12 – Mysterious Proposal
“My name is Elficia Luminel. I’ve come to discuss a matter with you, and that’s why I visited.”
“El…ficia… Luminel…!”
As soon as I heard her introduction, I was taken aback. I shook my head, trying to comprehend why I hadn’t recognized her given her distinct features.
Elficia’s appearance matched every detail described in the original work.
“Hmm.”
She glanced around the orphanage. The destination of her eyes, exploring like observing strange objects, eventually landed on me.
“It took a while to get here. May I come in and talk?”
“…Sure.”
While opening the door to the orphanage, I considered numerous possibilities. Even though the main trio had ended up in the orphanage, I never expected the villainess to show up.
My joking remark seemed to have taken on the power of foresight.
Elphesia showed no particular excitement as she passed through the narrow and shabby corridor. Despite being considered noble among the women of the empire, she didn’t seem to be lacking, even if she furrowed her brow…
Finally arriving in the shabby room that could only be called a reception room, Elphesia was suggested to take a seat, to which she obediently placed her hips on the chair’s backrest.
A brief silence.
Following that, the words flowing from Elphesia’s delicate lips were my name.
“Harte.”
“Yes.”
“Harte.”
“Yes.”
“Harte.”
“… Yes?”
What is this? Some kind of test? Or just simple torment?
Nothing could be read from that cynical face.
So, I decided to ask directly.
“Milady, is it?”
“Yes, well, for now.”
“For now…?”
The tone was strange, but it wasn’t a biting one.
“First of all, Lady Lumina. How did you know my identity? Has the rumor of the illegal auction spread that far…?”
“Half true. You are indeed quite a famous figure. But I’ve been keeping an eye on you even before all of that.”
“… Really?”
“It was quite challenging to investigate. How much it was wrapped around in the temple, and how difficult it was to grasp the material.”
Not that she claimed it was impossible to understand the material. That implies she knew about the existence of the orphanage even before the illegal auction incident.
What does this woman really want from me?
As I raise my guard, she speaks.
“Well, it worked out well anyway. Since I managed to find it somehow, I can make this proposal.”
“A proposal? To me?”
Elysia, the forbidden leaf of the prestigious Gomyeong family and a ruthless archivist.
She, who seems impossible to find any connection with, casually handed me some documents.
Throwing a bomb as shocking as violating sacredness into my ears…
“Let’s get married.”
“What?”
“Oh, precisely, it’s a contractual marriage. These documents are prepared for the agreement between us.”
“…”
The figure of Elysia was a woman who had entered the realm where understanding was impossible. From intentions to motivations, there was nothing I could accurately guess.
It might be more plausible to think that this situation is a delusion.
I was so dumbfounded that I chuckled.
“Ah… marriage. A contractual marriage, too…”
“Yes, a contractual marriage.”
Truly confident. Elysia Luminal had a human-like attitude. Perhaps that’s why nonsense slipped out naturally.
“…Um, by any chance, am I extraordinarily handsome on a continental scale?”
“Wouldn’t it be enough to evaluate oneself by looking in the mirror?”
“… Yes.”
I felt a sudden urge to hit my chest because of my frustration.
No, but it’s like that.
Even if Elysia is destined for a bad ending in the future, at this moment, she is someone with nothing to be envious of.
From beauty to wealth and power. If you were to emulate the trinity, it would create a woman named Elysia Luminel.
“I’m screwed. I can’t just treat her like a crazy girl and send her away…”
Honestly, I’m so confused that I might collapse.
In the midst of pondering where to start and how to respond with a spinning head, I noticed the hazy pupils peeking through the slightly open door.
I’ve slept enough for a nap, and since I’m not visible for once, they must have come looking for me among themselves. They are probably secretly investigating the stranger who came for the first time in a while.
Only then did I manage to open my mouth with difficulty.
“Well, first, let’s confirm… Are you in your right mind? Suddenly, out of the blue, talking about… marriage…”
“I have personal reasons. Besides, I was prepared enough to stand in this position.”
Oh, she was prepared enough. I wonder how remarkable that determination is.
“Did you also prepare for something like this?”
I gestured for the pupils peeking from outside to come in. The kids hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened the door and entered.
Urien, Glenn, and Tina.
When I gestured for Tina to come and hug me directly, she ran over and clung to me.
“Dad!”
“… What did you just say?”
The first wrinkle appeared on Elphicia’s face, which seemed as intricate as a delicate machine.
Whether she was aware of it or not, she dealt the decisive blow with a kindness that hinted at understanding.
“Dad!”
Pulling out the marriage contract documents, Elphicia was frozen solid like an iceberg.
Facing her, I chuckled coolly with a nonchalant posture.
“Even someone like me has a child, you know.”
As the illustrious noble lady Elphicia, she probably had already reached the correct conclusion.
She should withdraw immediately, holding the marriage contract documents.
However, considering the possibility, I confirmed her intentions once again.
“Really… Are you prepared for something like this?”
Evenly aligned white teeth were truly beautiful. Elphicia’s lips were naturally parted, as if such admiration was expected.
Amidst chaos and forgetfulness, Elphicia managed to utter the next words with difficulty.
“Y-You…!”
“Yes!”
A moment of perfect triumph… or so I enjoyed the fleeting victory.
Elphicia’s face twisted like a cursed specter.
“This… insane person…!!!”
“Well, um…?”
In the next moment, Elphicia grabbed my hair.
“Harte, you…! Who the hell is this child?! Who is she?! It’s up to you to decide to have a child, but whaaat!!!”
“Craaack! It hurts! It hurts, Your Grace! It really hurts!”
“You think this is painful? You think this is painful, you burnt brat!”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Elphesia, dissatisfied, yanks on her hair and breaks her neck. I am overwhelmed with anger at this irrational violence.
“No, how about I give birth to a child…!”
“What!!!”
“…Well, it could be an option.”
“Argh!”
What is this? What is this for real?
‘…This is strange. This is really strange. Somehow, I can’t rebel against Her Grace. Is this the power of authority…?’
Discomfort.
It’s because of the discomfort I felt when I saved Elphesia from the carriage accident. Even after examining myself multiple times, that’s the only explanation.
In order to put an end to this absurd violence, I finally speak up.
“…She’s just a maid.”
“A maid, you say?”
Elphesia finally lowers her gaze and looks at Tina. The girl with swollen cheeks, as impressive as her hostility…
“Who is she to hit our father, huh?”
‘Right, Tina…!’
“From today, she’s your mother.”
“Oh, really? Well, then, I guess there’s nothing we can do… It’s just a fight between parents…”
“… Tina?”
I called out to Tina, who stood before me with a bewildered expression. However, Tina’s perception was rapidly changing, too easily.
At that moment, Julian let out a smirk and chuckled.
“What’s the matter, Director? Isn’t pretending not to know your beloved wife a bit too much of a joke? And to think you’ve been hiding it from us all along.”
“In that case, what should I call you? My lady? Vice Director? Or just my wife?”
As we reached Glen, he was seriously contemplating what to call Tina. I momentarily despised those mischievous brats.
Especially Julian, who was returning the favor as soon as he got the chance.
Regardless, I was the first to back down.
“… Could you all leave for now? There’s still something I need to discuss.”
“Our Director is a guilty man, indeed.”
After Glen and Tina, Julian left with an unmistakable sneer.
When will you ever get caught, at least once?
“Phew…”
Even in the midst of the confusion, I had to gather my thoughts.
“Luminel, Lady of the Luminary. I have no intention of playing games. What is your true motive?”
“Then let me be straightforward as well. My father sold me to you.”
“What are you saying?”
“My father desires the power you possess. So he wants me to seduce you and manipulate that power for the benefit of the aristocracy.”
“Do people usually openly reveal such things?”
“Well, I am different from my greedy father in that regard.”
Elysia tidied up and arranged the messy marriage contract documents on the table.
They were essentially marriage vows, but some sections were left blank. It seemed like spaces to fill in details about the contract.
Finally, she added in a serious tone,
“If this marriage doesn’t go through, I’ll be kicked out. In society, our marriage is already a fact. But… in a situation like this, how many people would be willing to pick up a noble lady abandoned by the aristocracy?”
There wouldn’t be too few. Even a household that wanted to obtain such a woman would open their arms.
The Luminal family may be far less prestigious than the value Elysia Luminal possessed…
“So, I’m proposing a contract marriage. So that you can use me. And in return, I can avoid the title of a discarded child.”
“…”
“I don’t have any lingering feelings for the Duke. The conditions I will write in the contract clause are very simple.”
“But still…”
“If I’m not enough, think about the children.”
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“The children?”
“Yes.”
Immediately after her response, Elysia took out more documents from her bag and presented them.
The documents were Elysia’s bank statements, clearly indicating an unimaginable amount of money that I couldn’t even desire.
“It’s a dowry. It’s a resource that I can spend on you.”
“What…?”
“You’re not my stepson. I’m just in a position to marry you.”
“… Unbelievable.”
It was difficult to sort out the situation.
The astronomical amount of the dowry was one thing, but it was the same with a woman named Elphesia.
Elphesia’s circumstances were understandable. However, it bothered me that this villainous woman was offering me such convenient conditions.
But…
“When Tina said Elphesia was my mom, I secretly liked it.”
I still remember the face that brightened at first, even though she was annoyed. So the conflict deepened.
Logically, there was no reason to refuse. It would be foolish to reject when there was only gain.
Besides, considering she was willing to remain single for a lifetime, marriage wasn’t a big loss.
“…Did I think too deeply?”
Tina and Glen had undoubtedly changed their future. Even their personalities would transform quite differently from the original. There was no guarantee that Elphesia would remain a villain according to logic.
The future was an unknown realm.
“I guess it’s okay to hear the story at least…”
I gazed at the marriage contract document on the table.
“If I agree, what conditions does the noble lady plan to propose as part of the contract?”
“There are three major ones.”
“Please explain in detail.”
At my request, Elphesia raised her pen and filled in the blank. Despite the grandiosity of the conversation so far, the stipulations were surprisingly simple.
The precise description of the stipulations was as follows:
First, fulfill the duties as a couple.
Second, do not fall in love.
Third, in case of a breach of the contract, the party at fault shall surrender everything to the other party.
There were some ambiguous parts, but the conditions were not entirely unacceptable.
“What does it mean to fulfill the duty as a married couple, for example?”
“It means not turning a blind eye to the tough parts. Trusting and cooperating with each other, of course.”
“I see…”
It was a suggestion to live together like an ordinary couple I knew. Just excluding love…
The third clause doesn’t really bother me.
It seems scary at first glance, but as long as I follow this simple clause, everything should be fine.
“Now it’s your turn.”
Elphesia handed me the pen.
But I declined her hand verbally.
“Whatever happens, prioritize the children to the best of your ability. That’s all.”
“… I understand.”
At some point, just listening led to acceptance. As if I had been enchanted and put under a spell.
Next, our signatures were engraved on the marriage oath and contract, respectively. With this, we vowed to be a married couple to each other.
Crossing the river of no return felt oddly peaceful compared to expectations.
“Now you’re my husband. Take care.”
“… Yes, my wife.”
And so, we formed the most static bond of marriage in the world.
◇
Elysia unpacked her luggage in the vacant room Harta had provided.
Once reasonably organized, she lay on the relatively low-quality bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Then, with pupils like red gems, she recalled the contract they had mutually agreed upon.
First, they would fulfill their duties as a married couple.
Second, they would not fall in love.
Third, in case of a breach of contract, each party would surrender everything to the other.
She considered it a shameless treaty.
Isn’t it so?
It was conditions designed solely for her own satisfaction.
Harta wouldn’t even suspect the hidden flaws in the contract.
Everything was just for her own gratification.
“I’ve already breached the contract…”
Not falling in love.
She had never intended to keep such a trivial and childish proposition.
“So, I guess I have to fulfill the third condition.”
Surrender everything to the other party in case of a breach of contract.
Did she secretly find it eerie? Foolish, perhaps.
Harta, a foolish person.
“From the beginning… I came back for this. I did.”
Ooohhh – she’s a regressor!