Chapter 1.1

With the marriage vows in front, Roseline fell into disdain.

“Let me know if there’s any problem. An oath is a basic form, so it doesn’t matter if you add a few conditions if necessary.”

“I don’t think adding conditions will help.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“This part.” Roseline pointed at the lengthy part of the pledge.

[Melchor Eckhard Julian of Postenmeyer]

As the long name proves, he is the greatest knight of the empire, trusted by the emperor, and is the head of the Postenmeyer family—the most prestigious family among all.

And it is also the name of the ridiculous man who suddenly asked her to sign the marriage pledge.

“Does it mean that I am unfit for your marriage? What part of me don’t you like?”

“It’s not that I don’t like anything, Grand Duke. There’s no problem with you.”

Indeed, there’s no problem. A Duke of a prestigious kingdom; the young landlord. She heard that his property was enormous. As of now, half of the imperial territory belongs to the Grand Duke of Postenmeyer.

That’s not all. He is the best and strongest knight, and the Black Knights under his command are well-known for being loyal.

He has a stunning beauty, dignified physique, and a soothing yet powerful voice. The Duke’s reputation was clean without any rumors, even though he rarely showed his face to the social community because of his solitary personality.

It is widely said that he is a perfect man to become a husband. Roseline herself doesn’t think the appraisal is wrong.

However, at this moment, something is missing.

“Is this not our first meeting?”

“It’s not the first time I’ve met you. I met you first when you were in custody. Therefore, this is the second time.”

“Usually, we don’t call people an acquaintance whom we haven’t seen for a long time without first saying hello.”

That’s right.

She got a marriage pledge from a man who only saw her face twice.

No, she didn’t even get a proposal. The man who only saw her face twice already announced their marriage first to save Roseline, without explaining anything to her!

“Isn’t it proper to propose to me first?”

“I didn’t have time.”

Right, he didn’t have time. Roseline also admits that she cannot do anything because she was in the position to be dragged by the guards at any time. The problem is that the lie was too much to escape the situation, saying that they were getting married.

And now he is urging her to sign a marriage oath to tackle the marriage fraud.

“I always thought that achieving a normal marriage would be too difficult because my family’s situation is not good, to begin with, and I once experienced a failed relationship in the past…”

She had never thought she’d get married like this. Even more ridiculous was that she was in no position to argue that this snatch marriage was a fraud.

How did I end up in this situation?

Looking down at the wedding vow surrounded by uselessly bright gold, Roseline closed her eyes and breathed a sigh.

* * *

Other people’s will has always controlled Roseline’s life.

The first daughter was born to the Crimson Rose family, passed down as a single child from generation to generation. Her father raised Roseline as his successor. She had to endure her rigorous training as a successor.

When Roseline turned 12, his younger brother, Alfons, was born.

It was the moment when the Crimson Rose family infringed the hundreds of years-old orthodoxy that claims only one child was born in their family. Her parents stopped training Roseline as a successor and sent her to the academy, saying that her younger brother Alfons should be the successor instead. In the end, Roseline was left unattended.

To make matters worse, his younger brother Alphonse was weak, and he had a hard time receiving an education as a successor, so his parents rushed to find a marriage partner for Roseline. First of all, to bring in a son-in-law and hand over the head of state when Alfons grows up enough.

Roseline had to drop out of the academy because her parents drove her into marriage without notice. As soon as she returned home, her parents sent her to be engaged with a man, even though it was not Roseline’s intention to get married in the first place. Roseline did not know whether she was a part of the family or a tool to use to make her parents comfortable, but Roseline followed their will without protest. However, it all ended in a failed marriage. Roseline, who couldn’t capture the heart of her fiancé, caused her family to punish her and locked her up in an isolated room.