episode_0001

Episode 1

“Really, I’m really sorry!”

For the past few days, the noble knight I had been serving almost knelt on the ground nearly naked, bowing her head and apologizing to me.

As for me, I was also practically naked. The only difference between me and the noble knight was that I had a blanket covering my body.

From my perspective, it seemed like a situation that should be the opposite. However, my perspective has always been a bit strange.

My way of thinking, or fundamental perception, seems to be contrary to others. No matter how much I tried to change it, it never got fixed, so I’ve given up on trying.

Even so, being covered by a woman felt quite awkward for the first time.

What should I do?

“Well, I don’t remember much anyway, so you don’t have to worry…”

I genuinely feel sorry for not remembering. I’ve never told anyone, but she was someone I admired.

The noblewoman might not remember, but we were involved in an incident together when we were young.

Well, she’s like a flower on a cliff, something I never dared to reach out for, so the current situation was quite unexpected even for me.

Anyway, I tried to speak to alleviate the uncomfortable situation, but it seemed to backfire. Upon hearing my words, the noble knight slammed her head harder onto the ground and shouted.

“I can’t allow that! A woman, let alone a noblewoman, has taken a man’s purity! I, who was protecting a man from a monster attack, ended up poisoned…”

Oh right, I was poisoned.

It just dawned on me that I got poisoned while fending off a monster attacking from behind. Perhaps the memory of being covered by the noblewoman was faint because of that.

Wait. Does that mean the noblewoman witnessed me getting poisoned?

Her taste is quite something.

Even if I had suggested it, she would have willingly sacrificed my purity.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of living by overturning the reputation of a flawed man. I swear by the name of Leila von Bell that I will accept you as the husband of the Bell family!”

“No, you don’t have to go that far.”

Personally, it was more than just not bad; it could be considered a stroke of luck in life. If I continued living in my hometown, I would probably be preyed upon soon.

However, it felt a bit wrong to accept the noblewoman’s life. Despite her saying that she tainted me, I didn’t feel degraded or harmed from my perspective.

Rather, not remembering felt like a loss.

Therefore, I decided to reject her proposal, which other men would have welcomed with open arms.

“As long as I keep quiet, there won’t be any harm to the noblewoman. If you’re still worried, I’ll make a vow on my life. Of course, a commoner’s vow like mine may not be very reliable…”

“No! That’s not it at all! I mean…”

Perhaps she didn’t expect to be rejected, as the noblewoman began to ramble. After all, it was quite a rare opportunity for a commoner man to marry into a noble family, especially a duke’s family.

While it might be hard to understand from a common sense perspective, it wasn’t unreasonable. Still, despite thinking it would benefit both sides, the noblewoman was more stubborn than expected.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that will work. It’s not just your perspective; I have mine too. As a woman of a duke’s family, I can’t just let this go, and above all, the Bell family didn’t raise me to be such a reckless woman.”

It was chaotic, but fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t need to deeply ponder over this issue. Thanks to an event that occurred as soon as I returned to the village, I could easily make a decision.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Opposing my decision to go to the duke’s mansion as agreed in the forest was my childhood friend, Loria.

This guy, too, had unique tastes in women and since childhood, regardless of my opinion, she had said she would marry me.

The important part here is that it was regardless of my opinion. Because I never had any intention of marrying Loria from the beginning.

Her appearance isn’t bad, but how should I put it? She’s quite rough among women. Her heart lacks compassion as much as her own chest, so she was never a consideration to begin with.

“He’s mine! Even if he’s a commoner, you can’t just pick him as you please!”

Although blinded by lust, it seemed audacious to court a commoner. Normally, even facing execution, there would be nothing to say, but instead of getting angry, the commoner looked down at me from her words.

That gaze was a question of whether Loria’s words were true.

Quickly turning my head, a mix of emotions crossed between the commoner and Loria.

“Edward-!”

It was Loria’s sincerely angry voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time. It’s nothing now, but back when I was young, it was terrifying.

But this time too, there was no need for me to say anything.

The commoner stepped forward as if protecting me.

“I hope you don’t raise your voice to a man who might become my husband.”

“Who said he’s your husband!”

“The choice is his to make. I hope third parties will not interfere.”

The commoner turned her head back to me. She was asking. Which side to choose.

Without a moment of hesitation, I said,

“Let’s accept the proposal you made earlier.”

“Haha. Heard that?”

“Edward, you really-!”

Any doubts had already disappeared. Now, I was almost grateful to the commoner. After all, it was a choice between the commoner and Loria. Unless an axe was driven into my head, I wouldn’t choose Loria.

If I were to reject the commoner here, Loria would soon try to marry me.

Already, Loria’s gaze, which seemed to view me as prey, had been intensifying.

Though he could easily fend off most women on the subject of men, if he rejected the mayor’s daughter, he couldn’t live in this village anymore.

Either way, it was the same.

If that’s the case, the commoner was better. I didn’t want to marry Loria even if I died. It wasn’t a joke; it was better to die than to live with that personality for a lifetime.

“Alright! Then bring it on! The one who wins like a woman takes the man!”

Unlike Loria, who blabbered on, the commoner asked for my opinion again. Nodding, I agreed, and the commoner said to Loria,

“It’s an indecent proposal, but I’ll allow it specially. However, you must promise one thing. You must unconditionally accept the outcome of this contest.”

Thinking she could never lose, Loria confidently agreed to the commoner’s condition.

And then, as if it were natural, he boasted.

What kind of confidence made him think he could beat the commoner, who had become a knight after regular training, in a place where we didn’t even have knights due to the nature of our territory?

“Well then, let’s go to where we will live together… my husband.”

Perhaps fulfilling the traditional female fantasy of winning a man through force, the commoner, unlike before, had a very confident face.

It was already decided, and partly I had chosen myself, so it would be foolish to meddle with it.

So, I followed the commoner knight to the Bell mansion.

—

The Bell mansion of the Marquis. The dining room inside.

There, the Marquis Bell couple and their second daughter, Leila, faced each other.

“Leila. Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m fine, Father.”

Dylan Bell, Leila’s father, asked with a worried voice. Since seeing the man his daughter brought home as her husband out of the blue, he hadn’t been able to shake off his worries.

To prevent misunderstandings, let me say in advance that Dylan is by no means someone who judges people based on their status or appearance.

However, from a parent’s perspective, it is natural for worries to come first when their child brings someone home.

On the other hand, Hally Bell, the mother of Leila and the head of the Bell family, looked at her second daughter with a relatively indifferent gaze.

“Did you think this through?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Then it’s settled.”

Dylan was about to say something in response to his wife’s somewhat casual attitude, but Hally spoke first.

“She is our daughter. No need to worry, Dylan.”

It was a decision made by both his wife and the head of the household. As Dylan, there was nothing more he could say. All he could do now was hope for a smooth marriage life for his daughter.

As the conversation came to an end, Leila stood up and spoke to her parents.

“I’ll go upstairs first. But is Sister still not feeling well?”

Unlike Leila, who also acted as a knight, Christina Bell, the eldest daughter of the Bell family, was very frail.

Although there were times when her condition was better, recently it had deteriorated rapidly, causing great concern among the family members.

The problem was that Christina disliked showing her weak side to her family, so all they could do was ask about her well-being.

“She seems to be gradually improving. But since she still seems to have difficulty moving around, you shouldn’t visit her for no reason.”

“I know.”

Nodding, Leila climbed the stairs to the second floor. Instead of going straight to Edward’s room, who would soon be her husband, she went to her own room.

Then she silently cheered.

‘Finally, finally, he is mine!’

She had prepared a lot for today, but things were going so smoothly that it almost felt like a dream.

‘Ah, Edward.’

Leila’s love for him began when they were kidnapped by a notorious human trafficking organization when they were young.

Unlike herself, who was helpless at the time, Edward, who was captured with her, seized the opportunity, killed several traffickers, and rescued all the children, including herself.

Following the anger of the furious head of the Bell family, the organization was destroyed, but Leila never forgot that moment.

It was not a trauma, but rather because she wanted to keep remembering Edward, who despite being a man, was so admirable and bright.

‘In my heart, I wanted to bring him right away, but I held back. I endured and endured.’

Given Edward’s achievements, bringing him into the aristocratic family of the Bells would not have been too difficult.

Her respected parents were people who bestowed as much as they received, regardless of social status.

However, Leila endured it. To create a more perfect environment. To ensure that he could never leave her.

For that purpose, she fulfilled her duties as a noblewoman and solidified her position within the family. Once she judged that the internal preparations were complete, she wandered around the village where Edward lived under the pretext of an inspection.

Afterward, to incapacitate him and make him fall for her, she deliberately sought out a monster with poison and consistently provoked it for several days until it attacked Edward.

‘Ultimately, I have succeeded in having Edward without any suspicion from anyone.’

Having monitored Edward’s every move, even the intervention of Loria, a childhood friend, was all part of the plan.

The only concern was whether Edward would choose the girl Loria, but as expected, he chose her.

This was fate, nothing else.

“Hehe. I will never let him go now.”

Leila, who was enjoying the greatest excitement, could only meet her beloved husband after calming herself down.