Contract Marriage - Chapter 1

Let someone else go to war, you, lucky Austria, go get married! What the god of war can give you, the god of love can also give you.

The smoke of the Napoleonic Wars has dissipated, and the Vienna system that once brought peace to Europe is riddled with holes. Beneath the seemingly peaceful appearance, there is a vortex of the times with undercurrents, the tranquility before the storm.

The air is filled with the steaming mist of sweat, and the choking black smoke makes it hard to breathe. On the elegant dining table, a group of soldiers and fat men in suits are pushing each other, feasting on the feast called the world, hanging on the wall Van Gogh’s self-portrait with waltz in his ears.

Suddenly the music turned into a march, and the picture also turned to the battlefield. Soldiers marched in a neat line, walking towards the machine gun barbed wire.

A shell fell on the ground, and after the smoke passed, countless cavalry rushed to the artillery position.

Accompanied by a loud noise, a wooden plane flew close to the ground, then pulled up rapidly, broke through the clouds, and shone brightly.

- Description from novelbuddy

[ R18+ ]“TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF…NOW!!” Zara commanded the king Erythian in anger as her eyes turn blood red.he didn't see it coming and his face is flushed with shock..“WHAT? LYS—” he asked before she interrupts.“if I have to ask again...I WILL DO IT MYSELF” she is unrelenting.Does Eythian comply?Zara, a modern girl from Colombia law school is transmigrated into the body of an ancient queen.She wakes up as Queen Lysandra.With a turn of events, she is Obsessed over by the ruthless, Warlord Alaric and finds herself Falling so dearly for him even if she is aware that it’s forbidden.Simultaneously, she is also betrothed to and in love with his enigmatic half brother King Erythian.let it be known that both brothers detest each other.she fights to hold on to her heart, but fate is cruel.Everything shatters and the man who destroyed her…now owns her.The lines between love and duty are blurred as Zara must navigate threats against the kingdom, alongside the love triangle with her between two brothers who despise each other.As she is taken further into a world of secrets.Will Zara honor Queen Lysandra`s duty to the crown and her people, or will she risk it all to follow the desires of her heart?

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

In the original story, the male lead accused his ex-wife of abusing him when he was younger. But unlike the original story, I raised my young husband as if he was my brother.

When my husband went to war, I started preparing for a divorce. Because if the original story is true, the male lead will fall in love with the princess of the ruined country and bring her back!

That’s why instead of following the road that leads to defeat, I intended to get a decent divorce.

While preparing for that, I took some money and earned quite a fortune. I’ve also developed a cure because I didn’t want to die of incurable diseases like the original villainess. All that’s left is getting divorced!

***

My cute little husband came home and grew up to be such a fine man! But don’t worry, I’m all set to divorce you! Oddly enough, the reaction of my husband is a little strange.

“While I was fighting on the battlefield, you were prepared to run away.”

He smiled dangerously, whilst wrapping my waist with his big hands.

“Are you having an affair?”

Unlike the pretty corners of his mouth, his eyes were burning hot.

No….. you know, I’m ready to get divorced…..