Copy 2

Prev | TOC I Next

They say that life’s changes always come without warning, violently and abruptly.

But even so, such drastic changes arriving overnight would be a bit much.

Today was the day Aiden was dragged along without any right to refuse the request to “pretend to be my husband,” as if he had no choice.

“Starting today, we’ll live together,” they said, along with a subtle threat to hand over the evidence of his crimes to the police if he didn’t comply.

All his rebellious attempts and escape plans were sunk by Lord Noel’s unyielding yet subtle smile.

At least they allowed him to leave a single letter to his family, letting them know he had somewhere to go—this was their final gesture of kindness.

“You’ll be staying in this room from now on.”

Inside, the female knight assigned to guide Aiden clanked her silver armor as she spoke in a business-like tone.

Her name was Stella, if he remembered correctly. 

Wasn’t she Lord Noel’s closest confidante?

She was one of the few who knew about the forced sham marriage that Aiden had been coerced into, alongside Lord Noel.

“I’ll assign a guard to attend to you, so if you need anything, relay it to them, and they’ll prepare it promptly.”

“Understood.”

“Soon, you’ll be summoned to the imperial palace. Please be ready for that.”

Even though the words entering his hazy mind were jumbled and incoherent, Aiden managed to catch at least one question.

“The imperial palace?”

“Lord Noel is a national hero, a symbol of the empire’s military. His Majesty the Emperor has always kept an ear to the ground regarding potential marriage alliances, so meeting him is inevitable.”

“Is that really necessary?”

Seeing Stella’s expression, Aiden clamped his mouth shut.

Thinking about it, if they were going to let him refuse that easily, they wouldn’t have dragged him here without asking for his opinion in the first place.

Instead, he decided to ask a slightly different question.

“Is it really okay to entrust something so important to someone like me?”

What he meant was, how could they ask him, of all people, to take part in this ridiculous sham of a marriage?

“Lord Noel decided it. There’s no way it wouldn’t be okay.”

“…”

“Lord Noel has never made a wrong decision.”

The sheer blind trust behind her words left Aiden speechless.

It almost felt like she was chastising him for doubting Lord Noel’s judgment.

The thoughts that followed were only natural.

‘Is this person crazy?’

There was a certain madness about her.

If Lord Noel said the sun rises in the west, she’d likely get mad at the sun for rising in the east the next morning.

“Then, please take it easy and rest.”

With those words, Stella closed the door and left, allowing Aiden to let out a quiet sigh.

Everything had happened so suddenly, but first, he needed to gather his thoughts.

Sitting in the chair, staring into space, a window immediately popped up in front of him, responding to his thoughts as always.

-Skill Info  

◆ Weaver of Fate  

Only you know the truth of this world. By forming bonds with key characters in the main story, you’ll receive new rewards!  

【Noel Astria Simus】  

– Bond: Stage 1  

– You can copy one of her skills.

He was dumbfounded.

The grandiose name “Weaver of Fate” aside for the moment…

‘A bond with Lord Noel, Stage 1?’

What kind of bond could there possibly be between someone who kidnapped him and forced him into this fake marriage, and him, the hostage dragged along?

There hadn’t even been enough interaction to develop Stockholm Syndrome.

The few conversations they had exchanged were all there was.

Still, under that ridiculous label, there was one thing that caught his attention in a positive way.

‘Skill copying, huh…?’

This meant he could replicate one of Lord Noel’s abilities exactly as it was.

Given Lord Noel’s standing in this world, just knowing he had access to such a thing would be of considerable help.

Because…

-Quest Info  

Failure to complete the listed events will result in severe penalties!  

◆ Sham Marriage  

– You have been chosen as Lord Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract until the end!  

– Additional information will be updated as events related to the main story unfold!

Aiden narrowed his eyes, glaring at the windows floating in front of him.

Just reading the words “sham marriage” made Aiden’s stomach churn, but the bigger problem lay in the content below it. 

What was this “main story” supposed to be? 

A grand battle against evil forces threatening the world. 

A continent teetering on the brink of war, caught in a swirling maelstrom of schemes and plots from various ambitious leaders. 

Stories of great people doing great things.

In other words, this meant— 

“If I get involved, I’m going to die.”

The problem was, whether he liked it or not, he was already entangled in it. 

What should he do? 

To be precise, how could he drop everything and escape, even now? 

While Aiden was pondering, he suddenly heard the sound of a door being flung open, startling him. 

Earlier, Stella had mentioned assigning a guard, so it was probably them. 

Immediately, Aiden straightened his posture and composed his expression. 

For the time being, while he was here, he had to play the part of Lord Noel’s spouse. 

“Pleased to meet you. I’m—” 

Bang!

Before Aiden could finish his greeting, the person who burst through the door spoke coldly.

“I am Gael Oslon, a long-time friend of Lord Noel and heir to the Marquisate of Oslon. Draw your sword.”

“…”

What was this guy even saying?

There was no way this was something a guard would say, and the person who had entered the room clearly wasn’t a guard either. 

Clad in armor and carrying a sword, he looked every bit the warrior ready for battle. 

And from him emanated an unmistakable bloodlust, which he wasn’t even trying to hide. 

Aiden barely managed to hold back the trembling in his cheeks as he replied.

“Sorry, but I don’t quite understand—”

“I heard you’re Lord Noel’s fiancé. I’d like to test your skills.”

“Why?”

Seriously, why? 

Were there only people like this around Lord Noel? 

“I’ve never heard Lord Noel mention you before. All I know is that the engagement was suddenly decided today.”

With that, Gael Oslon unsheathed his longsword with a sharp sound.

“I cannot rest easy unless I personally test the person my friend has chosen as a spouse. A person’s true nature can be revealed through the clash of swords. Come at me.”

“…”

Aiden realized one thing for certain: 

There were indeed a lot of crazy people around Lord Noel. 

As the knight approached him with his sword drawn, Aiden’s gaze urgently darted towards the system window. 

If he didn’t do something, he might really get stabbed. 

He had to think of something—anything!

-System Message  

Using the skill copying ability of ‘Weaver of Fate.’  

▶Analyzing the skill list of ‘Noel Astria Simus.’  

▶Displaying the most valuable skill at the top.

Without even looking, Aiden picked the first one on the list. 

He didn’t care what it was, he just needed to get out of this situation now!

-System Message  

▶Copying ‘Unique Ability: Heart of Pure White.’  

This is a skill possessed only by the individual in question in the entire world.  

▶Lord Noel’s interest in you may increase!

A troubling message flashed across his vision, but Aiden didn’t have time to worry about it.

“I’ll make the first move.”

“…”

Where had this man’s sense of chivalry gone? 

Shouldn’t he at least let Aiden make the first move?

“Stand straight and show me your skill!”

With those words, Aiden squeezed his eyes shut as he saw the blade descending toward him.

***

“How does he look?”

At the soft-spoken question, Stella barely suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape. 

She couldn’t show such discourtesy in front of the revered Lord Noel.

“He looks terrified.”

“To what extent?”

“It’s clear he feels he’s been dragged into something he can’t handle. He looks like a puppy that’s been caught in the rain.”

Hearing the blunt assessment, Noel couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

It must have been amusing because she even set down the practice sword she had been lightly wielding.

“That’s only natural, Stella. If he had adapted to this situation so quickly, I would’ve been the one more surprised.”

“…”

Noel Astria Simus—or as she was also called, “Lionheart”—held an absolute position within the military. 

Stella herself contributed to cultivating that reputation, but seeing his attitude now made her question something.

“May I ask one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why that man, of all people?”

As Noel wiped her sweat, her crimson eyes slowly turned toward Stella.

Though there was no emotion or intent in those eyes, the moment Stella met that clear gaze, she barely managed to calm the breath that had momentarily caught in her throat.

Just being in the same space with her was enough to sense a different level of presence.

It was as if the entire world revolved around that woman.

So, it was inevitable that Stella’s voice would tremble slightly as she spoke next.

“…There were many other candidates for the marriage. Surely, anyone would have been better than that man.”

“No joking around.”

Before Stella could continue her thought, Noel cut her off with a firm voice.

“In the current situation, no matter who I marry, it’s going to cause a stir. You’re aware of that, Stella.”

Indeed, she was.

It had only been a year since the end of the Alliance War, a conflict that had plunged the entire continent into a pit of chaos for decades.

In such a state, the national hero of a country, one who stood just below the emperor in prestige, marrying into any faction could very well set off a chain reaction that might shatter the fragile peace.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just reject everyone outright?”

“I could do that with everyone else, sure. But when the prince himself is pushing, even I can’t easily brush it off.”

At this, Stella had no choice but to hold her tongue.

No matter how much of a legendary knight Lord Noel was, in the end, she was still a soldier under the empire’s military.

It was a dizzying situation, just imagining a direct member of the imperial family pushing for a marriage.

Especially considering the rumors surrounding the prince in question.

“Yeah, I don’t want that kind of marriage either. So, the alternative is him.”

Noel chuckled as she looked at Stella, whose face had grown pale.

“An outsider who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, without any political background. If I claim we married out of love, even His Highness won’t be able to find fault with it all the way through, don’t you think?”

“Even among those kinds of outsiders, there surely were better alternatives than that man, Aiden.”

Still speaking stiffly, Stella voiced her doubt, and Noel tilted her head slightly.

“Stella, didn’t you look into that man’s background?”

“I remember there was nothing particularly notable about him.”

A swindler from the back alleys, never involved in any major schemes or incidents.

How insignificant must a criminal be to not even have a record of being arrested by the authorities?

They must not have even considered him worth catching.

“Exactly. And that’s the key.”

As Stella reflected on this, Noel’s voice softly continued.

“How do you think he managed to avoid all those ‘notable points’?”

“Pardon?”

Seeing Stella’s blank expression, Noel smiled gently as she explained further.

“He’s strangely ordinary, don’t you think? Considering his occupation.”

For someone working as a con artist—a profession that would naturally draw attention—he had never been arrested, nor had he ever come under investigation by the authorities.

In every sense, he was a thoroughly unremarkable petty criminal.

Yes, thoroughly unremarkable.

Almost to the point where it felt intentional.

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, there’s something there. I’ll have a chance to explain it soon enough.”

With that, Lord Noel straightened her wooden training sword once more.

“It’s just that he seems like an interesting person, that’s all.”

“…”

When Stella thought about the man named Aiden, it felt like an overly generous evaluation from her perspective.

But before she could voice further doubts, they slipped away under her breath.

She could feel the flow of energy through Lord Noel’s body as she held her wooden sword.

It was the blessing of Karva, the Empire’s deity of war, granted to her followers.

The source of the superhuman strength wielded by the imperial knights lay in the cultivation and refinement of internal energy, which could then be released outward.

The mastery of this technique was measured by the color of the aura.

A famous example would be the “Knight of Dawn,” who first developed techniques involving the use of aura in swordsmanship and combat arts.

The first knight, a monster said to be able to cleave mountains and split the sky with just a sword. 

A hero revered as the “Saint of the Sword,” who could compress the energy within him into only two colors: silver and blue.

And now, standing here.

A genius who could make even such legends seem like relics of a bygone era.

As Noel exhaled deeply, a mist-like aura began to rise from her body.

‘Pure white.’

Stella swallowed dryly.

The aura Noel commanded was pure white, without a single blemish.

More refined, more simple, and more distinct than anyone else’s.

Among all the countless talents that spanned the entire long history of the empire, as numerous as grains of sand on the beach, Noel was the only knight who could compress her aura into a single color.

“Noel… Lord Noel!”

Hearing a soldier’s voice cut through such a miraculous scene, Stella’s face twisted in irritation.

To interrupt this solemn moment—if it was something trivial, she would never forgive…

“The eldest son of the Marquis of Oslon has entered your fiancé’s quarters!”

…And it was serious enough to be unforgivable.

Both Stella and Noel’s faces hardened at once.

Gael Oslon, Noel’s long-time friend.

Not a bad person. Not a bad person, but…

“That muscle-brained idiot is going to cause trouble again…!”

“Stella, that’s a bit harsh.”

Despite her scolding words, Noel’s wry smile showed she didn’t entirely disagree.

Her quick motion of throwing on her cloak revealed her determination to intervene personally, knowing Gael would almost certainly cause a problem.

Given Gael’s personality, he likely barged in, testing Aiden’s character with a sword without any warning, which could become quite a serious issue.

He might not be a formally appointed elite knight, but as the marquis’ heir, Gael had received professional combat training for years.

Throw him among regular soldiers, and he’d be like a lion dropped into a flock of sheep.

‘If I don’t get there quickly, something bad’s really going to happen.’

Moreover, Aiden’s expected abilities were likely below that of an ordinary soldier. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if something disastrous occurred.

Noel took a deep breath, strengthening her legs.

She was ready to leap toward Aiden’s quarters in an instant.

She might even break through the window, but in such an urgent situation, what could she do?

That’s what she was thinking.

Crash!

“Aaaaahhh!”

Until she saw someone fall from the window she had been planning to break through herself, screaming as they plummeted.

Their full armor was crumpled as if they had been struck by a giant’s fist.

“…”

That… 

Wasn’t that Gael?

Just by the sight of his fully-armored form, she could tell it was the man she knew.

And following that, she saw someone hurriedly leaning out of the broken window.

“Hey! Hey! Are you alright?!”

The one shouting from the shattered window, completely unscathed, was none other than Aiden Kellermain.

“…?”

And wrapped around his body was a pure white aura.

The exact same as the one Noel had just been wielding moments before.

“…What?”

Even Noel, typically so composed, let out a stunned sound at the sight.

Prev | TOC I Next