Episode 3

“Come in.”

By the time Violette returned to her room, there was a light knock at the door.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

Naturally assuming it was a maid coming to tidy up the bedding, Violette tilted her head slightly when she saw Hurein. Besides, there was something strangely anxious about Hurein’s expression.

“It’s not morning, it’s lunchtime… No, that’s not important. The Marquis is looking for you, Miss. He told me to bring you to his study as soon as you got up…”

“Huh? Father?”

At those words, Violette felt the hair all over her body stand on end, and the last bit of sleep instantly vanished from her head.

Her father had called for her first thing in the morning. To his study, no less.

He definitely had something to say to her.

And it was almost certainly something bad.

On top of that, Violette had only recently been serving a punishment of being forbidden from going out, and she clearly remembered her father, Argon Rascal, warning her in a stern voice last time.

‘This is really the last time! If you cause trouble just once more, you’d better believe I’ll really kick you out of the family!’

Remembering her father’s furious scolding, Violette nervously bit her lip and cautiously asked Hurein,

“Did I do something that would make Father angry?”

“You, Miss? Well, you secretly went into the casino the moment your restriction was lifted? You’ve been getting drunk every day while the Marquis was away? Gasp. Could he have found out that you broke the fountain in the garden before? Or maybe…”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

No matter how she thought about it, this didn’t feel good.

But she couldn’t simply pretend she hadn’t heard her father calling for her. They said it was better to take the beating first, didn’t they?

In the end, Violette dressed herself as neatly and properly as possible before making her way to Argon’s study with trembling steps.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before cautiously knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

“Hehe, Daddyyy… You called for me?”

Violette tried to sweet-talk Argon with an adorable gesture, even deliberately speaking in a childish, babyish voice.

Of course, thanks to last night’s excessive drinking, her head was throbbing, and the smell of alcohol was practically pouring off her body.

But from the outside, she looked like the perfect lovable daughter.

“My youngest. Did you sleep well?”

Contrary to all her worries, Argon welcomed her with a benevolent smile.

The atmosphere was completely different from what she had expected, and Violette’s tension eased considerably.

Argon rested his chin on his clasped hands and gazed at his daughter with a gentle smile in his eyes.

“I heard you had quite a good time yesterday, too. Apparently, you won quite a bit of money.”

“Pardon? M-Me? Haha, what are you talking about? I don’t go anywhere near casinos anymore…”

“Yes, I know you went to the racetrack yesterday. There’s no need to lie.”

Violette awkwardly smiled and avoided Argon’s gaze, wondering exactly where the information had leaked from.

“Come to think of it, you’re not a child anymore. It’s not as though I can keep interfering in everything you do, is it?”

“Really?”

Violette’s eyes sparkled at the completely unexpected words.

Argon’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly as he watched her reaction, but he soon nodded calmly and continued.

“Besides, there isn’t much time left before the day you leave our family. Until then, you may do whatever you wish to your heart’s content.”

“What? What do you mean by that? Me leaving the family? Are you seriously planning to kick me out…?”

At the thought of leaving her family, something she had never heard about before, Violette frowned in confusion.

But Argon paid no attention to her reaction and simply smiled leisurely.

“Your wedding isn’t far away, after all.”

“Eh?”

Violette froze completely at those words.

Her head began buzzing as her thoughts raced.

Marriage? Marriage?

When on earth had she gotten a fiancé without even knowing about it?

The reality was so impossible to accept that Violette simply blinked blankly.

Apparently, she still hadn’t sobered up completely.

“M-Marriage? What do you mean? Me? With whom?”

Violette even stammered as her confusion showed plainly on her face.

But Argon casually shrugged his shoulders and answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Obviously, your fiancé, the Young Duke of Kegrainer. Even so, to forget who your fiancé is… You must have drunk quite a lot yesterday.”

Violette stared blankly at her father for a moment.

What in the world was he talking about?

She had been a perfectly single woman until yesterday.

Hadn’t she just gotten into a huge fight with Chi at the racetrack because he had been pestering her about going on a date with him?

After taking a moment to sort through her thoughts, Violette firmly shook her head.

“No, I did drink a lot, but I think Father has misunderstood something… And the Young Duke of Kegrainer? I don’t even know what that man looks like!”

“That’s how arranged marriages are. I married your mother without even seeing her face once, but we eventually fell in love. Otherwise, how could we have had four children? Hahahaha!”

“I don’t want to marry some strange man! What if he’s a weirdo?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve met the Young Duke several times before, Narsia, that is. He’s an extraordinary beauty, contrary to the rumors. And you’re beautiful yourself, Violette, so the two of you should suit each other very well.”

“What?”

At the name Narsia, Violette narrowed her eyes.

The name was definitely familiar.

As she searched through her memories for quite some time, Violette’s expression slowly hardened.

Narsia Kegrainer.

He was a man who would later become Terso’s closest friend and help him greatly in ascending to the imperial throne.

The moment Violette remembered the name Terso, her body stiffened and her mind went completely blank.

She had gone to such lengths to avoid getting involved with Terso, and now she was being engaged to the man who would become his closest friend?!

A chill ran down her entire body.

‘Ha, so this is how you’re planning to approach me now? Even using your husband? I’m not sure my body will survive that young lady’s obsession.’

Considering the absolutely terrible personality Terso had displayed in the original novel, he seemed more than capable of saying something like that.

“It seems Father arranged this engagement without telling me, but even if you are my father, you can’t arrange an engagement without asking for my opinion first. A marriage like that wouldn’t even be recognized by the temple…”

“You had no say in it? What are you talking about? Didn’t you personally stamp your seal saying that you would marry the Young Duke of Kegrainer? You even left your fingerprint and signed it. There’s no clearer way to express your intentions than that!”

At Violette’s words, Argon handed her a document as though he had been waiting for this exact moment.

The instant Violette took it, her face turned deathly pale.

“W-What is this…”

Narsia Kegrainer, eldest son of the House of Kegrainer,

accepts the marriage proposal with Violette Rascal,

second daughter of the House of Rascal.

From this day onward, the two shall maintain their engagement,

and promise to officially hold their wedding fifty days from now

and become husband and wife.

As this pledge has been notarized by the temple,

it shall carry legal force.

Narsia Kegrainer (seal) Violette Rascal (seal)

The paper Argon handed her contained the details of the engagement and marriage, written out almost as quickly as an important contract.

But more than anything else, what shocked Violette was the seal proudly stamped at the bottom.

And just as Argon had said, there was also her fingerprint, dark with red sealing ink, along with her crooked signature.

There was absolutely no way to deny it.

It was an unmistakable expression of her own will.

Even beside the name of Narsia, the Young Duke of Kegrainer, there was a neat, elegant seal.

“L-Liar… When did I ever… Huh?”

At that moment, as Violette stared at her crooked signature, a memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

It had been sometime last week, perhaps.

It was the day Argon had been away from the mansion.

With no one around to nag her, Violette had drunk an entire bottle of the finest liquor from the Imperial Family—a precious gift that Argon treasured dearly.

Unfortunately, the liquor had been much stronger than she expected.

Before long, Violette had become completely drunk, and her mood had gotten ten times more excited than usual.

Just as she was happily making her way upstairs to her room, her biological older brother, Kersha Rascal, who was two years older than her, had come to visit her carrying something.

‘That time, Kersha definitely…’

Violette slightly furrowed her brow as she desperately tried to recall what had happened.

Kersha had definitely burst into her room making an enormous fuss.

‘Violette! This is huge! Would you like to place a bet on this?’

‘Mmm? A bet? What kind of game is it? What’s that?’

‘It’s a contract with the House of Kegrainer… I managed to get this special opportunity. If you win the bet, it’s basically enough to turn your whole life around. You can even raise your social status! And apparently, only one person can apply on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested?’

‘Whaaat? There’s no way this Violette is going to miss out on an opportunity like that! How much do I have to bet? Huh?’

‘Ah, I’ll take care of all that myself. Don’t worry and just stamp your seal first. That’s it, now put your fingerprint there too. Mm-hmm, and it’d be good if you signed as well. Good, good. Well done! Let’s turn your life around!’

‘Let’s do it! Ugh, wait a second. I think I’m going to throw up…’

The moment Violette finished signing and rushed to the bathroom, Kersha quickly left the room with the document in hand.

After that, Violette emptied her stomach and then slept deeply, completely forgetting the entire incident.

She had been drowning herself in alcohol every single day, so there were hardly any days when her memory was completely clear.

But even so, to forget something this important…

Violette was so dumbfounded that she could hardly believe herself.