Chapter 15 – A Deal, a Hug, and a Hidden Jewel
My throat burned — like I’d swallowed a handful of thumbtacks.
It’s already too late.
The real Aileen had drowned in sorrow long ago — heartbroken that her father had pawned her off and that her love would never come true. Like Ophelia, she sank into the river and vanished.
What’s left now is me — a parasite wearing her skin. A monster driven by greed. A “woman possessed by the desire to make money.”
The girl you tried to save is gone forever.
And yet, my father-in-law smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.
“Cartiman refused to hold a wedding ceremony. Lilac was furious about it. As for me… I just hope you think of this as your second life and find some peace here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If you ever feel uncomfortable, speak up. We scolded Cartiman a bit yesterday, by the way.”
He stroked his beard, sighing.
“Let me repeat this — Cartiman doesn’t do things he doesn’t want to. Which means he wanted to marry you. There must be something there. Thank you for becoming part of our family.”
“Thank you for having me.”
I nodded.
Even if it was only for a year, family was still family.
***
Later, I thought about it and decided this must be the work of my fairy grandfather.
The reputation of a noble family is tricky — the higher it rises, the more valuable I become too.
That’s what I told myself, anyway. It made it easier to breathe — to believe that these people cared about me, not the ghost of Aileen I’d replaced.
That evening, Cartiman finally came into the room.
“Well, look who decided to show up. If you hadn’t come tonight, I was going to storm your office and sleep there. You’re, what, a hundred hours late for our newlywed… event?”
“A bit late, yes.”
He sat down casually, unbothered.
“I spoke to the miners. Tomorrow they’ll send a wagon full of ore to the Marquisate.”
“That’s what you were up all night doing?”
“Yes. I said I’d handle it, and I did.”
“That’s… unexpectedly sweet.”
“I’d rather not go back to how things used to be. You were annoying back then.”
I couldn’t really understand him.
If someone had loved me the way Aileen once loved him, I’d have been grateful. But maybe that’s the difference — he’d always been loved too easily.
Lucky bastard. Born into love.
***
“I met your father today.”
He snorted. “Did he recommend a novel?”
“He said you wouldn’t marry someone you didn’t care for. That you must have feelings for me.”
“Of course he did.” Cartiman muttered.
Then, with a low sigh, he said, “Marriage isn’t some grand romantic thing. It’s just a social agreement — a contract to bind two people together. You don’t need love for it to work.”
“Then why did you agree to a contract marriage at all? There’s another reason, isn’t there?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“Because you’re curious about me. That’s why you keep me close.”
His eyebrow twitched. He stood, walked over, and sat beside me on the bed. His breath was close enough to feel.
“So,” I whispered, “maybe I can answer one of your questions too.”
“Is that so?”
He tilted my chin up with his hand.
Wow…
It wasn’t fair. No one should look that good up close.
“You’re… ridiculously handsome,” I muttered.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“Do you have a twin, by any chance? Preferably one with a nice personality?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Then could you let go now?”
“No. I want to see if you’re attracted to me.”
“How? It’s not like I can pull out my heart and show you.”
“Like this.”
***
He wrapped his arms around me gently.
Normally, I’d curse and shove him away — but when someone that good-looking hugs you, swearing just feels… wrong.
He lowered his ear to my collarbone. My pulse thudded so hard I thought he could hear it echo.
“Your heart’s racing,” he said quietly. “When someone’s attracted, their heartbeat speeds up.”
“You idiot. You think it’s because of you? Try hugging any fifty-year-old lady on the street — her heart’ll race too.”
“Still, it’s very fast. I can feel it against my palm.”
“That’s… a medical condition.”
The “handsome man heart condition.” Every woman has it.
“I see. Then I suppose that method failed.”
He released me. His warmth slipped away, leaving the air strangely cold. He sighed — weary but smiling.
“Are you insane?”
“No. I’m just surprised you don’t love me.”
“You’re definitely insane.”
He ignored me completely.
***
“One year,” he said. “That’s how long this marriage lasts. It’s barely begun. Figure out my motive if you can. I said I’d never marry without love — yet here I am, married to you. Try to guess why.”
“Can I do it however I like?”
“Yes.”
“Then answer this.”
I stared straight into his eyes, swallowed hard, and began to sing.
“It’s all about the mindset~ What makes life happy~?”
He blinked. “…A philosophical question?”
“You really don’t know? Come on. Every Korean knows what comes next.”
“I only know you’re rambling.”
“No way! That should’ve worked!”
Damn. My perfect test had failed.
When I heard Cartiman had changed three years ago, I’d suspected it immediately — maybe he was a transmigrator too.
He had to be. I could feel it.
***
“Anyway,” he said, standing, “it’s nine o’clock. Time for bed.”
He sounded tired.
“This is my bed. Yours is over there.”
“I don’t have the strength to move. Yours looks softer.”
“They’re identical.”
“Nope. My sheets weren’t even changed. Yours definitely looks better.”
“Really? That must’ve been an oversight.”
He sighed again.
“Fine. Sleep here.”
I braced myself for him to toss me out, but he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t hate me that much after all.
He went to the other bed, blew out the candle, and darkness filled the room.
I pulled the blanket over my head but couldn’t sleep.
I reached under the covers, touching the small spoon hidden in my hand — a gift from Grandpa Fairy.
His words echoed in my mind.
***
“This land isn’t mine, so my power will take time to adjust. But don’t worry, granddaughter. I’ll still help where I can. My precious girl’s even selling marriage to earn money — of course I’ll lend a hand.
Still… this place feels cursed. The air’s heavy. Cold. You’ll see strange things here — bizarre, frightening things that defy the world. But they won’t last long. This land’s doomed to vanish with its Duke’s family — within two years, it’ll all be gone.”
House Asser — one of the kingdom’s proudest names.
And yet, destined to crumble worse than the bankrupt Marquisate I came from.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Two years. Plenty of time.
Before this place collapses, I’ll mine every last scrap of metal out of the ground.
That thought let me sleep easily for once.
When I woke, sunlight filled the room — but Cartiman was gone.
Instead, I saw the head maid’s back. She was rummaging through the vanity Cartiman had “thoughtfully” prepared for me.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around. “Oh my—!”
She looked like she’d seen a ghost — which, considering my situation, wasn’t far from the truth.
As I stepped closer, I noticed a jewelry box in the drawer — one I hadn’t seen before.
“What’s this?”
“D-don’t touch that!”
She slapped me across the face.
The metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue.
***
Elsewhere…
“Lilac, Lilac, listen to me!”
“Who are you calling ‘Lilac,’ you fool?”
“You, obviously! Anyway — guess what? My baby kicked for the first time yesterday! So about that talk we had…”
“The betrothal in the womb? Oh, come on. What if our kids don’t like each other?”
“Impossible! We’re such good friends — how could they not get along?”
Their laughter rang out like church bells.
They truly believed their happiness would last forever. But no celebration lasts forever.
“My child will love yours, I’m sure of it. We must’ve been sisters in another life. Let our children grow up like cousins — strong and happy.
…And I hope she never dies the way I will.”***
“Ah!”
Lady Lilac shot upright, drenched in sweat. Her nightgown clung to her.
“You had a nightmare again,” her husband, Bender, said gently.
He wiped her forehead and offered her a sip of water. She leaned against him, trembling.
“I feel so guilty… about that child.”
“Which child?”
“Aileen. That poor girl.”
The “betrothal in the womb” had been a promise made between two close friends — Lilac and Aileen’s mother.
They’d made it in a sunlit temple, under a cascade of colored glass. But after Aileen’s mother died, the promise had turned into nothing but guilt.
“I did nothing for her,” Lilac whispered. “I was so caught up with my newborn son and husband that I forgot my friend’s face.”
“What time is it?”
“Just past six, my lady.”
She rang the bell. The head maid — Bella — entered quickly.
Lilac opened her jewelry box.
“She said she likes money,” Lilac murmured. “Aside from the ring you gave her, she has so little she cherishes.”
“You’re giving her a gift?” Bender asked.
“Why not?” Lilac smiled sadly. “I owe her that much.”
She took out a dazzling gem and handed it to Bella.
“Place this on the vanity in Cartiman’s room. Quietly. I want her to find it in the morning and smile.”
“This precious stone… for Lady Aileen?”
“It’s not yours, Bella. Now go.”
The maid paled and hurried off with the jewel.
***
Bender cleared his throat. “Lilac, Bella’s your companion. That was a bit harsh.”
“You’re right… I was still shaken from that nightmare.”
“Then apologize when she returns. What did you dream about, anyway?”
“My friend,” she whispered. “Cassia.”
She turned toward the mirror. A pale, exhausted woman stared back — and behind her, a puff of white smoke curled upward.
“Eek!”
“Lilac?!”
“Th-there was something behind me! A ghost—!”
“You’re just seeing things. You’ve been too anxious, that’s all. There’s nothing behind you but me.”
Bender wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Watching from a corner, Grandpa Fairy clicked his tongue.
“Tch tch tch… Kiddo, at least I earned those cookies.”
