Chapter 11
“Read it.”
At his sudden request, I reached out and took the paper.
Hiding my confusion, I read it from top to bottom.
As my eyes reached the period at the end of the last sentence, Aden spoke.
“What do you think it says?”
“In short, it’s saying that the contract can’t be carried out, so it should either be delayed or canceled.”
The Duke of Vozbon’s seal was stamped at the bottom.
After placing the paper on the table, Aden crossed one leg over the other and spoke calmly.
“The Duke of Vozbon truly loves his daughter.”
“Well…”
Everyone knew how deeply the Duke of Vozbon loved his only daughter, Bellietta.
He always carried a pocket watch with Bellietta’s portrait inside.
Whenever she became sick, he would rush back from the capital without hesitation.
The reason he had asked me to become Bellietta’s friend was because he wanted his shy daughter to have someone close to her.
In the end…
He had simply pushed all the trouble onto me.
“He loves her so much that he even ignored the last wish left by my father, the former Duke of Vozbon.”
He clenched his teeth and rested his chin against his hand.
“Because of that, Ripton has spent the last five years struggling to survive after our supplies were cut off.”
“For one hundred and fifty years, they gladly accepted the monster corpses we provided. But now they suddenly pretend none of it matters.”
“Does that mean they no longer need us?”
“I don’t know every detail either. But if Bellietta strongly opposed the engagement and marriage, I don’t think the Duke of Vozbon would have forced her. He’s always on Bellietta’s side.”
Thinking about the father and daughter, I let out a mocking laugh.
“For the sake of his daughter, he probably wouldn’t even notice if millions of people were starving or suffering.”
I looked up from the document on the table.
A pair of golden eyes was staring directly at me.
Aden slowly spoke.
“You really dislike those two.”
“To be exact… only the daughter.”
I smiled.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as well.
But it lasted only for a moment.
His expression soon became serious again.
“Back to the main topic.”
He lightly tapped the table with his fingernail.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Keeping the rhythm, he spoke.
“Do you understand what it means for me to become your man?”
“I do.”
“And if we no longer need to hide our relationship, I’ll be able to use you whenever I need to.”
“As much as you want.”
“And I’ll use you just as much.”
The corners of his lips lifted with amusement.
“So… we’re going to use each other.”
“Not a bad arrangement.”
“But the contract hasn’t officially been canceled yet.”
“If the Duke of Vozbon finds out about this, he might not be pleased.”
“Do we really need to worry about that?”
I looked at the paper lying on the table.
“House Vozbon officially sent a letter asking to cancel the contract or postpone it.”
“And I also heard Bellietta’s answer myself.”
“My answer?”
“Yes.”
“Bellietta told me she doesn’t have a fiancé.”
I had never imagined that the words she said as a joke would become useful like this.
But I intended to use every advantage I had.
“The engagement itself is a secret. It wouldn’t be strange for her to hide it.”
“Then there’s even less reason to worry.”
“Since it’s a secret, I can simply say I didn’t know.”
“And you can say the contract was canceled because House Vozbon delayed carrying it out for five years and finally sent that official letter.”
“Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
Aden pressed his fingers against his forehead and quietly thought for a while.
Then he let out a small laugh and nodded.
I smiled back before continuing.
“So there’s only one thing you need to worry about.”
“What is it?”
“It’s simple.”
I paused briefly before speaking.
“Become a man that anyone would want.”
“Become someone everyone would want to steal.”
“How unusual.”
“And one more thing.”
He lifted the corner of his lips again and tilted his chin, telling me to continue.
I hesitated for a moment.
This was the most important part.
Even if I made him my man…
Everything would become meaningless if Bellietta stole him away again.
Looking carefully into his golden eyes, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Don’t fall for Bellietta.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“You’ll understand later.”
“But once people find out that you and I have become… close… Bellietta’s behavior will change.”
“One way or another.”
He leaned back in his chair as if he couldn’t understand.
He pressed his fingers against his temple like someone with a terrible headache.
Aden lowered his eyes and stared quietly at the tip of his shoe before looking back at me.
“You don’t have to worry.”
“Even if that selfish woman looks at me again, I’ll only find it ridiculous.”
“She really is selfish.”
“And she’s greedy too.”
I was the only person who knew Bellietta’s countless flaws.
To everyone else, she was the angel of high society.
What a joke.
“I’ve noticed something since earlier.”
“You seem to have a lot of hatred toward Bellietta.”
“Is it because you’re jealous?”
“That’s rude.”
Out of all the words he could have chosen…
Why did he choose jealous?
“Do I really look inferior to Bellietta?”
“Do I look like someone who would envy her?”
“I can’t tell just by looking.”
“You’re both equally bold.”
“But one of you behaves as though she left all her manners in a pigsty.”
“The other… is at least tolerable.”
“The second one is obviously me, right?”
“Who knows?”
The slight smile on his lips made me frown.
This man…
Could he actually joke like this?
He was completely different from the Aden I remembered.
“Let’s end our conversation here.”
“The supplies should be unloaded by now.”
“And it’s getting late.”
“Why don’t you get some rest?”
I thought the rain had simply made everything darker.
But when I looked outside, night had already fallen.
We had talked much longer than I realized.
I nodded and answered tiredly.
“All right.”
“But before that…”
“Let’s sign the contract first.”
“You’re thorough.”
“Of course.”
“Even a simple piece of paper can change the fate of a nation because of the words written on it.”
“Billkin Max’s words.”
It was a saying every merchant treasured like a personal belief.
I was a little surprised that a knight like Aden knew it.
“If we don’t have a contract, one of us might betray the other later.”
“But with a contract… even if we’re betrayed, at least we can demand compensation.”
“It’s good for both of us.”
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
As soon as he agreed, I opened my bag and took out two copies of the contract.
Then I handed them to him.
Everything we had already discussed was written inside.
The smaller details could always be adjusted later.
There was nothing difficult about it.
Aden accepted the contract and slowly read through it.
Then he suddenly stopped.
His brows immediately furrowed.
“The compensation amount is strange.”
“There’s nothing strange about it.”
“If it’s not that high, people will betray each other too easily.”
“Even so…”
“Ten million gold coins?”
“If Ripton had to pay that much, we’d go bankrupt.”
“Why are you already worrying about bankruptcy?”
“Compensation is only paid if someone breaks the agreement.”
“So simply don’t do anything that requires paying it.”
“Or…”
“Are you already planning to betray me?”
I quietly watched him complain about the amount.
I knew it was enormous.
That was exactly my intention.
The man I once called my husband had betrayed me.
How could I possibly trust a man I had only met twice?
The only thing I could trust…
Was a contract.
I knew Ripton was struggling financially.
And I also knew that money was both the chain that could bind Aden…
And the thing that could save him.
I was certain he would sign it.
As long as he wasn’t secretly planning to betray me.
The reason was simple.
“…I have no choice.”
Right now…
What he needed most was a stable supply of food and basic necessities.
After he signed the contract, I carefully put my copy into my bag and handed him the other one.
“That’s your copy.”
“…You’re very careful.”
“Do noble ladies normally learn things like this?”
“Ordinary noble ladies don’t.”
I quietly watched Aden as he carefully signed his copy.
For the first time…
It was the first time.
The first time I had taken something that belonged to Bellietta.
She had always wanted to become me.
She had always stolen from me.
And now…
I had taken the man who belonged to her.
Even if he was someone Bellietta had rejected…
I didn’t care.
No…
That made it even more satisfying.
What kind of face would she make when she found out?
Would she be shocked?
Would she be speechless?
I wasn’t sure.
But I knew one thing.
She would try to steal the man sitting in front of me.
As if he had always belonged to her.
It made me happy.
I wanted to tell Bellietta immediately.
And starting with this…
I wanted to take back everything she had.
No…
Not steal.
Simply reclaim what had always been mine.
After all…
Everything Bellietta possessed had originally belonged to me.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled.
Aden stood up.
I stood as well.
“I’ll show you the way.”
“You’re going to escort me personally?”
He gave a small laugh and nodded as if it were only natural.
Opening the door, he waited for me.
Then he looked at me and said,
“Even if it’s only in name… I should at least act like your loving fiancé.”
“There’s no need to hide it.”
The moment I heard those words…
It finally felt real.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Without hiding the smile on my face, I answered sincerely,
“Thank you.”
I had taken Bellietta’s fiancé.
