HPMC 02

Chapter 02

It had already been 23 years since I began living as “Louise Shannon.”

I was born as the eldest daughter of the Shannon ducal family in a neighboring country.

Before becoming Louise, in my past life, I was an orphan who had been adopted twice and abandoned both times.

It was a lonely life.

In the first family that adopted me, I was abandoned in less than two years because they had a biological daughter. In the second, my adoptive mother passed away soon after, and my father abandoned me.

Still, it was okay.

“Other people only have two parents, but I have four.”

Isn’t it better to have more people to miss than none at all?

Including my biological parents, that makes six, right?

I shrugged and forced a smile.

But even at the age of twenty-three, I never got used to that loneliness.

The people who had briefly been my parents never came to find me again.

Being alone all the time felt so unfair.

“…I want a real family too.”

Three years into adulthood, the loneliness came crashing in even stronger than before.

I wanted a boyfriend, but no one ever sparked romantic interest in me.

“I’m dying of loneliness, so why are my standards so high?”

Unless a man was exceptionally handsome, he didn’t even catch my eye.

When would I finally meet someone I could love…?

That lonely night, as I fell asleep alone—

My biological mother appeared in my dream.

Amazingly, she was searching for me too.

“Follow this path. If you do, you can meet me.”

What? I can see Mom?

Even in the dream, I was mesmerized as I stepped outside.

“Can we really meet? I’ll definitely come to you, Mom!”

At last, I was going to have a family!

The sensation of my bare feet scraping against the asphalt hurt, but I didn’t care—I was happy.

If it meant meeting my real family, I would walk through thorns and fire without hesitation.

But then—

Crash!

“You should’ve told me I had to cross the River Styx…”

Wandering outside in a sleepwalking state, I was hit by a truck.

And I was reborn into a world I had never seen before.

Confused, I cried even louder.

“Louise, my baby.”

“We can finally see your face.”

Mom?

The woman who had given birth to me came close and rubbed her nose against mine. She smelled soft and warm.

Was she the same mother I saw in my dream before I died?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember her face—but I simply chose to believe that she had brought me to this world.

“So this is where I belong.”

Day by day, I was happy.

I grew up receiving abundant love and education as the noble daughter of a ducal house.

Everyone smiled lovingly even at my meaningless gestures and expressions, and everything I wore and ate was prepared with care.

The dark shadows of my past life gradually faded, replaced by brighter parts within me.

But when I turned thirteen, my mother passed away, and many things around me changed.

My father remarried to have a son, and before long, my younger brother was born.

Then came younger sisters as well. My stepmother tried to isolate me within the household, and as my siblings were born, my father gradually became indifferent to me.

My stepmother even forbade me from holding my younger sisters, but I stubbornly continued to adore them. I treated my stepmother with politeness and kindness too.

Whenever I did, she would clutch her head and collapse, saying, “Because of a shameless girl like you, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

At some point, she gave up on tormenting me.

But then, one day, just before I turned twenty—

“When will you finally accept a man’s proposal? You’ll be twenty-one next year! Do you not realize that if you miss this time, you won’t be able to marry?”

My stepmother nagged me constantly about marriage as I let my “prime age” pass by.

But I simply couldn’t find a man I liked.

I had attended countless balls, but they were nothing more than attendance checks.

“In my past life, I died single, and now I still can’t find a man I like.”

Half the world is men—how does that even make sense?

While I rejected proposals, most noble ladies my age were already engaged.

…Ah, I want to get married too.

More than anyone else, I was the one who wanted marriage the most.

I had a romantic fantasy about it.

Or rather, I had fantasies about a sweet, loving relationship with a husband.

I had only ever heard about love, dating, and marriage—I had never experienced them myself.

I wanted to try kissing, and all those other things… sniff.

“I wonder what it feels like.”

Just imagining it made my heart race and my face flush.

Lying on my bed, I clasped my hands dreamily.

Like in the books, were a man’s lips really softer than whipped cream? Was the first night truly special and magical?

“If I get married, I’ll be able to have children soon, right?”

How pretty would a daughter who resembled me be?

If I get married… I’ll finally have a “real family”!

A real family I had longed for since my past life.

Then, my stepmother brought up a marriage proposal—from Duke Alexis of the Lilt Empire.

She seemed desperate, worried that I might remain unmarried and stay in this house forever.

Since I couldn’t find a fiancé in our kingdom, she had apparently searched abroad.

“He’s a very young and handsome duke. They say he’s among the most handsome men in the Lilt Empire. Even just his portrait looks splendid—don’t you think he’s too good for you?”

I stared at his portrait.

Looking back now, the painter had failed to capture even a fraction of his real appearance.

Others might call him handsome, but to me, he was just an average man.

“…I think my face is the one that’s too good for him.”

“Oh my, yes. You must be very proud of yourself.”

She was dressing up such an ordinary-looking man with extravagant praise—it seemed she was truly desperate to send me far away.

The Brent ducal family sent an extremely earnest and emotional letter explaining why they wanted this marriage.

They said it had long been their family’s dream to have relatives across the sea, that they would forever honor the noble Shannon family, and that the duke was so handsome and kind that my married life would be blissful beyond measure.

“You should consider becoming his wife the greatest fortune of your life and marry him at once.”

But I couldn’t bring myself to marry someone from another country without even meeting him.

Moreover, the emperor of the Lilt Empire was rumored to be insane.

Yet, in response to my refusal, my father—rarely—came to see me.

“Marry him. If you do, our family can finally regain peace.”

Our family had fallen into crisis—my father had been scammed and accumulated gambling debts, and my stepmother’s extravagance only made things worse.

The Brent ducal family had offered to use their wealth to support us.

No matter what, I didn’t want to marry for such a reason.

“I didn’t realize you were so selfish. Are you not thinking of your siblings?”

“If only you marry, everything will be resolved! You ungrateful child!”

My father and stepmother pressured me relentlessly.

So I was supposed to sacrifice myself?

Yes, the other side was a wealthy ducal family—but seeing my own family so easily try to cast me aside was a huge shock.

The last bit of affection I had for the Shannon family completely vanished.

I had always known they didn’t love me—but I never thought I’d realize it so vividly.

I… was unnecessary.

A daughter they could discard at any time.

I wanted to escape—anywhere would be better than here.

At least if I got married, I’d have children.

I hadn’t found a man I liked anyway… and well, this one was at least decent-looking, right?

So I took my only escape route—and got married.

For myself, and for my younger half-siblings.

But I never imagined I would face something far beyond disappointment.

It was as if I had fallen into a scheme set by both my stepmother and mother-in-law.

“I see now why you went through the trouble of arranging a marriage all the way to a distant country. Isn’t this too much? You never said that the Duke… can’t even do this—or that!”

“So what do you want me to do about it? Do you think you can return to your homeland now? If you want to divorce my son, read your marriage contract again! Do you know how much penalty your family must pay?”

“……”

Twenty times the wealth and land I received upon marriage.

Ten days into the marriage, I tried to write a letter home—but stopped.

I had written and crumpled so many letters that they filled the room.

There was no way my family could pay such a penalty. And even if they could—I didn’t want to return there.

And most importantly—

It was too early to give up on my husband.

…Because he was incredibly handsome.