Adriana’s life is a gimmick. It was an immutable truth, like the setting that Diego was a murderer.

Adriana’s childhood was both different and the same as Diego’s. Originally, the Marquis of Astez had a woman he was terribly in love with. It was not that he had given his heart to the wrong person, like the Duchess of Berta. The woman he loved so much was his real wife, Adriana’s biological mother.

The mansion, which had been filled with laughter, took a dark turn. The Marquise of Astez had died giving birth to Adriana. The Marquis of Astez resented Adriana for killing her mother and left her unattended. After she took a new wife and gave birth to another heir, the relationship between father and daughter fell apart. Adriana was the rightful heir, but the Marquis of Astez’s stubborn refusal to recognize her made her the family’s pawn. It was a common domestic tale for fictional heroines.

As Adriana celebrates her coming of age, she finds herself in yet another crisis. She has become involved in a marriage proposal from the ruler of the neighboring kingdom, Granton III. Being a king’s wife would typically be considered an honorable position, but the story takes a different turn when the prospective groom is an elderly man with already seven wives.

She would be the old king’s eighth concubine. It was a marriage of convenience for the family, but with little regard for Adriana’s happiness. To escape her unwanted marriage, Adriana makes the mistake of entering the lion’s den. The lion’s den, of course, is the Duchy of Berta, and the lion who will eat her is Diego.

Their different personalities put them at odds at first. After an initial period of not understanding and hurting each other, Diego soon sympathizes with Adriana’s plight. The two come full circle, pay their dues, admit their love, and have a happy ending. That was the plot of ?Contract Marriage to a Dangerous Duke.?

“It’s tearful human theater, beautiful love.”

Estella laid down her pen after organizing the story on the paper.

A long sigh escaped her lips, a plot she had only sketched out in her head, lest she be discovered and arouse suspicion. The anxiety proved useful, as Diego personally searched the room. Now that she was safe for the time being, Estella decided to organize the book in chronological order. Now that the heroine had made her appearance, it was time for a midway check.

She picked up her pen again and circled Adriana’s name.

“He didn’t want to marry her.”

Estella muttered as she dabbed the nib across the paper, a nervous look on her face.

The hero rejected the heroine’s proposal. Apparently, my influence on this story was greater than I thought. No wonder, after all, I had saved the lives of children who should have died.

It’s not that Diego is offended by Adriana’s proposal. In the original novel, Diego rejected Adriana when they first met. Then he accepted her proposal of marriage, but didn’t admit his feelings for her until shortly before the end of the novel. It was ridiculous that he was so far along in their relationship and yet denied his love. This later becomes a reason for Adriana to distrust his love, which ultimately leads to her running away.

When Diego comes to catch her, Adriana utters these lines.

“You don’t love me. You’re not capable of loving anyone in the first place.”

She even goes so far as to say that she regrets going to see him. Diego grits his teeth and says,

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know what the fuck these feelings are.”

Diego rejects the spring that has come to him. He doesn’t think he’s worthy of such happiness. He sees himself as a man destined to grow old and lonely, and he accepts his marriage to Adriana for the same reason. He didn’t want to be emotionally entangled with anyone else.

“You know all my flaws. How can a sinner like me live like other people? How can I love you without any issues and…”

“Will you bear a child who resembles me?”

Diego clamped his mouth shut to cover the last bit. A contractual relationship with no feelings, that’s the fundamental reason he accepted Adriana. No wonder he’s so reluctant to start a new family, considering all those he’s cut down with his own hands.

Diego, who hasn’t killed Cecilia and Cedric, therefore, has little incentive to accept Adriana’s proposal. Her outlandish demands piqued his interest, but not enough to motivate him to welcome an emotionless marriage. Unlike her, who had proven herself useful to him repeatedly, Adriana had only spoken to him once. The problem is how to make this motivation work……..

Estella’s head snapped up at a knock at the door. She hastily tossed the paper into a drawer and went to the door. It was the butler, Javier, who answered the door. He greeted her as soon as she appeared.

“Good morning.”

“It’s well past noon.”

Javier smiled at Estella’s distant response.

“I thought you were just getting up. I heard you hadn’t left your room.”

“It’s a holiday. So what brings you here?”

“A letter arrived for Miss Margaret.”

With that, he pulled a letter out of his bosom. As soon as Estella accepted it, she checked the back. There was no family seal, but the sender was clearly marked.

Adriana Teresa Astez.

Dryly ripping off the outer seal, Estella asked.

“Did you see what it says?”

“I’m sorry.”

The butler replied with a chuckle. Estella didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever contact Adriana had made, it was unlikely that she would find any contact between her and Diego beyond what she had said. They’d only spoken once, and that uneventful relationship was a fact.

Estella took out the letter and unfolded it. Among the folded papers, there was a ticket. Upon a quick glance, it appeared to be a VIP ticket for a popular opera these days. Estella set it aside and proceeded to read Adriana’s message.

?Miss Margaret, how are you?

I the passerby who got out of trouble thanks to you last time. I didn’t even get a chance to greet you properly after your help. If you don’t mind, I’d like to meet you and pay my respects. Can we meet this evening, at the location on the ticket I sent you?

I’ll be waiting for you.?

So she was asking her to come to this opera to meet her. Not a restaurant, not a secret building hidden in a remote alley. Estella raised an eyebrow at the odd choice of location.

Suddenly, she caught sight of the butler, who was still standing across the street. Estella asked dryly.

“Is there anything else you wish to tell me?”

Javier didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Mr. Diego wants to see you.”

“……Why all of a sudden? I don’t really have anything to share with him…….”

Estella trailed off and looked back and forth between the letter and Javier. Then her shoulders sagged in resignation. If Javier had seen this, there was no way he wouldn’t have told Diego. The thought of another round of questioning was already wearing on her.

“Where should I go?”

* * *

Contrary to her expectation that he would be in his office, Diego was located outside. Surely the muscles that made up his body didn’t come from paperwork.

Estella made her way through the lush landscaping to the firing range where she knew Diego was. When she arrived, he was holding a musket and aiming at a distant target. He was so focused that he didn’t notice her arrival until she was behind him. Either that, or he was deafened by the continuous shooting.

A loud boom shook the target plate. Estella waited a moment for him to lower his weapon, then clapped her hands together without sincerity.

“You hit the mark.”

Diego turned his head and looked behind him. Perhaps because he had already anticipated someone’s presence, he didn’t seem particularly surprised. Diego approached Estella slowly.

“Did you see?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I had a good view.”

“It must be the first time you’ve seen one, as it’s not common even in the capital.”

Diego said, and raised his firearm. It was intimidating in its size, but primitive in its construction. Flicking a part of the weapon, he explained

“When you pull the trigger, it unwinds the pre-wound tinder, which rubs against the flint and ignites it. It’s pretty simple to use because you don’t have to carry fire with you.”

With that, Diego held the firearm out to Estella.

“Would you like to try it once?”

“Can you trust me with such a thing?”

“It’s not easy to hit the target on the first shot.”

“I’m not interested. I prefer being a simple citizen who believes that the advancement of weapons is not favorable.”

If Estella had any admiration, it was not for the skill but for the wealth aspect. The flintlock itself was expensive, and usually, one would refrain from casual firing during practice. It made her think that indeed, the duke is a duke.

Diego turned the muzzle of his rifle to the ground at Estella’s cool reaction.

“The swords that the soldiers carry on their backs are not as good as the swords they carry in their belts. I’m not the kind of man to kill someone in secret and get away with it.”

“What makes you assume I’m going to sneak and kill someone……?”

“It’s hard to use when it’s raining or windy. You can’t pick and choose your battles when the weather is favorable, so it needs to be improved.”

Ignoring Estella’s obvious question, Diego continued. When Estella looked away, Diego neatly released the musket’s grip.

“So you know I’m not going to shoot this thing at a living person.”

The firearm fell limply to the floor. It wasn’t broken, but for such an expensive item, the way he handled it felt pretty unconventional. Estella couldn’t quite understand why he emphasized that he wouldn’t kill anyone. It didn’t particularly impress her.

Looking down at the floor, Estella crossed her arms behind her back.

“I heard you called for me.”

“I heard you were planning to go out.”

“Naturally, you know who the other party is, right?”

“The blackmailer who came to me in a grand manner, wasn’t it?”

It may not be an entirely inaccurate description, but it did give off a feeling of listening to a romance novel reader. As Estella remained silent, Diego continued to ask.

“Where are you going?”

“Why do you ask if you know everything?”

Diego raised an eyebrow at Estella’s poor attitude.

“I don’t know about that. I only half listened because I thought you’d feel less offended if you said it yourself.”

“That’s very considerate of you, but I’m already offended and I don’t want to report where we’re going.”

“I need to know where you’re going so I can decide whether to let you go or not.”

“Do I have to ask the Duke for permission to go out?”

“I feel sorry for you, that’s not how you express human concern.”

Diego returned it with a pitying tone. Unlike his finite voice, his body refused to back down. It didn’t seem to want to let go until it got the answer it wanted.