The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 2
“Miss Ancia Fillermon, in addition to the resume you provided, I conducted a brief background check. I trust that will be acceptable to you?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Your father left quite a bit of debt. Was that the reason you responded to the advertisement?”
“Yes.”
“You served as a wartime nurse, from the Yedermol battle to the Welpen battle, and continued working in hospitals afterward, correct?”
“Yes.”
The assistant spoke with a consistently professional kindness, and he had an air of dignity and refinement. Ancia felt somewhat reassured. She knew it was foolish to trust someone based solely on their appearance, but he seemed to be a reliable person.
It was then that a man, who had been sitting boredly on a distant sofa, spoke up.
“You’re too brief with your words.”
“Pardon?”
“Try speaking more at length. Maybe recite some poetry or sing a song?”
Ancia turned to look at him, taken aback. The man was smiling mischievously, but his intense red eyes, almost like flames, stared at her piercingly.
Ancia felt an odd warmth in her stomach. Yet, she met his gaze directly.
“I came here for an interview, not to perform tricks. If that’s what you’re after, why not find a jester or buy a prostitute?”
“Ah, I like you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t think you could speak so much. I thought your tongue was half gone.”
The man said this casually, with no apparent concern.
Ancia was stunned. She had assumed he was just a useless nobleman, the sort who follows a family servant around, learning the trade, and later becomes a manager or lawyer for the family’s affairs.
This kind of thing often happened among younger sons of nobles who would never inherit titles or property.
“Hey!”
“Now, now, calm down, Miss Fillermon. Actually, there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you today.”
“Yes?”
The assistant handed her a piece of paper. It had a sonnet written on it.
“Please read this aloud.”
“Is this related to the interview?”
“It’s very important.”
Ancia tried to calm her nerves. The fact that the paper had been prepared and beautifully written meant that this wasn’t something to be done on a whim.
She rationalized that it might have something to do with the patient’s hearing or the importance of pronunciation.
[Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
(Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116)]
After Ancia finished reading the short poem, the man clapped his hands. It felt like a performance, and Ancia was deeply offended.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
The man left the office, and the assistant, looking troubled, turned back to Ancia.
“It seems that you, Miss Fillermon, are exactly the person we’ve been looking for. We can proceed with the formal discussions now.”
“…Yes.”
Ancia had come here to proceed with the matter, but as soon as the marriage contract was presented, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.
“The person who placed the marriage advertisement is Duke Velados.”
“Duke Velados?”
“I understand that it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. There’s a reason for it, but it’s something I can’t explain. If the contract is finalized, the Duke will speak to you directly about it.”
The assistant scratched his brow with a pen.
“Here are the conditions we’re proposing. We’ll pay off all of Miss Fillermon’s debts. Naturally, there will be a monthly allowance for the upkeep of the Duchess’s dignity. Additionally, we will provide land and a mansion worth about 20,000 gold as your dowry, along with a trust deposit. This is a dowry, so if the marriage is valid and continues for three years or more, or if a child is born, and the marriage ends in divorce, you’ll be able to keep this as your property. However, if the marriage lasts less than two years, only 5,000 gold from the trust deposit will be yours.”
Considering that her father’s 1,500 gold debt had nearly ruined her life, this was an enormous offer. Ancia was so stunned by the amount that she could barely breathe, blinking rapidly.
“However, there are some conditions. Let me start with the simple ones: under any circumstances, even if the Duke is found to be at fault in a serious way, you cannot request a divorce first. Naturally, you cannot involve the courts or the media. If you do, the dowry will no longer be valid.”
“I understand.”
“We’re setting the initial contract period at six months. During this time, you will live in the Velados mansion and prove that you can fulfill your role as the Madam. This is a requirement from the Duke’s family council. It’s not that difficult, really, as long as the Duke is resolute in his intentions.”
“Yes, I understand what you’re saying. I’m about to lose my house, so I would be grateful if this could work out.”
“And actually, this is the most important part… During this time, Miss Fillermon must prove that you are capable of bearing an heir. If this cannot be proven, the marriage will automatically be annulled, and you will receive the 5,000 gold as a settlement.”
