Mimi had watched silently as he struggled, assisting him in filtering candidates, overworking herself in the process. Months passed, and the search yielded nothing. Exhaustion etched lines across Rian's face that no one else saw. One evening, as Mimi offered him a glass of water, he finally looked up at her, his gaze sharp and piercing.
"Hey… what's your name?" he asked, his voice unusually soft.
"M-Mimi, sir," she stammered.
Rian's eyes lingered on her, assessing, almost teasing. "Are you married?"
"No, sir," she replied.
"Hmm… you're quite decent-looking and… easy to handle," he said casually. "How about being my contract marriage partner?"
Mimi froze, her heart leaping and crashing all at once. "W-What? Um… no, thank you, sir. I… I don't want to be part of this complicated arrangement. I… I have dreams… I want a life with a husband who loves me, with children…"