[Article 1. We must have at least one meal together every day.
Article 2. We must attend official public events together.
Article 3. We will respect each other’s private lives, but we must have regular counseling a conversation at least once a week.
Article 4. If there is a sudden change in our emotional state, we must share it immediately.
Article 5. If we become ill or injured, we must report it immediately.
Article 6. We must get at least six hours of sleep every day.
Article 7. Weapons and medication must be kept in designated places and must not be used without prior approval.]
“…….”
Ludville slowly raised his head.
Odely had a serious expression on her face, as though she were thinking, ‘What else should I add?’
At first, he wondered if she was suggesting they play at romance or something…….
But after reading the clauses carefully, they didn’t feel like that at all.
“Meals? Official events?”
Ludville gave a disbelieving scoff.
Meanwhile, Odely nodded with the utmost seriousness and added,
“Even if it’s a contract marriage, I think those things are still necessary. We have to consider how other people see us.”
“Why do I have to report my emotional and physical condition?”
“Well…… if Your Highness were to get sick, it could interfere with the contract, so naturally, we should keep track of your health at all times……”
“And controlling weapons and medication?”
“……If there are things around that stimulate your senses, they can increase fatigue.”
As he listened to her excuses becoming more and more incoherent, Ludville looked down at the hastily written contract again.
Then he narrowed his eyes and said,
“Lady Cardel, do I look like the kind of man who would leave a will and disappear tomorrow?”
No, he looked like the kind of man who wouldn’t even leave a will.
But Odely couldn’t exactly say that out loud, so she pretended to take a sip of her tea and played innocent.
“Of course not. You’re mistaken.”
“You seem to think my eyes are merely decorations.”
She had even written ‘regular counseling’ before crossing it out and changing it to ‘conversation.’
Ludville was speechless.
But Odely paid no attention to his reaction and stubbornly continued.
“Anyway, this is also a clause for my sake, so please make sure to follow it. It’s not difficult, is it?”
Of course, it wasn’t difficult.
Just annoying.
“How could this possibly be considered a clause for your sake?”
“If Your Highness remains safe and sound, I’ll be able to wield my power as much as I please.”
“Wouldn’t it be much easier if I were to die before you?”
Ludville asked casually, his voice filled with cold sarcasm.
At that moment, Odely’s face stiffened.
She pressed her lips together and remained silent for a moment before quietly murmuring,
“Absolutely not.”
“…….”
Ludville was momentarily speechless at the sight of her.
Somehow…… his heart stirred uncomfortably.
What was this feeling?
This unpleasant yet strangely familiar sensation that seemed to shake a part of him that had been asleep for a very long time.
Meanwhile, Odely calmly returned to her usual expression, as though she had never been upset, and continued in an even voice.
“Even if I became a widow, the vassals would probably tear me apart for taking the title despite being an unqualified woman. They might even accuse me of assassinating you.”
“…….”
“So Your Highness must stay alive. No matter what happens.”
Ludville stared at her in silence.
Her words sounded convincing, but there was something strange about them, as though she were hiding her true feelings.
If she really only cared about power, she would have laughed off such accusations and tried to seize it on her own.
‘What exactly is her goal?’
Just when he seemed to grasp a clue, he found himself back at the starting point again.
Over and over.
Ludville’s eyes accidentally met hers.
Blue.
Clear, bright, transparent…… familiar.
‘……Again.’
His heart began beating faster for no reason.
He steadied his breathing and forced himself to look away from her.
‘……No. She isn’t that woman.’
Whenever he looked into those pale sky-blue eyes, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they resembled the woman he had been searching for……
But that woman…… was always crying.
He couldn’t remember her clearly, but there was a vague feeling left behind, as though it were buried beneath a layer of fog.
She had seemed so fragile that he felt she might break if he touched her, and like someone he had to protect by staying at her side…….
But this woman?
‘Didn’t she even beat up a thief by herself?’
Instead of asking for help, she was always doing something on her own, and she didn’t need his help in the slightest.
The youngest daughter of House Kardel, cherished above all others.
The bloodline of a hero loved by the people of the Empire.
She was in no vulnerable situation at all, nor did she have any reason or intention to rely on him.
‘Besides, even when Lady Kardel disappeared for three months, it seemed more like a deliberate escape…… no, an independent departure.’
All for the sake of claiming power for herself.
No matter how prestigious her ducal family was, she was still only the third daughter, not the heir.
And even in the middle of all that, when he mentioned giving her a reward, she calmly handed him a contract.
As if she intended to take control of everything herself…… the marriage, the circumstances, all of it.
Ludville shook his head as if trying to clear away his thoughts, then let out a small laugh.
“I’m certain you’re not the woman I was looking for.”
“……Is that so?”
Odely asked uneasily.
Ludville quietly looked at her, then gave a languid smile without saying the words lingering on the tip of his tongue.
‘Someone I can enter a contract with without love or pity…….’
The reason he was gradually becoming fond of the young lady was surely because of that.
“But this is amusing. You’re already presenting me with conditions even though I haven’t agreed to anything yet……. I suppose your plan started with the assumption that I would naturally accept this marriage?”
“I won’t deny it.”
Odely readily admitted it.
Of course, she hadn’t acted this way because she was certain she could win his heart.
It was simply because she had no interest in anything except keeping Ludville alive.
She was already living on borrowed time.
She wanted to make the short five years she had left meaningful, and he had no right to criticize her for that.
“You’ll eventually make a deal with me, Your Highness. ……Because you’ll need me.”
At Odely’s calm reply, Ludville frowned slightly and tapped the contract with his fingers.
“If you’re that confident, then fine. Show me. Show me that you can’t do without me.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Ludville added softly with a smile.
His smile, now that he had lost his memories, was always like this.
The corners of his lips rose, but his eyes remained cold.
It was the smile of a beast at ease, as though he could sink his teeth into her neck at any moment.
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