Chapter 7

“We’ll proceed with the contract.”

As soon as Cain spoke, Viola’s face lit up.

The tense expression she had worn just moments ago disappeared.

She opened her eyes wide, looking exactly like she had yesterday.

That squirrel-like expression of hers.

“Thank you for giving me a chance!”

She smiled brightly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

A chance…

Should he call her innocent?

The truth was, the Duke’s family needed her from the beginning.

The fact that she could make ointment that worked on dragon-blooded people alone made her valuable, no matter who she really was.

Even if she had been a spy sent by someone else, he would have found a way to keep her here.

In fact, her proposal was more than welcome.

Taking out a piece of paper, Cain quickly began writing.

It wasn’t ordinary paper.

It was a contract scroll infused with mana.

“Let’s confirm once more.”

“What are your conditions?”

“Please protect the Saintess candidate and me, her guardian.”

“In return, I’ll cure Young Master Jayden’s Tamutar Disease.”

“Agreed.”

“But I have one additional condition.”

“What is it…?”

“This began as a job interview.”

“You passed.”

“So, during the contract period, you won’t only treat Jayden’s illness.”

“You’ll also work as his personal pharmacist.”

Viola’s eyes widened.

“Really? Is that okay?”

“I thought you still suspected me.”

“What if I’m actually a spy and secretly give him dangerous medicine?”

So she was fully aware that she looked suspicious.

She had quite an objective view of herself.

Without realizing it, Cain smiled faintly.

“I prefer keeping suspicious people close where I can watch them.”

“If that’s the case… then I agree.”

At last, every clause of the contract was complete.

Cain set down his pen and removed his gloves.

“Give me your hand.”

Realizing what he meant, Viola nodded and gently held out her hand.

Without hesitation, Cain took it.

His fingers slipped between hers, intertwining them.

Their bare skin touched completely.

“Ahem…”

Viola awkwardly cleared her throat.

She had grabbed a strange man’s hand without hesitation yesterday while treating him.

Yet now she was embarrassed.

Perhaps she wasn’t shameless after all.

Maybe she simply had her own standards.

Unable to endure the awkwardness, she finally turned her head away.

For some reason, Cain didn’t like that.

He gently held her chin and turned her face back toward him.

“Look properly.”

“Isn’t this the moment you wanted?”

“Ah… Y-Yes…”

Only then did her light green eyes meet his.

Still holding hands, they both placed a hand on the contract scroll.

A strange light slowly spread across it.

The contract had been successfully formed.

Unlike an ordinary contract, a mana scroll created a binding agreement.

If either side broke the terms, the mana within the scroll would impose a penalty.

“So… is the contract complete now?”

“As you can see.”

Viola carefully withdrew her hand.

“Should I bring the Saintess candidate here right away?”

“I left her at my friend’s house.”

“I’ll send knights and a carriage with you, just in case.”

“Thank you!”

“I’ll leave immediately!”

After bowing deeply, Viola hurried toward the door.

Then she suddenly stopped.

“Um…”

“I wasn’t sure whether I should say this or not.”

She turned around.

Just like when they had first met, she bowed at a perfect right angle.

“Th-Thank you very much for yesterday…!”

“What?”

Cain frowned.

He didn’t understand.

“The person I met yesterday… it was you, wasn’t it, Your Grace?”

“I thought it was strange.”

“How could the pharmacist position appear at exactly the right moment?”

She straightened up with a gentle smile.

As she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fair hand caught his attention.

“Thanks to the opportunity you gave me, I was able to achieve what I wanted.”

“Thank you again.”

Cain was genuinely surprised.

How did she figure it out?

How did she know that man had been him?

It wasn’t that he had intentionally hidden his identity.

He simply hadn’t seen any reason to reveal it.

The robes and magic tools he wore during his outings weren’t meant to hide who he was.

They were for other people’s sake.

If people didn’t recognize him, they wouldn’t be so frightened.

That was why he had assumed she could never identify him.

Not only had he disguised himself…

He had even used a magical artifact that prevented people from remembering his face.

Unless someone was an exceptionally powerful mage, its effects couldn’t be overcome.

And she hadn’t shown any signs of possessing mana.

“How did you know it was me?”

Her answer was completely unexpected.

“Your hands.”

“My… hands?”

“I just thought they were amazing.”

Viola laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek.

“All I know how to do is handle herbs.”

“So I’d never seen hands like a knight’s before.”

“They fascinated me.”

“Though…”

“I never imagined they belonged to the Duke instead.”

She smiled sheepishly.

“Anyway…”

“I look forward to working with you!”

With those final words, Viola cheerfully left the reception room.

Unlike her, Cain remained standing exactly where he was.

After a long while, he slowly looked down at his own hands.

They were nothing special.

Only rough hands covered with scars and thick calluses.

***

I acted calm until I left the reception room.

The moment I was outside…

I slid down against the wall.

“Phew…”

“I thought I was going to die from nervousness.”

Still…

The plan worked.

Now I shouldn’t have to worry as much anymore.

It had been worth rushing before that event happened.

According to the original story…

A few months later, the temple would create an artificial holy relic.

A relic capable of detecting anyone with powerful holy power.

Priests possessed holy power themselves.

But they couldn’t sense another person’s holy power.

That was why they created the relic.

In the original story…

I died because of that relic.

Melody and I had been living peacefully in a quiet village.

The relic exposed her existence.

Thinking about the original story sent chills down my spine.

If I had done nothing…

I would have died the same way.

But now…

I wasn’t worried anymore.

Too many things had already changed.

More importantly…

I can’t believe that knight was actually Cain.

I never would have guessed.

Even while talking to him yesterday…

I had no idea.

He must have been using magical artifacts.

There were all kinds of magical tools in this world.

They were incredibly expensive.

I didn’t know much about them.

He completely fooled me.

To be honest…

Something had felt strange all along.

The job notice had appeared at the perfect moment.

The interview had been unbelievably easy, almost as though the position had already been reserved for me.

And the interviewer himself had been the Duke.

Luck alone couldn’t explain all of that.

Besides…

He had felt strangely familiar.

As though I had met him somewhere before.

But I couldn’t be sure.

Until I saw his hands.

The prominent veins across the back of them.

His long, elegant fingers.

They were beautiful hands.

Yet they were covered in scars and calluses.

The novel said dragon-blooded people healed so well that scars rarely remained.

If even they couldn’t erase those scars…

Then…

He must have pushed himself far beyond his limits.

He had never given his wounds enough time to heal.

He treated his own body like a tool instead of something alive.

Well…

He was the kind of person who didn’t even care about monster blood covering him.

I felt as though I understood, at least a little, the life he had lived.

As I stood absentmindedly in the hallway—

“Are you Miss Viola?”

“Oh! Yes!”

Being called Miss Viola felt oddly unfamiliar.

Ever since raising Melody, no one had addressed me that way.

Before I could react, several knights approached.

Together, we went to Catherine’s house to pick up Melody.

Then we returned to the Duke’s mansion.

“Uu…”

Melody shrank back slightly.

The unfamiliar place frightened her.

“Don’t be scared.”

“This is where we’ll be living from now on.”

“Uu?”

“Come on.”

“You should greet the Duke.”

My heart pounded.

Although many things had changed…

This felt similar to the beginning of the original story.

At last…

The heroine was meeting the father figure of the childcare novel.

Unlike the tragic beginning in the original…

This meeting was peaceful.

It made me happy.

Melody looked around nervously.

Then she gave a small bow.

That was all.

The next moment, she immediately ran into my arms.

“Mama!”

“I told you it’s okay.”

“Oh, you little scaredy-cat.”

“Uu… Mama…”

I teased her gently.

She finally relaxed and puffed out her lips.

Just then—

Cain, who had been walking toward us, suddenly stopped.

“…Mama?”

“Hm?”

“Did you say something…?”

“The Saintess candidate…”

“…is your daughter?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Not your younger sister?”

Even though his face remained expressionless…

His eyes were filled with confusion.