Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Business Negotiations Complete ☆

A few days after we responded that we would accept the Duke House of Physalis’ marriage proposal, the good Duke himself came to our home. Along with a number of betrothal gifts.

Fancy and exquisite dresses, gorgeous jewels – items I’ve only ever seen from a distance. There were loads of various other gifts.

It’s a secret that everyone in my family didn’t just get agitated, but outright pulled back at the sight of the fancy goods brought into our home one after another.

“We might be able to pay off our debt just by selling off all of these…” I mumble idly.

“Hey! Viola! You can’t say that!”

My mother immediately denies my words, a black aura emanating from her despite her wide smile.

The Duke gallantly appears in front of this shell-shocked House of Euphorbia.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Viola. I am Duke Cercis Tinensis Physalis. I am very much pleased that you gave your assent to accept my offer of marriage,” he greets graciously, then smiles such a beautiful smile that you can’t help but blankly stare at it.

I on the other hand, am standing straight up, stunned at the Duke’s handsomeness. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in person.

I did hear in rumours that he was handsome, that he had good looks, but the real thing was even better than rumoured. Slender and tall with a tight body. His dark brown hair is cut short and refreshingly kept neat in a normal knight’s style. His similarly dark brown eyes are manly, his nose bridge straight and long, and his mouth is currently smiling softly. Every part of him was very much perfect. All the different parts of him create a perfect harmony even when they’re put together to make one handsome man.

With such a dazzling man in front of me, it would be more unreasonable to ask me to not become nervous.

“A -A pleasure to meet you, I am Viola.”

I stuttered.

But the Duke doesn’t comment on my ungraceful state and instead smiles cheerfully.

He takes my hand in an instant and turns to Father.

“You’re lovely, just as the rumours say. Earl Euphorbia, I wish to talk for a bit with Lady Viola, but would you mind?” he requests for a chat.

“Yes, yes, feel free, feel free. If you would like, we may prepare seats for you in the garden,” Father agrees, nodding his head like a bobble head figure.

“Thank you very much.”

Having gotten permission the Duke decides to head there immediately. I ended up going to the garden with him.

We enter the modest garden, the bright afternoon sun shining down.  The moment the Duke and I become alone, he speaks.

“I would like a wife just on a superficial level, a cosmetic wife.”

With a smile, the first thing out of his mouth is this.

What? What did this guy just say?

“Cosmetic, you say?”

I doubted my hearing for a moment at the Duke’s words. Dontcha think that’s not the kinda thing you should say with a big smile?

… Ahem, I lost control of myself. I thought that I had heard wrong thanks to the loud chirping of the birds in the garden.

“Yes, cosmetic. To tell you the truth, I have a lover I’ve been dating for over six years. While I do love her, she’s regrettably a former wandering dancer. She’s not just any commoner – no one even knows where she came from. Since everyone around me opposes it, I cannot marry her.”

My uncertainty disappears in an instant. The Duke, his beautiful smile unfaltering, is cheerfully telling me an incredible story.

“I see…”

“But recently, the people around me have been whining about how I should marry, how I should make an heir.”

“I see.”

“But they still won’t allow me to marry her. And I have no intention to break up with her. And so, I will obtain a wife in nothing but name, and live with her as husband and wife on the surface.”

“… What?”

As it was such a crazy story, all I could bring myself to do was continuously give simple answers. I did change the intonations slightly however.

To summarize, the person I’m to marry (the Duke) already has a lover, and so I will be his mistress despite being his lawful wife. No wait, aren’t I less than a mistress? He’s already decided he won’t love me. Um, huh? Wait a second, I’ve started to get confused. You call a lover a mistress, right, normally. Then what would his lawful wife like me be? Ugh, I’ve started to get confused. Enough. Well, how should I say it… as expected, there’s no such thing as a free meal. It would be weird if there wasn’t a catch. I was strangely okay with the fact that there was.

Frighteningly, the Duke maintains his smile. As I stare at him, my thoughts in a disarray inside me, he continues.

“Oh, I do not care if you do as you please. It will be problematic for me if you’re too overt, but I do not mind if you have a lover. I promise that you will experience no inconveniences in regards to clothing, food, and accommodations.”

The Duke smiles brightly.

I almost tripped at those brutal words delivered with a smile! Hey, hey! There’s a demon here!

My mouth agape, I stare at him in astonishment.

… Let’s act a bit more noble, me. Let’s start by closing that stupidly open mouth.

A normal young noble lady would’ve probably been livid at him by now, but my situation is a bit complicated. After all, this engagement is related to my family’s debt problems.

If something isn’t done about our debt, Father, Mother, and my young sister and brother will struggle. If I got angry at these terms and tried to dissolve the engagement, my family will go straight back into poverty. Though well, we’re already as poor as we can be. To make things worse, high society will be sure to shun us. “Nobles in ruin who sullied a prestigious noble!”, they’d say… though that sounds a little cool ☆.

No, no, no, no, all I have to do here is endure it myself.

I mentioned this earlier as well, but I’ve luckily been rather unfamiliar with romance. For all eighteen years of my life, there’s been no one I’ve been interested in, and I’ve cared so little about my future that I even thought, “We’re poor so I might not mind being single for life helping out my family ☆.” Honestly, being able to live with zero troubles is rather great for me. I don’t have to worry about my life when I get old!

After thinking all this in my head in an instant, I speak.

“I understand. If you keep your promise about the debt, I do not care about anything.”

My response was pretty calm.

But well, I still don’t think I’ll take a lover or anything.

The Duke looks a little surprised, perhaps because I replied so indifferently without getting angry. But he immediately returns to his smile from before.

“I’m glad that you’re a perceptive person. I’m counting on you from now on.”

He holds out his right hand to me. Is this a handshake indicating the end of business negotiations? I take his hand in mine with no hesitation.

Here, the political marriage become marriage through contract between the House of Physalis and the House of Euphorbia was officially decided.

Author’s Note:

Thank you again today （*＾－＾*）

I am very happy that so many people read this!

With your encouragement, I’ll do my best!

T/N:

As most of the author’s notes are along the lines of this one, I won’t be translating any more unless they have new info.