Chapter 0 - Prologue

“…Hhic, sob. Don’t do this!” 

“You idiot, Rosena! Don’t you know you’re supposed to look people in the eye when you talk? You idiot!” 

“To think someone like you is a noble. You’re worse than a commoner who doesn’t know manners!”

“You stutterer! Don’t hang out with her. You’ll catch her stupidity!” 

Hiccup. Hiccup. 

Rosena’s eyes, brimming with tears, widened, and she bit her lip. 

She knew from experience that if she cried here, the teasing would only get worse. 

Rosena looked around. 

It was the academy banquet hall, a public place, yet no one came to help her. 

Of course not. 

No one would step forward to help the daughter of Leilia barony, a family with absolutely no influence in high society. What if they ended up on the bad side of someone from a powerful family? 

This academy was for building connections, and losing them would be a huge loss.

Thud!

“Ow!” 

“Get lost! We don’t want to see your face! Get out of here!”

Rosena stumbled backward after being shoved by Edwin, the eldest son of the Marquess family, who was leading the bullying.

His light green eyes burned with jealousy as they looked down at her.

“You can’t even speak properly,”

Edwin, who was displeased that Rosena had taken the top spot in the academy this time, breathed heavily. 

The Marquess’s eldest son, who couldn’t even manage second place, gritted his teeth and stormed out the banquet hall.

“Let’s go! Ugh, it ruined my mood!” 

“C-can we just leave her like that? She seems to have hurt her leg. What if the professor finds out…?” 

“What? Do you know how much our family donates to the academy each year?”

Edwin frowned and retorted to the timid-looking child who spoke cautiously. In short, he meant that he wouldn’t face any disciplinary action.

“Do you want to end up like her?” 

“N-no!”

Slowly, the young nobles quickly followed Edwin as his mood turned sour. 

At the tender age of ten, Rosena realized something.

If you have nothing, you shouldn’t stand out. 

What’s the point of attracting attention when you can’t even protect yourself? 

It was like offering your neck to a predator, begging to be trampled and devoured. 

The position of an unknown baron’s daughter in high society was exactly that. An easy target who became prey if she stood out. 

She felt everyone whispering and giving her sharp glances. 

It was natural to help someone who had fallen, yet no one offered a hand. 

At that moment, Rosena stood up alone. Brushing the dust from her dress, Rosena awakened to a truth. 

‘This world is rotten!’ 

Even the Great Sage, who protected the Emperor, the master of the Empire, would surely not have realized this at her age. 

Rosena, who had realized this truth early on, decided that her life’s goal from that day forward would be to ‘not stand out, and live well alone.’ 

She wanted to quit the academy immediately and return to her barony, but it was impossible.

According to the noble Imperial Law, which stated that nobles must be role models for the citizens, graduation from the academy was mandatory. 

‘What kind of garbage law is that?!’ 

The first thing Rosena vowed to do was willingly give up her top position. 

‘From the next exam onwards, I need to take it easy.’ 

The top spot in the academy is usually occupied by two types of people, heirs of prestigious families who needed recognition or commoners for whom studying is their only way to survive. 

If she were a commoner, she would have struggled to maintain high grades for a path to success, but fortunately or unfortunately, Rosena was a powerless noble of the Empire. 

What if she unknowingly took the prestige that a high-ranking person should have, and faced retaliation later? 

The bullying from her first-year peers might be cute, but it was a different story with fully grown nobles. 

‘Just graduate safely from the academy. Then return to the barony and live a long, peaceful, and quiet life!’ 

…Or so she had clearly thought until now.

‘Why did my life turn out like this?’ 

Today was a moment Rosena would never forget until the day she died. 

And not just her, it would be a major event that would be long remembered in social circles in Agzent Empire.

Lady Rosena of the Leilia Barony, which governs a very small territory near the southern border of the Empire!

This phrase had become a regular feature in the Empire’s gossip magazines.

Rosena had lived an incredibly low-profile life, as determined by her childhood vow. 

However, despite her efforts, there was almost no one in the Agzent Empire who didn’t know Rosena now. 

And it was all because of the man right in front of her, Cassian Baltinart! 

“Here comes the bride!”

At the entrance to the wedding hall, Rosena felt the curious and expectant eyes of the people urging her forward. As if pushed by the atmosphere, she walked and looked at Cassian. 

He had a beautiful appearance with dark black hair and striking red eyes. 

He was the man who would be Rosena’s husband starting today. 

Grand Duke Cassian Baltinart. 

A powerful figure who dominated the Empire, and a noble man with royal blood flowing through his veins. 

Back in the academy, nobles had flattered him without exception, almost licking his shoes, in an attempt to catch his eye. 

Rosena, on the other hand, struggled to avoid getting involved with him at all costs. 

Thanks to the nobles flocking around Cassian, she rarely had to face him, but she acted as cautiously as possible. 

Since they lived in completely different worlds, she had believed they would never be involved. 

But now?

They were bound in the most complicated way possible.

Through her veil, Cassian, seeing Rosena’s wary blue eyes, smiled sweetly.

That poisonous bastard. 

If Rosena had to name the most venomous person in this world, she would unhesitatingly exclaim, ‘Cassian Baltinart!’ 

“Haha! What a perfect match! Just as the rainy season ends and the sky clears, the two of you will surely live happily ever after!” 

The man with a dignified appearance who was to officiate this wedding laughed heartily and spoke. 

At the same time, Rosena’s facial muscles subtly contorted. 

How could he say something so cruel? That wasn’t a blessing but a curse. 

Rosena barely listened to the congratulatory speech, waiting for it to end. 

It was fortunate that she had a veil. Otherwise, her deathly pale face would have been fully revealed. 

The tedious congratulatory speech finally drew to a close, and the wedding vows began. 

“Cassian Baltinart, do you swear to love and cherish Rosena Leilia for life, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, until death do you part?” 

“Yes, I swear.” 

Cassian looked down at Rosena with a loving expression and spoke.

His unhesitating vow elicited gasps from the surrounding nobles. That’s how unbelievable this marriage was.

“Then Rosena Leilia, do you swear to love and cherish Cassian Baltinart for life, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, until death do you part?” 

The man officiating over the wedding ceremony recited the same vows and shifted his gaze to Rosena. 

“…Do you swear?”

“……”

“Bride?”

“……”

“Bride?” 

After several calls, when no answer came from the bride, the hall fell silent. 

Rosena’s hands tightened on her bouquet, and her lips trembled. 

Yes, it would be troublesome if she didn’t vow here. 

The man urging her to answer was none other than His Majesty, the former Emperor!

To silence the talkative nobles about this wedding, Cassian had utilized his extensive connections, even bringing the former Emperor, who was recuperating in the countryside. 

The message was clear. Since the former Emperor himself was officiating over the wedding, everyone should keep their mouth shut. 

Why? 

Rosena was deeply confused. 

Cassian Baltinart seemed determined to seal this marriage. 

Just as the silent hall was about to grow noisy because the bride hadn’t answered for a long time, Cassian gently clasped Rosena’s hand. 

“Rosena seems very shy.” 

Watching his action, the former Emperor nodded. 

“…Ahem, the bride must be nervous. Yes, it’s a wedding, so that’s understandable.” 

He wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t it. 

Rosena couldn’t deny it, though.

The former Emperor surveyed the hall and solemnly declared. 

“From this moment forward, by the name of the Agzent Imperial Family, I declare you husband and wife!”

Ding, ding. 

The golden bells rang celebrating the sacred marriage. 

All Rosena could think was “That’s the sound of my life ending.” 

“Now, let the bride and groom make their grand exit!” 

The prominent high-ranking nobles invited as guests cheered and clapped. 

Then, Cassian, who had his arm linked with hers, stopped walking and asked in an affectionate voice. 

“Why do you look so sad on such a joyous day? It’s upsetting.” 

Rosena tensed as he came close enough for her to feel his breath. 

To anyone observing, they would have looked like a very close couple. 

Meeting his red eyes, which seemed to see right through her, Cassian lifted her veil. 

He must be doing this on purpose. 

“…Cassian, could you step back a little?” 

“I knew you couldn’t lie, but I didn’t expect you to do it in front of His Majesty the former Emperor.”

“……”

“You won’t be able to deceive me your whole life, will you?” 

This crazy bastard. 

Rosena barely managed to hold back a curse. 

Cassian looked down at Rosena’s lips and smiled beautifully, like a painting. 

“How ecstatic I’ll be the day those lips tell me you love me. I might die from happiness right then and there.” 

There was no sincerity in anything he was saying now. 

Yet, Rosena was stunned by Cassian’s perfectly loving expression. 

Is this marriage really okay? 

Surely, it was supposed to be a contractual marriage for each of them to achieve their own goals. So ‘Why do I feel like I’m completely trapped?’ 

She found herself wondering. 

Could it be that this wasn’t just an act after all?