The Art of a Brilliant Political Marriage - Chapter 1

—Her wish was a very humble one.

She wanted to be ignored by her biological father, bullied by her stepmother and her stepsister, and worked like a servant every single day.

For meals, hard bread and soup as thin as water would be a luxury. Most days, there would only be a few breadcrumbs floating in cold, watery soup. She would sip that at night and lie down on a hard bed with a hungry stomach. Because she would spend the whole day cleaning the mansion, prepping ingredients, and doing laundry, her overworked body would be exhausted, and she would fall asleep instantly.

Only in her dreams would she be happy. She would wear beautiful dresses, her late mother would hug her with a smile, and her father would watch them with happy, narrowed eyes. The table would be filled with more food than it could hold; she would taste every bite, and the whole family would smile at each other. Then, she would wake up and feel despair that it was only a dream.

For a sinner, that would be the most fitting punishment.

—Basically, she simply wished to live her ideal life of atonement.

“Is that really ‘humble’? No, does that even count as a wish in the first place…?”

The girl who had been describing her wish with a dreamy look—Cielin—blinked her hazel eyes. Her father, Daedali, had asked her this question with a look of great weariness, which made her feel puzzled.

Daedali was a handsome man with the same hazel eyes as his daughter and dark blonde hair. He used his looks and talent to work as a crooked moneylender and was the richest man in the Kingdom of Dattanbero. Though he was a commoner, he was known as the “Golden Emperor.” The look he gave his daughter was filled with complete disbelief.

In contrast to her handsome father, the daughter was a plain-looking girl with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. However, her eyes sparkled and were full of charm. She simply accepted her appearance for what it was. In front of Cielin, who had just shared her humble wish, sat a very simple dinner. Her father, his wife, and the stepsister had a magnificent feast in front of them. The gap between them was obvious, but no one pointed it out.

By the way, Cielin was dressed in the uniform worn by the servants of the house, and no one said anything about that either. She had told her family it was her way of making amends, but it wasn’t clear if they truly understood her real intentions.

The stepmother and stepsister, who used to treat Cielin coldly, had completely changed their attitude one day. Because of this, her current life was far from what she wished for.

Her dinner and her clothes were leftovers from those old days, but everyone had stopped caring long ago. She tried hard to show off her “misery” to win back those “glory days,” but it seemed the stepmother and others felt it was like a silent threat. Currently, they simply ignored her as if she were air.

A sinner can’t act like a big shot, right? Even though I am quietly atoning for my sins, why is the side that should be punishing me trying to read between the lines? To Cielin, the current situation was quite unfair. Not a single one of her desires was being met.

Unfortunately, her arrogant father did not care about the complex feelings of a teenage daughter. Furthermore, there was no way a crooked moneylender described as having a “frozen heart” would worry about the strange family relationships in the mansion. He remained calm and continued his own topic.

“You turned sixteen recently, didn’t you? That’s why I meant to ask you about a marriage partner.”

“A marriage partner?”

She had described her ideal life because he asked if she had a wish for how she wanted to live. But the moment her father asked that, Cielin’s eyes snapped wide open. She was a sixteen-year-old girl with dreams. Of course, she had an ideal.

“You should have said that sooner! There is more to my wish. That ‘pitiful me’ is married off by her biological father to a prestigious noble family. There, I find a notorious, cold-hearted husband who spends all his time with his mistress and ignores me. I am bullied by his mother and the rest of the family, and worked like a servant—”

“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about anymore…”

Her father looked at her with eyes of utter confusion, as if looking at a strange beast. Perhaps she should be proud of shocking a father rumored to have green blood instead of red. However, it wasn’t the look a father should give his own daughter, and he was the one who started the conversation anyway.

“Oh, Father, even though you were the one who asked about my ideal political marriage partner.”

As she pouted cutely, Daedali let out a long sigh.

“You are a daughter of this house. You’ve seen plenty of what happens to nobles who borrow money to fund their playboy lifestyles. There are more families like that than you can count. Is any house fine with you?”

Apparently, after thinking about it seriously, he was troubled because there were too many candidates. I see, he really is my cold-blooded father, Cielin thought. She adjusted her attitude.

“Well, I won’t have it unless the husband is a notoriously cold-hearted, handsome man. Also, having a mistress is an absolute requirement.”

“Ah, then I can narrow it down to a few.”

Her father finally seemed satisfied and went back to eating. That was the end of the conversation. Cielin cheered up and thoroughly enjoyed her simple dinner.

One month after that conversation, Cielin was dressed in wedding clothes and held a ceremony at a famous church in the royal capital.