The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 1

In a luxurious room, decorated with deep blue tones and trimmed with gold, Sasha stood nervously. A large shadow slowly loomed over her.

As the last light of sunset faded and the room filled with darkness, the man approached silently. He looked as if he had walked straight out of the night itself.

“Um… excuse me… ah…”

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chest that could easily envelop her. His cool, blue eyes locked onto hers. The tension in the room became too much for Sasha to bear, and although she tried to speak, she couldn’t stop him from closing the distance between them.

He climbed onto the bed where she sat and leaned in without hesitation. Ignoring her uncertainty, he lowered his face and captured her lips.

Startled, she gasped. His lips lightly bit hers, and the soft pain caused her tightly closed mouth to part with a quiet sound. His hot tongue slipped between her lips and moved over them.

“Mmm…!”

The unfamiliar sensation made her eyes open wide. She tried to push him away, but his strong, heated body showed no sign of retreating.

He felt like a mountain. No matter how hard she pushed, he wouldn’t budge.

His tongue wrapped around hers, moving along her palate in a way that was dizzying and breathless. Despite her resistance, his tongue was hot, his body firm, and the overwhelming sensations slowly began to take over her.

Why does this feel so, good?

“Mmm… ngh…!”

She couldn’t pull away or draw him in. Soft moans escaped through the narrow space between their mouths. Unaware of how much that sound excited him, she continued to tremble beneath him.

Lost in the heat of their kiss, Sasha suddenly flinched. Something hot brushed against her thigh and pressed against her hips.

“Ha… If you keep pushing me away like that, does that mean you don’t want this?”

His voice was deep and sensual, filled with heat. Sasha’s hands, which had been trying to push him away, lost their strength.

Unable to meet his eyes, she looked around helplessly before finally meeting his gaze. His thick eyebrows, graceful eyes, and mysterious blue pupils were almost too beautiful to look at. Though his eyes had a distinctly Eastern shape, the color within them was otherworldly.

His high nose, well-shaped lips, and warm voice made him look as if he had been sculpted by an artist. His strong hands and arms that held her felt both secure and surprisingly comforting.

“I-I… I didn’t mean…”

She couldn’t even speak properly, let alone resist him.

“You should remember our agreement. I clearly explained that there would be physical intimacy, and you nodded.”

He gently bit her lower lip, which had already swollen from his kisses. As she gasped for breath, her eyes shook with confusion and hesitation.

Even though her mind was overwhelmed, her body responded to his presence. He was calm, but his actions were bold and heated.

This man was a complete stranger. She didn’t know this world, his name, or even what the contract truly said. All she knew was that he was a duke named Ignote.

“I told you. There’s no turning back. Accept me now.”

He bit the side of her neck, drawing a startled cry from her lips. At the same time, his hand slid up her thigh and pulled her closer. She looked up in shock, but as soon as their eyes met, his hips moved forward with firm intent.

He’s coming inside…

“Ah…!”

A short breath escaped her lips as her mind went blank. Heat surged through her body. He moved slowly at first, but with growing intensity and depth.

As he came closer and their bodies fully connected, his warmth and weight wrapped tightly around her. Sasha, overwhelmed by the sensations running through her body, reached out with trembling arms and grabbed onto him.

The more he moved, the tighter her pale fingers gripped his arms.

Held firmly in his embrace, Sasha’s moans grew louder.

That first night, she was soaked, shaken, and overwhelmed beneath him. Her mind went blank again and again.

It had been a lonely life.

She had only read about family in books. She didn’t have close friends from an orphanage or anyone she could call her own.

Even after becoming an adult, nothing changed. Then, not long after, she had an accident.

Twenty years old. A life with nothing in it. Even if she had lived a few more years, it probably wouldn’t have changed.

But then, she opened her eyes. Her hands and feet were warm. A strange ache pulsed in her forehead.

From the moment she died, everything had felt unfamiliar. Still, she knew clearly that her life had ended.

Only a few minutes later, the fading sensations of her body returned.

When all her senses came back, she felt unfamiliar hands touching her face and hair.

“Gasp!”

“Oh! You’re awake, Lady Sasha. The preparations are almost complete. Do you like it?”

The polite voice and gentle touch startled her. Then she looked in the mirror in front of her and screamed.

“Lady Sasha? What’s wrong?”

The middle-aged woman who had been calmly explaining things turned to her in alarm.

Lady Sasha? Was she calling me? Who is this woman? Why is she staring straight at me like that? Wait… that’s me?

She met the gaze of soft brown eyes glowing faintly in the mirror. Her skin was smooth and flawless, without a single visible pore or wrinkle. Her slightly parted pink lips looked surprised.

She looked delicate, with soft golden hair. She was beautiful.

But something felt strange. No matter how long she stared, that reflection looked like her.

With her eyes wide open, Sasha stood frozen, staring at the mirror. The middle-aged woman beside her watched her carefully.

Only when her senses slowly returned did she realize what was happening.

“No, I mean, it’s nothing. Really.”

At her response, the middle-aged woman calmly dismissed the young maids standing nearby. They were all dressed in dark, simple gowns that looked like maid uniforms.

“Lady Sasha, the Duke mentioned that you must be feeling nervous because the wedding was arranged so suddenly. After today’s ceremony and your wedding night, you will no longer be the daughter of Marquis Ivern. You will become the Duchess of Ignote. After that, we will serve you with full sincerity, so please don’t worry too much.”

Her voice sounded kind, but her expression and tone were completely detached. She spoke as if she were listing facts. Hidden within those flat words was something completely shocking.

Sasha suddenly remembered a fantasy romance novel that a girl had shown her during orientation. A lot of things here felt strange, but everything matched the tone and setting of that book almost perfectly.

The story had started with a woman waking up in a fantasy world, just like this.

Was this really happening to her?

“Head Maid Rose, the ceremony is about to begin!”

A bright voice snapped Sasha out of her thoughts.

Head Maid Rose, that name confirmed everything. In the novel, Rose was one of the maids working at the male lead’s mansion.

The body she had entered was named Sasha Ivern. She was twenty years old, just like her original self. She was about to get married and spend her first night with a stranger.

Maybe the lonely, empty life she had lived before ended early so that she could be given this one. And in return, she had to marry a man she had never seen.

The problem was that she knew nothing beyond this point. She didn’t know why the marriage was happening, who the man really was, or what kind of person the original Sasha had been.

Confused and unsure of what to feel, Sasha sat frozen. Meanwhile, Rose mentioned going to get the bouquet and left the room.

As the door closed behind her, Sasha realized this was the perfect chance. She couldn’t marry someone she didn’t know. She needed to find a way out of this.

Without wasting another second, she jumped to her feet and rushed out the door. She gathered the long train of her heavy wedding dress in her arms like bundled laundry, then focused on the faint sounds and quickly ran down the left corridor.

She had no idea where she was going, but she couldn’t just sit and wait.

Why am I so out of breath already? I thought working all those part-time jobs made me stronger. Why does this feel so hard?

She hadn’t even made it out of the building, and her lungs were already burning. The place was massive.

They said I was marrying a duke. So, this must be the duke’s mansion.

At least the end of the hallway was in sight. Judging by the nearby windows, the large door ahead probably led outside.

Even though no one was chasing her, she was already tired. Her legs ached, so she slowed to a fast walk.

She didn’t care about where she was or how she got here. All that mattered right now was stopping the wedding.

Finally, she reached the heavy wooden door that seemed to lead outside.

Given the size of the mansion, the estate probably had a huge garden and a wide-open space. Even so, anywhere was better than being stuck inside.

Panic rushed through her, but her mind worked quickly. She grabbed the handle and yanked the door open.

She had expected bright sunlight to hit her face. Instinctively, she raised one arm to shield her eyes. But something felt wrong. It was even darker now than it had been before she opened the door.

“Sasha Ivern.”

A sharp gasp escaped her lips.

Instead of the outdoors, she came face-to-face with a man.

His low, steady voice called her name with chilling clarity. Just hearing it made her feet feel frozen to the floor.

She wasn’t just scared of being caught. There was something in his presence that completely overpowered her.

Slowly, she looked up. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

In her past life, even without watching much television, she had some idea of what people meant when they said someone was unbelievably attractive. But in all her life, she had never seen anyone like this.

He didn’t look real.

He was tall, with wide shoulders and a strong, masculine build. His features were sharp and refined. His nose and lips looked as if they had been carved from marble. His smooth, elegant eyes held a deep blue gaze that seemed to pierce through her.

Though his expression was calm and unreadable, his cold stare held so much weight that it felt like it was tying her in place.

“This isn’t the way to the banquet hall.”

In that instant, everything became clear.

This man was the one she had woken up next to. The one she was supposed to marry. The Duke of Ignote.

His half-lidded blue eyes drifted lazily over her, then lowered as he studied her more closely.

She could feel his eyes scanning her appearance, and her throat tightened. She swallowed hard, trying not to let her nerves show, but she caught the slight change in his eyes. His gaze sharpened for a brief moment.

Did he just smile with the corner of his mouth? or was she imagining things?

He’s about to speak again. She could feel it in the tension building around him. The way his eyes, brows, and lips moved kept her on edge. Even with no obstacles in sight, she couldn’t bring herself to run anymore.

“Even if it’s a contract, a bride trying to run away on her wedding day? Are you already afraid of tonight?”

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