Standard Contract Guidelines for a Fraudulent Marriage - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 3

Siern regarded Adelia with a measured gaze, seeming pleased by her rapturous, dreamy expression.

“But…….”

Adelia looked up at him with eager eyes.

“Who exactly are you?”

Oh…….

A flicker of confusion crossed Adelia’s face before she quickly straightened her shoulders and clasped her hands together.

“I am Adelia Whitten. I’m the new research apprentice who will be working and studying in this Research Laboratory starting today.”
“Adelia Whitten? I feel like I’ve heard that name before. Adelia Whitten……. Ah.”

Could he actually remember her?

Adelia clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, her expression radiant with hope.

The idol of Microbiology, the very god of microbes, remembering her—such glory!

“The top graduate of the Royal Academy this year, correct? I heard the old professors fought tooth and nail over you. Is that true?”

Adelia’s eyes widened as though she’d felt an earthquake.

She had indeed heard as much from Moite, the headmaster of the Royal Academy.

Distinguished professors in their respective fields—Literature, Mathematics, Astronomy, and others—had engaged in quite a dispute, each wanting to take her as their student.

‘But I never heard anything about them fighting over my head…’

Professor Siern stroked his chin as he spoke.

“Yet I never fought with any of those old men, and here I find myself with you as my apprentice.”
“Well, I suppose you could say that……?”
“So then—you chose to enter this Research Laboratory of your own will?”

Adelia’s lips pressed into a tight line.

On the surface, it seemed like an innocent question, but…….

‘I must answer this carefully!’

If she showed the slightest hesitation or needless anxiety now, she would never earn Professor Siern’s trust for the rest of her life.

“Yes, Professor. I applied myself.”
“Why? The Microbiology taught at the Royal Academy is hardly more than surface-level scratching. You’d have to begin your studies from the ground up here.”
“Because…….”

A flicker of amusement played across Siern’s face.

“Because?”
“Because I love microbes!”

Adelia’s clear, ringing voice echoed through the quiet Research Laboratory.

Professor Siern’s expression shifted oddly as he narrowed his eyes.

“……You love microbes?”
“Yes! Their infinite varieties of form and color……. And the boundless possibilities! Those tiny creatures invisible to our eyes—once you understand what they do in our lives, there’s no way anyone could help but love them! Especially that G7-3-I from the paper you published last time! That perfect sphere left me absolutely speechless. And despite such a short clinical trial period, the remarkable results……!”
“Enough. That’s enough.”
“Yes? Oh, but I still have so much more to tell you……?”
“I understand well enough why you came here.”

Adelia, utterly unaware that she had just alarmed the great Siern himself, continued to gaze at him with an expression of pure delight.

‘She’s certainly a peculiar one.’

Siern reflected.

Microbiology was, in truth, a discipline that struggled to capture public interest.

Even with new discoveries, if they weren’t immediately practical, they simply faded into obscurity.

If one wanted fame, the sensible choice would be Chemistry or the rapidly advancing field of Electrical Engineering.

Yet here was someone with the top honors from the Royal Academy, entering a research laboratory with little prestige…….

“Very well.”

Siern finished his thoughts and spoke.

“First, change your clothes and come back. Today I’ll give you a simple tour of the Research Laboratory, introduce you to the equipment in the laboratory, and explain the precautions you’ll need to follow.”
“Oh! Yes, of course!”
“And prepare a brief summary of the research topic you’d like to pursue. Why are you drooling?”

Oh, my.

So excited she hadn’t noticed.

Adelia hastily wiped her mouth with an embarrassed expression and composed herself.

Siern regarded her once more with that peculiar look before speaking.

“The laboratory expects each apprentice to submit a Short Paper each semester, and once a year you’ll need to prepare research material to present at our Regular Research Conference. It won’t be easy, so steel yourself.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Think carefully about what you want to research.”
“I will!”
“Then go change your clothes and come back. The Women’s Changing Room is to the right as you exit.”

Adelia left the Research Laboratory at once, beaming.

Patter-patter-patter……!

Her footsteps were so spirited that Siern let out a brief laugh.

“What on earth is she so delighted about? Truly an unusual girl.”

***

Meanwhile, Roaston, who had escorted Adelia to the Research Laboratory, proceeded directly to the Royal Palace.

He was attending the weekly Bureaucratic Meeting.

Originally, he had no need to hold a bureaucratic post.

But his father had spent his lifetime as a bureaucrat, accomplishing certain things and leaving others unfinished.

To see those matters through, whether he wished it or not, Roaston found himself compelled to participate in matters of state.

It was, at best, a token participation—merely showing his face.

Yet such was Roaston’s devastating beauty that those entranced by it fell into a collective delusion: his mere presence at the meeting was participation enough, whether he actively contributed or remained silent.

“Who is this? Roaston, the Duke?”
“It’s been a while, Marquis Gikson.”
“Ha! My goodness. Do you have any idea how shocked I was by ‘that news’ of yours? My daughter brought me stacks of newspapers, and I still wouldn’t believe it!”
“The decision came so suddenly there was no time to announce it properly. I am, however, considering holding a formal ceremony.”
“Of course you must. Can a marriage be called a marriage if you settle for nothing but registration at the church?”

A mysterious smile played at the corners of Roaston’s lips.

As expected, his sudden marriage to Adelia had made quite a splash.

‘It was the right call not to hold a formal wedding ceremony.’

Because he had only filed a Marriage Registration without a ceremony, the story of the Duke marrying his ‘junior’ spread all the more widely.

Few events could have shocked conservative aristocratic society more profoundly.

And by rushing to register the marriage so hastily, it created the impression that Roaston had desperately wanted Adelia.

Henceforth, people would watch Roaston’s every move while finding themselves unable to stop thinking about “that Adelia”—the woman so suddenly elevated to Duchess.

To make Adelia recognized as a “Duchess” as quickly as possible, this had been the most effective approach.

There was even a saying about it, wasn’t there?

Announce good news by ringing the bells loud and clear; swallow bad news with soup and forget it quickly.

Roaston wanted the fact of his marriage to spread far and wide, as loudly and clearly as possible.

That way, he could finally escape the relatives constantly pestering him to marry.

And also…….

‘No, I mustn’t think of that right now.’

Of course, he harbored a small concern that Adelia might feel slighted by their wedding without ceremony.

But she had dispelled his worries with her response.

—A w-w-wedding? In front of everyone, in a white dress, throwing a bouquet and everything? D-d-dancing too?
—If we were to hold a wedding, that’s what it would entail, wouldn’t it?
—Absolutely not! I’d rather—I’d rather……!
—Rather what?
—Give up Microbiology and become a Classical Literature Research apprentice instead!

The connection between the two propositions seemed bizarre, but her revulsion toward a wedding was crystal clear.

“By the way, about that Miss Whitten you married…….”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Did you know her from before? Or…….”

Roaston met the Marquis Gikson’s gaze—which had begun to take on a suspicious gleam—with a smile of pure innocence, and replied:

“She was my junior at the Academy. A very clever girl.”
“I see, I see. I’ve heard she graduated top of her class? And that she entered some difficult research laboratory?”
“Indeed. I had my eye on her since our Academy days, and the more I saw of her, the more she appealed to me. I asked for her hand.”
“Ha! So even the iron wall must bend when the right woman comes along!”

The Marquis Gikson, delighted, slapped Roaston soundly on the back.

Roaston subtly dodged the contact, his cheeks flushing slightly.

The way his head tilted shyly, the bashful smile—it was indeed worthy of all those flowery proclamations about him being “the most beautiful creature beneath heaven.”

But of course, Roaston was not truly shy. This was merely one of his special talents.

When cornered, displaying such embarrassment inevitably caused the other party to gracefully retreat on their own.

And besides…….

‘A lie wrapped in a grain of truth is the most convincing of all.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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