“I have something to say.”

It was during the dinner that followed the afternoon tea time. Aidel broke the silence and spoke in a calm voice.

The Duchess and Countess, as well as Roselyn, were already curious about what she had discussed with the Grand Duke and their eyes flashed with interest.

The Grand Duke, who was sitting at the head of the table, had a relaxed expression. He looked at her with eyes that seemed to say she could do as she pleased.

“I request the annulment of my engagement to Marquis Chalet.”

“What?”

The faces of Marquis Chalet and Countess Fluor simultaneously crumpled in displeasure.

“Miss Aidel, what are you saying? Do you think the marriage between families is a joke?” Marquis Chalet glared at her and spoke in an admonishing tone. The Countess was also filled with anger, but mindful of the Grand Duke’s presence, she couldn’t raise her voice and instead scolded,

“What kind of discourteous behavior is this? And to suddenly decide on the annulment by yourself!”

“I do not wish to marry Marquis Chalet.”

Her gaze and tone were completely unwavering. Aidel’s straightforward eyes, clearly conveying her intention, turned towards them.

“You don’t wish to? Preposterous!”

Marquis Chalet’s body trembled with rage and his face turned bright red. He was infuriated by the rebellion of the woman he thought to be docile and meek. If this were his own house, he would have whipped her with a horsewhip until she begged for forgiveness… It was a shame this wasn’t Marquis Estate.

Receiving the Marquis’ sharp, stinging gaze, Aidel bit her lip. What the Grand Duke had told her earlier came to mind and indignation welled up inside her.

– Do you know what kind of person Marquis Chalet is before agreeing to marry him?

– What kind of person do you mean…?

– He greatly enjoys horseback riding. The Marquis Estate has the second largest riding grounds after the Imperial Palace. He particularly enjoys breaking in newly purchased horses himself. It’s also rumored that he has a collection of various types and sizes of horsewhips.

– Is that a reason not to marry him?

– The Marquis doesn’t just use those whips on horses. He uses… the same methods to train the wives he practically bought with money.

– Good heavens! Such a dreadful…!

Marquis Chalet was a pervert with sadistic sexual perversions. She could guess that the mysterious deaths of the previous Marchionesses were not unrelated to his whipping.

Yet the Countess and Roselyn had encouraged her marriage to the Marquis. They had always wished for her misery, so there was no way they didn’t know about this.

Aidel lost even the slightest lingering attachment to them, no, to this Count’s Mansion. She wanted to escape from here right away. Even if that meant taking the hand of the Grand Duke, whose intentions were unclear.

“You’re still young and don’t seem to understand, but a marriage decided by the family cannot be broken off so easily.”

Marquis Chalet wanted to slap Aidel’s cheek right then and there, but barely refrained in the presence of the Grand Duke. He spoke through gritted teeth with a grim expression.

“…I have the right to decide my own marriage.”

“What right! I’m telling you nicely but you don’t seem to understand…”

“Imperial Code Article 67, Section 2. A woman who has reached the age of majority at 19 can legally register her marriage without parental consent. Imperial Code Article 140, Section 1. A marriage registration forcibly made without mutual consent can be nullified.”

“Wh-what? Imperial Code, what…?”

The Marquis stammered in surprise at the sudden mention of the law. The Grand Duke laughed out loud, as if amused by her precisely citing the legal codes one by one.

“She’s correct. Miss Aidel, who turned twenty this year, has the right to decide her marriage as she wishes, and cannot be forced into an unwanted marriage.”

“What is the meaning of this…?”

The Grand Duke, the Chief Justice of the Empire, drove the point home in support of her words. The Marquis’ face, red with anger, turned pale white in bewilderment.

“You’re saying you’ll do as you please without your parents’ permission! Have you forgotten the grace of being raised by us!”

This time, it was the Countess who stepped forward. Aidel cited some legal codes she must have overheard somewhere, trying to unravel the marriage they had prepared, and the Countess could no longer stand it.

“Even if you’ve come of age, do you think you can live without the protection of the Count’s family? Even the dress you’re wearing belongs to the Count’s family! Do you want to be driven out empty-handed?”

“Countess, please mind your offensive words in the presence of His Grace the Grand Duke.”

Gregory warned the Countess in a cold voice as she pointed fingers and spewed rough words.

‘To think such a talent was raised under a mother like this.’

Gregory shook his head as he watched the agitated Countess panting heavily. On the other hand, seeing Aidel’s calm expression as if this was nothing new, he could imagine the treatment she must have endured. The Grand Duke seemed to have the same thought as he frowned and asked,

“‘Driven out empty-handed’… Miss Aidel, is there anything you need to take from here?”

“…No, there isn’t. From the beginning, I was never given anything of my own anyway.”

“That’s good. Then let’s get up right away.”

As the Grand Duke stood up from his seat, Gregory handed him his coat. Aidel, momentarily surprised by the Grand Duke’s sudden words, also stood up.

“Wh-what do you mean by this? Your Grace, right now…”

The Countess asked with a shocked expression, as if the Grand Duke was about to leave the Count’s Mansion together with Aidel. Roselyn also furrowed her brows, unable to understand the situation.

“Driving her out? I’m gladly taking her with me.”

“Th-that’s absurd! She’s to become the Marchioness…”

The Marquis, who had been dazed by the words about taking Aidel, came to his senses and shouted. Interrupting the Marquis, the Grand Duke spoke in a chilling tone.

“Marquis Chalet. Do you wish for me to take interest in the deaths of the previous Marchionesses that occurred in the Marquis Estate?”

“…!”

“I have no particular interest in the Marquis. That is, as long as you don’t go against my wishes.”

Trapped like a cornered rat, Marquis Chalet trembled, unable to move. The Grand Duke’s deep blue eyes pressured him as if he already knew everything.

“E-even if you are the Grand Duke… you have no right to take Aidel…”

The Countess spoke in a cracking voice, as if she couldn’t let her go like this. She feared the Grand Duke, but by what right was he saying he would take Aidel, whom he met for the first time today?

“I do have the right. Because she will become ‘my’ Grand Duchess.”

“G-Grand Duchess, you say!”

The eyes of the Countess and Roselyn were filled with shock. The same went for Marquis Chalet, who had been unable to say a word, overwhelmed by the Grand Duke’s force.

There was one more person surprised here. It was the assistant, Gregory. He too was stunned by the Grand Duke’s bombshell declaration, which he was hearing for the first time, his mouth agape.

‘Why did she suddenly become the Grand Duchess from an assistant?’

The original purpose of visiting the Count’s Mansion was to deliver the Imperial University’s acceptance letter to Aidel and scout her as an assistant to the Grand Duke’s household.

The brilliant Gregory also quickly understood Aidel’s situation. He knew the Grand Duke was helping her escape from an unwanted marriage.

Of course, he thought she would be taken as an assistant to the Grand Duke’s household, but he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Caeron’s words about taking her as the Grand Duchess. However, as a capable assistant, he quickly composed his expression.

“S-Sister! Suddenly becoming the Grand Duchess… Is this true?”

Roselyn couldn’t accept the fact that her sister, who was supposed to become the plaything of the perverted Marquis, would become the one and only noble Grand Duchess of the Empire. Roselyn glared at Aidel with eyes mixed with envy and jealousy.

“It’s true. I promised to marry His Grace the Grand Duke.”

At Aidel’s answer, Roselyn couldn’t stand properly, as if she would collapse. The Countess also muttered “impossible” over and over with a dumbfounded face. Seeing their appearance, Aidel felt oddly refreshed in her heart.

“Let’s go now.”

The Grand Duke wrapped the coat he was holding around her shoulders. It was a considerate gesture for the still chilly outside air. The large coat enveloping her body somehow felt like a solid shield.

Caeron offered a hand for an escort. After a moment’s hesitation, a small, white hand gently settled in his. A satisfied smile bloomed on his lips at the soft sensation of her hand in his.

“I’ll take the prospective Grand Duchess to the Grand Duke’s residence first. As for the marriage, I’ll speak directly with Count Fluor, so let him know.”

It was a remark pointing out that they had arbitrarily proceeded with the marriage to the Marquis in the Count’s absence. The Countess was too flustered to say anything, and could only watch their retreating backs as they left the dining room.

“Miss Aidel!”

Just as Aidel was about to exit the front door with the Grand Duke, her maid Bien hurriedly ran over with a bag.

She had no lingering attachments to this Count’s family, but there was one thing that weighed on her mind – Bien. As the daughter of a vassal family, she was entangled with the interests of the Count’s family. Aidel had intended to draw a line with her and leave…

“Please take this. I packed the books you enjoyed reading and some simple clothes.”

“Bien…”

“Miss, you must be happy.”

“Thank you, Bien.”

It was a brief exchange, but just by looking into each other’s eyes, they could understand the feelings they wanted to convey.

Gregory, who had been watching the two, took the bag Bien had prepared. He then guided them to where the Grand Duke’s carriage was waiting.

“Let’s go. This way.”

Aidel felt a whirlwind of emotions as she left the Count’s Mansion. As the tension left her body upon escaping the suffocating space, she momentarily swayed. Caeron firmly wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… thank you, Your Grace.”

Aidel clutched the hem of his coat and felt an emotion slowly spreading deep within her heart. A feeling she had never experienced before. It was a sense of security from the presence of another person. Even knowing his actions towards her stemmed from a “contract”.

– You passed this year’s Imperial University entrance exam. As the top scorer in the Department of Public Administration.

– Oh my! Is that true?

– It seems too early to rejoice. Even if you graduate from the Imperial University, according to the law, professional activities of noble women for livelihood are only allowed after divorce.

– What? Is that true? I had no idea such a law existed…

– It’s understandable that you don’t know. It’s a law established in the early days of the Juspiter Empire’s founding. However, the nobility still exists and this law remains in effect. Even if you earn a degree, it will be difficult to have a profession unless you are a divorced woman.

– That can’t be…!

– I will give you the divorce papers you need. If you become the Grand Duchess for the three years it takes to graduate from the Imperial University, that is.

– Grand Duchess? Me… you mean?

– Yes. I value the knowledge you possess. If you agree to handle the administration of the Grand Duke’s household as the Grand Duchess during the contract period, I will support your attendance at the Imperial University and divorce you as you wish after graduation.

The only way for a noble woman to have a profession and be independent is through divorce… She felt like she had hit a dead end after aiming only for college graduation. For her, the Grand Duchess contract was a proposal she absolutely couldn’t refuse.

Her sensitive instincts were warning her. That his deep blue eyes, which occasionally glanced at her during the conversation, were flickering with something. She still couldn’t understand the meaning behind that hot gaze, like blue lava.

Even knowing that, she had no choice but to take his hand now. The flower, exhausted from facing the wind and rain, entrusted its body to the firm embrace that enveloped it.