All sorts of words swirl around inside my mouth, but not a single one makes its way out. I’ve just realized that being too flustered made me lose my words.

This was the only response I could manage.

“…What?”

Even though I wanted to ask, ‘What on earth are you talking about?’ the emotional turmoil halted my language abilities and showed no signs of quickly recovering.

The man asked, almost incredulously polite.

“Do you dislike it?”

“Dislike or not, I’m just too flustered. From the start…”

‘…We’re not even involved with each other.’

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, the initial panic calmed.

A man who was the brother of my deceased fiancé suggested marriage upon his younger brother’s death, bringing a letter that I’d never heard of from my sister.

…And there was me, trying to maintain courtesy.

What kind of woman did I appear to be in his eyes?

An idiotic sister who did everything to become an empress but lost everything to her younger brother? A mischievous troublemaker from the Marquisate Bartolli who couldn’t get anything right? A lonely woman thirsty for love?

And now, here we are. In a situation where a child delivered to someone else’s house was being called my own.

“…Lord make me look very miserable indeed.”

“Pardon? Lady Bartolli, what on earth…”

“Because I watched over a cheating fiancé, you thought I seemed easy? Do you casually poke at people and promise marriage?”

It would have been better if my voice didn’t tremble at the end.

The hem of my dress crumpled miserably in my grip. Tears threatened to spill out without reason. Even when I heard such words from my father this morning, I didn’t cry until the end, but just because of this man’s words.

Thanks to the sheer determination in my eyes, tears didn’t shed. After what seemed like an eternity, the man spoke in a gentle voice.

“I was thoughtless.”

His straightforward apology softened my heart a little. Moreover, seeing him with that handsome face giving a sad expression made it even more so.

Then, the man moved his lips.

“It wasn’t sudden for me at all, so I didn’t even consider that you’d be taken aback.”

“Pardon?”

What was he talking about?

“First, let’s make this clear. Lady, do you have no intention whatsoever of marrying the so-called ‘Crown Prince’?”

“What? No, of course not…”

I feel like I’ve just heard something incredibly insulting to the imperial family?

“And previously, Lady, you mentioned that there was only one man in your life, your fiancé. But now that he’s passed away, there is no other man who has captured your heart, isn’t that correct?”

“Well, that’s true…”

I asked with a tremble in my voice.

“Did I ever say to the Lord that I have no lingering attachment to the position of empress?”

“No, but when I saw Lady trying to save your sister a few days ago, I became convinced.”

Ah, I see. If Leonie died, my chances of becoming empress would skyrocket. So, in his eyes, it must seem like I’ve casually tossed aside a lifelong goal.

Unknowingly, my head bowed and bit my lip several times. Still, what could I do, that was the truth.

With a wry smile, I uttered.

“I’ll stop playing the fool now.”

“Why would that be foolish? It’s only natural that to become the Lady’s husband, one should be at least an Emperor of the empire. Lady Bartolli deserves the most outstanding man in this world.”

…What?

I gazed at the man straight in the eyes in surprise. His gaze was infinitely serious.

My lifelong effort to earn my father’s love and obsession with the position of Empress seemed to be turned upside down with just one word from the man. I felt like laughing suddenly. What was this, when I listened to this man, I felt like I was some sort of judge testing my husband’s qualifications.

Owen ta Glentino continued to meet my eyes seriously.

“But, Lady, please look closely. I am a hundred times more handsome than the Crown Prince.”

“Pfft!”

“I’m tall, too. And my body is in great shape.”

Even though the Crown Prince was handsome enough. But, yes, I had to admit that when it came to overall handsomeness, height, and physique, there was no man in the empire who could beat Owen ta Glentino.

But…

“Wouldn’t it be embarrassing for you to say that yourself?”

“Well, when you have to gather all your strengths, what about a bit of embarrassment?”

It seemed like he was feeling embarrassed himself despite his composed demeanor.

Owen, unaware that he had just highlighted cuteness as one of his strengths, asked earnestly.

“So, wouldn’t that balance things out? Even if not an emperor, how about a Duke? I am, after all, a legitimate heir to the throne. If you wish, Lady, you could make me the Emperor—”

“Don’t talk about getting arrested for treason! But, the Duke? Will you… will you inherit the Duchy?!”

I asked in astonishment.

In my past life, it was Glentino’s third son who inherited the Duchy, wasn’t it?

Seemed like the future had changed again. Perhaps the Duke’s funeral was moved up? In my past life, Arnold died much later, and the Duke’s funeral was about a month later.

“Why are you surprised? It would be quite normal for the eldest son to receive it.”

I discarded that possibility in my previous life! Nonetheless, I couldn’t say that, so I mumbled vaguely.

“No, well, you didn’t seem interested in such matters.”

“That’s true.”

The man quietly affirmed my words. Then, he briefly explained the circumstances of the Duke’s household.

“In fact, my father, who was sick, passed away quite some time ago. Yet, without making it known to the public and with the funeral being delayed, it was because it hadn’t been decided who would inherit the Duchy. My younger brother and I had no ambition for the Duchy, but we agreed that Arnold shouldn’t inherit it.”

Ah, I see. I understood why both the timing and the funeral changed from my regression.

Previously, all three sons of Duke Glentino were alive, and they had a longer struggle over who would inherit the Duchy. Eventually, the eldest and third sons formed an alliance, defeating Arnold, and the third son claimed the Duchy.

So now, the remaining question was this…

Why, in this life, did the eldest son, Owen, inherit the Duchy instead of the third son?

As if sensing my gaze filled with curiosity, the man casually picked up a teacup before putting it back down, just like someone who was nervous.

“Perhaps my younger brother would have eventually yielded to me and taken up the Duchy. I had confidence in my persuasion abilities. But…”

At that moment, the man’s gaze turned towards me.

“Now I have a reason to want it for myself.”

‘The man saying he wanted it while looking at me… made me feel strange.’

‘No, don’t be silly. He’s saying he has a reason to want to claim the Duchy.’

Regardless, what could that reason be?

I asked cautiously.

“What… reason might that be?”

The man responded as if it were obvious.

“Now that we have a child. It would be preferable to have strength on our side if we’re going to raise our child.”

“Why ‘our child’?”

“Because it is our child.”

Why did he keep stating it as if it was a foregone conclusion?!

I exhaled sharply after momentarily raising my voice.

This situation didn’t make any sense to me. Even if it was my sister’s doing, what about this man? Moreover, Owen ta Glentino was undoubtedly blessed with God’s love and possessed all the conditions of nobility, appearance, and ability.

Despite all that, in my past life, he remained unmarried, undoubtedly considered a confirmed bachelor.

So why, in this life, was he suddenly proposing marriage for such a ridiculous reason?

If he had inherited the Duchy, it was even more baffling.

If he suddenly wanted marriage, it would be wiser to find a woman who wouldn’t attract gossip. Someone other than me, a person like my brother’s fiancée, but in a more noble and dignified manner.

“…Is this hasty marriage proposal acceptable to the Lord?”

Yes, hasty. That word was spot-on. Typically, noble marriages were all about weighing various political backgrounds and family power, like a game of tug-of-war.

Not proposing marriage while casually chewing on a raisin cookie.

“Do you think so?”

“Isn’t it? Isn’t it absurd to marry me, your brother’s fiancé, based on a letter sent by my youngest sister, Elouise, and then raise a child together?”

“Well, honestly, I consider it an opportunity. To be even more honest, I must say I feel grateful towards Lady Elouise. If it’s not too forward to say so upon our first meeting.”

__