* * *

“No, it’s true. It’s something Velon has long desired. Even if you don’t accept my proposal for marriage, I hope you won’t withdraw from the development project.”

Would I want that?

Why is he suddenly getting so serious?

I gulped as the atmosphere grew heavier.

Hernan, not missing the opportunity, added,

“Couldn’t you at least give me a chance during the time this project is ongoing?”

Would I?

Instead of answering, I stomped on Hernan’s foot and walked into my office, shutting the door behind me.

Given our difference in status, it was an action that could have easily gotten me kicked out for being disrespectful, but Hernan wasn’t the type to do that.

If he were, he would have pressured me with his status long ago, making it impossible for me to say anything.

My mind was in turmoil.

Why was he doing this to me?

What did I do…?

And what’s this about me not remembering something?

Could it be that I did something even more outrageous while drunk?

A cold shiver ran up my spine.

Hawthorn, who was unaware of what had just happened outside, looked up at me with a slightly puzzled expression, but I ignored it.

“My lord? Is something wrong…?”

“It’s nothing.”

I forced myself to sit down and act composed, but I couldn’t focus on the documents in front of me.

How did it come to this?

Where did it go wrong?

My head was spinning.

At times like this, I needed to calm myself by focusing on something else.

Grinding my teeth, I began organizing the materials I was supposed to review this morning.

As I summarized the types of bath additives that matched different water qualities and concepts, time passed quickly.

After about three hours, Hawthorn suggested that I should rest, considering how tired I must be, and by then, I was feeling a bit better.

It’s never good to take out your frustrations by overworking your body and mind.

I’ve already experienced death from overwork once, so there’s no point in getting heated again.

After a quick wash, I collapsed onto my bed, and before I knew it, the squirrel that had disappeared earlier scampered up onto my bed.

“How do you keep getting in here?”

Instead of answering, the squirrel curled up on my chest, preparing to sleep. Its fluffy tail wagged with each shallow breath it took.

So carefree, so relaxed.

Judging by how it follows Hernan, it must be his pet.

The thought of Hernan’s carefree smile made my temper rise again.

In the original story that I can barely remember now, Hernan was the type of character who meticulously set traps to bind the heroine to him.

When Berta realized the danger Hernan posed and tried to escape, he deliberately allowed her to choose a path she thought would lead her to freedom, only to corner her and force her back into his arms.

And even after all that, Berta believed that the Grand Duke had saved her.

‘Damn it…’

His approach might be different, but it’s exactly what’s happening to me now.

How could he so thoroughly block every exit?

Of course, all of this is because I naively thought, ‘There’s no way I’d be the Grand Duke’s target.’

‘Ha…’

What do I do now?

Marrying the Grand Duke and having children was never an option.

It wasn’t even worth considering.

‘Why did that dragon say such strange things…?’

Moreover, right before leaving the temple, the words the dragon said to me kept bothering me.

[Don’t be too sure that nothing will happen just because you’re a Beta.]

I had asked in disbelief, “Can Alphas really impregnate Betas and Omegas?”

The dragon’s answer was [No.]

Hernan had shrugged, as if he didn’t really understand the details.

I didn’t have any clues either. It was all frustrating beyond words.

For now… I should start by doing what I can.

The dragon had said he’d only help me if I willingly agreed, so breaking the pact was the top priority.

I needed to get the development project on track.

In korea, it would take at least 1-3 years to build the facilities needed to attract customers.

Of course, a small project could be pushed forward by acquiring local facilities, but…

No matter how you look at it, I’d have to continue seeing the Grand Duke for at least a year.

In that time, I should save up all the cash coming out of Nirvan to pay off the dowry. That was the best I could do right now.

My finances would be stretched thin for a while, but unless a sudden natural disaster struck, it wasn’t impossible.

Determined, I shut my eyes to try and sleep.

But as life always goes, once things start to go wrong, nothing seems to go as planned.

When I opened my eyes again, I had to muster all my willpower to keep from collapsing upon hearing the shocking news.

---

“W-wait a minute. Father, I must have misheard, right?”

Clenching my teeth, I denied reality, thinking this must be a dream. On the other end of the communication, my father, the Viscount Everdeen, who hadn’t yet legally passed the title to me, shouted in an excited voice.

• Misheard? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this day? To think that such a day would come before I closed my eyes, it’s an honor. Truly an honor!

I never imagined something like this would happen just two weeks after leaving Aberdeen. Yes, it was undoubtedly good news, but right now, it felt like a disaster.

Apparently, about a week after I left for Velon, the Emperor came to Nirvan for a vacation with the Crown Prince. I already knew this.

The Ever Paradise was the finest resort in the country, unrivaled anywhere else, so it was only natural that both the Emperor and the Crown Prince were satisfied. This much I had already been briefed on.

The tragedy—if you could call it that—began after that.

The Emperor was so deeply impressed by his vacation at the resort that he expressed his desire to make the ultra-luxurious facility, which accounted for nearly 25% of the resort’s total revenue, exclusively owned by the royal family.

Here’s a question: Could the Emperor buy that incredibly expensive facility with tax money?

Of course not.

So, what gave the Emperor the confidence to boldly demand that it be made his exclusive property?

That’s right. The Emperor had more than just wealth.

• To think I’d become a Count before I die! Your grandfather in heaven would be proud!

The Emperor offered the title of Count and a 10-year exclusive occupancy by the royal family in exchange.

That meant 25% of the Ever Paradise Hotel’s revenue would be gone for the next 10 years.

Sure, after 10 years, I could sell it for even more by advertising it as a facility praised by the royal family, but now was not the time to think about that.

Just like that, without lifting a finger, my family had suddenly been promoted from a viscount to a count.

“I heard the news. I suppose I should now call you Count instead of Viscount.”

And I had taken one more step closer to becoming the master of Velon.

Of course, it was… a cause for celebration.

What’s the most common way to receive a noble title in a feudal society?

By being a war hero.

Fortunately, or unfortunately (I tend to see it as fortunately), Nirvan was such a peaceful and tranquil resort that it had nothing to do with war.

For both my father’s generation and mine, receiving a title higher than Viscount was almost impossible.

Now that such a miraculous event had occurred, my entire family was cheering and celebrating, saying that Berta and all our bad luck had been exorcised.

Everyone, except me.

The moment I saw Hernan’s smug, smiling face as he came to congratulate me, my vision went red.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You instigated this!”

Even though I grabbed Hernan by the collar—a move that could have easily gotten me punished for insubordination—he played innocent, pretending not to know anything.

“Haha, it seems the distance between us has already shortened. Please calm down, Lord Aberdeen. If nothing else, at least the heir of Nirvan is now a step further from becoming an infamous runaway groom. I see it as a double blessing.”

Hernan, who was being grabbed by the collar, seemed completely unfazed, but Hawthorn, who had followed me into the study, was sweating and fidgeting as if his neck was about to be severed.

“Uh, uh, uh, my lord, please calm down first…”

“It’s fine. I want to talk to the Mister Everdeen alone, so you can leave now.”

As Hernan waved his hand nonchalantly, Hawthorn glanced around nervously and, as expected, chose to leave the study, since he was the one paying his salary.

As soon as the door shut, Hernan smiled and ignited the flames of conversation.

“First of all, do you prefer the name Eres or Eugene? Just a hypothetical question. Just in case. There might come a day when Everdeen might want to have a child of his own.”

“Don’t even dream of it. That day will never come.”

He didn’t want either. I immediately became serious.

“Mr. Everdeen, don’t be so certain.”

“Your Grace, don’t waste your time with nonsense. Especially before you file a royal court case based on fraud and coercion.”

As Hernan examined my contemptuous expression, he seemed to come to his senses and quietly admitted,

“Perhaps a bit of coercion might be justified.”

That only served to infuriate me further. At this rate, he should at least keep his mouth shut.

Why?

Why, seriously, why did the female lead not only run away to find her dream and self, but also drag the male lead’s sense along with her?

The fact that I was at the center of this tragedy was a reality I did not want to believe.

* * *