AWEOM 05

Chapter: 05

The lavish banquet hosted by Arzenta and Aroze had just concluded.

After the event, the rumors circulating in high society were largely in line with what both families had anticipated.

“Who would have thought Arzenta and Aroze would reconcile?”

“Haven’t the two families been at odds for a long time? Especially in this generation.”

“And yet, such a celebration…”

Most people then echoed the same sentiment:

“The engaged couple seemed extremely affectionate together.”

“Has there ever been such a sweet pair in high society recently…?”

What drew particular attention was the couple whispering to each other beneath the white veil.

Of course, no one outside the veil could hear what they were saying.

Yet, every time they whispered each other’s names, embraced, or kissed, it left a deep impression on the eyes of those in high society.

―Click.

With the banquet cleaned up, Dielo Arzenta returned to his study.

Naturally, the “beloved” new bride had already been escorted safely to her room.

Now officially engaged, there would be no scandal if the two stayed together in the same mansion for several days.

“The social circle’s response to today’s display has been intense.”

The one personally attending to him in the study was Rick, head of the Arzenta family’s intelligence division.

Dielo slightly nodded.

“It seems she was much more assertive than expected.”

Rick responded lightly:

“There are also stories saying that Croa Aroze was the assertive one, but most of the gossip focuses on you, Master.”

Dielo’s gaze turned toward Rick.

Though Rick’s demeanor usually seemed lighthearted, when it came to Arzenta, his loyalty was absolute.

When their eyes met, Rick gave a brief nod and continued:

“Because you showed a side that’s different from what the social circle usually sees.”

Dielo Arzenta had always appeared indecisive and weak.

So when he displayed such possessiveness over his bride at a society banquet, even with his face hidden behind a veil, it was bound to become the talk of the town.

Dielo nodded slightly.

“They’ll think we’re an incredibly sweet pair.”

“Of course.”

“The more rumors spread, the better. Just fan the flames without leaving a trace.”

Arzenta’s influence reached even the empire’s distant borders.

If he could fabricate nonexistent rumors, amplifying the stories already circulating and portraying the newlyweds as a dripping-sweet couple would be effortless.

“Yes, I will inform the front-line Arzenta accordingly.”

“Front-line Arzenta.”

Here, “Arzenta” didn’t mean the bloodline of the Arzenta dukes.

It referred to everyone in the Arzenta household.

Everyone with a deep connection to Arzenta—knights, servants, maids, even stable hands—who had not betrayed Arzenta was called Arzenta.

This had been a tradition since the founding of the Arzenta family.

Our Arzenta.

Everyone’s Arzenta.

―Click.

After confirming that Rick had left, Dielo braced both hands on the desk.

“Ha.”

He exhaled sharply while looking down at the table, loosening his tie a few times.

It wasn’t out of frustration—it was because his mind felt dizzy.

A sense of fullness.

It wasn’t because of the political shifts that Aroze and Arzenta’s marriage might bring, nor any secondary matters.

‘She said she’d follow my lead.’

‘Deeper, bolder.’

He thought of Croa Aroze beneath the white veil, whispering like that.

‘Try loving me.’

It wasn’t a confession or a provocation.

To him, it was a kind of challenge.

Croa Aroze couldn’t have known what kind of man she was lighting a fire in.

That was why she could whisper so boldly.

Of course, it was also exactly what Dielo had intended.

[A foolish and indecisive duke.
Incapable of acting,
A young duke tossed between three houses full of schemes and underhanded deals.]

Those who had already judged him were slowly beginning to drift away.

Those who weren’t the “real Arzenta.”

Those who could turn their backs anytime had likely contacted the other two ducal families, thinking they couldn’t profit through their master.

They would soon pay the price.

‘She said she’d follow my lead.’

Remembering the bold words of his new bride, he smiled again.

The fingertips that had been tapping on the desk fell silent.

‘Ha…’

He remembered Croa Aroze, who had perched on her tiptoes to nestle into his embrace.

Her violet eyes.

Her soft lips had pressed boldly against him, as if assuming he couldn’t take the lead in their kiss.

‘Like this?’

He remembered her audacious lips, and the way she looked at him after he caught her breath and asked again.

Her slightly breathless, clouded violet eyes held clear surprise.

And when he kissed her deeply, Croa Aroze, who had promised to follow his lead, truly surrendered without defense.

It was Dielo Arzenta himself who supported her as her legs went weak.

Not only that—he was the one who claimed her lips beneath the veil until she exhaled in excitement.

‘…!’

Afterward, her eyes, wide and round like a rabbit’s, gazed at him in astonishment.

“Croa Aroze…”

He tapped the desk slowly again.

By now, she would have slightly revised her judgment of Dielo Arzenta—from indecisive and weak to someone who is proactive when necessary.

And Dielo, after this banquet, completely revised his evaluation of Croa Aroze.

The Croa Aroze known to the public was entirely a capricious figure. Someone who could discard or kill her subordinates on a whim.

The Aroze family was the most ruthless of the three houses in taking lives.

Croa Aroze, however, seemed to even enjoy that family tradition.

But the Croa Aroze Dielo had seen was completely different.

“She wasn’t the only one acting.”

Croa Aroze, it seemed, was the same kind of person as him.

The image she had shown until now—a false front to prevent the Duke of Aroze from restraining her as a secondary daughter—was just that: a façade.

Even just a few days’ observation made that clear.

‘I’ll take the lead, just follow me.’

That was her true self.

And showing that side of herself without reserve meant she had staked everything on him.

“Do or don’t.”

To Arzenta, who lived by that principle, she was a perfectly fitting counterpart.

Do or don’t.

He muttered it again, smiling quietly.

She probably didn’t realize what card she had just been dealt.

Even if she regretted it, it was already too late.

She had entered Arzenta’s territory, and the deal was sealed.

Beneath that pure white veil at the banquet.

It was an irreversible contract.

“…”

Dielo smoothed over the lower lip she had touched and smiled faintly.

The corners of his lips curved with an odd emotion.

After the banquet, the Arzenta mansion was in a strangely elevated mood.

What was unusual was that this feeling pervaded the entire household—from Head Maid Piele to the servants and stable hands.

“Even if the master of a family marries, the staff usually wouldn’t be so elated.”

After all, the servants’ routines wouldn’t change just because their master was marrying.

And Croa Aroze was notoriously difficult—a villainous woman from the staff’s perspective.

She had even killed staff when offended.

Yet, for some reason, the people surrounding Arzenta appeared unusually pleased.

“Everyone seems happy about the engagement, so I feel good too.”

At my words, Piele, who was attending the bath, gave a faint smile.

“It seems your display has raised high expectations.”

“Because we looked like a ridiculously sweet couple?”

―Splash!

I struck the water and looked at Piele.

She slightly nodded.

After confirming that it was just the two of us in the bathing room, I whispered to her:

“Piele, you know the truth.”

Piele froze at the whisper.

She hadn’t expected me to mention it directly.

Above all, she likely didn’t think I would realize that this marriage was a contract marriage.

“How did it look to you? The engagement.”

To anyone unaware of the circumstances, it probably appeared very sweet.

But it was necessary to know how it looked to someone who knew the truth.

Not only did Dielo and I have to deceive high-society nobles, but also the Duke of Aroze himself.

The Duke of Aroze had sent me as a fake Perro.

[You must seduce Dielo Arzenta.]

[Take away the possibility of the Arzenta dukedom.]

The one who issued those orders.

I had to be able to deceive him.

It had to truly appear as though Dielo was completely captivated by me.

“It was excellent.”

Piele’s hesitation was brief.

She set down the bottle containing the fragrant oil and smiled.

“From what I could see, even convincing enough to be fooled.”

It didn’t seem like she was lying. This act had been successful.

I smiled at her.

“Emergency!”

A hurried voice and the sound of footsteps outside the bathroom rang out.