The loud sound of a train shattered the stillness of the night.
The train station at this late hour was quiet.
There were only a few people hurrying to board the train heading from the North to the capital.
Among them, a woman hastily boarding the train, her bonnet pulled low and dressed in a plain dress, did not particularly stand out.
No one realized that she was the Duchess of Winterren.
"I just have to leave for the Empire."
Now, while her husband, the Duke of Winterren, was away on a campaign to subjugate demonic beasts, was the perfect time to escape.
By the time her clueless husband returned from the subjugation, she would be long gone.
Even if he realized what had happened and came looking for her, she would be somewhere beyond his reach.
[Let's get a divorce.]
A few days ago, she had finally spoken the words she'd been holding in her heart.
Perhaps he had never imagined those words would come from Estelle's mouth—his expression cracked in disbelief.
"[It was a one-year contract marriage. I've served my purpose, so it's time to divorce as planned.]"
She had been a contract wife—worse than a stranger—destined to become nothing to him after a year.
Now that the term had ended, divorce was only natural.
Upon hearing the word "divorce," her husband smiled.
It was a smile sweet enough to sway any woman's heart.
"[Let's pretend the contract never existed.]"
Riiip—
Even as he tore up the contract with that handsome face.
It was then that Estelle made her decision.
To run away from him.
Inside her bag now was their signed divorce paper—a mutual agreement to divorce, with both her and her husband's signatures.
He had been the one to propose it at the time of marriage, so they had signed it in advance.
All she had to do was submit it to the court, and they would legally become strangers.
As Estelle nervously searched for her seat, she suddenly flinched.
'...Lennox?'
A tall man with black hair—taller than most.
The moment she saw his back, her heart dropped.
"No, it's not him."
Looking more closely, the man was shorter than him, and his shoulders were narrower.
Relieved, Estelle found her seat and sat down.
Soon, with a loud hiss of steam, the train began to move.
As the scenery outside the window rushed past faster and faster, Estelle felt a small sense of relief.
But then—
"Inspection!"
An inspection? Out of nowhere?
Startled, she turned her head to see a train attendant going down the aisle, checking each passenger's face one by one.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"It's an emergency. We ask for your cooperation."
The few passengers complained, but the attendant only repeated the same response.
Her turn was approaching.
With hands damp and clammy from sweat, she gripped her travel trunk tightly.
She couldn't be certain they were here to catch her.
But the sense of dread wouldn't leave her.
"You never know."
Estelle made up her mind to hide for a while. She grabbed her trunk and stood up from her seat.
As she moved into the next train car—
Someone grabbed her wrist.
A train attendant?
Estelle was about to make an excuse about getting the wrong seat—
but froze the moment she heard a low, cavernous voice.
"Tia."
It was a voice she knew all too well,
a voice that had no business being here.
Still clinging to the desperate hope that it couldn't be him, she slowly turned her head.
"Lennox."
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Why are you here…?"
"I came to find you."
He smiled—just like when he'd torn up the contract—and spoke as casually as ever.
It didn't feel like she had been caught running away.
It felt more like they had prearranged to meet here.
"Where's your seat? The bag must be heavy—let me carry it."
"N-no, it's fine."
"You might be fine, but I'm not. Our divorce paper is in here, after all."
"…!"
So it wasn't just that he had caught her trying to run away.
Overwhelmed by shock, the strength drained from her hands.
In that brief moment, Lennox seized the chance and naturally took her bag.
"Let's go, Tia."
The voice calling her by that affectionate nickname sounded strangely weak.
Estelle's gaze wavered at his dejected, downcast demeanor.
"Do you hate me that much?"
"It's just that…"
She was about to answer when—
Tap tap tap tap—
Quick, clear footsteps echoed not far away.
"M-Mom!"
A small child with black hair came running.
"Mom, please don't leave!"
It was her adopted son, Duren.
Clinging tightly to her leg, the boy looked up at her with teary eyes.
"I won't be picky anymore! I can eat broccoli now, I promise!"
"Duren…"
Perched atop the boy's head were soft, floppy ears like a puppy's.
A droopy tail hung low at the base of his back.
With the child clinging to her leg, making it impossible to move a step,
and her husband holding onto her with the saddest expression he could muster—
Estelle suddenly found herself caught between the two of them.
When she first got married, things between them had never been anything like this.
"[If you're hoping for a kind husband who'll love you, you'd best give up now.]"
"[...]"
"[Because I will never love you. And there will never be a child between us.]"
He had made that perfectly clear…
And yet—
"That's right, Tia!"
A voice rang out from behind the child—it was her sister-in-law.
"This is all my brother's fault, isn't it? If it comes down to it, I'd rather kick out my useless brother than let you leave this house! So please, don't go."
Even her sharp-tongued sister-in-law, once openly hostile, was now begging her not to leave.
…How did it come to this?
***
Who is the most beautiful person in the Empire?
If someone were to ask, everyone would answer in unison:
"Why, it's Estelle Bellonsa, of course!"
The Thorned Rose of Bellonsa.
The Poisoned Apple.
A man-devouring seductress.
That was the dazzling reputation she earned—after four marriages.
Her first husband,
her second husband,
her third husband...
All died on their wedding night.
The fourth husband didn't die, but they divorced without even properly spending the night together.
The bride's side claimed that the groom had a serious dysfunction.
After suffering through what most would call a tragic fate even once—being widowed not once, not twice, but three times—and then divorced,
Estelle Bellonsa was now preparing for her fifth marriage.
So when Estelle chose to take her own life just before the wedding, it wasn't exactly an impulsive decision.
"Better to die than to keep living like this."
She attempted suicide by poison.
But it failed.
She was bedridden for a week—but otherwise perfectly fine.
And that's when she remembered.
That she was a character in a book she had read in a previous life.
Was she the protagonist?
Of course not.
The title of the novel was Vera, after all.
So what was her role in this story?
"I just have to marry one more time."
Estelle stared silently at her father.
"You know our family's finances are declining. We're even worried about paying Vera's tuition next semester. Honestly… That's why you, as the older sister, need to do your part."
She was the protagonist Vera's stepsister.
"This will be the last marriage of your life. You've already endured four—one more won't make much of a difference, will it?"
A woman who had married multiple times and inherited vast fortunes from her deceased husbands.
Thanks to Estelle, the once-impoverished Bellonsa family had risen to wealth in a short time.
"Do you think I'm asking this just for my own happiness? No—this is for our family's happiness."
But Estelle herself had never been part of that happiness.
Because when her father said "our family," he didn't mean her.
"And according to the book I read in my previous life… I'm destined to die young."
Her role in this story was simple.
To leave behind a vast inheritance for the poor protagonist's family—and then die.
The only issue was that the source of that wealth came from the inheritance of her husbands.
"…So what?"
"While you were unconscious, I narrowed down the list of potential suitors. There are quite a few promising candidates."
As soon as his stepdaughter recovered from her suicide attempt, her father wasted no time summoning her to his study—to pressure her into another marriage.
"Among them, Count Blem seemed the most reasonable. We're moving forward with the marriage, so keep that in mind."
Then he muttered under his breath,
"For someone on death's doorstep, that old man sure is greedy."
Seeing Estelle's expression grow cold, the count hastily tried to appease her.
"Estelle. You know you're the pillar and the treasure of our family, don't you?"
"..."
"So please, just this once—help us again."
"We're not asking for much. All you have to do is stay alive."
It was the first time that being asked to "stay alive" had ever sounded so horrifying.
"It won't be hard, will it? Just kill your husband on the wedding night, like you've always done."
That was how once became twice,
twice became three times,
three became four—
and now, she was facing her fifth marriage.
"…Count Bellonsa."
A brittle, dry voice slipped from Estelle's lips.
"Why don't you say the same thing to Vera?"
"What?"
"Tell her the family's struggling, so she should marry a man who could drop dead any day now."
Count Bellonsa's face twisted instantly.
"Is that something a sister should say to her unmarried younger sibling?!"
He snapped, raising his voice in anger.
Estelle's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing that, the count seemed to realize he'd gone too far and hastily tried to backpedal.
"Don't drag Vera into this—she's already overwhelmed with her studies abroad. You know how delicate she is."
Then what about her?
Is it because I'm just a stepdaughter from your remarried wife, with no blood ties to you, that it doesn't matter what happens to me?
That question rose all the way to her throat.
"Right. Things like this… they've always been my burden, haven't they?"
But she didn't say it out loud—because she already knew the answer.
She didn't want to feel any more wretched than she already did.
"You must still be out of sorts after waking up—saying things you don't really mean. I understand."
The count beamed so broadly at Estelle's seemingly obedient response that it looked like his face would split in two.
"Just focus on recovering until the wedding…"
"I'd like to attend one last banquet."
"A banquet?"
Interrupted mid-sentence, the count frowned slightly.
"I heard the Duke of Winterren has returned after subjugating the monsters in the West, and the imperial family is planning a celebratory banquet. I imagine many people will gather just to get a glimpse of him."
"I want to attend—just once more before I marry."
"Showing your face at a crowded event won't win you any praise, you know."
"But don't I have to show my face to raise my value?"
If her role in this household was to be treated like a golden goose—dying only after leaving behind wealth—
"I'm sure Count Blem only approached because of the rumors. If he hears compliments about my appearance, he might be willing to pay a higher price."
She was going to change her future—
with her own hands.
"Hmm…"
Count Bellonsa hesitated for a moment—
then his eyes gleamed with greed.
As long as it brought him gain, there was no reason to refuse.
It wasn't as if he was losing anything.
"Very well. In that case…"
Estelle smiled as she watched him nod.
If she wanted to change her future,
the first step was to choose her fifth husband herself.
'Lennox Winterren.'
Estelle had decided to meet him.
The sub-male lead of the novel Vera—
the man who loved Vera so desperately that when his feelings were rejected,
he destroyed the world as the final villain.