Chapter 6
I sat across from the Duke. We were the only two people in his office.
Count Larcel’s aide had fidgeted nervously, clearly wanting to join the conversation, but the Duke had firmly stopped him.
The Duke lounged comfortably in his chair. Despite his lazy expression, there was an unmistakable feline pride and arrogance about him that he couldn’t hide.
I skipped any pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“When I treated you yesterday, I realized it wasn’t an ordinary illness. It looked like a powerful curse has taken root in your body.”
In truth, I knew it from the novel, but I had no better explanation, so I simply began the conversation that way.
One corner of the Duke’s lips curled upward into a sharp smile.
“I thought you were awfully bold and shameless. So that’s it—you’ve found my weakness.”
“Let’s not make it sound so threatening. I’d rather say we were both lucky. I happened to find a way to stay here, and you happened to find someone who can help you.”
I shrugged, emphasizing how coincidental it all was.
“What is it you want?”
“I want to become your bride in place of my older sister. That’s all.”
Resting his chin on his hand, he smiled mischievously.
“What a romantic proposal. You must have fallen head over heels for me. Enough to sneak into my bedroom and throw yourself at me.”
“If you refuse to accept me, I’ll soon be sold off as His Majesty’s mistress. All I want is for you to stop that.”
Ignoring his teasing entirely, I continued negotiating.
He refused to let up.
“You’ve got good taste. Choosing me over the Emperor, after all.”
“I know His Majesty has been pressuring you to marry. He wants to keep you under surveillance by making you his son-in-law. But marrying a beastman to an imperial princess would wound his pride, so he’s trying to pair you with one of his illegitimate daughters instead. Isn’t that why you’ve been desperately searching for a bride?”
Among the nobility, beastmen were considered nothing more than slaves.
The Duke of Blois, Dimitri, had also been born after the previous Duke assaulted his slave mother.
Had the former Duke and all his legitimate sons not died on the battlefield, Dimitri would have been cast out of House Blois no matter how many military achievements he had earned.
That’s why people say he murdered all his brothers during the war.
He had been the only son to return alive from the horrific battlefield where every other heir of House Blois had perished.
Rumors claimed he was ruthless enough to kill his own brothers if it served his ambitions, and combined with the fact that he was a beastman, no noblewoman wanted to marry him.
Count Larcel had simply sold Linier to him for money.
To a man who believed wealth equaled power, having a beastman as a son-in-law wasn’t such a disgrace.
Besides, even before Dimitri entered the picture, the Count had already earned a reputation among the nobility as a shameless merchant. There was little honor left for him to lose.
“You certainly know a lot about me. I’ll give you full marks for your enthusiasm.”
Even after I demonstrated that I knew his circumstances perfectly, he remained completely at ease.
To an outside observer, it might have looked as though we were simply talking past one another, but that wasn’t true.
We were carefully probing each other’s intentions in a tense battle of wits.
I worked hard not to get swept up in his playful attitude.
If I let my emotions take over, I’d only make a fool of myself.
“If you help me, I’ll use my abilities to help you. But I do have a few conditions. I think you’ll find them reasonable as well.”
“First, our relationship will remain nothing more than a marriage in public. As long as my reputation isn’t damaged, I won’t interfere if you decide to keep mistresses.”
“Second, we’ll divorce after three years.”
Apparently my conditions were unexpected, because one of his eyebrows rose.
Yet instead of asking why, he simply answered with another teasing remark.
“You certainly expect a lot from marriage. To think you’ve already planned our married life in such detail. The more I learn about you, the more surprising you become.”
I’d promised myself to stay calm, but his constant refusal to take anything seriously was gradually making my temper boil.
Matching his smug smile, I added another condition that hadn’t even been in my original plan.
“…Lastly, I’d prefer that we address each other as equals. If that’s too much to ask, then we can both speak casually instead.”
At my sudden shift to informal speech, he let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“You’re bold.”
“The word ‘bold’ implies someone superior judging someone beneath them. If you agree to this contract marriage, I’d like us to become equal partners.”
He stared directly at me.
At first glance, it seemed like he was glaring, yet it also felt as though he were studying me.
Judging by the subtle, constant contraction of his pupils, however, he appeared lost in thought.
I didn’t rush him.
I simply waited.
You can’t afford to let my healing ability go.
I’d already seen, through the novel, the suffering hidden behind his composed exterior.
No matter how little he showed it, my sudden appearance had to seem like a ray of hope.
Anyone who has suffered from an incurable illness—or watched someone else suffer through one—would understand.
Living with endless pain until the day you die slowly crushes a person’s spirit.
Pain that never heals.
A future with no end in sight.
The despair of believing that only death can finally bring peace.
Little by little, those feelings consume the mind until they drive a person mad.
I knew because I’d watched my mother die from illness.
I knew how quickly someone faded away once they lost even the faintest hope of recovery.
On the other hand, people in that position will desperately cling to even the smallest glimmer of hope.
The Duke of Blois would never let me go.
“I have one condition as well.”
Did that mean he’d accept the contract marriage if I agreed?
I nodded for him to continue.
“You’ll confess the truth about that perfume you’re wearing.”
I frowned.
Was he still going on about that?
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
I glared at him for a moment before finally sighing, unable to understand what he was thinking.
“I’m not wearing any perfume.”
Until then, he’d been lazily reclining in his chair.
Without warning, he reached out and grabbed my wrist.
Before I could even resist, he yanked me toward him.
My long hair, which had been draped behind my shoulders, spilled forward in a silky cascade.
As delicately as though he were playing a string instrument, he gathered a lock of my hair in his fingers and inhaled deeply.
“…Ha.”
As he exhaled, he smiled.
His unusually long, sharp canine teeth—far more pronounced than any ordinary human’s—came into view.
“And yet you’re still pretending? The scent is overwhelming.”
I tried to pull away, but his grip was so strong it felt as though I were caught in a snare.
Alarm bells rang inside my head.
I’m going to be eaten.
Overcome with fear, I squeezed my eyes shut.
His gentle whisper brushed against my ear.
“Were you trying to seduce me with this… to cloud my judgment?”
“W-What are you talking about…?”
“If that was your goal, then congratulations.”
“I feel like devouring you this very instant.”
His hot breath grazed my neck, sending chills down my spine.
I recoiled in horror, and this time he chuckled before finally letting me go.
“If you knew how much self-control I’m exercising right now, you’d never think of using something like this again.”
My heart pounded wildly from his sudden actions.
The moment I realized he had merely been toying with me, my shock turned into anger.
I jumped to my feet.
“If you keep behaving like this, you’ll never learn how to break your curse.”
With that, I turned on my heel, slammed the office door behind me, and stormed out.
Linier, who had been waiting outside, looked startled by the fury written all over my face.
“What happened?”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before reassuring her.
“It’ll work out exactly as we planned. Trust me.”
After all, I’d already hinted that I knew how to lift his curse.
I’d said everything I wanted to say.
Even so, my anger at the Duke refused to subside.
After glaring one last time at the door to his office, I turned to Count Larcel’s aide.
“Let’s go back to the Count’s estate.”
“A wise decision, Miss!”
Delighted, the aide hurried off to prepare the carriage, apparently convinced I’d simply changed my mind.
I grabbed Linier and quietly explained,
“Stay here. I’ll return home and bring Nigel.”
“What? How are you planning to get back out?”
“The Duke of Blois will figure that part out himself.”
Grinding my teeth as I recalled his infuriatingly smug grin, I muttered,
“Let’s see you struggle for once.”
“Come and catch me.”
Spitting out those words under my breath, I climbed into the carriage bearing the crest of House Larcel.
