Chapter 1

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Fake Fated Mate
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Just as the title suggests, it was a dark, R-19 novel about the conflict between three ducal families.

The story was told from the perspective of the female lead, who had been transmigrated into the body of a maid, making her an observer. From the maid’s point of view, it was also a survival story, a struggle to stay alive amidst all the political intrigue.

And one where she had no romance of her own.

While the observer’s viewpoint was interesting, the novel’s most defining feature was something else.

It was the unique method of succession for the family heads of the three ducal houses, each of whom possessed a special ability.

Succession was not necessarily passed down to the current duke’s child. As long as one had the family’s blood, the mark of the next head would appear on the one with the strongest ability.

However, a special condition had to be met to fully inherit that power.

One had to marry their fated partner, their ‘Pero,’ whose name was magically engraved on their body, and spend three nights with them, connected by heart.

Only then would the lily marks blocking their power be erased, one by one.

“Oh, that’s new and interesting!”

That was what I, a reader of that novel until yesterday, had said.

And now, having been transmigrated into this new, interesting, and deadly novel, I had only one thought.

“Did you really have to add a setting like this?”

Hello? Author? Could we have a word?

I was transmigrated as the illegitimate daughter of House Alloje, the villainous family of the three, responsible for all sorts of evil deeds.

My father, Duke Alloje, was a family head who had inherited his power early after his Pero appeared.

He was a villain who would stop at nothing for the sake of his family’s power, and he was infamous in the original story for his irredeemable character, having committed a scandalously flagrant affair.

He had clearly awakened as a Pero, which meant he had once been connected by heart with his fated partner, yet he had an affair right after.

In short, he loved his wife only because she was his Pero. After his awakening, his feelings vanished.

A guy like that should have had his Pero appear when he was fifty!

Then again, if his Pero hadn’t been to his liking, he was the type of man who would have buried her alive to find the next one.

In any case, the illegitimate daughter born from that philanderer and a commoner woman was me, Croire Alloje.

As soon as Croire Alloje’s commoner mother gave birth, Duke Alloje killed her.

He could take in Croire, who shared his bloodline, but he couldn’t accept a commoner with not a single drop of his blood as family. Or so he said.

And so, Croire Alloje had to grow up without a mother.

Furthermore, although she inherited the Alloje bloodline’s ability to manipulate ‘water,’ her power was so negligible that she could barely move a puddle of spilled water.

‘Useless thing!’

Judged as such by Duke Alloje, Croire Alloje was no longer a valuable piece to him.

Even Croire herself believed it would be that way forever.

But then, she became useful.

Right before I was transmigrated into her body.

It all started when the head of House Argenta, one of Alloje’s rival families, began his search for his ‘Pero’ in earnest.

“So, Duke Diello of Argenta is looking for his mate, is he?”

Hearing the news, Duke Alloje must have seen it as an opportunity, for he commanded Croire.

“You will be that mate.”

“What?”

A mate was something born of magic.

In other words, if the name ‘Diello Argenta’ suddenly appeared engraved on someone’s body, it meant they were Duke Diello Argenta’s fated partner.

It wasn’t something one could decide at will.

But Duke Alloje used his ability to engrave the name ‘Diello Argenta’ on Croire Alloje’s back, creating a fake Pero.

The man was nothing if not deviously clever.

Moreover, the method he used to engrave the name was both meticulous and cruel.

Using his ability to manipulate water, an Alloje trait, he had controlled Croire’s blood, engraving intricate bruises beneath her skin.

Afterward, Duke Alloje sent a notice to Diello Argenta.

[I have found House Argenta’s Pero.

Who would have thought that Argenta’s fated one would be found in our House Alloje?

The name of Duke Diello Argenta has appeared on the body of my daughter, Croire Alloje. I would like to discuss this matter.]

In short, it meant, if you want your Pero, you’d better start crawling to Alloje.

“And when you get there, do not forget to keep your mouth shut.”

The key to the powerful family head’s ability was its awakening through a Pero.

If a woman who was not his fated partner were to take the Duke of Argenta’s nights, he would never be able to properly inherit his family’s power.

Even if he belatedly consummated his relationship with his real Pero, it would be too late.

House Argenta’s power would then weaken, and they would be pushed out of the ranks of the three great ducal families—Alloje, Argenta, and Cartiel.

This was what Duke Alloje was aiming for with his command.

“If you fail, you will have neither your life nor the legs to return on. Therefore, you must secure the position of Argenta’s Pero.”

* * *

—Clatter!

And here I was, the person who had transmigrated into that very Croire Alloje, riding in a swaying carriage.

It took me exactly one hour to grasp the situation.

“Seriously, in a world overflowing with transmigration and reincarnation stories…”

Why did I have to become the daughter from House Alloje who gets her hand chopped off for lying to Diello?

No matter how much I lamented my fate, the face of Croire Alloje staring back at me from the hand mirror didn’t disappear.

The face of a glamorous villainess, with dark violet hair and amethyst eyes.

At least I liked her looks.

But at this rate, I was an extra destined to die soon.

In the original story, when Diello Argenta’s real Pero appeared, Croire Alloje was exposed as a fake and ‘disposed of.’

Not by House Argenta, but at the hands of her own father, Duke Alloje.

In other words, House Alloje killed her before she could open her mouth.

“I can’t let that happen.”

Now that things have come to this, I will change the original story and somehow survive in House Argenta!

The only unfortunate thing was that the original female lead, the maid who was supposed to assist Croire on her journey to Argenta, was not in this carriage.

No, she didn’t seem to exist at all. Was it because I transmigrated?

I was hoping to build some camaraderie and get some information from a fellow transmigrator, but that plan went down the drain.

“Diello Argenta…”

He was a man so pure and gentle that it was a wonder he even appeared in this novel, where most of the characters were villains.

Even when Croire Alloje arrived, despite her being a woman from a long-standing rival family, he had said,

‘This couldn’t have been the fate you wanted, Croire.’

He was a kind and considerate man who enveloped her with such warm words.

The only decent person in this entire novel.

I couldn’t ruin such a man’s future with my own hands.

Besides, Duke Alloje was planning to kill me if things went south anyway. Following his orders wouldn’t lead to a happy ending.

So, should I try to seduce Diello?

“No.”

If I fail the plan, I die at the hands of Alloje. If I succeed, I die at the hands of a furious Argenta.

It was only natural, as I would have prevented their family head from properly using his powers.

If I’m doomed to die whether I succeed or fail?

There’s only one course of action I can take.

* * *

“I am Diello Argenta. Lady Croire Alloje.”

Diello was alone in Argenta’s reception room.

He had jet-black hair and light blue eyes that seemed to speak of a pure and clear spirit.

His serene eyes reminded me of the ocean glittering under the sun.

Perhaps because Croire Alloje, however weakly, carried the blood of House Alloje, a family that controlled ‘water,’ I found myself unable to look away from his eyes.

Dressed neatly, he greeted me with courtesy, despite me being the young lady of a family they had been rivals with for centuries.

“—Your Grace, the Duke of Argenta.”

Seeing Diello greet me, I opened my mouth.

This was a gamble.

No matter how kind and pure Diello Argenta was portrayed in the original story, he would be furious to learn that House Alloje had put forth a fake Pero to steal his future and destroy his family.

He would burn with rage, as befitting a member of the fire-wielding House Argenta.

And I could very well be the one to bear the brunt of that anger.

“Yes, Lady Alloje.”

His soft voice answered me.

I pressed my lips into a firm line.

Now that I’ve arrived in this carriage, there’s no turning back. If I can’t go back, I have to face it head-on.

I can’t just die quietly as the original story intended, can I?

My voice, filled with resolve, rang out.

“I did not come here to be your bride, Your Grace.”

As I bowed to Diello Argenta, the necklace he had sent to Croire as a ‘bridal token’ swayed and dangled below.

“...”

At my words, Diello Argenta’s expression, which had been fixed on the necklace, subtly changed.

His hand, holding a teapot as if he had intended to serve me personally as a guest, paused for a moment.

“Are you calling off the marriage?”

His blue eyes, filled with puzzlement, turned to me.

I shook my head at his words.

“No. I have come as a business partner.”

A deal, with your power and my life on the line.

“As a shield to protect you, and a contract wife, until your ‘real’ Pero arrives.”

I have no intention of taking your first time.

“Until the ‘real’ one arrives?”

Diello Argenta’s eyes widened at my words.

“Yes. Until the real one arrives.”

In the original story, Diello was deceived by the fake Pero, Croire Alloje.

Perhaps because he hadn’t given his heart completely to the original Croire, not all three lily marks had disappeared. But two were already gone, preventing him from fully awakening his powers.

As a result, he naturally struggled in battles against the other families.

But what if I twisted the original story here, and he met his real Pero instead of me and properly awakened his powers?

Diello Argenta, with his innate powerful abilities combined with his true Pero, would become the strongest family head in history.

Strong enough to neatly dispose of Duke Alloje, who had cast me here as a disposable pawn.

“I will help you become the strongest family head.”

In exchange for helping me get revenge on House Alloje, that is.

His gaze met mine, unwavering.

“Are you claiming to be a fake Pero?”

Diello Argenta’s voice was gentle.

A voice that was fundamentally kind.

But the moment I brought up the word ‘fake,’ his atmosphere seemed to change strangely.

It became colder.

It was strange, considering the Argenta ability he inherited was the manipulation of ‘fire.’

“Yes.”

I answered in the calmest voice I could manage.

At that, Diello gave a slight smile.

It was a smile so bright that it made me think the change I had felt from him was just my imagination.

“I’m not sure why you’d claim to be a fake now, especially after Argenta has already confirmed that you are the Pero, but if what you say is true…”

He tilted his head slightly.

“That would mean House Alloje has deceived me. If that’s the case, we can no longer afford to be having such a peaceful conversation.”

Contrary to his gentle voice, the atmosphere was chilling over.

This was the heart of Argenta territory.

Just as he said, if I were revealed to be a fake Pero…

The marriage between Argenta and Alloje would be immediately called off, and Argenta would have every right to declare war on Alloje.

And my life could be held hostage in the process.

I knew all this, yet I had started this dangerous gamble.

I tried to calm my nerves and opened my mouth.

“That would be the case, if I had intended to continue deceiving Your Grace.”

My words made Diello’s movements halt.

“I have no intention of deceiving you any longer.”

My heart began to pound fiercely.

I did my best to keep a cool head.

This deal was just beginning.

If I couldn’t persuade Diello Argenta now, the ruin that was supposed to come in two months in the original story would arrive today.

“First, the name Diello Argenta engraved on my back. If I prove that it is false, will you believe my words?”

Diello narrowed his eyes at my statement.

His calm, settled blue eyes were like an ocean that could be swept up by a storm at any moment.

I met his gaze, then slowly turned around to show him my back.

“If you wish, would you care to unbutton the back of this dress?”