I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Marriage?”
“Yes. It’s an imperial decree from Her Majesty. To maintain your title, the Emperor commands you to enter into matrimony within the next three months.”
It had been about four months since Wilfred Crowford ascended to the position of the Duke of Crawford.
By using legal but questionable means as per the last will of the late Duke Crawford, he had defeated all competitors and confidently secured the position of the duke.
“It’s stated in Article 131, Paragraph 4 of the Imperial Law.”
The one who inherits a title higher than a marquis must have a noble spouse, and if unmarried, must marry within six months.
This tiresome and ridiculous clause was added after an incident 100 years ago when an ignorant three-year-old was about to be elevated to the position of duke. The Emperor, wanting to revoke the title he had granted, successfully lobbied the council to add such a clause.
Since then, Wilfred had found himself ensnared by this seemingly cultured but restricting law.
Furrowing his brow, Wilfred asked his chief advisor, Jade.
“So?”
“If you have a preferred type, please let me know. If there’s a young lady you’ve been eyeing, I will do whatever it takes to make her the mistress of Crawford.”
Wilfred’s subordinates, who actively helped him become Duke Crawford, were all fiercely loyal. Among them, Jade, in particular, was unyielding to the point of pretending to die if Wilfred were to die.
He was a fellow who wouldn’t tolerate any imperfections, not even in the rhythm of breathing.
Facing this troublesome subordinate, Wilfred took a brief pause before expressing his desired conditions.
“I prefer an ordinary woman.”
“Ordinary? Could you please elaborate?”
Numerous women had approached Wilfred Crawford, who was in the limelight, with marriage proposals.
From princesses of the imperial family to unknown daughters of marquises.
If marriage was just a means to an end, at least the wife shouldn’t become a source of trouble.
“Yeah. Dealing with someone who causes trouble for no reason can be a headache. It seems better to have someone who appears to be ordinary but isn’t unnecessarily troublesome.”
If you possess a beautiful appearance, men infatuated with that beauty will create complications. If you’re swift in calculations, you might covet Crawford’s wealth. If you have exceptional talent, you won’t be able to fully showcase it due to the burden of the Crawford name, but if you lack capability, you’re not qualified to be my wife in the first place.
“Anything else should just meet the basic requirements.”
“Understood.”
Since the marriage is just to maintain the title, as long as the partner isn’t an obstacle, it should be sufficient.
Having pushed forward his desired conditions, he took a sip of the already cooled black tea.
‘That’s the way it will be.’
For the Emperor seeking to strengthen his imperial authority, powerful subordinates like the Duke of Crawford were like thorns in his side.
Wilfred himself was well aware that the Emperor, who supported his older brother in their past dispute over the position of the head of the family, was the reason he became the Duke.
So, there would be an opportunity to somehow reverse his current arrogance.
‘Marriage.’
Recalling his erratic father, he clenched his fist.
He would never repeat the same mistake. Whoever the partner might be, once they were chosen for marriage, there could be no involvement with anyone else.
Moreover, to maintain a harmonious marital relationship after swearing the sacred vows, it was undoubtedly necessary to make appropriate efforts.
“Interesting.”
Putting down the empty tea cup neatly, Wilfred gazed fixedly at the sky beyond the palace.
* * *
Lady Freesia Devlanc was eighteen years old when she recalled a memory from her previous life.
“Huh?”
“Miss! Are you okay?”
She fell from the carriage and fainted.
When she woke up, the memories of her dreadful past life overwhelmed her mind.
‘No matter how a person dies, they shouldn’t die like that.’
In her previous life, she worked for a small mobile game company. Her team was entering a period of intense overtime as they approached the release date of their project.
With everyone immersed in the so-called crunch mode, working 15 hours a day, every day, without a break on weekdays or weekends, life had become hectic.
After enduring that hardship, the very day, just a week before the launch, I couldn’t overcome the fatigue. Even while walking, I nodded off, and then…
‘I fell into a manhole and died.’
I was left speechless at such a pointless death.
When my breath was cut off and I regained consciousness, the delayed memories of my current life poured in like buffering.
After regaining my senses a while later, I looked into the mirror.
My name now is Freesia Devlanc. I am the daughter of an average viscount family, making a modest living within the empire.
The Devlanc family had three daughters, and according to the family tradition, the eldest, Rose, would inherit the family. After graduating as the top student from the academy, Rose had gone through knighthood and was now engaged in supplying military goods, making her a promising prospect among the nobles.
“Come down quickly. We’re running late!”
And then there’s my younger sister, Lily.
Prompted by the urgent tone of my flamboyant younger sister, I smiled contentedly.
Debuting in high society last year at the age of eighteen, Lily Devlanc is a stunning beauty rarely seen even in the capital, precisely the most beautiful girl in the original work.
In contrast to these two dazzling individuals, nestled in between, the second daughter, I, Freesia Deblang, unfortunately, was an individual who was endlessly close to ‘ordinary’ in everything.
While hoping for at least a hint or mention in the original work, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when I woke up and looked at myself.
‘If I were to be reborn, it would have been nice to have at least one special talent.’
Unlike the tall and graceful Rose, My height was an average 5.2 crobats (160 cm), the average height for imperial women. My weight was undisclosed but likely around the imperial average. Even in my shoe size, unlike Lily with unusually small feet, my shoe size was relentlessly close to average.
When my memories first returned, I harbored hope that some skills I acquired in my current life might be useful, but here they turned out to be utterly useless.
The TOEIC score I had tried so hard for during my university days and the extensive C++ code I wrote, longer than any essay I ever wrote, were useless in a world without computers.
‘I’m screwed.’
Unlike my glamorous sister resembling a rose and my innocent sister resembling a lily, I awkwardly placed in between, went unnoticed. Even my intelligence, being average, resulted in graduating from the academy with average scores and ranks. Now I am a jobless person at home, also taking bride classes.
Perhaps it was due to my very ambiguous abilities.
‘At this rate, our youngest sister will be the first to get married.’
Because my sister, who needed to inherit the family position, had attached stringent conditions for a prospective husband, it was understandable.
Moreover, unlike my sister who received numerous proposals right after debuting in high society, I had never properly received a proposal.
With a reliable sister, I thought I could somehow manage to live. After all, I didn’t excel at anything, nor did I have any significant dreams.
Compared to my ambitious sister and my attention-seeking younger sister, I, who went unnoticed, found comfort in living peacefully as I was.
“Reading books, occasionally helping my sister’s work, and continuing to live like this even after my nieces and nephews are born would be nice.’
For someone like me with no popularity, there was no one to marry.
In contrast, for Lily, who was incredibly popular, it was dangerous to attend the ball alone, as there was no telling where a strange person might appear.
In that sense, today, as Lily’s guardian, I decided to accompany her to the imperial ball.
“You’re late, Freesia.”
“Matthew.”
Rose, who had to attend as the acting head of the family, had already left, and in her place, a childhood friend, Matthew, came to greet me.
“You don’t need to escort me that far.”
“Who do you think worries about you? It’s because I’m afraid that Lily might attract some annoying pests.”
“Matthew, you’re the best!”
Touched, Lily hugged Matthew tightly.
They seemed to get along so well that anyone watching might mistake them for real siblings.
Matthew, the heir of the Naphier Viscount family and a childhood friend of the three sisters, had grown up with them thanks to their mothers’ close friendship.
Our mother, the Countess of Devlanc, now deceased, loved Matthew as if he were her own son.
Concerned that a stern man might approach the us, on days of social events, Matthew always escorted us like a real brother.
“What if those two end up getting married?”
“Don’t say such scary things. Lily is like my little sister.”
“Of course not. Having Matthew as a brother is so reassuring.”
Sure, go ahead and do whatever you want amongst yourselves.
The two of them, somehow harmonizing well, sandwiched me in between and happily engaged in lively conversation.
‘Watching them like this, they really match well.’
As far as childhood friends go, Matthew Napier is one of the most popular dukes in the capital.
However, he seemed disinterested in romance.
Still, I found it a little suspicious that he would jump to her defense whenever she had a problem, as if it were a family affair.
Whether she realized it or not, they were talking about their social circle on either side of me.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you two just sit side by side?”
“I like being in front of you, Freesia.”
“I prefer being next to my sister.”
Although slightly overwhelmed by the insincere words, I decided to overlook it and let my younger sister, who was making cute gestures while throwing punches, have her way.
I decided to close my eyes and let it all go in one ear and out the other, because there was no way I was going to win.
“By the way, they say Duke Crawford is also attending today.”
“Duke Crawford?”
The person everyone who read “Level Up Because of the Villain” would never forget.
At the mention of that familiar name, my eyes widened.
“Smile Love”