A Fake Marriage? Sure! …Wait, Is It Actually Fake? Something’s Not Right Here! - Chapter 4

“The Crown Princess also expressed her support, saying, ‘That is wonderful. Lidoria is a fine young lady.’ I came here partly to meet you for an arranged marriage.”

“Ha… ah. Well, but…”

Lidoria fluttered her hands dismissively.

“I understand your feelings, so I’ll speak to the Crown Princess on your behalf. We can say there was no mutual connection.”

“No, that would be problematic.”

Alex swung his crossed leg restlessly, tapping his foot without bothering to hide his displeasure.

“I cannot betray the Crown Prince’s expectant gaze. The Crown Prince’s wish is my wish.”

“You’re oddly dutiful in strange places.”

Alex glared sidelong at a bewildered Lidoria.

“Besides, if you refuse this match, there will be second and third arranged meetings waiting.”

“Like some kind of assassin or something.”

“Earlier, when I heard your story, I thought this was fortunate.”

“My story?”

“You have circumstances that prevent you from marrying immediately, correct?”

“Yes… well.”

“Then this is convenient. For our part, we’d prefer not to marry if possible. To wait for the Crown Prince’s fervor about ‘marriage = happiness’ to cool down, how about we temporarily agree to a ‘promise of engagement’?”

“A ‘promise of engagement’? What is that?”

Lidoria frowned.

“A promise to marry is an engagement, right? So, a promise of engagement would be an engagement promise?”

“The name doesn’t matter. At your age, isn’t it socially awkward to not have a single fiancé? If this continues, it might even affect your younger brother’s marriage prospects.”

“My brother’s?”

When she asked suspiciously, Alex nodded with an overly serious expression.

“‘There’s an unmarried older sister living there. Would you want to marry into such a family?'”

“I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t! This is terrible! It’s not just my problem anymore!”

“Right, right? See? This is mutually beneficial.”

Uncrossing his legs, Alex leaned forward on the table, bringing his face closer to Lidoria’s.

“If we formally engage, breaking it off would require enormous effort. So, let’s keep it at merely ‘thinking about getting married in the future’ between ourselves. Should we draft a contract just in case?”

Alex’s grinning face was filled with such mischief that it was hard to believe he was a marquis’s son.

Thinking this person was the confidant of that angelic Crown Prince was both reassuring and concerning.

“That’s true. And when my brother comes of age…”

“We’ll break the promise. You wouldn’t want someone like me as your lifelong partner either, would you?”

When he said that, she vaguely considered it.

A high-ranking noble favored by the Crown Prince. Handsome but with personality flaws.

As a lover, he might be fine.

But as a lifelong partner…

(I might hesitate a little)

Just as she was thinking that, Alex pressed his advantage.

“If you want, I could even help you find a suitable partner by then.”

“Really?! Please write that in the contract too!”

Lidoria leaned forward without thinking.

“I don’t lie. I can’t lie, which is why I’m in this situation.”

“That sounds convincing. But please add it to the contract.”

“Understood. So publicly, we’ve made a promise of engagement. And we’ll separate after three years. Until then, I’ll find you a marriage partner. Is that acceptable?”

“That’s fine.”

Lidoria and Alex looked directly into each other’s eyes and nodded deeply.

◇◇◇◇

That afternoon.

When Lidoria returned to the mansion completely exhausted, her brother Finley was waiting for her.

“How was it?! Sister!”

As she handed her coat, hat, and bag to the maid waiting at the entrance, Finley came running down from the second floor.

“Huh…? Was he some unpleasant man or something?”

Having quickly read his sister’s expression, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs and spoke with a worried voice. Lidoria hurriedly shook her head and approached him.

“No. It’s just that I’ve never spoken with a gentleman for that long before, so I’m tired. He was a very nice person.”

“What kind of person?”

Finley asked cautiously nonetheless.

“Lord Alex Reading.”

“Lord Alex?! The King’s Hound?!”

Finley let out a startled cry. Lidoria was surprised that her student brother knew more about him.

“Eh, is he famous?”

“Extremely famous! He’s the deputy commander of the Hounds, right? How come you don’t know, Sister? He’s the closest of the Crown Prince’s confidants! He’s been protecting the Crown Prince since he was little and is incredibly strong!”

“Is that so. Well… you see, your sister is the Crown Princess’s maid, right? I didn’t notice, but apparently he saw me somewhere.”

“Huh… but still. Lord Alex wasn’t married yet?”

“Apparently not.”

“Isn’t that strange?”

“Strange?”

“Because Lord Alex’s father is a marquis, right? And Lord Alex is already in his mid-twenties?”

“That’s right. He said he’s twenty-five.”

“Age-wise, he matches Sister… But normally someone like that would already be married or engaged by now. Why is he still available?”

“Still available? My, you’ve really developed a foul mouth since starting military academy.”

His speech used to be proper, but recently it’s been deteriorating rapidly.

Lidoria frowned, but Finley paid no attention. She frowned even deeper.

“Isn’t it weird? Maybe he has some strange preferences or something?”

“Preferences?!”

Lidoria lightly smacked her brother’s shoulder.

“Don’t say things like that elsewhere?!”

“So, what did this Lord Alex say to you?”

“Say about what?”

“About wanting to get engaged?”

“Engaged… well. Yes, he said we should positively consider engagement.”

Slipping away from her brother’s suspicious gaze, Lidoria deliberately sighed dramatically.

“Ah, I’m tired. I’m going to relax in my room for a while. Regarding the engagement, the adults will handle the rest. When something is decided, I’ll report back to you.”

Though Lidoria left saying this, Finley’s voice followed her from behind: “Something seems super suspicious.”