Chapter 18
Charlotte’s expression turned a little blank.
“…A contract marriage?”
“Exactly as it sounds. We remain married for one year, and after that we divorce. Of course, without any marital relations whatsoever.”
“I don’t see why I should do that.”
“You didn’t want this marriage in the first place, but weren’t you being forced around by the power struggles within your family? If you don’t marry me, you’ll suffer disadvantages, won’t you?”
“That’s something I can deal with myself.”
“That’s true. But there’s nothing incorrect about what I said.”
At Alfonso’s words, Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
Both of them knew that gesture was a silent acknowledgment.
“I can give you an opportunity to escape your family.”
According to imperial law, a woman changes her surname after marriage.
Her standing shifts from the family she was born into to her husband’s family.
So after marriage, Charlotte would be somewhat freed from the internal struggles of the Noha family.
“Also, the Eduard family is not poor. If we divorce after one year, you’ll leave with a considerable alimony. By then, you could marry the person you truly love.”
Alfonso’s proposal was reasonable—and even attractive at first glance.
That is, if Charlotte were truly in love with someone else and didn’t want to marry Alfonso.
With a headache forming, Charlotte stepped back and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Listening to you, it sounds like I just picked up a bundle of checks lying on the street. You’re saying if I pretend to be your wife for one year, you’ll give me money and freedom.”
She had already thought receiving a proposal was troublesome enough. She never imagined there would be something like this behind it.
“Whose idea is this, anyway? It can’t be yours. Was it your retainers?”
If someone had come up with such a calculated suggestion, it had to be Ludvic Barthelemy.
Serge, his adjutant, was too softhearted to be this calculating.
“It’s my idea.”
“I thought so—wait, what did you say?”
“I don’t understand why you assumed otherwise, but the fact that I intended to propose a contract marriage to you is something only you know.”
“You didn’t consult anyone? About something like this?”
“I couldn’t share it with others when even the person receiving the proposal didn’t know yet.”
In other words, Alfonso had kept silent all this time because he wanted Charlotte to be the first person he told about the contract marriage.
Good grief.
What a rigid man!
“Since when did you start thinking about this plan?”
“Since the moment I saw you speaking with Melia under Mabel’s patronage.”
“…So you proposed the moment you thought of it.”
“That’s correct.”
Alfonso confirmed without hesitation.
His expression was completely flat—so much so that it almost looked empty.
Charlotte found that unfamiliar.
Was he always like this?
She had thought that after observing him for so long, she knew him well enough.
But the Alfonso standing before her now felt like a completely different person.
Was it because he wasn’t looking at her with the same obvious hatred as before?
Whether he smiled, appeared emotionless, or even seemed a little tired—
All of it felt unfamiliar, so Charlotte quietly studied his face.
Objectively speaking, Alfonso was handsome.
His pale coloring and sharply defined features often reminded people of a statue carved from marble.
Only the faint color beneath his pale skin hinted that red blood actually flowed beneath it.
He had an appearance that suited the phrase an inorganic human almost too well.
Especially when he lowered his eyes like he was doing now.
His pale silver eyelashes cast shadows over his blue eyes, making them look like a snow-covered frozen lake.
That was Charlotte’s own private impression.
If there was one impression that hadn’t changed since the past—
His face is really stiff.
A face that clearly revealed his rigid personality.
Despite such stiff features, he didn’t look threatening at all.
Perhaps that too reflected Alfonso’s personality perfectly.
A rigid, upright, and fundamentally good person.
Perhaps interpreting Charlotte’s prolonged gaze as silent questioning, Alfonso turned his eyes slightly aside and continued.
“Let me say this in advance: I do not evaluate you favorably.”
“…That’s quite a thing to say to someone’s face.”
At Charlotte’s reply, a bit more color spread across Alfonso’s cheeks.
“I’m speaking objectively. In reality, haven’t you repeatedly interfered with my marriage prospects? Regardless of the reason, the result is the same.”
“I won’t deny it. I’m not a good person.”
“Rather than not good, aren’t you closer to a bad person? Cunning, shameless. You don’t hesitate to use violence against others, and you seem to lack moral standards.”
“You’re the one who just proposed to me, right?”
“Proposals and evaluations are separate matters.”
At that rigid answer, Charlotte burst out laughing lightly.
“Listening to you, I sound like someone not even worth associating with.”
“That’s exactly what I thought before. But my opinion changed.”
“Why?”
At Charlotte’s question, Alfonso fell silent for a moment.
As if carefully choosing his words.
Then he answered.
“Because I believe you might be able to solve my problem.”
“…Your problem?”
“Yes. It’s not absolutely essential, but it’s something important to me.”
“Can’t you tell me what the problem is right now?”
“It concerns my family’s confidential matters, so I cannot. If you accept, I’ll tell you then.”
At Alfonso’s words, Charlotte’s eyes narrowed.
There’s another problem besides the marriage?
She had never heard of such a thing.
And for Charlotte—who needed to make Alfonso happy—it was practically a bolt from the blue.
I thought all I had to do was make him fall in love with Adeline Laveruse.
There was a problem she didn’t know about?
Charlotte searched through her memories as best she could.
But nothing came to mind. After all, Alfonso had lived without any major problems after marrying Charlotte.
No… in the early days of our marriage, we barely even saw each other…
Maybe there really was something she didn’t know.
Still, if there had been a problem, she should remember it…
—Charlotte. What if I asked you for help?
—Help? What, do you want to kill someone? Or do you need help disposing of the body?
—…Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.
…Could that be it?
She could still clearly remember Alfonso’s face twisting in irritation before he walked away.
If she had known this would happen, she would have listened more carefully.
But regretting it was useless.
The dead and the past never answer.
Instead, the living spoke.
“If you don’t want this marriage either, wouldn’t it be better to help me for one year and gain your freedom?”
“…Say it properly. You just don’t want to be involved with me any longer, right?”
Whatever Alfonso’s problem was, his intentions were clear.
If circumstances were different, he would never try to associate with me.
But Alfonso had a problem that required Charlotte’s help.
And now that he knew she supposedly loved someone else, he must have been certain their marriage wouldn’t last even a year.
On top of that, he probably believed he was offering Charlotte—a woman “oppressed by her family”—a fairly decent escape route.
In simple terms, he’s decided that becoming partners in mutual interest would be acceptable.
Alfonso’s thinking was transparent—and just as rational.
From Charlotte’s perspective, there seemed to be no reason to refuse.
That is, if she were truly “Charlotte oppressed by her family.”
But the Charlotte standing here now was “Charlotte who must make Alfonso happy.”
What should I do?
Looking at the situation alone, it seemed like she needed to solve Alfonso’s problem.
But since she didn’t know what that problem was, she couldn’t easily accept the marriage.
Even though Alfonso proposed only a one-year arrangement, Charlotte couldn’t shake off her unease.
A single year connected to the Noha family—
A year spent married to her—
felt like it might kill Alfonso again.
But she didn’t have time to sink into anxiety.
Now that she knew Alfonso had a problem to solve, she had to act.
I need to ask something. Ask and… find out what the problem is.
But what exactly should she ask?
Whether the problem might lead to his unhappiness?
When she hesitated to answer, Alfonso—who had been silent—added,
“If you cannot help me, I won’t force you. This is only a proposal.”
With that, Alfonso said he would give her one week to think about it.
Why did even that short time feel too brief?
Perhaps because Charlotte’s heart had grown restless.
Just as Alfonso finished discussing the “proposal” and was about to leave—
Charlotte, suddenly desperate, spoke without thinking.
“Wait a moment, Alfonso.”
