60. The Villainess Whose Specialty Is Being Young and Rich
“Kyaaak—!”
The crow, its pride in its beauty mercilessly crushed, flailed about in a frenzy.
Icart jerked his chin at the guards.
“He’s showing signs of madness. Who knows what disease he might be carrying—better to kill it…”
“He’s just startled, that’s all!”
Roselia desperately tried to stop him.
Icart still looked suspiciously down at the crow.
But when Roselia hugged it to her chest with all her strength, he took a step back.
“Fine. But if anything happens, call me immediately. As for that crow—kill it or throw it away.”
He cast one last displeased glance at the bird before turning on his heel.
With Icart gone, the guards scratched their heads awkwardly and followed him out.
The moment only Roselia and the crow were left in the room—
Ding!
【SYSTEM: The Luck Buff has ended!】
“Caw.”
The crow that had been nestled firmly in Roselia’s arms suddenly flapped up into the air.
And then—
Poof!
With a burst of white smoke, its form twisted into that of a tall, well-built man.
“That was close. I almost died.”
“……!”
Like Venus emerging from the sea foam, a figure stepped through the drifting smoke—his body sculpted as if by the hands of a master artist.
Roselia, entranced, couldn’t help staring.
“Ah!”
But the moment she realized he was stark naked, she jabbed a finger into her own eyes.
“It’s not like I had a choice. I can’t exactly transform while wearing clothes.”
Kayen grumbled as he hurriedly pulled on his garments.
In comics, magical girls always had bright lights conveniently covering the important bits during transformation. Reality, however, had no such mercy.
“Still, stabbing your own eyes? Isn’t that a little harsh? This family really doesn’t appreciate good looks.”
“Shut it. You should be thankful you’re still alive.”
“True, true. Your brother’s scary~”
“…….”
Kayen joked lightly, even humming under his breath, while Roselia’s heart was still pounding from the scare.
Just moments ago, the instant he had placed a foot on the windowsill, the guards on night watch had come banging on the door.
She had instantly foreseen disaster.
【SYSTEM: Due to the keyword ‘#MaxLuck,’ a Luck Buff has been triggered!】
[Romance Fantasy Cliché No. 15: The Classic Beastman Trope]
A familiar miracle unfolded—Kayen was suddenly enveloped in thick smoke.
How long had it taken? Barely a second.
Roselia had just shoved his clothes under the bed with her toes when the guards barged in.
‘Ever since I possessed this body, my reflexes have gotten way too good.’
She wasn’t the only quick thinker—Kayen’s shameless acting was top-tier as well.
“Transformation magic is something only a rare few high mages can pull off, but our lady really has all kinds of talents.”
“……”
Roselia worried he might get suspicious of her abilities, but Kayen didn’t press further.
Instead, he smoothly changed the subject.
“So, have you thought about my proposal?”
“You mean the one about killing your other personality?”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t be a losing deal for you, either. I’m pretty useful, you know.”
Kayen shrugged playfully.
A while back, he had made her an offer.
[See, I’ve got reliable sources of my own.]
[And I heard our lady here is ridiculously loaded?]
[Thing is, there’s just one thing I don’t have—this.]
He had made a money sign with his fingers.
Roselia had snorted at the blatant gesture.
[Looks like the nobles spend outrageous sums just to keep themselves alive.]
[Just invest a little of that money in me. I’m quite capable.]
It had sounded very much like he was asking her to hire him.
‘And honestly, he would be useful.’
She could entrust him with secret errands, maybe even security.
Her specialty was having more money than she knew what to do with. If she could buy his skills, it would be worth every fortune.
Especially after the recent assassination attempt, she had even more reason to want him on her side.
The tempting offer had nearly won her over—until she asked what he’d do with the money.
He had tilted his head innocently.
[That’s obvious.]
[I’ll kill off the other personality and make this body mine.]
Snapping back from the memory, Roselia asked,
“Let’s say I did agree. How would you even kill your other personality?”
“Oh? Interested in black magic, are you?”
He leaned in, eyes gleaming.
“See, that personality was born by defying natural law. Erasing him requires… special methods.”
“Special methods?”
“Yep. To erase him, you need a sacrifice.”
His crimson eyes gleamed with cruelty.
“A lot more lives than the ones it took to create him.”
“……!”
Roselia pieced together what she knew—from Kayen’s memories and the hints from the Administrator.
As a child, he had been subjected to horrifying experiments. The side effect was his soul splitting in two.
And he hadn’t been the only one used in those experiments.
Countless innocent lives must have been shredded apart, treated like disposable materials.
“You expect me to take part in something that horrific?”
Her voice was sharp.
‘Do you seriously want me to walk the true villainess route?’
And yet—despite having suffered as a victim himself, he spoke of sacrifices and offerings with chilling ease.
“But I can’t live half a life forever.”
“There’s no other way besides killing your day persona?”
“None. I’ve tried everything.”
His tone was firm.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Sensing her hesitation, he spoke again, gently coaxing.
“Don’t feel guilty. It’s just correcting a mistake. I’ll take responsibility for whatever comes of it.”
“……”
He tried to make it sound lighthearted.
“Besides, you saw for yourself—I’m pretty useful.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“And, well, I’m more than confident in serving you at night, too.”
He whispered that last bit teasingly against her ear.
This bastard.
Roselia shoved his face away with her palm.
“Fine. If you’re so confident, then let’s make a contract.”
“A contract?”
“Yeah. As for your soul issue… That’s not something I should decide lightly.”
For now, she shelved the matter of his split soul.
‘Sacrifices and offerings… just the thought makes my skin crawl.’
But really, with two souls crammed into one body, neither could live normally.
And if his day persona had been artificially created, then maybe erasing it truly was setting things back in order.
‘Still…’
The daytime Kayen she had seen lingered in her mind.
She gathered her thoughts and continued.
“You may have been sold to me, but you don’t want to be my servant forever, do you?”
In the original story, he had risked his life to escape slavery.
“Of course not. Our lady really does understand men’s hearts.”
“Work for me for one year. After that, I’ll set you free without regret.”
She had exactly one year left until the novel’s ending. Within that time, she planned to reach her happy ending and finish this endless regression.
“I’ll even forge you a fake title so you can shed your slave status. Tempting, isn’t it?”
“Very. I’d be a fool to refuse.”
The corners of his lips curled into a smile.
【SYSTEM: Hidden Route ‘Guide of Truth’ has been unlocked!】
[1 Luck Roulette Ticket has been awarded.]
[☞ Spin the Roulette Now ☜]
“……!”
With a triumphant fanfare, a system window filled her vision.
‘Guide of Truth?’
The hidden route, which had only shown vague hints each time her relationship with Kayen progressed, now revealed itself fully.
“Lady?”
Kayen tilted his head.
Roselia, distracted by the system, belatedly looked back at him.
‘Right. We were talking about a contract.’
One flaw of the system: to others, she probably looked like she was zoning out like an idiot.
She pulled out a bound contract from the drawer.
“Then let’s use this—”
“No.”
At the same moment, a spark ignited on Kayen’s fingertip.
With a flick of his hand, the binding contract crumbled into ash.
“I’ve had enough of slave contracts.”
He smiled crookedly.
‘Seriously? Words would’ve been enough.’
Roselia looked down at the pitiful ashes of what had once been the contract.
“Fine. Then we’ll use another method.”
She opened her inventory.
[Soulmate’s Couple Ring (Bound)]
[From today, two hearts beat as one! When worn, the rings bind your souls together.]
[Activates unique special functions.]
[☞ Use Item ☜]
[★You have 5 unread messages.]
“What now… messages?”
Roselia blinked at the system window, groggy from sleep.
It was the morning of the first day since forming the soul contract with Kayen.
The couple ring, proof of the bond, glittered on her left ring finger.
When she had used the item last night, two special functions had activated.
The first: special clauses.
She had set a clause demanding Kayen’s loyalty, while in return promising to grant him freedom once the contract expired.
The duration was one year—after which the rings would vanish automatically.
The second function was…
Ding!
[Lady, can you see this?]
[I didn’t get to say this yesterday—]
Telepathy.
When tested, Kayen said he heard her voice in his head like a divine revelation, while his replies appeared to her as chat messages.
It could be useful in emergencies—except for one glaring issue.
[Make that other guy ease up on the chores, will you?]
[What, trying to kill me with housewife’s eczema?]
[Every joint in my body aches. At this rate, I’ll die of overwork before the contract ends.]
‘…Can’t I block him somehow?’
Kayen, like some social media addict, was spamming her with messages multiple times a day.
So is he aware of everything that happens during the day while cleaning-Cayenne is active?