YCBV 15

Chapter 15

I told Pipi every detail of the conversation I’d had with the lawyer.

‘Since the title transfer process hasn’t been fully completed yet, it’s definitely possible to halt it. The problem is what comes afterward.’

‘Afterward…?’

‘Under Imperial law, an unmarried woman cannot become the head of a household.’

‘What? But there are already plenty of female heads of families. Like Countess René’s house, and the Sorel Marquis family.’

‘Of course, it’s an outdated and practically hollow old law. But the problem is that it’s still technically written in the legal code. If your uncle wants to make an issue of it, he can.’

‘Then what am I supposed to do? I did have a longtime fiancé, but we recently broke off the engagement….’

‘Hmm, fortunately it isn’t a very strict law. As long as you are married at the moment you inherit the title, they won’t question it afterward. You only need to maintain the marriage for a short while. Couldn’t you explain your situation and ask a close friend for help? If you divorce within a year, it won’t even leave a trace on the family register.’

The lawyer’s suggestion was reasonable—but there was one huge problem.

A sad but undeniable truth.

I have no friends.

The only childhood friend I’d had ended up cheating with my fiancé—so how could I possibly have any male friends?!

[Oh no, what should we do? Our cute, kind, and wise benefactor doesn’t have a single male friend to help her…]

Pipi paced around anxiously, deep in thought, before suddenly looking up at me.

Her tiny sesame-seed-like black eyes sparkled with determination.

[Don’t worry and listen to Pipi’s brilliant plan, benefactor! Pipi will limp around pitifully near a back alley. Then when a kind-hearted man approaches, benefactor can sneak up from behind and—]

“Hold on, Pipi! Calm down. When I honestly told the lawyer I had no man to ask for help, he gave me another option.”

[Wow! That’s a relief! What option?]

“This.”

I pulled out the pamphlet I’d carefully tucked away and handed it to Pipi.

She tilted her head and read the large letters printed across the front.

[‘You, Be Mine! A Heart-Pounding Youth Romance Operation’?]

“It’s a program the Imperial Family launched because marriage rates among young people keep dropping. Basically… a group matchmaking event?”

[Really? If Pipi were human, I don’t think I’d try to find a mate at a place with a slogan like that.]

Well, I thought the same thing.

Honestly, not just the title—the entire pamphlet design was incredibly tacky.

But it didn’t matter. I had no intention of actually finding a real partner through this program anyway.

The lawyer had said this:

‘To be honest, the only people who join these kinds of shabby programs are those after the participation subsidies. Mostly men who are desperate for money. If you offer to pay someone in exchange for a temporary marriage, they’ll probably jump at the chance.’

Apparently, there had even been a previous client in a situation similar to mine who successfully found a partner for a fake marriage through this very program.

Hearing that there was a precedent made the idea even more tempting.

But when I heard how much that client had paid as compensation, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

“Th-thirty thousand gold?”

Well… even if it was only a temporary marriage that wouldn’t leave a trace on the family registry, marriage was still marriage. I supposed that amount made sense.

‘Thirty thousand gold… even if I worked overtime nonstop….’

It wasn’t money I could scrape together in just a few months.

I’d probably have to rely on a financial institution. I should stop by the bank before work tomorrow and look into getting a loan.

I did plan to squeeze alimony out of Felix, but there was no way that bastard would hand it over willingly.

‘If it goes to court, it could take months to receive the money—so I can’t count on that for now.’

As I busily calculated numbers in my head, Pipi hesitantly spoke up.

[By the way, benefactor… was there anything else that happened besides what you told Pipi?]

“Hm? No. Why?”

[Your face seems a bit dark. Like… 25.4% sadness and 10.7% loneliness…]

“…Huh?”

Why so specific?

[Actually, I think my understanding of humans has improved a bit! While I was charging, all the data I gathered from being around you was processed, and now I can understand human emotions better!]

Pipi puffed out her chest proudly.

She can even upgrade herself?

This really is one mysterious little chick.

‘Seriously… what exactly is she?’

Too lifelike to be artificial, yet too incredibly useful to be an ordinary living creature.

Swallowing my unanswered questions, I shrugged.

“Well, I did have a bit of an argument with my uncle before coming up.”

When I told her what had happened, Pipi exploded.

[That XXX son of a XX!]

With vicious curses.

[Knowing what that scumbag Felix did to you and still saying something like that! XXX! XX jerk!]

“P-Pipi?”

It felt less like her emotion-analysis function had upgraded… and more like some other feature had.

‘Oh no. I think I taught her way too many bad things!’

Considering all the terrible data she’d gathered from villains, it was no wonder she’d turned out like this.

I suddenly felt a deep sense of responsibility.

[Once you get your family back, I’ll make him a homeless beggar and XXX him like a XXXX!]

“Pipi, calm down. You’re going to run out of power if you get that worked up.”

I spent quite a while trying to calm her down.

Still… having someone get angry on my behalf didn’t feel bad at all.

“Ughhh….”

I staggered out of the bank like a ghost.

I never imagined Imperial Bank interest rates would be this brutal!

[Benefactor, calm down. With thirty thousand gold at a 15% interest rate, you can pay it all back in just ninety days if you work 24 hours a day nonstop!]

I’d die before that!

Pipi’s “objective numbers” only made me feel worse.

I’d thought having a stable job would be enough, but apparently, to the bank, someone who’d only been employed a few days was nothing more than a rookie.

Emotionally wounded by the murderous interest rate, I trudged toward work.

‘If I do find someone to agree to a temporary marriage, I’ll have to negotiate the price down from thirty thousand somehow….’

The mage tower came into view, shining brilliantly.

My workplace. My savior!

‘I really need to work hard.’

Clenching my fists, I marched inside with determination.

“Is that her?”

“Yeah, last time…”

“I heard from my junior that…”

I thought I heard whispers aimed at me, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.

As soon as I reached the top floor, Aaron greeted me with a bright smile.

“Miss Violet!”

The dark circles under his eyes looked even worse than yesterday. Judging by the fact he was wearing the same clothes, I wasn’t even sure he’d gone home.

‘Did Senior Aaron take out a loan from the Imperial Bank too…?’

Anyway, I gratefully accepted the work he handed me.

I have to do well. Do everything I’m told, work lots of overtime, and earn as many bonuses as possible.

And before long, an opportunity arrived.

“Attention, everyone.”

Aaron clapped his hands to gather attention.

“Today we’ll be conducting the annual magic power distribution simulation. We need one person to assist His Grace with overnight work. The overtime worker will be selected by lottery.”

The room fell deathly silent.

The mages exchanged uneasy glances, not a single one daring to speak.

Then I heard the mage next to me mutter quietly.

“Please… please…”

She looked desperate, even sweating.

‘What do I do?’

I glanced at her nervously.

‘I need it too….’

Normally, I would’ve stepped aside.

But right now, I wasn’t in a position to be considerate.

‘If I don’t take overtime and earn extra pay, I’ll lose my family!’

I felt bad—but opportunities belong to those who seize them.