Chapter 12
I Want to Get Married
Leopold waited patiently, until even one foot of the woman he had trapped would step into the snare he had set.
She was, after all, a foolish woman.
Even while being called by the humiliating nickname “the stepping stone,” she had repeatedly fallen for the sweet whispers of pathetic men who called it love.
That also meant she was emotionally vulnerable.
Easily swayed by feelings, she endured insults, only to be deceived again by hollow love. She would nurse a desire for revenge after betrayal, but even that was weak…
Just like his mother.
The most incomprehensible type of person.
What on earth was so important about love? Even while knowing they would eventually bend and snap like a branch in the wind, they still chose love again and again.
How ridiculous.
Well, it didn’t matter.
As long as he achieved his goal, what did it matter what kind of person she was?
Leopold absentmindedly looked down at Biolleta’s pale, slender neck. The faint scent of grass he had caught in the carriage drifted back to the tip of his nose.
There was even a hint of sweetness mixed in.
As he unknowingly became immersed in her scent—
“I don’t… want revenge.”
Startled under his gaze, the woman spoke in a faint voice. Then she took a step or two back from his reach and turned away.
Her silvery hair, swaying with her movement, shimmered like rippling water reflecting fragmented sunlight. Her firm, soft violet eyes looked up at him.
Was this the first time they had been this close?
The portrait the mercenary had shown him suddenly overlapped in his mind. Except for the closed lips that had once smiled, everything else was the same.
Perhaps even more radiant now…
But quickly collecting his thoughts, Leopold reviewed her unexpected answer.
“No revenge… Why?”
Confusion spread across his face. At his silent prompting, the woman parted her delicate lips.
“I want marriage.”
“Marriage…?”
Leopold raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. So I don’t have the luxury for anything else. Not even thoughts of revenge. That would be… a luxury for me.”
With that, she gave a faint smile. Her sorrowful eyes remained the same, making it seem almost self-mocking.
Or was she mocking him? Leopold tilted his head slightly, staring at Biolleta.
With her appearance, she could have married long ago. There were countless men who desired her.
Even if her poor background was an obstacle, she could easily become the second wife or mistress of some wealthy old man. After all, most of them cared less about a woman’s background than about producing heirs.
Marriage was originally like that—a transaction of exchange.
That was why it irritated him. It felt as if she was mocking his judgment, as though she would never fall for something like revenge.
Leopold strode toward the woman standing before his desk. Instinctively, Biolleta stepped back—but the desk blocked her retreat.
He slowly scanned her figure and smirked.
“There must have been plenty of arranged marriage proposals for you.”
“…What are you saying?”
“Or did none of the dowries meet your expectations?”
“P-Please stop, Duke Leopold Otero!”
Biolleta’s face flushed red. Her tightly clenched small fists trembled, but Leopold paid no attention. Instead, he continued his ridicule as if doing her a favor.
“A marriage? If you want, I could arrange something. Though at best, it would be as a concubine or second wife.”
He intended to point out her desperate circumstances—implying she had no right to refuse his proposal.
“Don’t speak of me like that.”
“Why? Isn’t it for money anyway?”
“I can earn money myself. And what I want isn’t that kind of marriage.”
“Then what?”
Leopold’s shoe tip lightly touched hers. Their breaths intertwined again at close range.
Her red lips moved slightly before she finally spoke.
“…A marriage with love.”
“Lo…ve?”
At that strange, unfamiliar word, Leopold burst into laughter, leaning his head back.
Love?
No matter how foolish she was, to want love in marriage was absurd.
As his laughter subsided, Biolleta met his gaze without flinching.
“I mean it. So please stop forcing that proposal on me. And… since we’re at it…”
She slightly shifted her feet away from him.
“I’ve heard you’ve been interfering in my relationships.”
“…What?”
“You supposedly told my past lovers that we were incompatible, persuading them to leave me.”
“So?”
“At first I was going to ask if it was true… but now I see…”
She tilted her head slightly.
“There’s no need. Whatever your reason, please stop doing it.”
There was a strange light in her firm gaze, like dew on a violet blooming between stones.
Biolleta quietly took a deep breath.
Duke Leopold Otero had not offered a single excuse or denial.
Though she had brought his actions into the open, she felt oddly relieved.
She didn’t want to know the reason. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be pleasant. Noblemen’s intentions were as unpredictable as shifting weather.
All she wanted was for him to stay out of her life. That was enough.
But it didn’t seem he intended to do that.
Leopold leaned forward, meeting her eyes more closely. His expression was mildly curious, but only for a moment before turning amused.
“If someone saw this, they’d think I owed you something.”
“…I said I would repay the repair cost.”
“Is that so?”
He chuckled again, amused.
Biolleta turned to leave, unable to endure his mockery any longer. But—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Her slender arm was caught in his grip. Before she knew it, she was once again trapped between his arms and the desk.
“I’m not done yet, Lady Hernandez.”
“…”
“So, have you found the love you wanted so badly?”
Found it? He was the one who had ruined everything!
Suppressing her boiling frustration, Biolleta bit her lip. His finger lightly tapped her lips in response—mocking her.
“Oh, right. I ruined it, didn’t I?”
“Duke…”
“Funny. After being betrayed like that, you still want love. Isn’t that the real delusion?”
Their eyes clashed for several seconds.
No—it was probably only Biolleta’s one-sided struggle. Leopold’s eyes were relaxed, even amused.
“How long do you think that so-called love will last?”
“Longer than your assumptions.”
“That’s why it always ends. Marriage is a contract. You just keep talking about love.”
“And you cheat and call it responsibility?”
Leopold paused for a moment, then smiled again.
“Interested in me, are you? Did you investigate me thoroughly?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I just heard the rumors.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Everyone says that. It’s just self-justification.”
“What about you? How noble are you? Pay your debt first.”
What a vile moneylender.
Biolleta raised her chin defiantly.
“I’ll pay the carriage repair fee. Within two months.”
“Mm.”
“That’s not acceptable?” she demanded.
“Three days. It’s just a ‘simple’ repair fee, isn’t it?”
“…!”
Her grip tightened on her bag.
“Can’t do it?”
“I will.”
“Then say it. Admit you can’t and accept my proposal. Be my mistress.”
His whisper crawled into her ears like a devil tempting her into hell.
But—
“…No.”
“I’ll pay it. That’s all.”
“Suit yourself.”
With that, he released her.
Biolleta ran.
She didn’t stop until she had escaped the manor that felt like a beast’s mouth, even as strange screams echoed behind her and the servants’ gazes followed her unnervingly.
She ran until her breath burned her throat.
Until she could no longer feel his presence.
Until fear no longer clung to her ankles like chains.
After Biolleta fled—
Leopold handed something to Raul in his office.
“The old man was furious. Said he’d cut funding. Set up a meeting.”
In his hand was a letter bearing the seal of the military academy.
