“Miss, it's time to wake... Oh! You're already awake?”
The maid who had come to wake Adeline stopped in surprise. It was rare for Adeline, who loved sleeping in, to be awake before anyone else.
Adeline had not slept a single moment all night.
"...What did you just say?"
"I asked whether you'd consider entering a contract with me."
"And that contract is marriage?"
Whether she closed her eyes or kept them open, the conversation she had with Kael in the garden the previous night kept replaying in her mind.
She had sharply told him how unpleasant he was in an attempt to push him away.
The words that came afterward had been a marriage proposal.
She had tried to avoid the worst, only to end up with something even worse.
"It's a contract worth considering. There's only one thing I want, and in return for that one thing, the benefits you'll receive will be limitless."
For a moment, she almost blurted out that no one in their right mind would agree to such an unfair contract.
Instead, her mind raced.
No matter what happened, Kael had to marry Vanessa.
After he fell in love with Vanessa, Adeline would carry out the original story, Kael would kill her in his rage, and everyone would get their happy ending.
Kael and Vanessa could live happily without the villainess getting in their way, and Adeline could finally escape this endless possession.
But if she actually married Kael like he suggested, the entire storyline would be ruined.
At this rate, the possession might never end.
The thought made her dizzy.
"If you don't have a suitor or a fiancé..."
"I do. A fiancé."
Her panic made the lie come out effortlessly.
Before Kael could even finish speaking, she interrupted him and claimed she already had a fiancé.
In reality, she had neither a fiancé nor even an active suitor.
Strictly speaking, many suitors had appeared over the years, but her two overprotective older brothers and younger brother rejected every one of them before they could even sit down and speak with her.
"So let's pretend I never heard your proposal. Goodbye."
Adeline walked away from Kael faster than she ever had.
Every instinct screamed that if she stayed with him even one second longer, she'd be dragged deeper into this mess.
But once she escaped and returned home, another worry surfaced.
He's not actually going to investigate whether I really have a fiancé... is he? Should I prepare a fake one, just in case?
One question led to another, and before she knew it, the sun had risen.
Even now, with the maid standing in her room, she was still trapped in her thoughts.
"Miss... are you alright?"
"Ah... yes. I'm fine. Help me get ready. I should go downstairs."
Giving the worried maid a small smile, Adeline slowly climbed out of bed.
Nothing had been resolved, but the day had begun.
First, she had to deal with the rumors that would undoubtedly explode because of what had happened last night.
"...Sigh."
It was already shaping up to be an exhausting day.
"Simeon? What brings you here this early without even sending word? More importantly... why does everyone look so serious?"
After getting ready and heading downstairs, Adeline found her brothers waiting for her with grim expressions.
Even her younger brother Simeon, who should have been at the Holy Temple, was there.
"Adeline."
"Yes, Brother."
"When you were alone with Grand Duke Inver in the garden last night... nothing happened, did it? He didn't behave improperly toward you, did he?"
"What? Where is this coming from?... No. Nothing like that happened."
Kael had certainly flustered her, but nothing remotely resembling what Enoch was implying had occurred.
Adeline frowned, unable to understand why they were saying such things.
"Thank goodness. I only heard this morning that you were alone with the Grand Duke. Do you know how worried I was?!"
Hearing her answer, her brothers all sighed in relief.
Among them, Enoch, who had attended the ball with her, looked especially emotional, his eyes nearly filling with tears.
From the moment they entered the ballroom, countless nobles wanting to build ties with House Thien had surrounded him.
Because of that, he had completely missed both Adeline's dance and what happened afterward in the garden.
He remained unaware until they returned home together.
Only this morning, after hearing the rumors from his younger brothers who had rushed over, did he finally understand what had happened.
"I'll never let something like that happen again. I should never have taken my eyes off you..."
"If that's how it's going to be, then let me escort Adeline from now on, Brother Enoch. I'll go with her myself. Who would dare approach her when the Commander of the Fidel Knights is standing beside her?"
"Brother Enoch, Brother Leo, please pay more attention. At this rate, how am I supposed to stay peacefully at the Holy Temple?"
While the three brothers each chimed in, Adeline simply sat down with the weary expression of someone who had heard all this countless times before.
Eight years ago, after the Marquis and Marchioness of Thien passed away, the four siblings had relied entirely on one another.
Among them, the three brothers were fiercely protective of their only sister.
The eldest, Enoch, had elevated the already prestigious House Thien to even greater heights.
The second son, Leo, had earned countless achievements as Commander of the Fidel Knights.
The youngest, Simeon, was considered the leading candidate to become the next High Priest.
With brothers this accomplished, no one dared push through their overprotectiveness to approach Adeline.
"More importantly, Simeon. You came all the way here at dawn just because you heard I was alone with Grand Duke Inver?"
"Sister... after hearing that, how could I possibly stay calmly at the Holy Temple?"
"So the rumors spread all the way to the Temple?"
If the news had reached even the depths of the Holy Temple this early, then the entire capital must already be talking about Kael and Adeline.
She pressed her fingers against her aching temples.
This could become even bigger than I expected. I knew people would gossip, but I didn't think it'd spread this fast... Kael must know too, right? What if he actually tries to use these rumors to marry me?
The rumors were spreading much faster than she had anticipated.
Their impact would likely be far greater as well.
"Why did Grand Duke Inver ask Adeline to dance? I've never even heard of him dancing with a lady before."
"I know. I was shocked too. What if he fell for Sister because she's just that beautiful?"
"That's entirely possible. Adeline is the most beautiful woman in the Empire. But even if it's Grand Duke Inver, I won't let him approach her so easily."
Leo spoke first, followed by Simeon and then Enoch.
Meanwhile, Adeline wasn't listening at all.
She was deep in thought.
No matter how I think about it... he's definitely going to check whether I really have a fiancé.
Kael didn't seem like the type to simply let the matter drop.
Even if he didn't investigate, it would be safer to prepare one anyway.
"...What if..."
Adeline finally spoke.
Six pairs of eyes immediately turned toward her.
"Could you find me a fiancé? Someone quick-witted and obedient. It'd be even better if he could quietly break off the engagement after a few weeks or months without causing trouble."
She spoke with complete seriousness.
To everyone else, however, her request was utterly shocking.
Enoch dropped his knife and fork.
Leo's mouth fell open.
Simeon's hand trembled as he held his glass.
Adeline, meanwhile, remained completely resolute.
"Absolutely not! You're not getting married! Not while I'm alive!"
"Why is everyone making such a fuss? I'm not even getting married. I just need a fiancé."
Adeline shook her head as she remembered Enoch nearly bursting a blood vessel while shouting that marriage was out of the question.
Things were already going badly enough.
Now even her brothers weren't helping.
"...Sigh."
She let out another deep breath before pulling a slightly oversized hat low over her head.
No. Stop thinking about it. I came here to clear my head.
Dressed as a man, Adeline had come to an underground fighting arena.
This was one of her few hobbies.
Since long ago, all the refined and elegant accomplishments expected of noble ladies had never suited her.
That hadn't changed in the eight years since she possessed this body.
Thinking she'd suffocate from frustration long before Kael ever killed her, she had accidentally discovered this fighting arena.
Whenever she wanted to clear her mind, she came here to watch mercenaries duel.
"Welcome back. It's been a while."
She gave the owner, who recognized her as a regular, a slight nod.
After paying the entrance fee, she took her usual seat.
The first match had already begun.
Mercenaries, desperate to raise their value, displayed their strength in fierce combat.
Hmm. The long-haired mercenary will win easily. But both of them are too slow.
Since childhood, Adeline had watched Leo train countless times.
She also possessed exceptionally sharp instincts.
Not only could she accurately predict who would win, she could immediately recognize which mercenaries had exceptional potential.
Whenever she spotted someone promising, she'd quietly approach them afterward and hand them a recommendation allowing them to take the entrance examination for the Fidel Knights.
The Fidel Knights, under House Thien, were famous for recruiting outstanding mercenaries with remarkable efficiency.
Much of that success was thanks to Adeline.
Of course, if her brothers ever found out, the entire household would be thrown into chaos.
As long as she wasn't caught, everything was fine.
She had been secretly doing this for five years now.
Fortunately, no one had discovered it yet.
"Today's champion is Dapo of the Silver Tower!"
Time flew by.
The night's final champion was announced.
Deafening cheers erupted from the crowd.
People immediately surrounded the victorious mercenary, bidding fiercely to recruit him.
Adeline, however, didn't spare the champion a single glance.
Instead, she walked toward another mercenary she had noticed earlier.
He was wiping blood from his split lip.
No one else was paying him any attention.
Smiling in satisfaction, Adeline approached him.
Soon, their eyes met.
Just like every other time, recruiting him should have been easy.
"Excuse me—"
"No matter what price you offer, I'll pay five times as much."
Just as Adeline began speaking, another voice interrupted.
...No way.
It was a deep, leisurely voice she could never forget.
The mercenary's eyes widened in surprise.
Adeline's widened even more.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Impossible.
She froze stiff as she looked at the owner of the voice.
"Unfortunately, I've already set my sights on—"
The man, intending to dismiss his competitor immediately, suddenly stopped speaking the moment his eyes met Adeline's pale green ones.
"...Why are you here?"
It was Kael.
The very person Adeline most wanted to avoid had appeared in the last place she ever expected to see him.
And he had found her...
while she was disguised as a man.
