Chapter 6 …

Vanessa slowly went over the conditions she had considered when choosing a marriage partner for revenge.

Would they need time to get to know each other? NO.

They had known each other since childhood, so even if she didn’t know his personal preferences, she at least knew how many bowls were in the dining room of his mansion. She had visited often enough.

Did he have sufficient power? YES.

Did they have a connection? YES.

Was he unlikely to cause trouble in the future? YES.

The most important thing.

Was there a chance he would develop feelings for her? NO!

‘Maybe someone else would, but Ian Ruscliffe? Absolutely not.’

The proof was right there.

Even after they had parted like that at the mansion, he hadn’t sent her a single letter.

‘Excellent, isn’t it?’

Who would have thought the answer was right in front of her eyes?

Now then… the final condition.

Would he fall in love with someone in the future?

“Of course… NO!”

Ian Ruscliffe remained single even when he was nearly forty!

His past was clean, and his future was expected to remain clean as well.

He was an excellent husband candidate.

At least for Vanessa Sharoz herself.

“This isn’t the time for this.”

She might have left looking like some third-rate villain just now, but Carlisle Leonard wasn’t the kind of man who would give up over something like this.

For all she knew, by tomorrow, the entrance to the mansion might be piled high with everything needed for a wedding.

Vanessa hurriedly took out paper and a pen and began writing a letter.

There was one fortunate thing.

In her previous life, this incident had caused her to become awkward with Ian, but that wasn’t the case now.

Had a week passed like that?

“Ian Ruscliffe…!”

Today marked exactly one week since she had sent the letter.

And exactly one week since she had been ignored.

Vanessa clenched her teeth and muttered viciously to herself.

Instead of the reply she had been waiting for, something completely unrelated had arrived, making her grind her teeth.

A large diamond-studded wedding ring.

There was only one person who would send something like this.

Carlisle Leonard.

She had thrown it away the moment she checked its contents.

‘Ugh, what a lunatic.’

She had never expected him to part with her amicably anyway.

That was why she had hurried Ian for an answer.

But she never expected him to make his move this quickly.

At this rate, tomorrow morning’s newspaper might carry the news that she was getting married.

Manipulating high society was the specialty of the Marchioness, after all.

As people’s curiosity about her prospective husband grew, she would gradually reveal clues that could help them figure out who he was.

And this ring would be one of them.

She needed to meet Ian quickly, before rumors spread everywhere.

‘I can’t help it.’

If he wanted to talk face-to-face, he should have said so from the beginning, Ian Ruscliffe.

This last letter would be delivered personally.

“I’ve come to deliver a letter to His Grace, the Duke of Ruscliffe.”

A sudden visit from Vanessa Sharoz was practically a bolt from the blue.

Denion, the butler of the Ruscliffe mansion, gave Vanessa, who had arrived at the mansion early in the morning, an awkward smile.

“W-Well, if you give the letter to me, I’ll deliver it to him. Young Lady. His Grace went out early this morning…”

“Isn’t it a little too much that I haven’t even received an answer to my proposal?”

“…Pardon? Your proposal?”

The butler stared blankly at Vanessa, wearing an expression that clearly said this was the first he had heard of it.

It was a proposal, wasn’t it?

For the past week, the entire contents of her letters had been nothing but ‘Marry me.’

Though technically, the word ‘contract’ came before ‘marriage.’

Vanessa lifted her gaze and stared at the Ruscliffe mansion.

More precisely, she stared at Ian Ruscliffe, who was looking down at her from the balcony window on the second floor.

Their eyes met.

Denion also followed Vanessa’s gaze.

Vanessa heard the sound of him swallowing nervously.

At the same time, Ian gave a small nod, and Denion bowed his head to Vanessa.

“Lady Sharoz. Please, allow me to escort you inside.”

With that permission, which was practically an admission of defeat, Vanessa willingly stepped inside.

She was being rather forceful, but she had no choice.

A gift from Carlisle had arrived just this morning.

If she delayed any longer, she might end up being dragged straight to the wedding altar.

Vanessa took a short, deep breath and knocked twice on the study door.

A low, monotonous voice from inside granted her permission to enter.

“Come in.”

Perhaps it was because of the position of the table near the window.

The moment Vanessa saw Ian standing against the backlight, she couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.

He had an aloof and ascetic aura, like a statue of a god standing in the very heart of the Holy Kingdom’s Papal See.

His neatly swept-back hair, not a single strand out of place, and the silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose undoubtedly contributed to that atmosphere.

And that wasn’t all.

His fitted vest and shirt were so snug that they seemed unwilling to allow even the slightest gap, giving him an atmosphere that was both ascetic and dangerously alluring.

While Vanessa continued observing Ian for quite some time, he seemed completely uninterested in her. He removed the glasses from his nose and looked at her.

“Sit. Would you like some tea?”

“…Something cold.”

“Bring two of the same.”

Ian gave a nod toward the butler standing near the door before looking at Vanessa, who was still standing there awkwardly.

“Are you going to talk while standing? From your letter, I thought you wanted to clear up the misunderstanding by bringing up what happened last time.”

Ian slowly looked Vanessa up and down.

“Judging by your expression, I suppose it was that ‘other business’ you always mentioned. If you were satisfied with talking from this distance, I should have simply shouted toward the outside of the mansion.”

“…So, what’s your answer?”

“…”

“Judging by all those letters piled up like a mountain over there, with every Sharoz family seal torn open, I figured you were finally willing to answer.”

She pointed at the table with her index finger, and Ian’s lips curved upward.

“You have a good eye.”

“…”

“Fine. Since you’re so determined, I’ll marry you. But there are conditions.”

Leaving the mountain of documents on the table behind, Ian pulled a fresh sheet of white paper toward himself and began moving his quill, wearing an expression that suggested he had been dragged into an annoying ordeal.

Before long, he pushed a single sheet of paper toward the nervous Vanessa.

1. There will be no sharing a bed after marriage.

2. There will be no heir.

3. Under no circumstances will there be any physical contact.

4. If Vanessa Sharoz has any business with Ian Ruscliffe, she will communicate it through the butler.

5. They will eat breakfast and lunch together, but dinner will be eaten separately.

6. Vanessa Sharoz will not enter Ian Ruscliffe’s private spaces unless it is for an important matter. If she must enter, she must announce her intention to visit at least one hour beforehand.

7. Vanessa Sharoz will not set foot in Ian Ruscliffe’s study, bedroom, or any other private space without his permission.

8. When attending public events, they will enter together but return separately.

“Gasp!”

Vanessa sucked in a short breath.

The sheet she held was covered in so many conditions that it was difficult to believe they were supposed to be getting married.

As though he had memorized every single condition, he continued writing without hesitation on another sheet of paper.

There were two copies containing exactly the same terms.

“If you promise to abide by all these conditions, then marriage is acceptable.”

Ian said this as he finished signing both documents first.

Were they supposed to become less than strangers?

No, even strangers would probably have it better than this…

After thinking for a moment, Vanessa spoke.

“…Do you perhaps dislike me?”

Ian’s brow twitched at Vanessa’s question.

“What does that have to do with these conditions?”

“No… I mean, otherwise, you wouldn’t…”

You wouldn’t set all these conditions.

She stopped herself before saying it aloud.

They were already getting married through a contract. There was no reason to force someone into marriage if he genuinely disliked her.

Besides, she had to be careful about developing feelings for him. If he actually disliked her, it would only create a different kind of stress.

Of course, as far as Vanessa was concerned, he was an absolutely perfect husband candidate.

‘…What a shame. He was truly perfect.’

Still, should she ask him one more time?

It would be such a waste to give up here.

There was no guarantee she could find someone who met all these conditions within the time limit.

With such a perfect husband candidate standing right before her, it was obvious that her standards for anyone she considered afterward would naturally become impossibly high.

“You don’t dislike me, do you?”

At her question, Ian frowned as though wondering what nonsense she was talking about.

Only then did Vanessa look down at the contract in her hand again.

Huh?

‘Looking at it again, these are perfect contract conditions for me.’

There would be no physical contact, so there was no chance of becoming entangled with him personally. And she wouldn’t even have to fulfill the duties of a married couple.

At this rate, she could focus entirely on her revenge without worrying about him and then part ways cleanly afterward.

Vanessa lowered the paper in her hand and looked at the man before her.

“If you don’t dislike me, then as long as I follow these conditions, we can get married, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. If there’s anything you want in exchange for marrying me, tell me.”

“That… I’ll think about it a little more.”

“Okay. I’d like to have the wedding as soon as possible. Is there a particular day you want? Or we could simply have a small ceremony in the Holy Kingdom. If you have a religion.”

As she spoke, Vanessa finished signing the contract.

“…I’ll send you a letter along with the contract within the next few days regarding that matter.”

“Okay. Then I’m finished here, so I’ll be going. Sorry for disturbing you.”

Vanessa stood up after staring blankly at the document bearing her signature.

“You should take your tea with you.”