Raphine ruffled my hair. Then a good idea came to mind.

'Oh, would you rather visit the Empress's Majesty?'

Her Majesty the Empress would certainly help herself.

'for a moment.... If I do, I might have another bloody fight with the Empress.'

An outrageous beleaguered situation.

Raphine began to feel impatient and anxious. It felt like a cornered mouse.

'What should I do...? Shall we just leave the empire?'

Or, choose any of the marriage proposals and make an appointment first?

It was also a good way to tell the circumstances in advance and to propose a contract marriage.

'No wait, contract marriage?'

That moment. Someone's face appeared in Raphine's head. like a hero.

"... Zerkan."

Once the pond of thought was opened, it poured out like a gurgling stream of water.

Raphine swallowed her saliva.

If Raphine catches any of the common nobles and makes a contract marriage...?

'Antonio or Empress Rebecca will not leave the man alone.'

Those two people with strong self-esteem cannot stand still. They will trample the house in any way to restore face.

'Because there are no people my age to marry me in a big family that the empress can't touch....'

If so, Zerkan was perfect.

'Yes, if it's Zerkan....'

He was able to reject Antonio's proposal without offending the sensitive emperor's feelings.

'Besides, Zerkan is a person who cannot be touched openly on the part of the empress.'

Raphine continued to ponder, biting her fingertips.

'great. After all, Zerkan also needs a contract marriage, right?'

In fact, there was no better way to overthrow Empress Rebecca and Viscount Tedler than to work with Zerkan.

but....

Raphine remembered the conversation she had with Zerkan yesterday.

"As you said, whether it's a contract marriage or anything else, marriage is important."

"I had no intention of coercing or suggesting you."

"I don't know if you proposed it first, but I'm not saying that my side won't force you to marry me."

Even if I wonder if there is hope....

"The marriage partner.... Thanks for saving me the trouble, let's take a look at the list you gave me.>

"So you don't have to avoid me anymore."

got messed up again. My conscience has been stabbed.

'... Let's meet and ask.'

If Zerkan refuses, then we have no choice but to find another way.

Whatever it was, he had no intention of marrying Antonio.

It was also terrifying to have to have someone like Empress Rebecca as her mother-in-law, and above all, Antonio was a rebel that ruined the country in the original story.

And even worse....

'Antonio had a lot of female bias in the original work.'

After becoming emperor, Antonio suffered many disgrace for touching this woman and that woman.

'It's better to be an enemy of the emperor than marrying someone like that.'

But it's ok to try as much as you can.

Raphine immediately wrote a letter and delivered it to Adrian through the family knight.

It was about making an appointment with Zerkan.

* * *

Around evening, a reply arrived.

Raphine couldn't hide her shyness as she headed to the meeting place written on the paper.

This is right....

'It's the restaurant where we had an appointment with Zerkan.'

If I remember correctly, today was the day Zerkan's fourth match was held here.

'Did you cancel your appointment? Or are you going to see me after the fight is over?'

Raphine was confused and entered the restaurant.

There was only one table in the middle of the spacious hall of the restaurant with a good atmosphere.

'Are there no employees?'

Raphine hesitated, contemplating whether or not to sit there.

'Because Zerkan's opponent might come, I'll have to hide first.'

Raphine was looking for such a quiet and secret place, and found a chair lying in the corner and sat down there.

It seemed to be a place where the serving staff waited for a while.

While sitting there blankly, thinking about how to explain it to Zerkan.

Without realizing it, the sound of footsteps drew closer.

Raphine raised her head, startled by the pretense of popularity in front of her.

"I, my lord."

It was Zerkan.

Raphine woke up haphazardly, and Zerkan looked at her as if wondering why she was sitting like this.

"that... I was afraid that the person I promised would come today."

"I canceled that promise."

"Yeah?"

Zerkan gestured to one side without answering. It was where the table was placed.

He reached out, and Raphine was escorted by his escort to the table. I just touched it with my fingertips, but it felt like that part was on fire.

Even after sitting down, Raphine could not relax.

The words I had organized in my head were scattered and scattered. Instead, another question filled my mind.

'Why did you cancel your appointment with Zerkan? no way... Have you already decided on a contract marriage partner?'

If that's the case, it can't be a really great back book. My eyes darkened.

At that time, an employee who did not know where they came from came and poured water and wine into their empty glasses and left the soup before dinner.

Raphine drank a glass of water and looked straight at Zerkan.

Zerkan was staring at Raphine with a cool face.

When their eyes met, Raphine clenched her fists under the table. Sweat welled up on his palms from the tension.

I had to check first.

"Hey, why did you cancel your original appointment today? Have you already found a contract marriage partner?"

"Not that. Thank you for making an appointment in advance, but.... I don't plan on getting married for a while."

The answer that came out of Zerkan's mouth was unexpected.

A strange answer that is neither good nor bad for Rafine.

"Why, why?"

"Even if I am not married, my position is firm."

"but.... The sooner you get married, the more comfortable you will be."

"...."

To that, Zerkan did not answer for a moment.

After a brief silence, Zerkan took a sip of water and asked in a calm tone, as if asking about the weather.

"Raphine, what do you think marriage is?"

"Yes?"

"I am married... Because I tend to think that the mind should take precedence over political gains and losses."

"...."

It was a very textbook answer.

In the original story, Zerkan, who was a rare crazy obsessive man, grew up to be a person with the right values.

On the one hand, I was proud, but on the other hand, I was heartbroken.

'So, in a nutshell, it doesn't mean that if you find someone you like, you're going to get married.'

If he proposes a contract marriage to Zerkan who said such a thing, he would end up being a scum on the spot.

"Why do you look like that?"

In response to Zerkan's question, Raffine realized that she was not able to manage her facial expressions.

"Hey, what's on my face...?"

Belatedly, I tried to force a smile, but Zerkan frowned and said.

"You look like you're about to cry right now."

"...."

Raphine bit her lip. It was correct.

To be honest, I wanted to lie down and cry.

Before I came here, I had proposed a contract marriage to Zerkan and thought that it could be a win-win for each other, and I was drowning in hope....

With Zerkan's values like that, all of the expected plans went in vain.

Raphine spoke frankly with a broken heart.

"Actually, I was going to offer you a contract marriage."

"Who?"

"I am."

"To whom?"

"I'll tell you."

"...."

Zerkan's pupils shook wildly.

While he was about to ask more, a staff member came with food.

Rafine's expression brightened when she saw the steak and salad on the table.

'After that, I'm going to die of starvation. I don't know for once Let's eat and think.'

He was still nervous because he was in front of Zerkan, but he was reassured as if he had an ally because of the food.

Raphine immediately sliced the steak and took a bite.

'Wow, it's a famous restaurant. It's not really a joke.'

The chef at Aston Mansion is good, but the chef at this restaurant is also excellent.

Orphana confidently chose this place as the place to face it for a reason.

So while Rafine eats hard food. Zerkan stared at Raffine like that.

His mind was chaos itself. Raphine's words became seeds and caused an aftershock in his heart.

'You said you were going to offer me a contract marriage? Aren't we recommending confrontation?'

why? suddenly?

In the midst of confusion, I thought that Raffine eating steak with a smile as if it was delicious was cute.

'Even when I was young, I ate anything like that.'

Two thoughts with completely different atmospheres intertwined. He barely came to his senses and asked, pretending it was nothing.

"It's a contract marriage all of a sudden. Why?"

"Yeah?"

Raphine's eyes widened, and then she said, 'Ah.' answered.

"Well, actually, Prince Antonio proposed to me."