Episode 4
Well, since it’s come to this, let’s get it over with—quick and decisive!
Just as I was about to get up, a voice reached my ears.
“How happy must the person who marries Sir Dylan be?”
It was really the word marriage that caught me.
“Even if she’s a commoner, she’ll soon earn merit and receive a title.”
Come to think of it, she should be of marriageable age too.
Could it… be me?
No, no, that’s impossible.
There are plenty of women lined up to marry him. There’s no way he’d accept me.
I shook my head firmly, stood up, and briskly walked forward.
Sir Tob’s sparring match had just ended, so I needed to propose quickly.
“Sir Tob, could you come to the warehouse next to the training grounds for a moment?”
My stiff tone made Sir Tob look at me with a charming smile.
“Ah, yes! Administrator Ishael! What brings you here?”
“It’s very important. Please follow me.”
“Ah, sure. Give me a moment to tidy up, and I’ll follow.”
I nodded seriously.
Explaining my situation and proposing a marriage made me extremely nervous.
I’ve never actually proposed before.
Without looking back, I headed to the warehouse beside the training grounds.
But when I arrived at the quiet, deserted warehouse and turned around, there wasn’t Sir Tob.
Instead, another knight stood before me.
Strange. Why was Sir Dylan—the epitome of everyone’s ideal man—here?
I glanced around.
The alley beyond seemed completely empty, as if fenced off.
What is going on?
Cautiously, I spoke.
“Um, where’s Sir Tob?”
Sir Dylan whispered quietly.
“Sir Tob is… dead.”
Huh?
Sir Tob had suddenly died.
“Excuse me? Dead?”
I couldn’t believe it. My intended fiancé… dead?
“He was alive just a moment ago,” I protested.
Lowering his gaze, he replied,
“It was a mistake.”
Was this a hallucination?
I thought I heard the sound of teeth gnashing.
Blinking, I tilted my head.
Then Sir Dylan murmured softly,
“Tob seems… busy. I will deliver your message instead.”
Something seemed slightly off in his words.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was, Tob wasn’t here.
And what I had to say wasn’t something that could be relayed by someone else.
Who has a proposal delivered through a proxy?
“It really has to be Sir Tob… personally,” I said.
His voice dropped even lower.
“Is it… impossible for me?”
Even with that deep voice and that alluring face, he looked at me.
For a moment, I almost melted.
But then I noticed something strange.
Why does this man sound so wistful?
Quickly gathering my senses, I said firmly,
“No, that won’t work.”
“…I see.”
Dylan quietly slumped his shoulders.
I’m sure it was a shock—he probably had never been refused before.
“Ah, well, then I’ll be off.”
I slipped the proposal note into my pocket.
I knew full well that if it were revealed to the world, it would be utterly humiliating.
Just as I stepped forward, fate played its hand.
I didn’t notice the stone on the floor while tidying the proposal.
Thud!
Falling was inevitable.
Fortunately, my backside didn’t hurt too much, but there was a bigger problem.
The proposal note, titled in bold letters [Sir Tob, Why You Must Marry Me], fluttered from the ground… landing directly on Sir Dylan’s boot!
This is insane.
I hastily reached for the note.
“…What the—”
Sir Dylan’s eyes were visibly shaken.
It was clear he had read the contents of the proposal.
“Then I’ll be going now!”
I limped away as fast as I could.
I thought I heard Dylan calling after me, but I couldn’t turn back in shame!
Evening came.
I tried to forget all the embarrassment and called my best friend, Henry.
I planned to drink and maybe gather some intel on housing options.
“You want to buy a house? Prices are crazy these days,” he said.
Nothing but depressing news.
“So… there’s really no way for a commoner with zero savings to buy a house?”
“If you don’t have seed money, loans have limits. You’d need a private loan to buy a house.”
Hearing the word private loan made my blood boil.
Thinking of the money my parents spent recklessly made my teeth grind.
Something had to be done.
With a drink in hand, I decided to start my marriage proposal, aimed at severing ties with my family.
“I have something to say.”
“What’s with that look? You look like you’re staring down an enemy parent.”
Was my gaze really that fierce?
I cleared my throat and said,
“Let’s get married. I promise, I will never, ever love you. When the contract ends, I’ll divorce immediately!”
Henry, who had been gazing at me with a wistful look, responded quietly,
“What is this?”
Didn’t I just hear him pour cold water on my plan?
“Are you trying to experiment on me after reading a romance novel?”
I suppose novels are just novels.
Usually, heroines in romance novels propose to a northern duke like this.
Seeing Henry in front of me, all my courage fizzled.
“How did you know I was quoting a novel?”
“Who else would say something like that if not someone in a novel?”
“Genius, right?”
“Anyway, a love marriage is my dream. But why the sudden proposal?”
“Why else?”
“You broke up with that guy, didn’t you?”
I took another bitter sip of my drink.
“Uh… yeah.”
“You went crazy after breaking up… I still can’t agree. After dating sweetly for over five years, my goal is to get married.”
And just like that, I got turned down.
Of course, I expected it.
“Alright… if you find a suitable husband candidate, introduce him to me within 24 hours. I’ll go find Sir Tob.”
“What? Suddenly? Wait, are you going to propose to Sir Tob?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… well, if it’s a contract marriage, maybe it’s possible. Contract marriages are trending thanks to romance novels these days.”
What is up with him?
Even though my friend says he’ll marry within 24 hours, he’s completely open-minded about it.
He even patted my shoulder.
“Hey. Hang in there! Please keep yourself together.”
I nodded grimly.
If I can’t get married within 24 hours, I’ll be buried in private loan debt.
I have to stay completely sane.
“Thanks, friend.”
I had to return to my residence.
Sir Tob was probably on duty somewhere in the knights’ quarters.
As far as I knew, he was working hard to repay his family’s debts and earn money.
I stormed out of the tavern and entered the palace.
Passing through the foggy armory.
In front of a surprisingly crowded, dark alley, someone blocked my path.
“Ah!”
My heart skipped a beat.
What? Why is Sir Dylan standing solemnly right in front of me?
I stammered nervously.
“Um, what… what brings you here?”
“I’ve been waiting.”
He didn’t care about the gazes of those around us.
He just looked at me as if he were about to devour me.
“Excuse me?”
“I wanted to ask… and have been waiting.”
Was I seeing things because I was drunk?
Why did Sir Dylan look as if his face was flushed?
He was someone who had never smiled at anyone, always reserved and solemn.
There was no way his cheeks would flush… yet here he was, blocking me.
“What do you want to ask me?”
I looked at him, thinking,
Did he drink too?
Then he parted his lips and whispered in a mosquito-like voice,
“…The reason you want to marry Sir Tob.”
“Huh?”
I asked again, not sure I heard correctly.
He murmured once more, barely audible:
“Why Tob?”
“…Pardon?”
“Why must it be Tob?”
