VHRTDM 01

Chapter 1

My husband, Kahinel Hyrent, hates me.

To be precise, he despises my birth family—the Marquis Deil House—and that hatred naturally extended to me, the woman who became Duchess of Hyrent.

Because I knew the original story, I could understand Kahinel.

The Marquis Deil really should have known his place.

The greedy marquis wanted to restore his declining house through a political marriage.

I was the sacrifice of that marriage.

Kahinel, on the other hand, was the victim.

Unlike the Deil family, who were barely surviving on their hollow title, the House of Hyrent was the most powerful noble house in the empire.

They made absurd amounts of money through their businesses, often crossing legal lines in the process—but no one dared interfere.

That was the Hyrent Ducal House.

A family so powerful that not even the Emperor could easily touch them.

But Marquis Athios Deil was different.

He constantly picked fights with Kahinel no matter what he did, escalating their tension at every turn.

And that rivalry eventually led to a political marriage proposal.

A ridiculous suggestion.

The marquis must be insane.

But then again… Kahinel wasn’t exactly sane either, was he?

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted the marriage alliance.

I didn’t know why Kahinel made that choice.

The author never explained it.

Anyway, as a result, I—Rishua Deil—became the Duchess of Hyrent.

“No matter how I think about it, I’m convinced God has a personal issue with me.”

Giving me a terminal fate not once, but twice… what kind of sick joke was that?

“Did you say something, my lady?”

My only conversation partner and maid, Anna, widened her eyes.

“Nothing. More importantly… what should I wear so people say I looked good?”

“How about a red dress?”

“It might be too bold.”

“You said you wanted to impress the Duke. I think red would suit you perfectly!”

“…Oh, really?”

Even if I dressed up, Kahinel wouldn’t suddenly look at me favorably. But still, it was better than showing up like a mess.

I lightly did my makeup and fixed my hair.

Before leaving the room, I took a deep breath.

It felt like… a knight heading into his final battle.

In a sense, that wasn’t wrong.

I only had four months left.

“What should I do…”

“What’s wrong?”

“My heart is pounding just thinking about seeing Kahinel.”

“…I see.”

While I was trying to calm my racing heart, Anna suddenly started crying.

“Why are you crying?”

“My lady… you’ve been in love with the Duke for a long time, haven’t you?”

What is she talking about now?

“You’ve been too shy to express your feelings, so you couldn’t approach him properly…”

“Me?”

“Yes! You hid it so well that I almost believed you hated the Duke!”

“Huh?”

“I understand. I’ve had a one-sided love before too. You’ve been struggling all this time, and now you’re finally going to confess, right?”

“Wait, Anna.”

Am I the only one not following this conversation?

“No, that’s not it! I’m not confessing to Kahinel because I love him!”

Rishua did not love Kahinel.

That was why their marriage was never normal.

Rishua loved another man while married, and Kahinel loved the heroine—not his wife.

So I love Kahinel? A one-sided crush?

Even if I weren’t a possessed soul, that would be enough to raise my blood pressure.

“I support your one-sided love, my lady!”

“It’s not that at all… sigh.”

I gave up trying to explain it to Anna.

She simply wasn’t listening.

“Fine. Think whatever you want.”

What mattered right now wasn’t clearing up misunderstandings.

And I would later regret not correcting them that day.

Hyrent Manor

The servants greeted me with faces as if they had seen a ghost.

As the mistress of the house, they showed respect—but clearly did not want to get involved with me.

That was who Rishua Hyrent was to them.

I didn’t care.

When I arrived at the dining room, a man stared at me in confusion.

So that’s Taylor Idem.

I recognized him immediately.

Taylor Idem—Kahinel’s aide and longtime friend from academy days.

“What brings you here, my lady?”

“I came to eat.”

“To… eat?”

His tone was suspicious.

“Yes. I’m hungry.”

Even after my answer, his doubt didn’t fade.

I knew why.

Kahinel and Rishua were legally married, but practically strangers.

They had never once properly lived as husband and wife.

So of course Rishua didn’t even know her husband was the key to her survival.

But I do.

I walked past Taylor and sat down.

A moment later, he followed hesitantly.

“Are you really planning to dine with His Grace?”

“Yes. My lady insisted on having dinner here today.”

Anna stepped in for me.

Taylor didn’t like repeating questions, and Anna’s eyes sharpened.

She’s angry.

After becoming Rishua, Anna had told me many things while helping me understand the situation.

She always spoke well of Taylor.

That he was kind to servants.
That many maidservants admired him.
That he was a good man.

And now she was glaring at him like she wanted to bite him.

Taylor gave an awkward smile and stepped back.

Then footsteps were heard outside.

He’s here.

Even though Kahinel was the insane villain husband in my mind, I was still curious.

He was the male lead, after all.

What is a romance novel male lead?

Tall stature, perfectly sculpted physique, and a handsome face were basically mandatory.

Even if I was terminally ill, I could at least appreciate that much.

The door opened.

He’s coming in…?

“Hal-le-lujah.”

Was he under a different lighting system or something?

His face was so unreal it almost made me want to bow to the god who reincarnated me.

Kahinel stopped walking the moment he saw me.

Our eyes met.

His gaze was looking at something unpleasant—like a stain—while mine was like I was examining a masterpiece statue.

“Taylor. What is this?”

Even his voice is good.

Yeah… you really are the male lead.

“My lady said she would dine with Your Grace—”

“Why.”

“You should ask her directly.”

Hey, don’t pass the responsibility to me!

I signaled Taylor desperately, but he refused to respond.

In the end, I had to handle it myself.

And I deserved to.

I did ruin the atmosphere by showing up.

“I came to eat.”

“Why?”

Is this a test question?

“I was hungry.”

Kahinel’s eyes were cold, but I didn’t lose my smile.

“Shall we sit?”

A gamble.

It wouldn’t be strange if he simply walked out.

That was the kind of relationship we had.

But—

Without saying a word, Kahinel sat down.

I almost cheered and quickly sat opposite him.

Things were going better than expected.

I decided to be a little bolder.

With only four months left to live, I couldn’t afford hesitation.

“Darling.”

“….”

No response.

“Kahinel.”

“….”

Still nothing.

“Well, we are married. I can’t exactly call you ‘hey you,’ can I?”

“Kahinel.”

A chilling voice cut through the air.

“Use my name. Not that disgusting title.”

“Got it.”

A new life where I can’t even call my husband “darling.”

This is harder than I thought.

The entire meal felt like a funeral.

And of course, I was the cause.

Honestly, I feel wronged.

It’s not like I wanted to sit here like this.

I was only enduring it because dying was worse than humiliation.

Avoiding discomfort wasn’t too much to ask, right?

And it wasn’t just Kahinel—everyone here was secretly watching me.

Except Anna, I endured it all.

If I could just break this curse, I could tolerate anything.

I put down my fork and looked at Kahinel.

I need to make sure that man doesn’t avoid me.

No matter what, I had to get close to him.

If I wanted to see spring again, it was necessary.

“Kahinel, what are you doing after dinner?”

Clink.

He slammed his glass down and looked at me sharply.

“What?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since when did we have proper conversations? I thought maybe we should start acting like a married couple.”

“So this is you trying to act like one?”

“We’re married. Having meals together isn’t strange.”

Kahinel let out a crooked smile.

“So after avoiding me for two years… you suddenly want to act like a wife now?”