The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

1 – Escaping the Temple Led to an Orphanage

The moment I remembered memories from another world was on my nineteenth birthday.

The trigger was trivial.

Back then, I was a promising knight of the temple, but due to a misstep, I ended up plunging into a pond known as the Holy Pond.

It was an event that became everyone’s laughingstock, but the reputation of the Holy Pond turned out not to be in vain, as it experienced a truly bizarre phenomenon.

Not only did I recall my past life, but I also realized that this world was the world from a romance fantasy novel.

‘My name… Harte.’

And the future surname is Messiah.

Harte Messiah… that was the name of the doomed leader of the knight order.

The sign was vague, but well, what can you do? Especially when it foretells my death in ten years!

No, not knowing the sign is even more troublesome. In this situation, I had no choice but to cut to the chase and find the cause.

“I’ll leave the knight order.”

“Why?!”

The then-leader, who became desperate to send a promising knight on a mission, without knowing English. He desperately tried to hold me back.

“Were the doctrines and rules too strict? In fact, you can break them little by little. Just don’t go to the Chancellor… Huh? Or is it the salary? Position? Because I haven’t told you that I’ve appointed you as the next leader, right?”

Keeping it as my destiny might be a problem, but…

There’s probably no sense of duty to kindly inform.

“Someone said that escaping from the Holy Knights is based on intelligence.”

“Who said that?”

“Someone quite high up.”

For example, a goddess who predicted my fate.

“Higher than me? Whoever it is, they won’t be able to do anything to me.”

‘Wow…’

Even if they are high, it’s ridiculously high.

Someone reaching the level of the head of the Holy Knights began committing outrageous blasphemies.

Although the head of the Holy Knights is said to be equivalent to an archbishop, the comparison wasn’t favorable. Therefore, without any hesitation, I handed in my resignation.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“What will you do once you leave society?”

“…”

Exactly. What would I do?

“Look, they say society is harsh, right? On the other hand, how comfortable is the Holy Knights? They provide food, accommodation, just focus on prayer and training. Isn’t it the best job? Huh?”

I felt a sense of unease.

To express it more concretely…

It felt like I had been gaslighted by the officials of this otherworldly place I was forcibly taken to in my early twenties. Yeah… Imagine a place where wild boars and deer run around, the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air… So, yeah…

“…Aha.”

Was this what it felt like, my past life?

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As soon as I recalled the painful memories of my past life, I instinctively flinched.

“Come backkkkk!”

I couldn’t hear it as I plugged my ears.

◇

Discharge… No, three years after withdrawal, spring arrived.

Indeed, as the gaslighting of the commander suggested, there seemed to be no job as noble as the Knights after a casual glance.

Treating people as sacred openly is illegal, and mercenary work pays peanuts compared to what I thought. Armed with the knowledge and skills of a modern person, I was utterly powerless in the outside world.

Did the goddess watch over me in my struggles?

One day, I happened to come across a child who had been in a carriage accident and treated them illegally. There was no choice, as they would have died if left alone. If it had been exposed, I might have easily received hard labor or something.

Fortunately, the child’s parents were decent people, noble and dignified.

“I’m truly grateful… How should I repay you?”

“You’ll keep it a secret, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then… how much do you know about us?”

“hahahaha.”

His father’s smile slightly faded at the straightforward submissive attitude.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Environment shapes a person, and at that time, I was immersed in the pursuit of wealth. It was a struggle just to have two meager meals a day, making matters worse.

And so, the money pouch I managed to acquire was quite hefty.

“Well then… what are your plans now? It seems you don’t have a particularly promising occupation. How about taking up security work for our family?”

“Hmm.”

I was quite simple-minded back then.

With few skills to offer, I thought I might as well look for something that interests me. Firming up that idea…

“Yes, an orphanage. Establishing an orphanage to care for orphans would be good. Because I like children.”

Even in my past life, I had the experience of delighting customers at a kids’ cafe. It’s tailored perfectly, considering you can also receive financial support from the country if you meet certain conditions.

Being a former temple disciple adds a positive image as well.

Therefore, I confidently declared, “With the money bestowed by the Earl, I will establish an orphanage.”

“Oh, this is unexpected. Honestly, I thought you, who seemed deeply entangled in worldly desires, had come out after pushing the temple. It turns out it was all my misunderstanding?”

“Oh, this is unexpected. Your words are quite surprising.”

“In that case, I must certainly support it! Doing a good deed, after all.”

“Oh, this is unexpected. You speak with a compassionate heart!”

In this manner, beneath the radiant glow of the viscount, as bright as the bald head that had been revealed, my path was decided.

Right at that moment, the son of the viscount, whom I had treated, grabbed onto the hem of my robe.

“Brother, are you really going to establish an orphanage?”

“Well, of course.”

“Then, when it’s completed, can I come and play too?”

“If the Count permits?”

When the child stared at his father, he nodded with a kind smile. At that moment, I almost made the mistake of grimacing as the Count’s reflection changed angles.

“Oh, how exciting!”

“Yes, yes.”

That’s the truth.

While you were excited, I pretended to stroke your head and blew sacred air onto your scalp.

The Count’s abundant mercy became the abundant hair of future generations.

… This was the process that led me to establish the orphanage.

◈

If you were to establish an orphanage, what would you need?

Orphans were needed.

Or children who have suffered abuse.

And also children who have nowhere else to go due to unavoidable circumstances.

“The sense of responsibility… is overwhelming…”

If I were to take care of children on the scale of a daycare from the beginning, I felt like I would drown in the sense of responsibility. Moreover, the orphanage was still small, and I had to handle everything alone without any staff.

“For now… let’s start with just three, no more, no less.”

If there’s anything left to do or more funds come in, I’ll gradually increase the number. So, I approached a girl selling flowers on the street.

“Hey, do you happen to not have a mother?”

“Are you cursing our parents right now?”

“It’s not easy…”

Perhaps, the home of the girl selling flowers is as harmonious as it gets.

It seems she willingly stepped forward to contribute something to her household.

In this way, one of my prejudices was shattered.

Only when the sunset came, leaving me unable to do this or that, did I return to the orphanage.

In front of the orphanage stood an unexpected visitor. I greeted him with a smile.

“Oh? It’s been a while, Count.”

“It has indeed. But the orphanage seems a bit small.”

“Well, we have to grow gradually, you know.”

“Indeed, sometimes being small might be better.”

“Pardon?”

The Count nodded, lowering his gaze.

At the end of his gaze was a boy with elegant blond hair, staring at the orphanage with an unusually cynical look.

“I trust your character and intend to entrust this person to you.”

“This person?”

The boy, addressed as “this person” by the Count, seemed to accept the title as a matter of course.

“Who are you?”

“He is the Crown Prince.”

“What madness! Do Crown Princes grow up in orphanages these days?”

“Well, you have to be careful with your words. The political situation is delicate. Think of it as a refuge for his safety. You know, sometimes you have to hide the trees in the forest.”

“Even so, it’s quite…”

Suddenly receiving the Crown Prince was surprising enough, but the fact that the Crown Prince was entrusted to me was truly remarkable. Above all, it was strange that the Marquis was the guardian of the Crown Prince.

“Excuse me, but is it alright for the Marquis to take care of the Crown Prince? Why not, isn’t it customary for someone of royal blood to have a capable guardian, especially a Marquis?”

“Oh, I may be a Marquis, but I’m also a royal Marquis.”

“A royal Marquis is acknowledged, then.”

I didn’t pay much attention, but it seemed I was a benefactor to the Marquis’s child of royal blood.

Whether it’s the life of the body or the life of the hair…

It’s truly a reassuring aspect of the future.

“Then, I entrust the Crown Prince to you.”

“I accept the responsibility.”

When it comes to a royal Marquis, I’m sure they’ve thoroughly investigated my position in the Holy Order. After various considerations, they must have deemed me capable of safeguarding the country.

“Let’s see…”

I asked as gracefully as possible.

“Excuse me, but which Crown Prince are you?”

“The third one.”

“What, already a third male lead has appeared.”

“A male lead?”

“Yes, there is such a thing.”

This world was based on the premise of a romance novel.

That means there are male and female leads guiding this world.

The Third Prince was born into the destiny of the male lead, overcoming hardships alongside the female lead, who is a powerful figure in the royal family with no magical abilities.

‘Well… there probably isn’t anything special going on.’

Anyway, the Third Prince will live as long as the lord of the manor. At least until the point when the story begins, he won’t be able to die even if he wanted to.

So, I have no reason to worry.

“Third Prince.”

“Speak.”

“The Marquis has probably already heard, but this is an orphanage. So, Third Prince, you should behave like an ordinary child. Because that way, you won’t attract suspicion.”

He’s handsomely indifferent, but if you look closely, even his clothes are shabby.

Probably the Marquis’s hand-me-downs. However, it’s incomplete at this level.

It was a perfect disguise, but due to the face being the completion of fashion, it was a failed disguise.

“So from now on, you should use honorifics.”

“Got it.”

“You should use honorifics.”

“Got it.”

“Got it” is in Korean.

“…? Got it.”

‘Not easy…’

Should I just tell him to use informal language?

The peculiar cohabitation that has finally begun is just the beginning.