The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 1
1. Marriage Contract
Ancia stepped down from the carriage and, feeling overwhelmed, looked up at the mansion.
Duke Velados’s residence, shrouded in darkness, was enormous, old, and intimidating—just like the owner of the mansion. Ancia struggled to keep from feeling scared, but she couldn’t hide the trembling of her pale lips.
She tried to be determined. Soon, she would become the Madam of this house.
The Velados family had a history that stretched far beyond that of this mansion. Revered alongside the imperial family in the Roden Empire, the Duke’s title was second only to the emperor, placed even above the Crown Prince.
The Duchesses, always with feather fans in hand, displayed their beauty and wealth just below the Empress’s rank. Every noble family showed respect by yielding politely when they encountered someone from the Duke’s house.
This was now her home. Although there was the condition of ‘six months’ attached, it was still her home.
Ancia paused at the front gate, clasping her hands over her chest, and said a brief prayer for her late mother. She hoped the Duke would be a good person—responsible, and perhaps a little kind.
She didn’t know what Duke Velados was like. She only knew that the former duke had passed away a few years ago, and his grandson, who had never appeared in society, had inherited the title.
He was probably disfigured. There was a high chance he had been burned, considering the ad seeking a nurse for a full-body burn victim.
[A wealthy gentleman is seeking a bride. Must be composed and dignified, between the ages of 25 and 28, and possess the grace befitting the Madam of a family. Preference will be given to those with experience caring for full-body burn victims as a wartime nurse. Will not lack anything financially. Further details will be provided at the interview.]
Generally, men who placed marriage ads in the newspaper were unlikely to be ideal.
Most were scams, and if not, they made unreasonable demands. Even if there were truly wealthy individuals among them, there would be some shady dealings if they couldn’t go through proper channels or a reputable matchmaker.
But Ancia felt that this ad could be trusted.
The groom’s flaws were honestly stated, so it likely wasn’t a scam. It was unlikely that many would be willing to marry a full-body burn victim. Furthermore, the fact that they were seeking a wartime nurse suggested that not only was the man physically disfigured, but there might be mental or other health issues as well.
Perhaps, despite being wealthy, he had difficulty finding a bride and had resorted to placing an ad.
It was hard to imagine any woman, even one with lowered standards, agreeing to marry such a man unless she was in dire financial straits. Such a person would genuinely be the one in need of a marriage advertisement.
Ancia believed she was the perfect match for the marriage ad.
She was 27 years old, without a dowry, and had never married. Considering that most women from respectable families married by the age of 22, or at the latest 24, her situation was quite delayed.
However, her background made her a suitable candidate to become the Madam of a relatively wealthy household. Her father was the third son of Baron Fillermo’s family, and her mother was the daughter of a landowner. Although she had been abandoned by her father.
Her father left her and her mother when she was still just three years old, choosing to live with a younger woman. Her mother, with the help of her own family, worked as a typist to raise her, and she managed to give Ancia a decent education befitting a gentleman’s daughter.
After her mother passed away, Ancia wandered from one distant relative’s home to another, and when the war broke out, she became a nurse and served on the frontlines. Even after the war, she continued working in hospitals.
She had the skills to take care of herself. At least, until she received the news of her father’s death last year. Her father, whose face she barely remembered, had left her not an inheritance, but a mountain of debt.
Her half-brother, born to the woman her father had been living with, had run off with any property his father had given him in his lifetime. And all the formal debts were passed on to her, as the heir.
In an instant, she found herself buried in debt. She had no relatives or friends who could help her.
For about six months, she had struggled, using whatever little money she earned to pay the interest, but eventually, even that had run its course. The creditors threatened to sell her off, just to recover part of the principal.
In that situation, she had been searching for ways to escape or increase her work when she saw the marriage ad in the newspaper.
She thought it was an advertisement for her. If she could clear her debts and live the rest of her life in a stable home without worrying about money, it wouldn’t matter what the man looked like or how sick he was. She could consider it a job as a lifetime nurse.
After all, she had cared for patients who had been struck by dozens of artillery shells and had nearly lost all of their skin due to severe burns.
She had never dreamed of a happy marriage anyway. Since her father had thrown his marriage vows in the trash, she had never trusted a man again.
After sending a letter through a post office box, she received a quick response. She was given a small sum for transportation, and then met with someone who claimed to be the advertiser’s assistant at a designated shop in a shopping district.
