The busy market of the capital was bustling with life. Merchants clamoured for their wares, aristocrats browsed for textiles and jewellery, while less privileged citizens tried to make a living.

In the midst of this bustle, two men - a duke with a look of annoyance and a secretary with a look of excitement - were carefully observing the people around them.

"This is ridiculous," Theo grumbled, crossing his arms. "We've been wandering around for two hours and still haven't found a woman. I don't think your plan is going to work."

"Your Grace, the perfect candidate can't be some ordinary woman," Evans replied, scanning the crowd with his gaze. "Surely if we look carefully we can find the one who will make your parents shudder at the mere thought of marriage. Someone who's completely... mismatched!"

"And how exactly are we going to pick her out?" Theo sighed.

"Oh, it's easy," Evans said, smiling. "She'll be the one who gets the most attention for the most... wrong reasons."

Then, all of a sudden, a crash of broken wood and a loud voice interrupted their conversation.

"I told you to go away, you bloody beggar!"

"I'm not a beggar, you bastard!"

Theo and Evans turned to the source of the chaos, seeing a young woman and a merchant standing in front of a stall shouting.

"Bastard? Did you just call me a bastard?"

"You called me a beggar first!"

Many people had already gathered around them as if they were some kind of play or attraction and were muttering as the young woman and the merchant continued to argue. Theo was looking at the whole situation with disapproval while Evans glowed with excitement as he turned his gaze to the duke. 

"I think we found her!"

"Who? Her?" asked a puzzled Theo, trying to understand.

"Yes, Your Grace! She is the most suitable for the role of your betrothed."

Theo stood watching the young girl. She had plain brown hair and even plainer brown eyes. She wasn't very pretty but she was noticed in the crowd. Something made her stand out. 

The commotion didn't last long and soon the large crowd dispersed. Evans ran to catch the young girl before she left and Theo followed behind him, but he didn't like the idea of taking this particular girl for their plan.

"Excuse me, miss," Evans began, trying to get her attention.

"I'm not interested!" the young girl shouted and walked away.

"But you don't even know what I want to tell you," Evans insisted.

But she pretended not to see him and walked past the two men. She walked on for a moment when she realized that one of the two men, the one who spoke to her, started to follow her and behind him the other man. She walked some more to see how far those who were following her would go until suddenly she turned and shouted: " For God's sake, what do you want from me!"

Evans stopped immediately, raising his hands in a show of innocence.

"Easy, miss! We have no bad intentions."

The girl eyed him suspiciously, then shot a quick glance at Theo, who was standing a little further back, hands in his pockets and a look that betrayed indifference and little patience.

"Fine, then say what you want quickly and leave me alone."

Evans smiled. 

"I'll put it as simply as I can: we need you," he said, and ventured closer to her.

"You need me?" the young girl raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I'm sorry, but I may live on the street, but I don't do that kind of work."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't sleep with strangers, not even for money," she said straight-faced.

Evans coughed sharply, taken aback by her blunt answer, while Theo remained indifferent and annoyed by the young girl's rudeness.

"No, no! I didn't mean anything like that!" he was quick to clarify, trying to correct the misunderstanding. "All we want is for her to become the Duke's fiancée."

The girl looked at them alternately.

"Okay, let me see if I understand correctly..." She said slowly. "You want me to get engaged to the Duke?"

"That's right," Evans replied, regaining his confidence.

The girl laughed. A sincere, pure laugh that surprised them both.

"You're kidding, right? You scammers surprise me every time. You have a great imagination for lying."

"Miss, I assure you we are not impostors. I am Evans Groton and this is Duke Theodore Caniro."

"Are you serious?" she asked as she stopped laughing "Is there any proof that you are who you say you are?"

Evans nodded to Theo and he pulled a pin with the family crest from his pocket. When the girl took it in her hands she began to process it as if looking for something. Finally, she nodded in the affirmative and returned the pin to Evans. 

"Now that we've proved our identities to you, if you want to go into details about..." Evans took a deep breath, about to explain the plan to her, when Theo cut him off abruptly.

"She's not going to accept. From the start she didn't catch my eye. We're wasting our time," he said dryly and turned, ready to leave.

This, however, seemed to pique the girl's curiosity. She, however, hesitated. The idea sounded like a good one, but... what if it made money? Maybe it was worth hearing a little more before turning down the offer, she thought.

"Oh, wait a minute," she said and reached out, taking him by the sleeve. "Say I'm interested. Will you pay me?"

Theo paused. Evans smiled.

"Well, we're open to negotiation," he exclaimed.