1. I am dead.

“Well, the Viscount Verdi told me to bring in the government while blatantly accusing my in-laws of not being able to have children.”

“Oh my God, I heard it too. But the one who can’t really play a role is the husband.”

“Is that enough? A close acquaintance of mine told me that when we got married, she did her husband's balm hair like this, like that, meddling!”

“Oh my!”

ballroom. The wives who covered their mouths with fans were passionate about one topic. I accidentally got caught in the middle, sipping only champagne.

“I have been married for five years and I still have my dress checked every day. You come every morning to check that you must not demean the count.”

“I have to report the amount of food the Count eats every day. In the meantime, sooner or later you will have to check how many grams of sauce you put on the meat.”

Under the colourful chandelier. The beautifully decorated wives looked at each other and let out a long sigh. The faces covered in dark clouds were all about to die. Two men and women met and fell in love and got married, but there was something that love alone could not overcome. in-law's house. They are family, but they can never be as close as family. The wife, who was taking a deep breath, looked at me, who had not said a word before.

“By the way, Raphi Leon has nothing to say.”

Everyone looked at me with their eyes twinkling as if those words had been the trigger. The gleaming eyes seemed to have the meaning of 'you should get one too'.

“Have you just been married for a year?”

Has it been a year already? I didn't know either.

“There is Gloria-sama, the former Grand Duchess, in the Rapyreon family.”

“Hey, are you still correct?”

Even though they only heard the name Gloria, everyone trembled as if they had seen a ghost.

“Even the Grand Duke is blunt. It's fortunate that our husbands are overflowing with affection... … .”

“The Archduke and Gloria-sama… … .”

“Huh, come to think of it, isn’t Sersia-sama in the Rapyreon family too?”

"ah! Your Grand Duke's sister... … !”

Hey. I haven't said a word yet. Why is everyone looking at you with such pitiful eyes already? I looked slowly at the wives who were writing their own stories. Then, after putting down the empty champagne glass, he opened his mouth.

“It is true that Gloria-sama and Sersia-sama are there, and that the Archduke is blunt.”

Everyone licked their tongues and spit out shouts of pity. Smiles of relief, saying, 'Still, I'm better than her' bloomed on the faces of the wives. People who feel superior only by having someone under them. People who look at the misfortunes of others and feel relieved in their own situation. It was normal for a meeting like this. As I was about to open my mouth, I felt a hand wrapped around my waist.

“I was here, madam.”

Black hair tickled his cheeks with a familiar scent.

“I see you, Grand Duke, Heo Eok… … !”

All the wives rushed to greet the appearance of my blunt husband. But without looking at them, my husband, Terdeo dein Raphileon, just hugged me tightly in his arms.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. If I can’t see you even for a moment, I’m anxious and I have to be able to breathe.”

Despite the calm fight, I was used to pushing his cheek with the palm of my hand.

“It’s tickling. And because there are many eyes to see, they fall.”

Then a small child popped out from the right.

"dismissal! Your mom is ticklish! Come quickly!”

It was the heir of the Grand Duchess of Raphileon and on paper my son, Sultan Raphireon of Selfius. The child tugged on Terdeo's uniform, trying to pull him away from me.

“Yeah, what kind of crap is that? Theo.”

Then, a woman with waving red hair gently pulled Terdeo off and clicked her tongue. She then smiled broadly as she stretched out her arms towards me.

“Hello, Sasha! I'm here."

“… … three o'clock sister. My sister is falling too, it tickles me.”

It was Terdeo's older sister Sercia Jane Raphileon.

“Where are you tickling? I'll scratch you!"

A girl, much smaller than Selfieus, jumped out from behind Sersia, who hugged me tightly.

“Oh, my sister. Hug me too!”

Islet Rapireon, the only surviving collateral of Terdeo.

“Ailet, did I say that I should call you vision, not my sister?”

And Terdeo's uncle, Phineas Gunn Rapyreon. Finally… … .

“Why are you making so much noise in the ballroom?”

“Written, Gloria-sama!”

Grand Duchess Gloria M. Raphileon, who had a straight hair to the point of being colorless, appeared. The wives who were present at the sudden gathering of the Raphi Leon family could not raise their heads with their faces turned white.

“At this age, it is difficult to attend a ballroom.”

Gloria naturally came to my side, grabbed my arm, and sighed heavily. I lifted Gloria, who trembled at her, and smiled at her sullenly.

“You’re still like this.”

“Everyone is so busy shivering like that when I come out. What is this old man afraid of?”

Gloria pointed to the wives who had bowed her head in front of them and clicked her tongue. Indeed, as soon as she appeared, everyone in the ballroom was paying attention to us.

“Sasha.”

Gloria called me in a voice full of affection.

“So, before you follow me around like this, go ahead and pick it up.”

With a soft smile, Gloria continued.

“Will you give me the land of the Rapyreons or the mines? You said you saved us, so you'll give us what we want."

“I really don’t need anything.”

“If you don’t keep choosing that way, I can give you everything from the Rapyreon family.”

At Gloria's words, everyone around them breathed in their breath. And I could feel him looking at me with respectful eyes. I looked at the people of my in-laws who stood strong as if the Red Sea was splitting in both sides with a ruined expression.

'… … I need a divorce.'

My in-laws are so obsessed with me.

*** In the spring when all living things come alive\, I was dying. Sif\, my husband\, who sat in the chair next to the bed\, muttered in a worried voice.

"It hurts?"

As if waiting for this day only.

“If you think you are going to die, you must die. Why are you still breathing to live?”

My husband, who said he loved me. My love that I confessed to make me happy. You, who used to smile shyly in front of me, are nowhere to be found.

“Sasha.”

Sif's lips that always brought me happiness.

“Stop dying.”

Killed me

“You must die for the inheritance to come to me. A pile of backlogged debts. You love me, So can you do something about dying for me?”

Sif, drenched in sweat, swept my hair from my forehead. I wanted to get up right away and slap that thick face. But strangely, the body did not listen at all.

“Can’t you move?”

Sif smiled, as if looking through me.

“It is because of the curse. They say I can kill you with a curse. It was expensive, but they said this is the best way to kill without evidence.”

Neither the brown hair nor the fresh green eyes have changed. You have changed, tears of despair that had been dangling from the corners of his eyes fell down. Then the bedroom door opened.

“Are you still alive?”

And I heard a voice disappointed that I was still alive. I had goosebumps all over my body.

'Why are you here?'

As I turned my eyes in amazement, I saw the smiling face of my stepmother and my bloodless sister, Reina.

“You look like your father, and your name is long.”

“… ….”

“Don’t look at me like that. Your leash was urged by your father.”

It was my family who always smiled kindly to me. My one and only family who cried together when I was having a hard time and laughed together when I was happy.

“If I hadn’t written a will to leave a legacy to you, this wouldn’t have happened. … … I’m sorry.”

Her red lips, stained with greed, were grinning like a snake, unlike usual.

“Maybe I could have been a good mother and daughter with you.”

“Mom, are we going to get rich now?”

Reina chuckled. She was a child whom her stepmother had brought from outside her, but she really looked like her real brother. Sif approached Reina and gently wrapped her arms around her waist. And she put her lips to Reina's left cheek, as if lovingly.

“Of course, my princess. Have you been through a lot of trouble? It all ends today.”

“It’s okay, Sif. I trusted you.”

What? Reina called my husband's name affectionately. Her lower lip trembled finely, like a convulsion. The sound of her heart beating echoed through her body.

'Isn't it? Then… … That's what I think, isn't it?'

Reina turned her head to look at me as if she had read my mind. Then she tilted her head back and laughed out loud at her.

“Did you really think Sif was your husband?”

“… … !”

“Sif married you at my request, stupid sister. I was pretending to love you!”

She pressed her lips to Reina's neck, as if Sif was licking sweet honey. Laughing, as if supporting Reina's words. Reina smirked, pulling Sif's head hard.

"It’s stupid. You don't even know you're waiting for the day you die."

I can't. Obviously you love me... … ! However, I did not put myself in the eyes of his hugging Reina as if coveting.

'Have you ever had a play with three people?'

The husband I loved, the stepmother who loved me, and the kind sister. Everything? Her heart was pounding. It was stuffy, as if it were clogged up, and his anger soared to the point where he wanted to bite his tongue and die.

“After you die.”

My stepmother approached me immobile with a small cushion.

"Don't worry, we'll put your inheritance to good use."

Stepmother pressed my nose and mouth with a cushion without changing the color of her face. Her breath was choked. In my breathless eyes, I saw Sif smiling, Reina almost lying on the sofa, and stepmother killing me without the slightest guilt.

'Even if I die, I won't forget it.'

Tears of anger flowed. It was getting dark in front of my eyes. And I died the last time I heard Reina's laughter in pain.... I'm dead. No, I just thought he was dead. But I came back to life. It also returned to the past before marrying Sif after inheriting the inheritance. I don't know why I came back to life, but if this was an opportunity that came to me, I couldn't miss it.

'I have to protect my life and heritage.'

You can't report the three people for something that hasn't happened yet. But in this life, they won't behave the way they want.

'I'm going to take what they want, trample it thoroughly, and make it fall flat at my feet.'

To do that, I needed someone who would protect me and my legacy, and someone who would give me enough power.

“I came here to make a suggestion to you.”

"Proposal?"

“… … Exactly one year. You will only marry me for one year.”

It was a soft voice for talking about marriage. It was a random proposal to the other party, but to me, it was nothing short of a last resort.

“Fun.”

A man with a jaw-droppingly gorgeous appearance looked at me on the opposite sofa with his chin clenched. Dark black hair that engulfs everything and red eyes that resemble blood. I was tall enough to have to look up with my shoes on, and the shoulders of an inverted triangle wide enough to be a threat just by looking at it. Forearms and thighs that look tight enough to make the uniform tight.

“What do you want?”

He was the Archduke Terdeo Dain Rapireon of 'Rumor'. The Raphileon family was the first to be awarded the title of Grand Duke in recognition of their contribution to helping the former emperor and making the present Castor Empire a great empire. Since then, the imperial family has been the closest confidant, and it is the family that takes the lead in suppressing wars and rebels. Yeah, I decided to use this guy to get what I wanted. As he leaned over, his muscles threatened to rip through his uniform.

“Since we met for the first time, he probably didn’t come here to marry me because he loved me. You heard the rumors about me in the social world, so you probably didn’t come here looking for love.”

'The eyes are terribly fast.'

“You came to me because you wanted something, so don’t waste your time and tell me.”

If he had been able to kill people with his eyes, he looked like he would have killed a hundred more times.

'Why am I here?'

I shuddered at the memory that came to my mind and then clenched my fists.

“… … My stepmother, my sister, and the man I loved will kill me.”

“You must have had a nightmare, Young-ae.”

I'm sure it's just No, let's calm down. I need that man.

“You’re going to kill me and take the legacy that belongs to me.”

Terdeo scoffed at my confident answer.

“There is nothing to worry about in advance of things that haven’t happened yet. I've heard that you've inherited a great fortune, but you must be worried. Those worries are nothing more than a hoax.”

Yes, how good would it be if it was nothing more than rain? But for me, it wasn't rain, it was actually the past.

“It’s an interesting proposal, but let’s pretend we haven’t heard of it.”

A blood and slaughter-crazed war maniac, Archduke Raphi Leon. The current Archduke Rafi Leon was a man who was rumored to be a barbarian because he sent his successor, Selpius Sultan Rafi Leon, to the countryside in the name of recuperation and did not take good care of it. He was forced to marry Young-ae, who had been following him in the past, but divorced within two months. The ex-wife, who received a huge alimony, disappeared with the statement that Archduke Rapyreon was the worst man. Rumor has it that he had never even visited her wife's bedroom. Because he even said he didn't even take the first night.

'A man who is not interested in wealth enough to not need to be greedy for my inheritance, and is not interested in women enough to not spend the night.'

“When you go back to the mansion, you should drink warm milk and go to sleep.”

He was just the man I needed.

'I like the fact that he has an open personality.'

Terdeo mocked me and got up from the sofa to pull the string. Yes, I already knew you were such a bastard. Widely. I held Terdeo's hand, indifferent to his ridicule.

“Your Majesty the Grand Duke will need a second wife now.”

The reason he left the Grand Duchy and stayed at the Grand Duchy of Raphi Leon in the capital was simple. In order to save the second wife, who is only a fake.

'It must have been difficult for the emperor to marry a young princess around this time.'

Terdeo wrinkled his face as he looked down at the hand he was holding. And he hurriedly pulled out his hand. He hastily removed his hand, so that my ring was scratched, and his finger bled shallowly. But Terdeo seemed unaware that the ring had been scratched and bleeding.

'It's not that you don't like women, it's that you hate kinship?'

I looked at Terdeo's faintly weary face and handed him an apology.

“I’m sorry I caught you carelessly.”

“… … Any further conversation is a waste of time. Go back, baby.”

Terdeo's gaze flashed wildly like a predator, but it wasn't strangely scary.

'Even if I resign from here anyway, it's only death for me.'

I smiled softly, unconsciously fiddling with the ring that had hurt Terdeo's finger.

“Does the Emperor think so?”

"What?"

“Is the emperor pushing the marriage of the young seven princesses? Otherwise, I would have to marry a young princess who is still attending the academy, are you okay?”

Terdeo's eyes narrowed long.

“How does Young-ae know that?”

How do you know, I know it because I've heard and experienced it all in the past.

“Do you still want me to go back and drink warm milk and go to bed?”

I smiled shyly and pointed to the sofa across from me. Terdeo's face hardened like a stone statue. He stared at me hard for a long time and then sat back down on the sofa.

'Yeah, I thought you would agree to my proposal if you talked about the princess.'

In the past, he hated marriage to the imperial family to death. I laughed softly at Terdeo behaving exactly as I expected.

“What fucking bastard spread the rumors. I have to sew the snout.”

Terdeo nervously loosened the button that tightened his neck. Hearing his lively voice, his shoulders shrug.

“Don’t correct it. To be precise, it is not the seven young princesses, but the four princesses.”

"Yeah?"

“The person the emperor pushes for marriage is Princess Sa and Princess Dodolea.”

"… … Yeah?"

Huh? She must have been a young seven princesses in the past? She's called Princess Dodolea? If she's a princess of Dodolea, isn't she a princess born weak and unable to get out of her bed? She is a misfortune princess who even died without being able to shake off her illness in the past. As I put on a puzzled expression on my face, Terdeo nodded as if he understood.

“He said he got up with a bottle.”

Not really. She was obviously a young seventeen princess. I still have memories of crying when a young princess came out to a social party and said, 'I don't want to marry such a scary man.' I pondered the memory and passed it on without a second thought. After all, what matters to me is not how many princesses Terdeo marries.

“Then you will need me even more.”

As the long eyelashes cast the shade, a shadow was cast on the red eyes. Looking at Terdeo's contemplative face, I stretched out my index finger, unlike the first time, with a bold attitude.

"One year."

“… … ”

“After that, you will get a clean divorce.”

2. I died again.

Although Theodore didn’t reply immediately, he didn’t refuse as firmly as he had earlier either.

“Weren’t you trying to acquire a second wife anyway? In that case, it would be in Your Excellency’s best interest to choose me.”

The emperor wanted to have the talented Theodore below him forever. That’s why he was stubbornly pushing for his marriage to a princess.

In the end, Theodore would have to quickly marry any woman in order to avoid that marriage.

“I doubt that Princess Dahlia offered a one-year contract marriage like me. Furthermore, if you treat the princess disrespectfully, His Majesty will be angry, so you can’t even ignore her.”

The atmosphere was as cold as a winter icicle.

“You were confident because you came knowing everything.”

Theodore wrinkled his forehead, deep in thought, as he tapped the armrest with his fingers.

“What do you gain from marrying me for one year?”

“All I want is to move in a way that goes against what my family is thinking. They think of me as a well-groomed pet.”

At my metaphor, Theodore couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Rather than a well-behaved dog, you’re more like a lion that can tear another’s throat out.”

A lion that can tear another’s throat out. He’s not wrong..  Since I’m going to tear those three’s throats out and dispose of them.

Theodore looked amused at my resolute expression.

“Are you certain your family is going to kill you?”

“It’s fine if you think it’s a lie. I’m not going to bother you about that, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

The heavy silence sank and pressed down on my shoulders. As if I had just gone through a long drought, the inside of my mouth was dry.

“…I need some time to think.”

Nice, he fell for it.

“I can’t give you that.”

I gave a yell of delight in my head. To say that he needs some time to think means that he’s already convinced, at least halfway.

If I give him time to think here, he might find a different option.

I need to finish this, short and sweet.

Let’s finish this in one go.

“I don’t have time to wait for Your Excellency’s response. Please decide now.”

I let go of the ring I had been fingering at and took a deep breath. Pretending to be calm, I took a cookie from the plate in front of me and took a bite.

Maybe it was because I was a little less nervous, but it was pretty sweet.

Once I ate my second cookie, Theodore finally spoke. “No matter how much I think about it, I think we should pretend this didn’t happen…”

It was at that moment.

Before Theodore could even finish his words, my body felt weird.

“…Huh?”

Like a sandcastle meeting a wave, I lost all strength in my body and collapsed.

“Ugh!”

Then, as if I was being choked, I was suffocating. My upper body fell forward unattractively as my face met the carpet.

“My lady!”

Theodore’s voice sounded far away.

It felt as if someone had lit a fire inside of me as the burning pain spread throughout my body.

‘Why, why…?’

I had felt this pain before. This was the same pain I felt when my stepmother killed me.

‘Am I dying again?’

As if someone blocked my mouth and nose, I couldn’t breathe.

Yes, just like when my stepmother suffocated me to death with a cushion.

“Damn it! My lady!”

To the sound of Theodore’s rough curses, I died again.

* * *

“Someone died again.”

“Be quiet. If you speak carelessly, you might be next.”

Heavy rain was pouring.

Two workers, wet from the rain, dug at the ground in a manner that showed they were familiar with it.

Rumble! Boom~!

The dark sky lit up, and the sound of the land cracking in half filled the air. In the atmosphere which felt like a ghost might appear, the workers quickened their pace.

Rumble! Boom~!

It was at the moment the second lightning struck.

“Ahhhhh!”

From the fresh air that filled my lungs, I screamed as I opened my eyes. As I raised my arms from the wet ground, the workers threw their shovels in surprise.

“Ahhh!”

“I-it’s a g-ghost!”

After throwing their shovels, they started running towards Theodore, who was watching from above the hole.

“S-she came back to life!”

“She got a new life when the lightning flashed!”

“It’s a witch! There’s no doubt about it!”

Hearing the workers spit words like machine fire, I got up, causing the dirt on my dress to fall down.

‘Were they going to bury me into the ground while I was still alive? I almost got buried alive!’

As I got hit by the pouring rain, I let out a dumbfounded laugh and made eye contact with Theodore, whose forehead was wrinkled.

After seeing the workers who were still frozen in fear, he gestured with his hands. Then, the butlers that were waiting behind him took the two people away.

“What’s going on?”

I definitely couldn’t breathe and thought that I was going to die. When my eyesight turned dark, I was sure I was going to die, once again.

However, I had opened my eyes once more.

Theodore’s pupils wavered slightly. He looked surprised, as if he was experiencing this for the first time. He agitatedly whispered to himself, “That’s weird, how did she get up?”

What? How did I get up? This crazy bastard.

“Are you perhaps asking me how I got up when I should have patiently lied in the ground and waited to get buried?”

At my angry response, Theodore tilted his head and crumpled his face. While I was considering whether or not I should throw the shovels that were left behind by the workers at him, Theodore reached out his hand to me without hesitation.

“If you don’t want to actually get buried, come out from that hole first.”

‘You were the one who tried to bury me!’ I furiously thought, glaring at him. Due to how deep they had dug the hole, there was no way I could get out by myself.

‘He was really making sure to bury me properly.’ Biting my lower lip tightly, I grabbed his outstretched hand.

“You need to explain properly, or I’m going to call the royal guards and report you for attempted murder.”

When I grabbed his hand, Theodore pulled me out of the hole with ease. Then, he placed his outer clothes over my head.

“Let’s talk when we get back.”

I followed Theodore, who swept his wet hair behind him. Once we entered his study, the butler came in, almost as if he’d been waiting for us, and brought us a big towel before leaving.

“At the end, you definitely ate a cookie with your hand.”

I nodded, using the towel to pat my wet hair and body dry.

“Yes, is there a problem with that?”

Did he poison the cookie?

Seeing my attitude, Theodore stopped drying his hair and showed me his hand.

“Do you see this wound? This is from when you grabbed me.”

I looked at his wound. It was the wound my ring made when I tried grabbing his hand and he hurriedly moved away.

“…How are the two related?”

“I might be able to agree to your proposal.”

What? What is he saying all of a sudden?

This bastard, did he go crazy after he failed to kill someone?

Theodore, who had dropped the towel on the desk after haphazardly drying himself, walked towards me. As his big figure stood in front of me, his shadow fell over my face.

“I apologize, but since this is an important issue, let me try once more.”

“Try what…”

Before I finished speaking, Theodore took the pen in his hand and scratched his palm hard. With the sound of his ripping skin, the scent of blood filled the air.

“What are you doing… ugh!”

And without a warning, he brought his bloody palm to my nose and mouth then pressed down.

At his sudden action, I gasped in surprise, causing the scarlet blood to drip into my mouth.

“Ugh…!”

As soon as I did that, the same pain I had experienced earlier ran through my body.

“You… mother…fucker…”

I died again.

.

.

.

…No, I thought I died.

“Gasp!”

“As expected, you woke up.”

As soon as I sat upright, I made eye contact with Theodore, who was sitting with his chin on his hands in a relaxed manner.

“What? I’m still alive?”

I definitely felt like I died, but strangely, I didn’t.

“Just what are you? Why did I feel like I was going to die from the pain, but still… No, why did I die and then come back?”

At this point, nothing could stop me.

“There is a curse on the Lapileon family.”

A curse? Suddenly, a curse? It’s a familiar word. Before I died, Siph definitely said that he put a curse on me.

But why would the topic of a curse come up here? I asked why I kept dying.

An unidentifiable uneasiness fell over me. Red lights in my head began to sound and yelled at me to run away.

“Those who carry the blood of the family in them are born with poison in their bodies. Our immunities against poison in general are strong, so even if we were to drink your average poison, we wouldn’t die.”

What? What kind of crazy talk is this? The Lapileon family curse? I never heard about this in the past!

“It’s possible to kill someone with just a few drops of blood.”

A few drops of blood? Wait.

“My ring scratched you and drew some blood, and I touched the ring. Then with that hand, the cookie….”

T-then was the thing I ate earlier poison? This jerk really thought he killed me and was seriously going to bury me in the ground?

Even while seeing my shock, Theodore spoke nonchalantly.

“But surprisingly, the lady did not die. Just like now.”

Theodore stood up from the chair he was sitting in and approached the bed.

“You found out about my family’s secret.”

I didn’t even ask! You just blabbed on your own!

Wait, why is he just freely telling me secrets no one else should be knowing?

Don’t tell me… He’s going to try to bury me alive again? Or maybe this time, actually kill me?

“I-I didn’t hear anything.”

Frightened from the dangerous atmosphere, I fled to a corner of the bed. Theodore coldly scoffed while looking at me who ran away with all my power.

“R-really, it’s the truth!”

I came here to save myself from my family, but am I going to end up dying here instead?

I began to desperately shout and pretended not to hear while covering both my ears.

When I did that, Theodore got on the bed. And without giving me a chance to escape, he lightly grabbed my wrist.

I unconsciously took a short breath when I saw his beautiful face so close to mine.

“My Lady.”

From between Theodore’s wounded fingers came the smell of blood.

“Exactly one year.”

“…”

“You have to be my wife.”

“Sorry?”

He’s not trying to kill me?

With a suspicious face, I tried to read Theodore’s expression. Although I originally thought he was trying to calm me down to kill me after,  I didn’t think that was the case anymore.

“…Why are you accepting my proposal all of a sudden? Is it because you’re sorry for trying to kill me?”

“As if. If we go into the details, I didn’t try to kill you. The person who made the wound and the person who ate the cookie were both you, My Lady.”

If you had told me, that would’ve never happened in the first place!

“…Do you know how most people react when they find out about the curse?”

As soon as Theodore pulled my wrist he’d been holding on to, there was a small gust of wind. Due to our distance which had shortened in a single moment, I felt strangely nervous.

“Most people get scared and run away.”

Theodore dropped his gaze. Seeing his long and fine eyelashes sink, my jaw unknowingly dropped.

“As soon as just our fingertips touch, they become terrified and beg me to let them live.”

Due to the stagnant atmosphere, I almost asked him to let me live.

“Or they suddenly feel superior since they know such a unique secret. As if they’ve suddenly become something, they feel special and sympathize with me, pouring devoted love towards me.”

With a murderous face, Theodore spoke as if he was chewing thoroughly.

“My ex-wife was like that.”

Is he talking about the ex-wife who received a huge alimony for the divorce?

“But they soon open their eyes to reality. The thing is, humans actually bleed quite often. If they get a paper cut from reading a book, if they fall, if they get hurt while cooking, or…”

He smiled shallowly as he looked at the wound on his finger.

“If they get cut on a ring, like this.”

I felt nervous, as if I was standing on thin ice at the middle of a deep lake. Being unable to speak, I tightly bit my stiff lips.

“And from then on, they start going crazy because they hate even being in the same space.”

Ah, I didn’t really want to know stuff like this.

I didn’t want something complicated like this. I was just looking for a way to survive.

Changing his expression, which had become cold and rigid, Theodore let go of my wrist.

“My ex-wife used my secret she somehow found out as a weakness, and asked me to marry her. Then she ran away, claiming she was scared. She received a huge alimony in order to keep the secret. Although she knows that if she carelessly says something, she’ll die, so she probably won’t.”

‘Stop saying such scary words with an expression that looks like you’re talking about the weather!’

The blood in my face drained away. Theodore, who had been whispering to himself, quietly turned to look at me.

“This secret is why I was trying to reject your offer, My Lady…”

“I’ll cancel it,” I said firmly, raising my hand before he could even finish speaking.

I have to cancel it. I had no idea he had such a crazy secret.

The most important thing to me is ‘safety’. That’s why I can’t live with a man whose whole body is a weapon, whose single drop of blood could kill.

And let’s say I’m not dying because of his blood right now, but who knows if that would change one day?

I can’t. I absolutely cannot.

“What a shame.”

Even at my refusal, Theodore didn’t seem at all surprised.

“Do you think I’ll let you even after you found out about my family’s secret?”

For a second, it seemed as if his red eyes were filled with madness. I lowered my head slowly.

“Damn it.”

“Let’s spend the next one year well, wife.”

I think I’m screwed.

**

Chapter 3: I’m Getting Married**

“Here’s the wedding invitation.”

As I put forth the invitation, the three faces in front of me filled with horror and shock.

“A wedding invitation? What are you saying all of a sudden…”

“Older sister! You’re getting married to Sir Siph?”

“W-wait a second, Sasha. We should discuss marriage together first. Are you proposing to me all of a sudden?”

My stepmother and my younger sister Reina, as well as the person I’d loved, Siph, were looking at the wedding invitation with different expressions. But, as if they were rehearsing lines from a play, they were all in sync.

It seemed that all three of them thought it was obvious that I would get married to Siph.

Well, it had been like that in the past. I had never tried to leave Siph and couldn’t have imagined being with a man who was not Siph.

“We’re not going to hold a formal wedding; we’ll just go to the temple and read our vows.”

“Sasha, I want to have a fancy wedding with you.”

Who said I was going to get married to you?

Siph, as ambitious as ever, grumbled as he opened the wedding invitation that I’d placed on the table. His face paled as soon as he read the contents.

“Older sister, when did you prepare a wedding with Sir Siph? You should’ve told us!”

“But if it’s Sir Siph, I think I can entrust him to you. You made a good choice.”

Pretending to be kind, the two of them smiled and turned to look at the wedding invitation in Siph’s hands. Then, Reina suddenly stood up.

“W-what is this…”

It seems they’ve all read the contents now.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and laughed. I was the happiest I had ever been.

“Yes, I decided to get married to Grand Duke Lapileon.”

In the end, I decided to get married to Theodore, since it wasn’t easy to find a man who fulfilled all the conditions like he did.

I turned to look at Siph, who was frozen in place as if he’d seen a ghost.

This bastard. This is all because of you.

So now…

“Siph, let’s break up.”

You’re out of my life.

“Older sister! What are you…! The person you love is Sir Siph! Did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget.”

When I died, my inheritance went to my husband Siph, and you said that the three of you would live happily with the money. How could I forget?

With my money, Siph probably gifted you bags and shoes while smiling, right? If I could act in parallel with the way I feel, I would go and rip the dress you’re wearing to shreds, Reina.

“…Sasha, did I do something wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

“Siph.”

“Yeah, Sasha. It’s me. It’s me, Siph, the man you love.”

“Can you get out of my house?”

And if possible, get out of my life as well.

I got up, smiling mockingly at the three frozen people.

“Sasha!”

Siph grabbed desperately at my arm as I turned. A shiver went down my spine as if a bug had touched me. When I pushed him away, he fell onto the ground.

“Siph! … Sir Siph, I mean!” Reina called instinctively before helping him up.

“Older sister! How can you push someone like that? Are you a thug?”

It was so absurd that I couldn’t even laugh.

“Pershati, why are you acting like this? I think you’re feeling sick. Did you fight with Sir Siph? If not, how about the two of you go on a trip together?”

As I saw my stepmother, pretending to be caring, Siph, pretending to be hurt, and Reina, comforting him, I felt a burst of anger.

‘I can’t believe that I considered these people to be my family.’

Although I wanted to slap their faces right now, I swallowed down the desire and clenched my fists. Then, I lifted my shaking cheekbones into a forced smile.

“Listen carefully, everyone.”

I scanned the three people.

“From now on, I will not allow the entry of outsiders into my residence. This includes Sir Siph.”

***

Time passed quickly, and soon, the day of our wedding came.

Since none of us had anything to gain from putting it off, we chose the earliest day possible.

Siph, who had been a regular soldier, lost the right to take the test to become a royal guard, which only nobles could take, since his wedding with me had been ruined.

‘This is just the beginning. I’ll make you lose much more in the future.’

After reading the wedding vows, Theodore asked me in a low voice, “Is it really okay to just read the vows?”

“Do we need anything else?”

“This is a contract relationship, but if my lady wants, I’ll hold the fanciest wedding in the empire.”

It seemed that he wasn’t satisfied with the few sentences that the officiant had recited earlier.

A marriage with no one watching or congratulating.

I thought for a moment and then shrugged while grinning.

“Just convert the cost to money and give it to me after the year is up.”

I don’t need a formal wedding anyways. It would be better to receive it after the divorce!

Money is king. Money will never betray me.

“Are you already thinking about your alimony a year ahead? How meticulous.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“And your luggage? Is it arriving today?”

“I finished packing this morning, so it should have arrived at the estate by now.”

We began walking to where the carriage was waiting for us. But before we could even take a few steps, as if they had been waiting for us, someone stopped us in our paths.

“Grand Duke Lapileon.”

She surprised me.

A girl with golden hair whipping around her face looked at me with dark green eyes filled with jealousy and rage.

It was a face I had seen somewhere before.

While I was furrowing my brow and searching through my memories, Theodore let out a sigh and finally spoke.

“Your Highness…”

Sorry, what? A princess?

Shocked, I looked at the two back and forth. Now that I looked more closely, there was no doubt that I’d seen that face at the inauguration ceremony and during imperial events.

The Fourth Princess, Dahlia Ina Castor.

Back then she had appeared weak and sick, but she seemed completely fine now. It looked like the rumors that she had truly recovered were true.

“What brings you here?”

“Did you really get married to someone other than me?”

In contrast with her cute appearance, the girl who blocked our path was glaring and chewing on her lip. It looked like in her eyes I didn’t even exist.

“I’ve been waiting for the day I could meet you for so long. Why aren’t you marrying me? Do you think that someone that loves you the same way I do exists?”

Dahlia came even closer. In her green eyes, there was longing for someone that I didn’t know. Dahlia muttered sadly, as if she were about to cry.

“We had finally met. I became the most perfect lady for you and there was nothing blocking us.”

I thought that it was marriage that the emperor had pushed, but Dahlia wanted it? Anyways…

Was Dahlia always like that? In my memories she was a cute and innocent princess.

As I stood there blinking in confusion, Dahlia put her hand on Theodore’s left cheek before he could avoid her.

“I even sent you my suicide note to tell you that if you didn’t marry me I would die. Did you not see it?”

What? Did I hear wrong? Suicide note? Has she gone crazy?

Slap.

“What are you doing.”

At the sudden contact, as if it were unpleasant, Theodore quickly took Dahlia’s hand and roughly threw it off. He hit it hard enough that the back of her hand began turning red.

But Dahlia, her red lips twisting upwards, kept smiling.

“If you’re not beside me, then there’s no reason for me to live here anymore. You’re my man, and mine only.”

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

She was crazy. You could tell in one glance. Dahlia, who had been rumored to have gotten better, was not in her right mind.

How could a person change so quickly in a moment?

I had been staring at the two blankly, but belatedly came to my senses. One of the reasons Theodore agreed to have a contract marriage with me must have been that he didn’t want to be involved with a princess like this.

Then I should also do my job well.

I slowly creeped between the two people and linked arms with Theodore. As soon as I did, Dahlia, as if she was a predator who had her prey stolen, looked at me with glimmering eyes.

D-don’t look at me like you’re going to stab me.

“Your Highness, my apologies.”

Although she was a bit scary, I held it in and smiled brightly.

“My husband morbidly hates when someone other than me touches him.”

Dahlia looked at me with a glare like a dragon spitting fire.

That’s too scary! Cold sweat dripped down the back of my neck.

“O-Oh my, your hand is very swollen. Your precious body…! You should quickly go see the doctor!”

So, go home already.

Since I said that with the meaningful tone used for kicking guests out, she must have understood, but Dahlia stood still as if she were rooted to the ground.

“What are you?”

Dahlia stomped over to me with her teeth clenched. Her eyes were filled with rage and confusion.

Ack, why is she getting closer to me?

As soon as I took steps back out of surprise, Theodore moved in front of me and blocked my front. But Dahlia’s attention was still pointed at me.

“Why are you here?”

Obviously, I’m here because I married him.

…is what I wanted to say but I held it in and shut my lips tightly. If I said that, it felt like she would immediately rip my mouth apart.

It was just for a moment, but Dahlia looked like a different person.

“You can’t be here…!”

Just at the moment when Dahlia was about to yell.

“Oh my, it’s so loud that even if I didn’t want to, I could hear it all.”

An unfamiliar voice interrupted, along with the sound of a carriage stopping. When I lifted my head, an unknown lady stared down at us indifferently with her chin in her hand, which was resting on the window of the carriage.

“If a report that Your Highness was seen trying to coerce another woman’s man was spread, it would be quite unpleasant for you, ho ho.”

The lady, as if mocking, giggled quietly and covered her mouth with a fan.

“People will soon begin to gather. Will you really be okay if you keep chasing after someone’s husband here?”

Looking around, people who recognized us had started to glance in our directions. However, Dahlia seemed as if she didn’t care about other people’s gazes.

“Well, of course. You came to interrupt me again.”

Dahlia, still keeping her gaze on me, extended her hand and muttered words I couldn’t understand. The behavior was so bizarre and strange that I got goosebumps again.

“…?”

But that was all she did. From the atmosphere, I thought she would pull out a sword and stab and kill me right there, but no matter how much I waited, she didn’t do anything else.

Theodore, the lady in the carriage, the people watching, and I all tilted our heads in bafflement.

“…Damn it.”

Even Princess Dahlia. As if something that she wanted wasn’t going as planned, she scrunched up her face and lowered her hand. Looking at her own hand with confusion, Dahlia muttered.

“Remember this well.”

She spoke with resentment in her voice.

“Without you I have no desire to live. I do not wish to lend you to someone else twice. You’ll come to know that you need me too, and if we’re not together then we will both suffer.”

I felt danger, as if I was looking at a person who had lived thousands of years in miserable demise. This was not an expression that a princess in the flower of her youth should have.

After leaving behind words that were impossible to understand, Dahlia swept past us and disappeared into the crowd. I let out a shallow sigh and turned to my savior in the carriage.

Who is she?

As soon as we made eye contact, she smiled brightly.

“It’s a relief she left, right?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes…”

As soon as I nodded awkwardly, Theodore, from beside me, introduced her with furrowed brows.

“She’s my older sister.”

…huh? What did he just say? Who? Older sister?

“Why are you here?”

“You told me you were reading your vows today. No matter how simple you said your wedding would be, I thought it would be sad if there was no one to congratulate you.”

Gosh, s-sister?

Now that I saw it, she had an almost eerily similar face to Theodore.

“You can’t already be giving your wife a difficult time with that thing attached, Theo.”

To call the Princess “that thing.” I had already seen her calmly snub the crazy princess, but her personality really was fiery.

When the carriage door opened, a tall lady with bright red hair that flowed to her waist wearing a wide hat with fancy detailing on the brim came down.

“Nice to meet you, Pershati. I’m Sercia Jane Lapileon. Call me Seci.”

She had an unapproachable aura.

“I’m Pershati Jihar… no, Pershati Lapileon.”

Sercia smiled, handing me the bouquet of flowers she had brought from the carriage.

“Are you done with your vows, Theo?”

“Theo”, she called him. I almost burst out laughing at the cute nickname that did not suit him at all.

“We already finished a while ago.”

Theodore didn’t react to it; it seemed like he was used to being called in such a way.

“Darn… I wanted to congratulate you and even brought flowers. I don’t know if my timing was good or late.”

Sercia’s shoulders drooped, seeming disappointed that she had missed the vows.

“Thank you for helping us earlier. Truthfully, I was scared.”

“Oh my, really? If that’s so, then that’s a relief. If you’re on your way back to the estate, I’d like to take you there… Would that be alright, Pershati?”

“Ah… yes!”

As soon as I nodded, Sercia pushed Theodore out of the way and offered me her hand. After I took it and got into the carriage, the other two entered behind me.

“I don’t understand why you would marry this guy, Pershati.”

“Ha… Sercia.”

“Look at that. He has no manners calling his elder sister with only her first name. If this kid Theo acts like a bastard, just tell me. I’ll pull out his fingernails and toenails.”

What? Finger…. What? Did I hear wrong?

Looking at my dumbfounded face, Sercia said “oh my”, laughing and fanning herself. For no particular reason, I began to covertly check to see if my fingernails were still intact and laughed awkwardly.

“I heard that our family’s curse doesn’t work on you?”

“…Yes.”

“Even so, it’s best to be careful. Our family’s real curse is that we hurt others around us. Even if they’re people we care about. It’s a really cruel curse.”

Her words had weight, as if she was speaking from experience. In an effort to calm her worries, I smiled more brightly.

“You don’t have to worry. Even after I ingested the Grand Duke’s blood twice, I still…”

“What did you say?”

Crack.

The sound of the carriage’s armrest echoed. My mouth closed automatically.

Did I say something wrong?

“Did Theo give you his blood?”

Huh… is that something she didn’t hear about?

I discreetly glanced at Theodore, who had turned away with his palm over his eyes. When I didn’t answer, Sercia turned to Theodore and cursed at him.

“You bastard.”

Excuse me…dear sister?

t/n 언니

“I told you not to go around doing things like that. Do you need to be imprisoned in the dungeon for a month to regain your senses?”

“It was an accident.”

Yeah, it was most certainly not an accident.

I wanted to interject, but I felt like my finger and toenails really would be removed, so I shut my mouth tightly. Who would have thought that The Theodore, rumored to love blood and violence, would be so obedient. I could never have imagined it.

Sercia stared at Theodore disapprovingly, then looked at me with apologetically and said,

“If this brat does something that ridiculous again, contact me anytime. I’ll leave him half-dead.”