Tatiana sat with her back straight, quietly lowering her eyes. It wasn’t pessimism; it was fact. Hadn’t she seen it clearly with her own eyes that day? The nobles who had taken root in Lebron couldn’t oppose her mother. The fear that even surpassed the love they professed for her. It was nothing but futile.
“Th, Then, what do you think of him?”
“Well.”
Tatiana propped her chin on her hand. Certainly, Kainel Townsent was neither the gentlemen nor the knights she had encountered so far. Even so, he had come to find her in such a difficult position and stood before everyone, which alone was reason enough to consider him a ‘decent man.’
But that was it. She had only seen him a handful of times—barely countable on five fingers—and lately, she had to seek him out herself just to meet him briefly, so she still didn’t know enough about Kainel to define him in any way.
‘Did I make him uncomfortable?’
A faint shadow crossed Tatiana’s face. She could understand the first day, but after that, he could have visited her anytime, yet Kainel hadn’t. No, he hadn’t even entered the house at all.
Then why on earth did he bring me here?
No matter how much she had let go of everything, going to the training grounds full of men wasn’t easy at all.
“I never expected anything like that from that woman.”
A sharp pang.
Her chest tightened, and Tatiana clenched her fist. Her nails dug into her palm. The man’s voice, saying he expected nothing from her, left a lingering echo. She had secretly thought she might be of some help to him, but that hope had crumbled miserably.
‘How ridiculous.’
Those who demanded so much from her had turned their backs on her blatantly, yet the one man who demanded nothing had taken her hand. Because of that, Tatiana didn’t even mind this desolate black mansion.
If Kainel hadn’t come to the palace, even a patch of dirt to lie on would have been a luxury for her.
“He’s just… someone I’m grateful to.”
“My Lady.”
“For now, that’s enough.”
The smile she gave Anne was faintly bitter, but she had to accept the situation as it was. Even though they had parted awkwardly that day, the conversation with him itself wasn’t bad. He wasn’t particularly kind, but at least they could communicate, so for a ‘marriage to a stranger,’ it was worth trying.
When she thought about it, it wasn’t that Kainel demanded absolutely nothing from her. The usually taciturn man had clearly said it. What he wanted from her was only…
“My Lady, are you feverish? Your cheeks… look over here.”
“It’s nothing.”
Tatiana quickly lowered her head and picked up the paper on the table. Anne’s eyes, which had been on her flushed cheeks and neck, naturally followed.
“What is this? Oh… a marriage contract?”
“Yes. Since it’s a marriage, it’s better to have it written down.”
“Ah, as expected!”
Even though she came from the Cartien family, it was hard to abandon the habits of nobility she had observed and learned there her whole life.
If Tatiana’s experience from her sisters’ marriages and divorces could be quantified, it would surpass that of an average lawyer. She never forgot anything she saw even once, and the content she recalled and reproduced was essentially copied from her sisters’. The marriage documents for the four daughters that Viscountess Cartien had prepared with her splendid army of lawyers weren’t called the greatest non-fiction of the century for nothing.
“Usually, you’d write about gifts or property exchanged, but I have nothing.”
“…So you left it all blank?”
“I only wrote the basics. He’ll read it and add what he needs to.”
Tatiana’s handwriting, as upright as her personality, was as neat as if it had been printed on a type plate.
For nobles, a marriage contract was nothing special. It was the basics, entering agreements on each other’s demands, property, and the essentials to maintain the marriage.
However, she had nothing to give or receive. No, since she definitely had nothing to give, she didn’t expect to receive anything either. Now, the only thing Tatiana pondered was the final clause.
“Ah, my Lady. This is…”
“I have to write it, though.”
The duties as husband and wife and the matter of the bedchamber.
In noble society, it was as important as property. Since the bedchamber itself was closely tied to heirs, they specified not only the frequency but also handling infertility and assigning responsibility in advance. Her sisters must have discussed this before marriage as well, but unfortunately, Tatiana hadn’t been present for those talks.
“Well, even the Madame wouldn’t have sat you down for such discussions, especially since you’re unmarried.”
“Anne, have you heard anything about it?”
Tatiana, unable to grasp it at all, sought help from Anne. She had heard and seen much at home and in society, but this was an intimate matter between husband and wife. With no experience in such things, she felt utterly awkward.
‘I should have asked my sisters about this.’
She had finally regained her composure, but Tatiana’s violet eyes wavered. If even one of her sisters had been by her side, instead of her mother’s formidable legal team, she wouldn’t be scratching her head like this.
“W, Well, it must be different for each lady. Especially Lady Regina.”
“My second sister… No, never mind.”
Tatiana shook her head, unable to bear recalling her second sister’s seductive figure as she wielded her fan and stole men’s souls.
Even if she asked, it would differ depending on whether it was their first or later marriages.
In the end, Tatiana vaguely wrote down what she thought was the most appropriate number and set down the pen.
“…This should be fine.”
“My Lady, really. Why prepare so thoroughly?”
“You never know. Mother might try to invalidate this marriage.”
As she voiced the entirely predictable situation, Tatiana put the contract into an envelope. The reason she bothered writing a marriage contract, despite having nothing to bring, not even a dowry, was exactly that. Tatiana was certain her mother would willingly sacrifice even the viscountcy to nullify this marriage.
“If I’m going to do it, I should do it right.”
“…My Lady.”
Tatiana deliberately looked away from Anne’s gaze, which was looking at her with pity.
Knock knock. As the conversation seemed to be wrapping up, the butler who had been waiting outside knocked and entered.
“Please have some. It’s tea sourced from Teak in the famous Southern region for its teas.”
“…Thank you.”
Tatiana lifted the teacup placed before her. Watching her lower her eyes and quietly savor the aroma, the butler continued with a proud expression on his face.
“We received the special grade from Barkman’s department store. Afternoon tea time is surely a duty of a distinguished family, isn’t it? The Commander hasn’t received a title yet, but since he’s established a new family in Lebron, he must pay attention to setting the family customs as well.”
“He must.”
She smiled faintly at the butler, who was eager in his explanation.
My Lady, this is…
Anne, who had been sipping her tea from the seat beside her, looked at Tatiana with a hint of surprise, but Tatiana lightly pressed the back of Anne’s hand as if to say not to intervene.
“It’s truly… an impressive aroma.”
“Isn’t it?”
Tatiana responded to the butler, who couldn’t hide his joy, with a gentle smile in her eyes. After taking another sip of the tea, she quietly gazed down at the envelope containing the contract she had written.
Perhaps there will be one thing where I can be of help.
Even if that man expected nothing from her, she couldn’t just sit idly by. Moreover, her circumstances had completely changed. If she were to live as before, she wouldn’t have left the Cartien family. She was done with her life being dictated by others, or gazing at pretty things in pretty places only to get stabbed in the back.
To achieve that, the first hurdle—marriage—was crucial.
Over the past few days, she had poured her heart into ensuring this marriage would be smoothly recognized under national law. She had read the marriage vows multiple times, checked the schedule at the main temple in advance, and now with the contract written, she had prepared countermeasures for every possible scenario her mother might employ to block this marriage.
‘Yes. This should be sufficient.’
Satisfied in many ways, Tatiana elegantly held her teacup. At this moment, on the eve of her marriage, any tea couldn’t help but taste rich and fragrant.
“…It’s good. Really.”
Even though the crude scent of a C-grade replica filled her mouth completely.
△▲△▲△
“Come in quickly. The tea will get cold.”
Viscountess Cartien, her platinum blonde hair neatly pinned up, personally poured the tea. Though not even a Viscountess’s residence, the way she freely commanded the servants in this separate palace attached to the imperial palace made her seem no different from its true owner.
“It’s tea directly imported from Teak. My eldest son-in-law, Count Oberdeen, runs a tea plantation there. How is it? To your taste?”
“…You don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t have to? As if our connection is one that can’t handle even this much.”
She gave a subtle smile to Kainel across from her. The one scenario Tatiana hadn’t anticipated was this, her own mother personally waiting to greet Kainel.
“I’ve been particularly selective about people around that child. People like us shouldn’t meet just anyone carelessly.”
“…Viscountess.”
And that very thing was happening right now. Viscountess Cartien had cornered Kainel right after his audience with the Crown Prince and personally escorted him to the separate palace to meet alone.
“My daughter is like that. She’s a bit more innocent than she appears.”
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