Estella swallowed slowly. Unable to keep her skepticism at bay, Estella asked.

“I’m a fallen noblewoman. How could a woman who worked for a living be seated as a duchess?”

“The woman locked in the annex didn’t seem to have much of a background compared to you.”

Diego replied in a tone that said it didn’t matter. The idea of Anna becoming a duchess was not without its detractors, but Duke Berta’s insistence on the idea eventually silenced them.

What happened next? Once Anna was fully established as the mistress of the Berta household, no one dared to question her credentials. If a courtesan, a commoner by birth, could sit in the same position, there was no reason why Estella couldn’t. Diego stated this with certainty.

“After I act like the fool who fell in love with you and go through a grand engagement ceremony for you, no one will be able to ignore you anymore.”

The one and only drawback to Diego’s plan, as he saw it, was that Adriana would suffer no consequences. Undoubtedly, Adriana was fortunate in many aspects. Even the fact that she happened to seek assistance from Estella among the many servants was indicative of that. Diego recalled Adriana’s face, which had once threatened him so arrogantly.

“I don’t want to leave any room for doubt. If you are engaged to me, no other woman will bother to approach me, as was the case with Miss Adriana.”

“……Miss Adriana’s only desire is to avoid Granton III. Perhaps if you can help her with this, the Duke will stop asking for my hand in marriage.”

Estella stepped forward to defend Adriana’s honor. Adriana hadn’t done this because she was in love with him, like most women. Diego only laughed at her.

“Do you know how deceitful people are? Once you do them a favor, they want more. I want to cut them off at the source.”

It was ridiculous. She’d never heard or seen such a ridiculous plot twist. The male lead wants to shut down the female lead. The biggest thing driving Estella crazy was the realization that she was the cause of it.

Estella sighed. Diego’s face hardened as he realized she hadn’t made up her mind yet.

“The only reason I’m backing down is because of the look on Miss Margaret’s face. If you refuse my offer, I will have no choice but to make sure no one believes Adriana’s claims.”

“How?”

“No one will listen to a woman who is out of her mind.”

Turning a sane person into an ‘insane woman’ is simple.

Estella thought back to the last time she’d eavesdropped on the Duke of Berta’s secrets. Diego had told her that he hadn’t taken advantage of her weakness, but had put her in a position where she had to be more careful with her behavior. Estella recognized that this was true for Adriana as well. And Adriana had already crossed the line.

Estella swallowed slowly. There were many reasons she shouldn’t accept him, but there were also countless reasons she couldn’t refuse. Her tangled thoughts were finally coming together.

Diego had asked her to marry him, but it wouldn’t be anytime soon. As he said, the immediate task at hand was the engagement.

Estella realized that the chances of Diego and her actually getting married were slim. In any case, if she accepted the proposal, Adriana would remain in the kingdom of Mesquida. This would give Diego enough time to fall in love with her.

Divorce was no longer a blemish on Estella’s record. Based on her first experience, it was a nuisance, but nothing she couldn’t handle. At best, it would further depress her value in the marriage market. She had no intention of marrying another man anyway, so it didn’t matter.

Finally, Estella spoke up with a determined two-fisted acceptance.

“Okay, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

Diego’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he perched himself fully on the railing and patted the seat next to him. It was a gesture to come closer and sit down. When Estella hesitated, unable to approach easily, Diego urged her on.

“Are you going to be so awkward in front of other people?”

It was indeed strange to feel uncomfortable around one’s lover. In the end, Estella sat by Diego’s side, just as he intended. As they got closer, she could examine his face in more detail. There was a subtle joy in his eyes. He even spoke with a fairly affectionate tone, like a true fiancé.

“Well then, let’s summarize the situation.”

“What do you mean by ‘summarize the situation’?”

“Don’t we need to have our own history, our own story, for us to be in this kind of relationship?”

Estella nods thoughtfully. Clearly, she didn’t want to give different answers to the question, ‘How did you two get together?’

Diego looked into her face, as if searching for the answer. Then he suggested.

“Why don’t we just say it was love at first sight?”

“That’s a little too obvious.”

As a longtime romance reader, she couldn’t stand the idea of love at first sight. Diego narrowed his eyes at Estella’s rejection. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

“So I fell in love with you because you were like a mother, taking care of the children?”

“You fell in love because I’m like a mom. That’s creepy…….”

Estella said, rubbing her arms together. ‘I fell in love with her because she’s like a mom.’ That was the scariest thing she’d ever heard. She felt like she was going to do all of Diego’s dirty work.

With her previous opinions ignored, Diego lost interest in storytelling. He then nonchalantly offered his third opinion.

“Well, let’s just say it was a gradual process. We were bumping into each other in the same house, so it was inevitable.”

Diego shrugged, one corner of his mouth twitching upward. It made a lot of sense, and he quickly explained.

“I was struggling with my father’s death, and you became a big part of my life.”

Estella didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the obvious lie. It was true that Duke Berta’s death had brought them closer, but in a different way.

Estella racked her brain for a better answer and gave up. She couldn’t think of anything better. She’s been in a few relationships, but she’s never felt anything like true love. Even as Estella, she couldn’t imagine a feeling so great that it would cause the most noble man to risk his life for his tutor. At least Diego’s last comment was convincing enough for people to understand.

“Then let’s do it. I suppose living in the same house is a good place to grow closer.”

Estella replied, nodding obediently. Diego smiled as if he found her answer amusing.

His stare made her feel a little uncomfortable, and she pulled back. As if in retaliation, Diego leaned in even further. He reached out and gripped the back of her head, pulling her chin down. Avoiding his gaze, Estella said.

“Excuse me, Little Duke…… would you mind moving out of the way?”

“You need to work on looking at me up close, not avoiding me like that.”

“I’ll do it later, later.”

“Oh, and by the way, maybe we should change our titles, Miss Margaret?”

Diego asked in a tone of sudden remembrance. Estella’s face turned white as she remembered all the strange names he’d called her: honey, darling, darling, and the like. She quickly changed the subject.

“Wait a minute, then why did I fall in love with the Little Duke?”

Now that Diego had made up a reason for Estella’s affection, it was time to make up her story.
But unlike the time he had just spent seriously considering his position, Diego was now openly insincere. He said dismissively.

“You don’t have to think about it. No one’s going to ask.”

“Why?”

Estella asked, her brow furrowing at the confident assertion. Diego gave her a wry smile.

“Well, if there’s someone like me in the house where you come to work, you’re bound to fall in love.”

“Oh, yeah…….”

It was at this moment that she seriously wondered if this rushed engagement was going to work.