

Lucy?

Lucienne, who had entered with a graceful demeanor, looked at Mercian with a surprised expression, as if she hadn’t expected this much, and said:

“My goodness, Mer, is this really you? I almost didn’t recognize you from the outside. Money really is amazing. What kind of magic did they use to make your skin so radiant and make you this pretty?”

“Lucy, did you come to see me?”

Mercian smiled happily at Lucienne who had come to see her, contrary to her expectation that she wouldn’t come.

However, Lucienne seemed uninterested in Mercian’s reaction and looked around the room as she replied:

“Well, whether I like you or not, it’s only natural for an older sister to come see her sibling before the wedding. Mother said she was going to look around the duke’s residence, so I came alone. When I said I was the older sister of the future duchess, the servant showed me to this room. The duke’s residence really is huge. Our mansion is like a stable compared to this place.”

“A stable? It’s not that bad.”

Did she really come to my wedding dressed like that?

Mercian was a bit taken aback by Lucienne’s appearance in a silver dress as if she were the bride, but her expression softened a bit at Lucienne’s words that she had come to see her.

Although she had found her disagreeable usually, she wasn’t displeased that Lucienne had come to see her as a sister before the wedding, regardless of how she was dressed.

Rather, she felt glad for Lucienne’s visit.

“Mer, congratulations on your wedding anyway.”

“Thank you, sister.”

Lucienne felt a surge of spite seeing Mercian’s bright smile at her congratulations, looking so pretty.

Until she entered this room, she had been in quite a good mood.

She had felt pleased by the envious glances of the young ladies as she entered the duke’s residence, and the blushing faces of the young lords who looked at her as if they had seen a goddess whenever her gaze fell on them.

Lucienne was convinced she had made the right choice with the dress she wore today.

“Lucy, shouldn’t you go see Mer?”

At Penelope’s words, Lucienne, who had been enjoying the attention, remembered the person who would be most devastated to see her current appearance.

Right, I forgot about you, Mer.

“Mother, is there really a need for both of us to go? I’ll go see her, so why don’t you go to the ceremony hall first?”

“But…”

“Mother, it’s fine. I’ll talk to her.”

“Alright, Lucy. Then I have a favor to ask of you.”

But the moment she opened the door to the bridal waiting room after asking a passing servant, all the good feelings she had up until now vanished in an instant.

It was clearly the same wedding dress she had worn at the dress shop last time, and the Mercian wearing that dress was clearly the same timid and weak child who couldn’t even look her in the eye properly until yesterday…

Yet the Mercian sitting before her eyes looked so beautiful, elegant, and graceful.

She couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of admiration at the sight.

What kind of magic did they use on that child after taking her away at dawn to change her like this?

And why is she suddenly looking me straight in the eye and speaking with such a pretty smile?

Is she looking down on me now that she’s become a duchess?

Lucienne felt irritated, as if her own spirit was being crushed when she had come to crush Mercian’s.

If she was going to capture the Crown Prince’s attention, she should be the star of today.

Ah, how annoying!

Lucienne deliberately ignored Mercian’s welcoming attitude and looked around for something to nitpick, when she noticed the bread Mercian had been eating and said:

“By the way, Mer, you really are an incomprehensible child. How can you eat even on a day like this? What if your stomach shows while walking down the aisle later from eating like that? Do you want people to gossip about whether you got pregnant first?”

There, that’s more like it.

Mercian, who had been feeling grateful to Lucienne for coming to see her, tried to hide her disappointment at Lucienne’s harsh words and said:

“Sister, why are you worrying about my wedding? Do you really think my stomach will look pregnant from eating this bread and soup? And isn’t it better than being embarrassed by my stomach growling during the ceremony?”

“Hohoho, that’s so like you to think that way. To be honest, I don’t understand. Even if you can only live for 6 months, why did he choose you? Have you met the duke?”

“Whether you understand or not, my wedding will go smoothly, so don’t worry about that.”

At Mercian’s words, Lucienne smiled brightly and said:

“Judging by your tone, it seems you haven’t met the duke yet. Well, that might be for the better. Showing this dolled-up appearance first. Oh, or not? What if your makeup comes off and the duke doesn’t recognize you?”

“Sister! Even if it’s my wedding, how can you come here just to pick a fight instead of saying something nice?”

“Pick a fight? I’m just stating the facts. A marriage without even seeing your husband’s face…”

“Stop it, sister. I may be your sister now, but I’ll soon be the duchess, so I’d appreciate it if you watched your words!”

Duchess?

Hah. What kind of duchess are you? Just a 6-month time-limited duchess at best!

Lucienne replied mockingly to Mercian’s words.

“What duchess? You’re just being sold for money.”

Mercian felt irritated by Lucienne’s behavior, somehow finding her way here and getting on her nerves.

Of course.

What was I expecting from Lucy?

If she really came to congratulate me, she wouldn’t have worn a dress similar to a wedding dress.

She felt foolish for having waited until now, thinking of Lucienne as family.

“You’re right, sister. I’m being sold for money to buy you a nice dress and marry you into a good family. So be grateful to me and stop picking fights. Besides, I’m in a pretty good mood right now, so if you’re going to talk nonsense, just leave.”

“What? Nonsense? Are you talking to me?”

How dare you tell me to leave? Has becoming a duchess made you lose all sense?

When you used to bow your head at my words and couldn’t even meet my eyes, you useless thing.

Lucienne began to feel angry at the sight of Mercian looking her straight in the face and speaking more confidently than ever before.

Do you know who you have to thank for sitting in that position right now…

You don’t know anything.

If it weren’t for me, you would never have been able to marry or would have had to become an old nobleman’s second wife!

This won’t do, Mer.

Do you know why I got dressed up so prettily and came here today?

Do you think I came to see your wedding?

You may be a half-year duchess, but I’m about to become the Crown Princess.

If I’m going to catch the Crown Prince’s eye at the wedding today, I should be the one standing out, not you. Understand?

So Mer, I’m sorry, but you can’t shine brighter than me at this wedding.

Angered by Mercian’s attitude, her eyes fell on the soup bowl on the dressing table.

What if I spill that bowl?

Couldn’t that ruin this wedding?

Even if it doesn’t ruin the wedding, at least I could see Mercian being humiliated in a stained wedding dress, right?

A thrill ran through her body as she imagined Mercian entering the ceremony hall to people’s mockery.

Yes, I just wanted to taste the delicious-looking soup.

Lucienne smiled and slowly reached her hand towards the soup bowl.