An Incomprehensible Proposal
"My name is Elphesia Luminel. I have come today to present a proposal."
"Elphesia... Luminel...!"
A jolt of pure shock ran down my spine the moment she introduced herself. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering how on earth I hadn't recognized her immediately when her appearance was so unmistakable. There was not a single detail about her that differed from the villainess described in the original novel.
"Hmm."
Her gaze drifted slowly across the orphanage grounds. She surveyed the worn surroundings as if examining quaint curiosities, but in the end, her ruby eyes came to rest squarely on me.
"It was quite a long walk. Might we step inside to talk?"
"...Of course. This way."
Even as I pushed the door open for her, countless possibilities raced through my head. It was absurd enough that all three main characters had somehow gathered under my humble roof, but I never in my wildest dreams expected the villainess herself to drop by. It felt as though a casual joke I'd made earlier had somehow turned into a prophetic decree.
Elphesia walked down the narrow, shabby corridor without showing the slightest distaste. As one of the most exalted noble ladies in the entire Empire, one would expect her to wrinkle her nose in disgust, yet her expression remained entirely composed.
When we finally reached the rundown room that served as our so-called parlor, I offered her a seat. Without complaint, she settled gracefully onto the stiff wooden chair.
A brief, heavy silence descended upon the room.
Then, from between her lovely, parted lips, my name slipped out.
"Harte."
"Yes?"
"Harte."
"Yes."
"Harte."
"...Yes?"
What is this? I thought. A test? Or is she just mocking me?
There was absolutely nothing to be read from that cynical, perfectly sculpted face of hers. Deciding that beating around the bush would get me nowhere, I resolved to be direct.
"I assume I may address you as Lady Luminel?"
"Yes, well, for the time being."
"For the time being...?"
The nuance gave me pause, but this was no time to get bogged down in semantics.
"First of all, Lady Luminel, how did you discover my identity? Have the rumors regarding the illegal auction spread that far already...?"
"You're half right. You certainly are far more renowned than you give yourself credit for. However, I have had my eye on you since long before that incident."
"...Excuse me?"
"It was quite an ordeal investigating you, you know. The Temple shielded you so fiercely that it was nearly impossible to track down your whereabouts."
She said it had been difficult, but not impossible. Which meant she had been aware of this orphanage's existence long before the auction affair ever took place. What on earth could a woman like her want with me?
As my guard rose to its absolute peak, she spoke with disarming calm.
"Regardless, it turned out well in the end. I managed to locate you, and now I can make my offer."
"An offer? To me?"
She was the precious, golden pearl of a preeminent ducal house and a famously cold-blooded strategist. A woman with whom I shared not a single point of connection suddenly slid a sheaf of parchment across the table.
And with that, she dropped a bomb so earth-shattering that for a split second, I nearly committed the folly of channeling divine power into my own ears just to check my hearing.
"Let us get married."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Ah, strictly speaking, a contract marriage. These documents have been prepared to settle the terms between us."
"..."
The woman known as Elphesia Luminel existed in a realm far beyond human comprehension. From her intentions to her underlying motives, there wasn't a single thing I could reasonably deduce. At this point, it seemed far more rational to assume I was trapped in a fever dream.
Unable to contain the utter absurdity of the situation, a hollow laugh escaped my throat.
"Aha... Marriage. A contract marriage, no less..."
"Indeed. A contract marriage."
She was remarkably brazen about it. It was an attitude thoroughly befitting someone of her stature, which only prompted sheer nonsense to tumble out of my mouth in response.
"...Uh, by any chance, am I possessed of some world-shattering, continental-tier handsomeness that I wasn't aware of?"
"Can you not simply look into a mirror and judge that for yourself?"
"...Understood."
A wave of mortification washed over me, making me want to beat my chest in embarrassment. But truly, could anyone blame me for asking? Even if Elphesia was destined to meet a gruesome bad end in the future, at this present moment, she was someone who had absolutely nothing to envy in this world. Beauty, wealth, authority—if one were to sculpt an embodiment of that triumvirate, the result would be Elphesia Luminel.
I'm going to lose my mind. It's not like I can just treat her like a lunatic and kick her out...
I felt dizzy enough to faint. As my spinning mind frantically searched for where to even begin addressing this madness, my eyes caught sight of several small, round faces peeking through the cracked door.
Having finished their afternoon nap, they must have gone looking for me when I didn't return to the common room. Then, curious about the rare visitor, they had snuck over to spy.
Finding my footing at last, I forced my mouth open.
"First, allow me to verify something... Are you in your right mind? We have never once laid eyes on each other, yet you barge in demanding... marriage...?"
"I have my personal circumstances. Furthermore, I have prepared my resolve to the utmost just to stand here before you today."
Oho, your resolve, is it? Well now, I certainly wonder how grand that resolve truly is.
"In that case, I wonder if your resolve accounts for something like this as well?"
I subtly gestured toward the door, beckoning the watching eyes inside. After a moment's hesitation, the children pushed the door open and stepped into the parlor one by one.
Yurian, Glenn, and Tina.
The moment I held out my arms to Tina, she came pattering over on her short legs and threw herself into my embrace.
"Daddy!"
"...What did she just call you?"
For the very first time, a hairline fracture cracked across Elphesia's immaculate, clockwork composure.
Whether she realized the magnitude of her words or not, Tina kindly delivered the decisive finishing blow.
"What's going on, Daddy?"
Elphesia, still holding the contract papers in her hand, froze solid like a glacier. Facing her rigid, stunned figure, I offered an awkward, apologetic smile.
"You see, despite how I appear, I already have a child."
As an exalted noble lady, Elphesia would surely reach the only logical conclusion. She would gather her papers and make a swift retreat this very instant.
Still, just to be entirely certain, I pressed the matter once more.
"Tell me... did your resolve truly account for this?"
Her neatly aligned, pearlescent teeth were truly breathtaking—an impression made all the more vivid by how wide her jaw hung open. Lost in a whirlwind of sheer chaos, Elphesia barely managed to force out her next words.
"Y-You...!"
"Yes?"
A flawless victory for me... or so I smugly rejoiced for a fraction of a second.
The very next moment, Elphesia's face contorted into something resembling an enraged demon.
"You... you absolute lunatic...!!!"
"P-Pardon...?"
Before I could even blink, her hand shot forward and seized me by the hair.
"Harte, you bastard...! Whose child is this?! Whose is it?! On whose authority did you go around fathering a child, you idiot?!!"
"Aaargh! That hurts! It hurts, my lady! Let go, please!"
"Does pain matter right now?! Does your pain matter at a time like this, you hopeless wretch?!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Not satisfied with simply tearing at my scalp, Elphesia began mercilessly pummeling my back. Faced with such utterly irrational violence, a wave of profound sorrow welled up inside me.
"Wait, what's wrong with me having a child...!"
"What?!!"
"...I suppose there could be a few things wrong with it, yes."
"Argh!"
What is this? What is actually happening right now?
...Something is wrong. This is deeply strange. Why can't I seem to fight back against her? Is this the overwhelming aura of high nobility...?
A strange sense of dissonance washed over me, the very same peculiar sensation I had felt when saving her from the runaway carriage. No matter how many times I scrutinized my inner feelings, there was no mistaking it.
Desperate to put an end to this absurd barrage, I finally confessed.
"...Tina is adopted! She's my adopted daughter!"
"Adopted, you say?"
Only then did Elphesia lower her hands and look down at Tina—a little girl glaring up at her, cheeks puffed out with undisguised hostility.
"Who are you, lady, and why are you hitting my daddy?!"
That's it, Tina! Defend your dad...!
"Starting today, I am your mother."
"Oh, really? Well, then I guess it can't be helped... Since it's just a lovers' quarrel..."
"...Tina?"
I stared in complete bewilderment as Tina accepted the explanation without another peep. Her perception of the situation had shifted with terrifying