TRETTHD 18

#18. The Completion of the Contract

Faced with an intensely passionate gaze, Belia almost closed her eyes instinctively.
Startled by her own reaction, she quickly swallowed all emotions.

“Belia.”

Why did her name sound so suffocating when he said it?
Long ago, when Raul called her name, it had been sweet, like a dream.
But when Khalid called out to her, it was terrifying—so much so that her back tingled, and she instinctively took a step back.
She couldn’t even clearly define what it was she feared.

Sensing this couldn’t continue, Belia instinctively turned her face away from Khalid’s touch.

“Belia.”

Why did he keep calling her like that?
Chills spread across her body.

“Look at me.”

Khalid gently turned her face back toward him.

“Don’t turn away.”

She couldn’t meet his eyes.

“…”

“Is it a burden to know that I care for you?”

Belia pressed her lips tightly together.

“You kept pushing me away, so I tried to approach you slowly. But you won’t even look at me properly—you just keep running away.”

Somehow, she felt like crying.
Why did this man keep making things so difficult for her?
Their relationship was never supposed to involve genuine emotions.

“What are you afraid of?”

Khalid easily dug into the feelings Belia had buried deep inside.
Feeling completely exposed, she couldn’t help but face him, vulnerable.

How much did he already know?

“I know you want to run, to avoid this, but I’ve decided—I’m not going to let you go.”

“…What if I don’t want that?”

Belia barely managed to force the words out.
Khalid responded with a languid, relaxed expression—like a predator savoring the moment before catching its prey.

She clenched her jaw in response.

“Then you’re free to refuse. You can keep running, just like now.”

His voice was gentle.

But to Khalid, her resistance wasn’t really a problem at all.

“I’ve decided to do everything I can to hold onto you.”

So why don’t we make this a fun game of hide-and-seek?

He whispered softly near her ear, as if coaxing a child.

“Khalid.”

“Yes. Keep calling me like that.”

Belia sighed. She had to stop him.
This wasn’t love. It was interest distorted into possessiveness.
This wasn’t sincere affection.

‘So don’t misunderstand.’

She was tired of being swayed by feelings.
After everything that happened with Raul, to be shaken again—how pathetic.
It was like a bucket of cold water was dumped over her.

“Take your hands off me.”

At Belia’s cold voice, Khalid’s hand, which had been caressing her cheek, fell away immediately.

As he moved back, the heavy, suffocating air finally eased.

“Haa…”

Belia exhaled deeply.

She had to stop letting things shift into this atmosphere.
She didn’t want to keep enduring that intense, sticky gaze filled with desire.

“Khalid. We’re nothing more than—”

But before she could finish, Khalid cut her off sharply.

“If you’re about to say we’re bound by a contract, don’t.”

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Belia was wavering.
It was obvious from how she was now trying to push him away with excuses, unlike how things were at the beginning.

“All I can think about is how to make you mine.”

Belia stiffened.
His voice was languid, like a devil’s whisper.

“You don’t need to overthink it. You need me.”

Even though she knew she should reject him, she kept listening.

“This is me giving you a chance to use me as much as you like.”

Khalid pressed harder, more persistently.

Each word from him stirred something intense within her.
Her pupils trembled. Her heart pounded.
She felt paralyzed.

And Khalid didn’t miss the opportunity to deliver the final blow.

“How about it? Don’t you want to tame your hunting dog completely?”

As he asked in a low voice, Belia’s hesitation stopped.

‘…I need him.’

The contract hadn’t changed.
Only one new condition had been added—whether or not emotions were involved.
So long as she didn’t get emotionally involved, it would be fine.
She could manage this.

With that thought, Belia accepted Khalid’s challenge.

The next day, an urgent message arrived from the expedition team that had gone south to investigate the gold mine.
They confirmed the presence of a mine and even collected gold dust from the river marked on the map.

They had expected it would take two weeks to discover anything, but the results came sooner than anticipated.

Khalid brought the report directly to Belia.

“You were right. There’s a significant gold mine there.”

He looked amazed as he handed over the report.
Belia quickly scanned it.

[Magic tool detected a strong reaction. Confirmed gold mine.]

Though brief, the message conveyed everything necessary.
They still needed further investigation, but a gold mine clearly existed there.

The reaction detected was even stronger than that from the eastern mountains where Raul was overseeing things.

Soon, the Kingdom of Ronica would likely dispatch additional personnel.

‘If we spread the word that Prince Khalid discovered the mine through keen judgment…’

There would be no room for Raul to interfere.
He was already wasting time in the east.

He likely never expected a gold mine to be at the southern edge of the range—that’s why it hadn’t been found for years.

“That’s good news,” Belia said as she quietly sipped her tea.

Now that Khalid had confirmed her information was genuine, it was his turn.

But what could she say?
After what happened just yesterday, it felt awkward to meet him so soon.
It wasn’t easy to smile and talk about plans.

Belia hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself.

“I kept my promise. Now, fulfill my first condition. When will the proposal letter arrive?”

Only then would their contract be officially complete.

Belia made her demand clearly.

Khalid, who had been leaning lazily with crossed legs and arms, smirked.

“It should be on its way now. So it’s time for you to tell me your true goal. That condition is practically fulfilled.”

How brazen.

Belia couldn’t help but feel irritated at his attitude.
Strictly speaking, he hadn’t fulfilled it yet—Raul hadn’t withdrawn his proposal to the king of Ronica.

Momentarily forgetting how awkward she had felt earlier, she responded with a crooked smile.

“You said it would be after Prince Raul withdraws his proposal.”

“It’s arriving soon anyway. So your condition will naturally be fulfilled.”

Khalid looked at her and smiled brightly.

Still confused by his attitude, Belia watched as he leaned forward across the table. Then he asked slowly, enunciating each word clearly, like he was pinning her down with them.

“So be honest. What’s your true objective?”

Belia’s eyes trembled.
If she wanted to continue working with him, she needed to reveal her real goal.
He was a collaborator, not her subordinate.

But the words didn’t come easily.
How was she supposed to explain it?

“Belia,” Khalid called her name again.

“You told me to let you use me. So don’t be afraid. Tell me what you truly want.”

Belia fell silent.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“…Become emperor.”

“What?”

Khalid was taken aback by the unexpected request.

“You said you’d help me take back everything I lost.”

Telling him to become emperor.
Only two people had ever said that to Khalid—his mother, the empress, and Belia.

‘I never thought I’d hear that again.’

He gave a self-deprecating smile.

‘More than that…’

Why was she only talking about what she would give him, not her own goal?

“What does me becoming emperor have to do with your objective?”

Belia clenched her fists and swallowed her rage.

“…My goal is to destroy Raul. I want to see him completely ruined.
To do that, I need to take away what he values most.”

That meant helping Khalid reclaim the imperial throne Raul once held.

She didn’t want Raul to have anything—not even scraps.

She could never forget that moment of her death, replaying in her mind every second.
That cold, cruel face as he forced poison into her mouth, gripping her chin—
That emperor’s face, devoid of even the faintest pity as she died.

She wanted to crush him, break him, drag him to hell.

“If I can do that, I’m willing to do anything.”

Yes…
There was something she absolutely had to do.

Now wasn’t the time to falter over feelings.
She had to use whatever she could—even him.

Khalid had told her she could.

Belia’s wavering gaze steadied.

“You don’t love me sincerely. You just want to possess what Raul had.
But that no longer matters.”

When she found out Raul had secretly intercepted the monster subjugation report—
She knew then.
He hadn’t changed.

She also realized she couldn’t just settle for peace.
He would drag her life into hell and destroy Ronica.

“You said you wanted me, didn’t you?”

If that was all it took to bind him to her—
If that was all it took to destroy Raul—
Then public opinion meant nothing.

Belia slowly approached Khalid.
When she stood before him, she reached out and brushed his cheek gently.

Khalid didn’t look away.
She softly smiled with her eyes.

“Bring Raul to my feet. Then, I’ll give you my heart in return.”

Then, Belia kissed him.

Feeling the soft touch of her lips, Khalid let out a low laugh, as if he couldn’t resist any longer.
But it was brief—his expression darkened, and a low, dangerous voice slipped out.

“…I’ll make your wish come true.”

“Good. Then let’s make up for that mistake, Khalid.”

Belia provoked him, referring to the conversation they’d had on the day of the welcoming ceremony.

As if he were suffocating, Khalid roughly tore at the buttons of his shirt.
Then, with an urgent expression that lacked any composure, he pulled Belia into his arms.