29 DUMB WAY TO DIE

OF COURSE, Zoe was aware that Isaak Viotto only asked her to marry him so he could adopt Princess Runa.

But her brain still buffered because of his straightforward question.

"Aigoo," Zoe said when she recovered from the shock. "I feel like I've really become a home-wrecker now."

Isaak Viotto looked at her as if he was saying she was spouting nonsense.

But it wasn't like he knew that she was "stealing" the role of Eunice Harper.

[She's supposed to be Isaak Viotto's contract wife and Princess Runa's mother figure. But since I messed up the story, Eunice Harper is practically out of the picture now. Isaak and Eunice's shippers would kill me if they find out about it.]

"Lady Zoe, I'm not asking you to be my real wife," Isaak Viotto said bluntly. "I just need a contract wife because a bachelor like me can't adopt a child. I have to legally adopt Princess Runa or else the nobility might accuse me of stocking livestock again."

Ah, right.

There was an incident in the novel where Isaak Viotto was accused of keeping the children that he saved from a ruined village in his territory as livestock.

Still…

"I can't marry you, my lord," she said bluntly. "As you know, I'm not the actual owner of this body."

"I fail to see the problem, my lady," he said, then he crossed his arms over his chest. "If it's time for you to leave this world, then we could just file a divorce before the real Lady Zoanne Rochester returns to her body."

"But I need to protect Zoanne's chastity."

The ghoul duke looked dumbfounded. "Why are you suddenly bringing up someone else's chastity here?"

It was her turn to be taken aback. "It's because if I agree to marry you, I'd like to consummate our marriage."

The Grand Duke opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Instead, his entire face turned red.

"I know that you only need a contract wife that will allow you to adopt Princess Runa neatly," she said. "But if I were to marry you, I might not be able to control myself."

"What–"

"I want to sleep with you, Isaak Viotto," she said, cutting him off. And yes, she addressed him by his name without his title. He didn't seem to mind, though. "But unfortunately, this isn't my actual body. I can't allow you or any other men to touch Zoanne's body. So I better turn you down before my desire for you overtakes my rationality."

Isaak Viotto seemed to have frozen from shock.

And this time, even his ears had turned red.

"I know that I'm being selfish," she continued talking without a filter. "I also know that this is for Princess Runa. But I really don't think that I'm fit for the job. You only need a contract wife and I'm sure you'll easily find someone else to fulfill that role…"

She trailed off when she realized something.

Isaak Viotto wasn't listening to her.

"Your Grace?" she called for him while waving her hands. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

"I heard that you've rented the entire floor," Isaak Viotto said, then he began to head towards the door. "Let me borrow one of the rooms here."

"Huh?"

"Let's talk later, Lady Zoe."

And just like that, Isaak Viotto was gone.

Zoe could only blink in confusion. "What happened to him?"

***

"LADY ZOE, the coast is clear," Dal reported to Zoe while her attendant was braiding her hair. "Sawyer and I patrolled the whole town earlier. We've confirmed that Duke Wilson and his men have really left."

"Good work, Dal," Zoe, who was sitting on the chair in front of the mirror, said. "But since when did you and Sir Sawyer get close that you're addressing him casually? You even got each other's Constellation."

She learned that the video communication device could also be called 'Constellation.'

"I threatened Sawyer to cough up his Constellation," her attendant said proudly. "I have to keep an eye on him, so I need to know his whereabouts, my lady. Moreover, I thought it was better if we can contact each other so he wouldn't have to appear in your room unannounced."

"Oh, that's right," she agreed while nodding her head. "Good thinking."

Dal just smiled, then she began to tie her braided hair into a bun.

"Dal?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"I need you to investigate my past," she said seriously. "To be precise, I need you to know what kind of relationship I had with Duke Vaughn Wilson."

Her attendant stopped styling her hair, then she looked at her eyes in the mirror. Dal's eyes had turned sharp while waiting for her order. It seemed like Dal was confused, but she decided to listen to her request first.

"I feel like someone has tampered with my memories, Dal," she confessed to her attendant. "Duke Wilson said that we have memories together during the time we both served the temple. But to be honest, I don't remember any of it. It's as if that portion of my memory has been sealed."

Dal looked concerned. "Shouldn't we let Marquis Rochester know about this, my lady?"

"I want to investigate first, Dal," she said. "I'll let my father know once we get a clue as to what kind of "memories" I supposedly have with Duke Wilson."

"I understand, my lady," her attendant said. "I will do as you say without asking any more questions."

She smiled at her first friend in this world. "Thank you, Dal. I knew I can rely on you."

Dal smiled back at her. "I'm glad to be of use to you, Lady Zoe."

"I'm lucky to have you," Zoe said cheerfully, then she changed the topic. "I'm having dinner with Grand Duke Viotto so you can eat with Sir Sawyer, Dal."

***

"WHY ARE we going to the fish market at this hour?"

Zoe didn't bother to turn to Isaak Viotto, as she was busy navigating through the crowd. The ghoul duke was following her closely from behind, anyway. It wasn't like she was ignoring him.

She was just awed by how lively the night market was. It reminded her of the night market in Korea. There were also food stalls around.

"I'm going to buy some fish and octopus. Dal said that this is the best time to buy the freshest fish in the market," Zoe said excitedly. Even though the crowd was noisy, she was pretty sure that Isaak Viotto could hear her. He had sharp senses, after all. "I'm going to have sashimi for dinner, so I need to buy fresh fish."

"What is sashimi?" Isaak Viotto, who was back to his usual stoic self, asked curiously. "Is that a dish from your… hometown?"

He probably said 'hometown' instead of 'world' to be careful.

[I knew he's good at keeping secrets.]

"Yes, it's a dish from my hometown," she answered cheerfully. "It's a delicacy comprising pieces of fresh, raw fish eaten with soy sauce."

"Raw fish?"

"Yeah," she confirmed with a nod. "I'm also going to eat fresh raw octopus."

"Lady Zoe, did you come from a hometown where cooking food with fire is uncommon?"

She laughed at what Isaak Viotto said, then she stopped walking to admire the huge water fountain in front of her.

It was located in the middle of the plaza.

A few people also surrounded the water fountain. Some of them were throwing coins while making a wish. It was mostly children that did that, though. Still, it was amusing to watch because people back on earth would also throw coins at a water fountain to make a wish.

"I only like steak tartare, sashimi, and raw octopus," she said, then she turned to Isaak Viotto, who was now standing beside her. "I cook the rest of the food that I eat."

She congratulated herself for speaking coherently after being greeted by Isaak Viotto's explosive visual.

The ghoul duke wore a hooded black robe that covered his face. She could only see his handsome face clearly because she was staring at him directly. But if she wasn't standing that close to him, she might not have been able to take a peek at his handsomeness.

"You sound like you miss your hometown," the ghoul duke commented.

"Only the food, not the people."

"I've been wondering," he began carefully. "How will you return to your hometown?"

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it as soon as she realized that she had nothing to say. That was a good question. How the hell would she return to her world?

[Liane didn't tell me how!]

And her dumb ass only realized it now.

"Lady Zoe, don't tell me you don't know how to return to your hometown?" Isaak Viotto asked in disbelief. "The madam didn't tell you?"

The 'madam' he mentioned was probably referring to the late Empress Liane.

"She didn't tell me how, but she fed me a poisonous mushroom to get here," Zoe said, then she covered her mouth when she gasped once the realization hit her. "Am I dead?"

Did she really die because she ate a poisonous mushroom?!

[What a dumb way to die!]

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3