Chapter 1. Winning Favor? A Gift Is Best
[“Will ‘The Great Lunein,’ who ended the Thousand-Year War, fade into the back pages of history?”]
[“Imperial Treasury Office: ‘The Grand Ducal House of Lunein on the brink of bankruptcy…’]
[“Why has the Guardian of the North fallen? — Focusing on the dangers of reckless investment —”]
I slapped the newspaper I had been reading down with a sharp crack.
“They’re practically cursing them to go under.”
My day always began with reading the morning paper. It was a habit.
My parents had owned Seton, a massive merchant guild that spanned the entire Empire. After they passed away in a carriage accident, I inherited everything.
There was even a time when people said:
“Whoever wins the Empire’s greatest heiress gains everything.”
“I’d like to propose a contract.”
Not long after my parents’ funeral, I was nothing more than a lucky heiress who had inherited a “great merchant guild” far beyond my abilities.
To protect it, I concluded I needed the backing of a powerful noble house—and I went searching for someone who could help me.
“There are many who covet the Seton Guild. A commoner woman holding this much wealth alone must look like an easy target. So, I’d like to propose a contract.”
“A contract, you say?”
“Yes. A contract where neither side has to grovel—one where both parties benefit.”
Since I needed support to secure management rights over the guild, I chose a house that had long traded with Seton and had never once caused trouble.
That place was—
“Lend me the name of Lunein. If I successfully inherit Seton, I will settle all of Lunein’s debts.”
The Grand Ducal House of Lunein.
“Let’s get married.”
Schubel Lunein.
The sole heir of the Grand Ducal House of Lunein.
Jet-black hair, languid violet eyes, and an air that seemed to look down on others by birthright.
A man who had lived his entire life as a great noble—and would continue to do so—spoke.
“Shall we?”
I proposed marriage as a form of contract, and Schubel accepted.
Thus, we married to compensate for each other’s shortcomings.
A contract marriage.
“Fine. Getting married was one thing.”
After a whirlwind six-month engagement spent defending control of the guild, we held our wedding.
I became Elisia Lunein instead of Elisia Seton.
The management rights of Seton were fully secured in my hands, and the guild stabilized just as it had before my parents’ death.
Since I had to reside in the capital estate to run the guild, I had little interaction with my in-laws.
For a marriage that had never been part of my life plan, I was… fairly satisfied.
But then—
“Something completely unexpected happened…”
The problem arose a week ago, on the day of the wedding.
At the very moment Schubel placed a family heirloom on my finger as a wedding ring—
[Change the future.]
A grand voice resounded in my mind, and memories of my past life surfaced.
So this is a world inside a book, Schubel is the protagonist, and I’m… the deceased wife who barely appears in a flashback? Have I lost my mind?
I had lived twenty-one years as Elisia Seton.
Perhaps because my current identity was so firmly established—and my past-life memories were vague—I didn’t feel particularly attached to that past life.
But the traces remained.
For example—the original story.
Three years from now, Lunein would be falsely accused of treason and annihilated.
A tragedy where everyone—his parents, his wife, his retainers—would be executed, leaving only the protagonist, Schubel, alive.
Originally, he had no interest in reviving his declining house. But this incident would awaken him.
That was how the story began.
“Ha… being treated like the protagonist’s awakening trigger really pisses me off.”
It was so absurd it made my blood boil.
Wasn’t that role usually reserved for some tragic, unrequited love interest?
Why me? I’m just in a business-like, show-window marriage.
For a week, I went through denial—anger—bargaining—depression… and finally accepted reality.
“If I want to survive, I’ll have to crawl into the Grand Ducal estate.”
I had two choices:
Ignore everything and break off the engagement—
Or charge straight in and change the future.
Reason told me to choose the former.
Of course, I’m human too. Hearing that my future ends in death made me think, Should I just run away?
But—
The Grand Ducal family’s debt isn’t exactly small change.
The problem was that the contract hadn’t been fulfilled yet.
Seton had already received its payment. A guild that had nearly been torn apart and destroyed had miraculously recovered—thanks to Lunein’s name.
And now that my problem was solved, I was supposed to run?
That’s not happening.
For a merchant guild, nothing is more important than credibility.
If word spread that we failed to honor contracts, the trust we had built would collapse instantly.
I had married to protect what was essentially my parents’ legacy. There was no way I’d destroy it with my own hands.
Besides, my pride won’t allow it.
This was a marriage I chose. A proposal I made.
Divorce without fault? No matter how opportunistic merchants can be, I wasn’t that shameless.
And lastly—the reward.
Reviving Lunein promised benefits great enough to outweigh all risks and opportunity costs.
Lunein was a prestigious house that had ruled as Grand Dukes for over a thousand years.
If I wasn’t tempted by that reputation and network, I might as well quit business altogether.
“And…”
I trailed off and closed my mouth.
Why did his face suddenly come to mind?
I frowned at the annoyingly handsome image—then quickly erased it.
Right. Whatever. We may be a show-window couple, but if my in-laws are about to collapse, I can at least lend a hand.
According to the original story, I only have three years left to live.
I don’t have the luxury of worrying about appearances, so I might as well stick close to him and clear that false accusation first.
“Alright.”
Let’s do this.
I’ll bring plenty of gifts and pay them a visit.
Surely… they wouldn’t throw out their daughter-in-law, right?
…
They would?
