Missing Cinderella

Chapter 3

***

[Maintaining the Betrothal Relationship Contract]

The new contact written every year had already increased to five copies. Siella pulled out from her drawer the contract she had agreed with Eschert last year and renewed their fifth one.

Over the past five years, Siella and Eschert faithfully delivered their promises made to each other. In return, both of them got what they wanted. Eschert safely inherited and was able to protect the family, and Siella had literally acquired a huge fortune. But in the future, well, we don't know. What will happen?

'The following month would be the month to renew the contract again.'

Siella noticed that clause at the very end of the contract regarding the termination of the contract.

['If Edwin Louis Nocturm's whereabouts are confirmed, the parties involved may not renew the contract through an agreement.']

This was the reason why the two of them had rewritten the contract every year for the past five years in the first place.

Edwin Louis Nocturm. The child of the former Duke and Duchess who had gone missing on the day they died. With the intention of handing over the title of the child who suddenly disappeared eight years ago, Eschert had been desperately searching for the child.

It was a fact that others wouldn't be able to guess even in their dreams, but only Siella, who remembered the contents of the original story, knew. In fact, Eschert was an abandoned Prince of the Emeras family. It means that he, the current Duke Nocturm, was actually a person who doesn't share a single drop of the Nocturm's blood. However, all of those involved who knew about this secret are now dead and gone.

And at the present time, only two people in this world knew of this secret: Eschert himself and Siella. Eschert intended to find Edwin, the rightful heir to the dukedom, and protect him until he grew up. Then he would hand over the title neatly to Edwin.

In order to remain loyal to the former Duke Nocturm and his successor, who secretly took him in and raised him as a son: Eschert needed to hold his place until Edwin came of age. That's why he had to urgently prepare to become the Head of the household without even having the energy to handle the shock of the former Duke and Duchess Nocturm passing away at the same time.

There were conditions that must be met in order for the successor of the family to inherit the family in this empire. It was said that one needed to be an adult who had his coming-of-age ceremony and had a fiancée officially recognized by the temple. It was because in this empire, unmarried adults are not considered truly adults.

Therefore, Eschert needed a fiancée that would cooperate with him until he found Edwin after inheriting the family. A fiancée who will quietly leave the family, as promised, when the time comes, without being greedy. Eschert chose Siella, because he thought that she was suitable for that position.

Siella tapped the last clause on the contract with her index finger, where her eyes were glued. She once thought that she might have a different future than the original story.

'Because my engagement with Eschert wasn't in the original story.'

But that thought was wrong. The female lead came to the Duke's house with the child as written in sequence.

After becoming the Family Head, Eschert spent so much money and manpower to find him, but the child had never been found. Then he was told that a woman who had literally nothing compared to him had found the child and protected him all this time.