chapter 01

When I was young, my dream was to have a shop of my own.

It didn’t matter whether it was a convenience store, a bakery, or a stationery shop.

Born an orphan and raised in poverty, I believed that if I became a shop owner, I’d be able to have anything I wanted.

As I grew older, I realized that owning a shop didn’t mean you could just take whatever you liked. Still, I worked tirelessly, determined to have a place of my own.

And on the very day I finally opened my shop with the money I had saved…

I died.

Cause of death: heart attack.

But that wasn’t the end of my life.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself possessing the body of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Usually, in novels, people reincarnate as something grand—like the daughter of a duke or a holy saint.

But me?

I was an orphan. Again.

Did my new life really have to resemble my previous one in that way too?

Fortunately, in this empire, even orphans could become government officials if they studied hard, so at least making a living wouldn’t be an issue.

I decided that in this life, I’d aim to become a civil servant as early as possible and secure a stable future…

“…So make your choice. Go on, stamp it here. Or else…”

The man in front of me smiled dangerously.

Treon Ibaropa.

Despite his refined, handsome appearance, he was known for being utterly cold-blooded. He was also the loyal vassal of Duke Valfruga—the male lead of the romance novel I had read.

Swallowing nervously, I looked down at the paper in front of me.

Judging by the atmosphere, it felt more like I was dealing with human traffickers or loan sharks—but what lay before me was a marriage certificate.

Damn it.

Only then did I realize who I had possessed—and what kind of world this was.

It seemed I had transmigrated into a romance novel with the rather cheesy title “Taming the Beastly Man.”

My name was Felia Foldvish.

In the original story, Felia—like me—was an orphan. At the age of fifteen, she married the ten-year-old male lead.

Right in the middle of her sensitive teenage years, she suddenly found herself with a child husband.

Felia had no interest in the young male lead and, satisfied with having her basic needs met, quietly lived on the outskirts of the ducal estate.

I didn’t know how she truly felt about that life.

But one thing was certain: she had no idea what was happening inside the main castle, nor did she know that the male and female leads had fallen in love.

Then one day, when the male lead asked her for a divorce so he could marry the heroine, Felia saw him for the first time as an adult—and fell in love.

She tried to drive a wedge between them, claiming that she and the male lead had loved each other since childhood and that the heroine was nothing more than a fleeting plaything.

Of course, her schemes failed.

And she was killed by the male lead.

Felia wasn’t even a proper final villain—just a disposable extra used to spice up the main couple’s overly dramatic romance.

After Felia died, there was a scene where the male and female leads exchanged embarrassingly sweet confessions before heading to bed together…

Honestly, that part had been pretty good.

In a way, Felia was pitiful too.

The reason she married the male lead in the first place was purely out of his necessity.

After his parents died, the male lead was too young to inherit his family.

Though he could reclaim it upon adulthood, there was no guarantee it would be returned willingly.

So he used an imperial law stating that married individuals could inherit their family—and married Felia to claim his inheritance.

It was a marriage designed from the start to be used easily and discarded just as easily.

Otherwise, there was no way a high-ranking noble like him—despite his family’s decline—would marry an orphan with no connections.

“…What happens if I refuse this?” I cautiously asked.

Sure, if I got married, I’d at least get to see the male lead’s face, and becoming part of a noble family might make it easier to become a government official.

But still—I didn’t want to end up as a passing villain who gets killed by the male lead.

If I just refused this marriage, I could live peacefully without ever getting entangled with him.

You go your way.

I’ll go mine.

Let’s keep it that way!

But before I could even finish my sentence, I saw the knight beside him rest his hand on the hilt of his sword.

A clear message: now that I knew too much, they wouldn’t let me live.

…If only I had realized sooner who I’d possessed, I could’ve avoided all this.

I shouldn’t have followed the orphanage director just because she promised me chocolate bread.

“…Just kidding. Why would I refuse such a great opportunity?”

I smiled brightly.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The man smiled back.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

We stared at each other, smiling for quite a while.

What a bunch of creeps.

Truly loyal retainers of the male lead’s family.

With a servile smile, I asked, “Should I stamp it here?”

“Yes. Next to the name.”

The male lead’s name was already stamped neatly with the family seal.

Holding back tears, I pressed my thumbprint onto the marriage certificate.

I was walking straight into a pit of doom with my own hands.

Well… now that it had come to this, I’d just live quietly, as if I didn’t exist, and divorce him as soon as possible.

A ducal estate would be huge—he probably wouldn’t even know I existed. If things followed the original story, I’d be sent to the outskirts anyway.

Though… living alone might get lonely. Maybe I could ask to stay in a village instead?

That resolve…

…completely shattered exactly one week later, the moment I arrived at the ducal estate alone in a carriage.

* * *

“W-why is it so c-c-cold here?!”

My teeth chattered as I put on yet another layer of clothing.

Even with two thick fur coats, my breath still came out in white puffs.

“I’m sorry, my lady. We couldn’t afford firewood… Here, please at least cover yourself with this.”

The maid draped a thick blanket over me.

It was still freezing—but better than nothing.

It wasn’t like the male lead saw me and said, “She has an ill-fated face. Send her to the abandoned palace.”

I hadn’t even met him yet.

The problem was simple.

This family was poor.

The male lead, as expected, held a noble title.

A duke of the empire. A founding contributor.

And yet—

That ducal family was completely broke.

“…Ha.”

I pressed my forehead.

The original story began when the male lead was already grown.

It briefly mentioned that he was a genius who revived his fallen family.

But in the novel, after restoring the family, he spent money like water.

At auctions, if someone bid 100 million marks, he’d casually bid 1 billion.

He bought expensive dresses and jewels for the heroine every single day.

Never—not once—did the story show him like this.

And there are degrees of poverty.

This was a ducal family.

A family with vast lands, with mountains of jewels and artworks accumulated over generations.

I had imagined they were just struggling a bit.

I never thought they’d be this ruined.

Looking around the room, I saw nothing of value.

Even though it was supposedly the duchess’s room.

And among all the servants in this enormous estate, I had only seen this one girl.

Even her clothes were worn and patched in several places.

“…Hey.”

“Yes, my lady!” she replied cheerfully.

“You can call me Bella.”

“Right, Bella. Are you the only maid here?”

“No, there are a few more.”

“…More than ten?”

“……”

No answer.

So, less than ten.

I decided to be direct.

“Bella. Why is this ducal house so poor?”

“W-well…”

Bella explained.

The male lead’s great-great-grandfather had fallen out of favor with the emperor.

Following the emperor’s command, he went to slay a dragon that threatened the empire.

Refusing would’ve meant treason.

But dragon hunting wasn’t simple—it required enormous resources.

Still, if successful, they could claim the dragon’s hoarded treasure.

So he poured the family’s entire wealth into the expedition…

Only to be wiped out.

The dragon was far stronger than expected.

The great-great-grandfather and all his retainers were annihilated.

All the invested wealth vanished.

The emperor, who already disliked the family, used their failure as an excuse to further suppress them.

Since then, the family had no talent, no money, and no political backing.

Every attempt to recover failed.

Investments turned into scams.

Talented people betrayed them or ran away.

Even the remaining assets were sold off just to survive.

Eventually, even the male lead’s parents died from overwork, leaving him alone.

“…Damn it.”

Four generations of downfall.

“Bella… when will we get money for firewood?”

“I-I’m not sure…”

“Bella… just asking, but… when was the last time you bought firewood?”

“…A year ago.”

I grabbed my head.

This estate was in the far north.

Even indoors, fully dressed, your breath showed.

If they couldn’t afford firewood, could they even afford food?

At this rate, I’d freeze or starve before the male lead ever killed me.

This wasn’t just a scam marriage—

This was a full-blown fraud.

No wonder they married an orphan like me.

No sane parent would send their daughter into this ruined household.

Taking a deep breath, I asked,

“Bella… if I hadn’t married him, what would’ve happened to this family?”

“…It would probably be absorbed by another house… or taken over by His Majesty.”

“So my husband would lose his noble status?”

“Yes…”

She quickly added, “My lady, you can’t divorce until you both come of age!”

I was fifteen.

That meant five years.

“…I see.”

Five years trapped here.

The male lead was currently ten.

In fifteen years, he would become the strongest duke in the empire.

A genius swordsman who could split mountains and seas.

Even emperors bowed before him.

So saving this family wasn’t impossible.

But I couldn’t just sit around waiting for a ten-year-old to grow up and save me.

I’d freeze to death first.

There was only one solution.

I would save this family myself.

I’d restore the house, raise the male lead well…

Then divorce him.

If I saved the family, they’d at least give me a decent settlement.

And when the heroine appeared, I’d step aside gracefully.

No death.

A fortune in alimony.

A peaceful second life.

…Perfect plan.