Rejecting The Perfect Marriage - Chapter 1: Prologue

Deep into the night, the serene moonlight cast through the large window frame filled the room. It shimmered elegantly on the marble table, on the velvet sofa, like a scene from a painting. However, the movement on the bed was anything but serene.

“Haa.”

Evangeline’s breath, as she gripped the creaking bed frame, spread hotly. Her body twisted with the intense movements assailing her. The heat that had begun in the county evening was slowly pushing her to her limit.

“Not anymore… Ugh.”

“I know.”

Before Evangeline could finish speaking, the shaking bed came to a halt. As if reading her reaction, the man slowly lifted his head, his eyes composed. If not for his slightly ragged breathing, it would have been impossible to guess what they had been doing moments before, his face was so cool.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

Only after she nodded, still catching her breath, did his arm loosen from around her waist. She thought he might linger for a moment, but he didn’t. Checking the time, he rose and quickly donned his discarded uniform. Evangeline, who had pulled the blanket up to her chest, watched him silently.

Decarno von Teze.

That it was the wee hours of the morning did nothing to diminish the sight of this man. His deep, ash-gray eyes, the symbol of the Teze dukedom, were frighteningly still. He was a head taller than most men, with broad shoulders that pressed down on those who looked at him. Truly, he was a man with an overwhelming presence in many ways.

“What is it?”

“…”

As he casually swept back his black hair, his marble-smooth forehead and eyes were revealed. When his silver gaze fell completely on her, Evangeline quickly shook her head.

“No. It’s nothing.”

“What’s on the schedule for today?”

“I’ll be reviewing the backlog of documents during the day, and in the afternoon, there’s a banquet, so I’ll have to greet people.”

She was glad that she didn’t have to feel awkward when talking about such everyday things. Decarno, leaning against the table and adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves, frowned for an understandable reason.

“Isn’t that annoying, that sort of thing?”

“…”

That sort of thing.

In just three syllables, his opinion of the banquet was fully revealed. He was so busy with outside matters that it was no wonder he felt that way. Her lips hesitated as if contemplating something, then curved into a light smile.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“…”

“Is there anything else you wanted to say to me?”

He should have already left the mansion, but for some reason, he stood before her. Even as he looked at the bed, a mess from his actions, Decarno remained utterly composed. Except for their wedding night, which they had spent half-drunk, he had never once lost his composure in bed. Evangeline sometimes found it hard to believe that he even sought her bed.

“Evangeline?”

“No.”

“…”

“There’s nothing to say. So have a good day.”

His eyes narrowed at her elegant smile. But that was all. Decarno casually turned his shoes and had already regained the perfect image of a duke. Countless tasks awaited him, as the chairman of the Senate, which swayed the empire, to be handled today.

‘What expression would he make if I told him it’s my birthday today?’

Evangeline shook her head with a hollow smile as she thought for a moment. No matter how she thought about it, asking such a man, ‘Would you perhaps come to my celebration if you’re free?’ was trivial to the point of being ridiculous. Concentrating on each other’s work was an unspoken promise between them, who were about to be married soon.

“…Right. That’s enough.”

Evangeline chuckled and lightly lowered her shoulders. Now that he had returned to being the perfect Duke Teze, it was time for her to return to being the haughty future mistress of the house. She rang the bell by her bedside, and when the maid entered, she elegantly ordered.

“Bring me breakfast and tea. Oh, and the birth control pills too.”

◇ ◆ ◇

A marriage of the century.

Everyone in high society praised the engagement between the young head of the Teze dukedom and the only daughter of the Ohara countdom. It was the union of the most powerful dukedom and the countdom that held all the wealth in the world, so it couldn’t have been more perfect.

In Roark’s high society, where marriage was treated as a business deal, the two were considered a match made in heaven, full of benefits for each other.

Except for the lack of passionate love.

“Happy birthday, Lady Ohara.”

“Thank you for coming, Countess.”

“What are you saying? Of course, I had to come between us.”

Every guest who visited the annex of the ducal residence flaunted their special friendship with Evangeline, who would soon become the Duchess Teze. Evangeline, as the future mistress of the house, skillfully greeted the guests.

“The anniversary of the late Duchess Teze is coming up soon, so it’s a bit modest. There’s not much to offer, but please enjoy yourselves.”

“…”

She said that, but it was truly a banquet that would make one’s eyes widen. Dazzling velvet, reminiscent of Evangeline’s flowing silver hair, stretched long, crisscrossing the ceiling. Ice sculptures with a winter theme and hundreds of silver candlesticks lit instead of chandeliers gave the illusion of being in a magical castle.

But despite all the decorations, this birthday party was modest.

Compared to the standards of the Ohara countdom, the richest in the Veliche Empire.

“As expected of the only daughter of the Ohara countdom. If you were to put a price on all of this… Whew.”

“What’s the point? Duke Teze himself isn’t even here.”

Where the light is strong, the shadows are bound to be deep. As the tension eased, some of the ladies, who had been overwhelmed by the lavish banquet, began to whisper behind her back.

“I know it’s a marriage for money, but a fiancé should at least show his face on a day like this. Especially when they’re about to get married.”

“Still, the Lady is already acting like a duchess.”

In the open Roark high society, it was not uncommon to stay at the fiancé’s house even before marriage. But even that fact was meaningless to those who wanted to find fault. The fact that Duke Teze was the busiest man in the empire was not so important either.

‘What am I supposed to do when I feel like I’m being stabbed with a knife if I don’t do at least this much?’

Evangeline Ohara was, in name and reality, the queen of high society, with nothing lacking. Even if you didn’t consider her money and family, all the decorations here combined would not be more beautiful than her.

Her long silver hair reaching her waist and her distinct features were elegant and haughty. Her snow-white skin was so delicate that it seemed to melt at the touch, yet her pink eyes held her center with dignity. In the Veliche Empire, where most people had dark eyes and hair, her hair and eye color were rare to the point of being unique. So much so that there was even a joke that Count Ohara had mined those eyes from his mine in Cairn.

“Now that I think about it, if the Count hadn’t discovered the Cairn mine, this marriage would have been difficult. Frankly, before that, could the Ohara countdom even compare to the Teze dukedom?”

“I know. Anyway, Evangeline is truly born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Everything has been going so smoothly since she was born, and she’s even rising to the position of Duchess Teze.”

“What’s the point? His Grace the Duke has no interest… Ah.”

As they drank, their voices gradually grew louder, and they hesitated at the sudden gaze they felt. It was Evangeline. One of the ladies, sweating in fear of what she might do, bowed awkwardly.

“I-I’m sorry. We didn’t mean it that way, we just meant that it would have been better if the Duke had come on this good day.”

“No. I prefer it quiet today.”

“L-Lady.”

“Quiet, as if he’s there but not there.”

“…”

“If you can’t do that, then just get drunk.”

Her pink eyes, as if smiling and warning at the same time, folded beautifully like a painting. The mouths of the terrified ladies stuck together on their own. As only the sound of swallowing alcohol continued in the silence, Evangeline turned her gaze away, quite satisfied.

“The wine is good today. We should all get drunk together on this good day.”

“Ha, haha. We should!”

The ardent followers, who had only been watching, raised their glasses, not wanting to be outdone. Evangeline also took a sip as if to show off, but her head throbbed today. She wanted to go back and lie down, but if she didn’t hold at least this much of a banquet on her birthday, those who would suspect her family’s wealth would swarm like hyenas.

Compared to that mess, this much slander was cute.

“Oh my, Lady Evangeline! Look over there! Someone’s here!”

“…”

Just as someone was making a fuss looking at the entrance, she straightened her gaze. She wondered if that man had come, but that couldn’t be. He was always busy, and busy again. It was a marriage made knowing that, so she shouldn’t be dissatisfied with it.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the carriage that stopped was the carriage of her family, the Ohara Trading Company.

“Oh my gosh, the Count must have sent a surprise gift to the Lady!”

“…My father.”

Evangeline, blinking her eyes, received a telegram from an employee of the Trading Company who had rushed in. Unlike her calm demeanor, those around her were excited, looking around.

“What could it be this time? The most precious Arabell diamond in the world?”

“It’s her birthday, so he’ll give her something more special! Seeing as he sent it by letter like this, could it be a deed to an island or a document for a resort mansion? The Count is such a generous man!”

“…”

“Please tell us.”

“What is it, Lady?”

Those who had been raising their voices at each other eventually turned to Evangeline, the main character. She read the telegram with a blank expression and then carefully folded it again and put it in the envelope. How should she put it, it was definitely a special birthday present that she had never received before.

All of the Ohara Trading Company’s ships that departed from Addis last month were sunk in a storm.

Her family was ruined. Just like that.

***

“To my beloved princess, I will give you the whole world.”

Evangeline Ohara’s father, Count Ohara, was unlike other nobles. Charitably speaking, he was a free spirit; less generously, he was a “hopelessly doting fool” who lacked all sense when it came to his daughter. Fortunately for him, high society in Roark regarded him as the former. The only reason? He was the wealthiest man in the Empire—by such a margin that no one dared speak ill of him.

The Oharas were already a fairly wealthy, long-established noble family, but in the imperial capital of Roark, there were plenty of such families. As befit the greatest empire on the continent—thousands of years old—lesser nobility were as common as cobblestones.

By that measure, the Ohara family had once been just another name among many: respectable, but unremarkable. That all changed when the current Count Ohara took over.

Having spent much of his youth studying abroad, the count returned with a bold and open-minded spirit. He started with tobacco plantations and distilleries in the colonies and gradually expanded, eventually plunging headfirst into the mining industry of the southern regions. He wagered his entire fortune on one massive venture—something that left many shaking their heads, convinced he had lost his mind. But the gamble paid off—spectacularly.

In fact, calling it merely a “success” didn’t do it justice. By unearthing the continent’s largest gold veins and gemstone mines in rapid succession, he skyrocketed to become the richest man in Roark’s social scene in just a few years. And his only heir—the one to inherit all of it—was none other than his daughter, Evangeline Ohara.

The count divorced his wife before Evangeline could even walk, citing irreconcilable differences. From that point on, he showered his daughter with unrelenting affection. He never left her side, dragging her across the entire continent with him. For a noble girl, raised not in the drawing rooms of noble estates but amid the whirlwind of foreign cities and wild frontiers, her upbringing was considered nothing short of radical.

“My daughter should be capable of anything.”

Horseback riding, swordsmanship, card games, foreign languages—if she wanted to learn it, he made sure she did, regardless of gender norms.

Evangeline spent her teenage years living freely at her father’s side until, just before her debut in society, they finally settled in the capital, Roark. Unsurprisingly, Count Ohara had unconventional ideas about marriage as well.

Instead of waiting for the courtship games of the social season, where eligible girls were matched and maneuvered toward the best proposals, Count Ohara scrapped the tradition entirely.

His daughter deserved the best possible match—nothing less. To him, that meant no dithering, no negotiations. Before the season could even begin, he marched straight to the most prestigious family of them all: the House of Duke Teze. Nobles with lesser pedigrees wouldn’t dare even glance that high, but Count Ohara, the shrewd businessman, saw an opportunity.

A mine too tough for others to touch? That’s where the real treasure lies.

Armed with a portrait of his daughter and legal documents proving her massive fortune, he visited the Dowager Duchess of Teze herself and made his case. Simply put, he declared: “There is no better candidate for the next Duchess in this entire world than my daughter.” Surprisingly, the dowager duchess agreed.

And so, a girl no one had ever heard of became the future daughter-in-law of the most powerful duke in the empire. The entire noble society erupted in scandal.

Whispers abounded—“He must have bribed someone,” “If I’d known, I would’ve offered my own daughter.” But the ship had already sailed. The Duke of Teze, known as the cold pinnacle of noble society, had personally approved the match. That alone sealed the deal.

When people began to see Evangeline’s face, the whispers turned to praise. Her stunning beauty stunned all who met her, and public opinion began to shift in her favor. The marriage was no longer a matter of “if,” but “when.”

Naturally, families who had been eyeing the duke for their own daughters were unwilling to back down. Their last hope lay in the one condition the dowager duchess had imposed: “I want to personally train her in the duties of a duchess, here in my household.”

They believed the free-spirited girl, raised abroad, could never survive under the strict and noble hand of such a refined matriarch.

But to their shock, Evangeline didn’t just endure—she flourished. Without a single misstep or act of rebellion, she met and even exceeded the dowager’s exacting standards.

Two years passed since she entered the House of Teze. No one dared question her place anymore. She had even overseen the dowager duchess’s funeral as the designated daughter-in-law after the older woman’s passing. She inherited the western annex and garden—symbols of the duchess’s legacy.

Backed by her vast fortune and the unwavering support of her father, Evangeline rose to become the undisputed queen of the social world.

Until the very end of her twenty-second birthday.