Bala: The Duke's Contract Wife

The Past: Rose Fullmeir

It has been five years since Rose started becoming a tool for Rendre. She also became a stepping stone for Anisa to heed her social standing.

The cold treatment that Fullmeir's housemaid originally addressed to Anisa had changed towards Rose. That was because Rose deliberately behaved unsightly. Before long, Anisa was known as the good lady while Rose was known as the villainess.

When meeting the daughters of other noble families, Rose would accidentally leave bad impressions. Anisa was certainly thrilled when the servants and nobles began to notice her more. Anisa loved the attention and she, who never thought long enough, just accepted it with a big smile. She never thought that Rose would do it on purpose.

Only Rendre knew how Rose truly was.

People's perception of Anisa changed drastically in just a few months. Rendre was satisfied that he gave Rose a gift. A beautiful diamond necklace.

It wasn't the only gift Rendre had given. Whenever Rose managed to give Rendre what he wanted, from the diamond mine in Gurkuta to lands owned by other nobles, Rendre will reward Rose. 

"I don't understand why Fater often rewards you," Anisa said one night. Rose could see clearly how jealous Anisa was whenever Rose was given something. Even though Rendre's gift was not comparable to everything given to Anisa. While Anisa was always given the best clothes and jewelry almost every week. Rose was only ever given something when she had fulfilled Rendre's wishes.

Rose had never received the clothes and jewelry commonly wore by noblewomen. Since her mother's passing, Rendre had never given Rose anything but those rewards.

Rose wanted to vomit when she saw the rewards. It made her feel more and more like Rendre's pet. Where if she behaved well she would be rewarded. The fifteen-year-old Rose had no choice but to follow Rendre's will. All the gifts she collected would be her savings. She was saving up to help the families she had to snare for schemes at Rendre's whim.

Secretly, Mawar sent money and some help to help those families. She sold some of her jewelry gifted by Rendre and sent the money to Count Rayhan's family who was distressed by the court's affairs.

It was like hell. Rose had to ruin families to get gifts from Rendre. Then she would return the gifts to the families. Of course, Rose knew that her help could not cover the devastation she had done. There should have been no forgiveness for her.

Rose was eager to leave the Fullmeir residence. But the magic agreement with Rendre would not permit this. After all, the mansion was Rose's birth home. Why should she be the one to go?

"Rose gets those gifts because she has been useful to the Fullmeir family," Rendre said once at the dinner table.

Useful? Hmph...

"I can also be useful to you, Father!" Anisa exclaimed. "If only I have more standing."

"You are the daughter of a Marquis. It's already a high position," Rose replied

You alone do not have the ability to use that position. You're not someone who can use your brain.

"But everyone still thinks of me as the illegitimate daughter," Anisa said with a pitiful look. Rose could see Rendre was buying her act. Rose's chest felt like boiling right away. Again, she tried to press her feelings and lock them back in the bottom of her heart. Rose's face remained neutral during the inner struggle.

"You just have to be yourself, Anisa," Rendre said softly, "You just have to grow healthy. Marry a good man and live happily."

Rose wanted to gag at the words.

"No, Father," Anisa shook her head. "I want to be more useful to the Fullmeir family. Our family. If only I had more power and not been seen as an illegitimate child."

"... If only I were queen of the Kingdom of Ellyseria... Yes, if I am the queen no one would dare say I am an illegitimate child."

What the hell is this bird brain talking about? How can one just be the future Queen? Moreover, the fiancée of the Crown Prince has been politically determined since ten years ago.

But Rendre's answer was very unexpected.

"I understand," the man said.

Rendre stared straight at Rose. And she recognized that gaze.

"What? You're not serious, are you?"

Rendre clicked his tongue at Rose's raised tone. "Why is that impossible? Anisa is the daughter of a Marquis. She deserves to be the fiancée of the Crown Prince."

"But the Crown Prince already has a fiancée!"

"That's an easy thing, isn't it? I just have to destroy the Duke Cornohen's family until the Crown Prince has to call off his engagement to their daughter."

H– he is not serious, is he?

Rose knew when Rendre said 'I,' it actually meant 'Rose'. Rendre was ordering Rose to bring down Duke Cornohen's family.

"Marquis!" Rose cried out. She banged the table and stood up. "Duke Cornohen's family has been one of the pillars of this kingdom four generations. If they crumble, the Kingdom of Ellyseria will be affected!"

"Tch. Then I will take over all that power. I will be the pillar of the Kingdom of Ellyseria. And Anisa will be the Queen's candidate."

Rose stared at Rendre in disbelief. What he wanted was not impossible. But it would certainly shake the Kingdom of Ellyseria. Moreover, Duke Cornohen was a large and highly influential noble family. Rose had to start by paralyzing duke Cornohen's family one by one, then cutting off the Duke family's financial flow. Or... even ruin the people's view of the Duke's family

In short, Rose would have to play with fire.

Because one mistake alone can reveal the Fullmeir family in a bad light. On the other hand, if Rose succeeded... The Kingdom of Ellyseria would undergo a major change. And ... If Rendre was to be the pinnacle of power of the next noble faction, Rose was convinced that the Kingdom of Ellyseria would fall.

"Father, really? You're going to make me Queen?" asked the hopeful Anisa.

"Don't make things up, Marqui–"

Before Rose finished saying the words, Rendre had struck her left cheek. The blow was strong that Rose fell backward from her chair. Her cheeks were burning. It was so painful. She also tasted iron on her tongue. Her lips had been broken and were bleeding.

"Why? You think I can't?" asked Rendre coldly.

Anisa went on to say, "Rose, you need to trust Father even more. He's a good Marquis. And he's good at politics and doing business. You can see all he has achieved over the past two years." The girl's eyes did not in the slightest indicate concern for Rose that had been slapped hard.

Rendre smiled in content when he heard the compliments coming from her daughter.

Stupid! All those achievements are my work!

The man stood carrying a hot teapot in his hand. It was then that Rose's fear emerged. She saw the dining room door just a few steps from her place. There was not a single maid in that room, but if Rose screamed there was bound to be someone coming.

Rendre squeezed Rose's chin roughly. His big hands covered Rose's mouth. Then without saying anything, he began pouring the hot tea liquid onto Rose's clothes. The hot liquid burnt Rose's skin chest. It burnt her chest and trailed down to her thighs.

Rose screamed in pain but Rendre's grip on her face was very strong. So strong that her sound only came out as a whimper.

With both hands, Rose tried to stop Rendre's hand from pouring more hot liquid. But the man's strength was much greater than Rose's small body.

In a short time, Rendre had poured out the entire tea in the teapot on Rose's body. Rose's clothes were wet with boiling water. Her clothes were not able to prevent the heat from the tea water. She could feel the pain surging all over her body.

"Hmmmppphh!!!

Rose's fingernails clawed at Rendre's arm in an attempt to remove Rendre's grip. Annoyed, Rendre instead swung the teapot to Rose's head.

The young girl staggered to the side. Her gaze was obscured and her head became very dizzy. The pain in her body stopped instantly, replaced by the searing pain on her forehead. Rose could feel viscous liquid flowing on the side of her head.

But before long, the pain in her head disappeared. While the pain in her body returned very intensely.

"It turns out to be true," whispered Rendre. The man was standing on top of Ros. "Your body heals fast." Rendre deliberately only whispered the words to Rose. Anisa, who couldn't hear what Rendre said, leaned her body forward from the table.

Huh?

Instinctively, Rose saw her shadow reflected from the ceramic teapot. He was right, Rose's skin appeared to heal by itself. Before long, the wound closed perfectly.

Rose was dumbfounded. She never knew she had that ability. Her mother never told her ... And Maria, her mother's maid had long been dismissed by Rendre. So Rose couldn't ask her.

Is this the ability that my biological father inherited as well?

"But the regeneration ability doesn't apply to burns, huh?" Rendre's tone seemed to indicate a promise for the future. A promise if Rose would not obey his words.

Rose shuddered in horror. It was like going back to the night count Rayhan was murdered.

Rendre grabbed Rose's hair. So tight that Rose gasped.

"If you dare to run away or tell anyone about our little secret," Rendre threatened with a whisper, "you'll pay for it."

Rendre threatened her with torture. If Rose would not obey his will, he will torture Rose again.

"So Rose, what's your answer? Do you now believe I can bring down Duke Cornohen and make Anisa Queen?" Rendre's voice was raised deliberately so that Anisa could hear.

Rose's anger brewed underneath the surface. She retaliated Rendre's gaze sharply. The pain in her body persisted, she had no choice but to answer, "Y- Yes..."

But that day, without Rendre knowing, Rose swore ... Rendre would not get his wish so easily. A plan was formed on Rose's head.