IGCHPM 13

CHAPTER 13

Those were very dangerous words, said in a suspicious tone—and coming from a man who seemed genuinely harmful?

I instinctively took a step back, stammering slightly.

“Why… why would you say something like that?”

“Because it’s true?”

The path of retreat was blocked.

My back bumped into the edge of a bed—way too soft and fluffy in the hips and thighs area—and I tumbled backward.

“Eek!”

A sharp laugh followed me to the ground, like a crystal bell shattering and hitting the floor. Arpad was laughing—clearly amused.

‘Wow. What an infuriating man. Why does even his mocking laugh have to sound so cool and charming?’

And of course, I paid the price for letting my guard down even briefly.

Arpad strode over and—collapsed on top of me!

“KYAA!”

Wait, no—collapsed is an exaggeration.

It was just that his face suddenly got so close that I panicked. He didn’t actually fall on me. He was just standing at the bedside, leaning forward and looking at me.

Like I was some intriguing specimen worth examining.

His crimson, finely detailed irises narrowed, the pupils almost reptilian in their strangeness.

He was obviously… amused, interested, and suspicious.

And then, the dangerous man spoke again—saying something just as harmful as before.

“Is this a clumsy attempt at seduction, or a trick to make me lower my guard?”

“Seduction?! What a horrid thing to say!”

I snapped upright like a toy on a spring.

Unfortunately, the sudden movement gave me a rush of dizziness.

‘Ugh, damn diet!’

I’d weakened my body preparing for the wedding, and then spent three days horseback riding on top of that—no wonder my condition was a mess.

As I began to topple again, Arpad’s strong arm wrapped around my waist and held me up.

Thanks to that, I was spared the embarrassment of headbutting his annoyingly handsome forehead.

‘Wait… but this is an even more dangerous position?’

I was still in just a thin chemise.

And Arpad? He was only wearing a red robe.

The room was filled with a suspiciously sweet, heady scent…

And behind us, there was a bed scattered with rose petals.

Arpad leaned in close and whispered, his voice dark and thick as velvet.

“You know it too, don’t you? What it means to consummate a marriage.”

“…!”

Such incredibly dangerous and harmful words!

Blood rushed through my entire body. It felt like my heart was pounding all the way to my fingertips.

Just as my vision started to fade white and my body grew hot—

I managed to snap back to reality and shout,

“I understand! Let’s clarify the terms of our contract!”

Bam!

I held up my clenched fist like a warrior and shouted desperately.

“Tch. What a mood-killer.”

Thankfully, Arpad backed off from the earlier suggestive and risky vibe.

…Though the way he mumbled afterward was still kind of concerning.

“You’ll have to repay this—with interest.”

‘What kind of nonsense—?!’

But in the end, I managed to escape from Arpad’s dangerously close presence.

Instead of the weird rose petal-covered bed, the two of us finally sat across from each other at a clean table.

It had been… a very eventful journey to get there.

Arpad sat across from me at the table, sprawled out lazily.

His elegant fingers, propping up a sharp chin, tapped idly with disinterest.

Irritated, I snapped like a cherry blossom fluffing itself in spring.

“…Can you please focus?!”

“You want me to focus on that boring explanation? Do you even know how expensive my attention is?”

“Keep acting like that and I’ll just write up the contract however I want!”

That’s right. I, Hillia, was finally writing the —a bit late, but still.

Suddenly, it wasn’t the Crown Prince Arpad anymore—it was the Mercenary King Gerald who showed up.

“Any contract drawn up unilaterally can be rejected by the mercenary party. Madam Client.”

“Grrr!”

It was so correct that I clenched my fist to stop it from flying across the table.

‘He’s the worst! So infuriating!’

Even my ex-husband and former fiancé, Ludwig, couldn’t compare to this level of irritation.

‘But that’s exactly why I chose this lunatic in the first place.’

Only someone as unhinged as Arpad could destroy a marriage as cleanly as I needed.

I took a deep breath, struggling to regain my composure.

‘No. If I lose my cool, I’m the one who gets hurt. The other guy is a madman. You don’t treat a madman seriously.’

I gripped my pen with renewed determination and forced my shaky hand to write.

“So… since we’ve completed the wedding ceremony, Your Highness has fulfilled the most important part of the request.”

“The most important part? Not all of it?”

I shook my head.

“You must maintain the marriage until I no longer need it. That’s a critical clause.”

Scratch!

I underlined the clause twice in the contract.

This was important!

“You say that like staying married will be hard?”

“Of course it will be. You think Ludwig is just going to sit back and do nothing?”

“True. This marriage was originally your father’s move to pit Ludwig against me.”

Arpad crossed his legs the other way.

With his bare leg nearly exposed, I didn’t know where to look.

‘He’s not… wearing anything under that robe, is he?’

I didn’t dare ask—it felt too likely the answer would be yes.

So I focused intently on the paper, reading aloud with deliberate clarity.

“Also, as a down payment, the client has already paid the Tear of Agrippina…”

Arpad chuckled, seeing through my struggle.

He leaned in, whispering by my ear—his breath making me shiver.

“More accurately, the Tear of Agrippina and the information tied to it, no?”

“Y-Yes! Th-that’s right!”

I could barely tell the difference between my skin and my hair—they were both bright pink now.

Even her ears—blossom pink like her hair—were cute as she covered them with her hands and stammered.

‘Hmm. Her ears are sensitive, huh.’

If I had known he was thinking that, I would’ve exploded on the spot.

Now completely pink, I threw myself into the contract writing even more enthusiastically.

That’s when Arpad made a snarky comment.

About the very first line at the top of the contract.

“This is odd. Why are you listed as ‘Party A’ and I’m ‘Party B’?”

“Hereafter, the client Hillia Delphine shall be referred to as ‘Party A’ and the mercenary Gerald (Arpad Istred) as ‘Party B.’”

Surprisingly, even in this fantasy world, there were terms equivalent to Korea’s Gap (Party A) and Eul (Party B).

I had used them directly.

And now Arpad—labeled as Eul—was protesting.

I narrowed my eyes into triangles.

“It’s common sense! The client is always Party A!”

“This isn’t your average contract. You keep forgetting who I am.”

“I haven’t forgotten! Arpad Istred, Crown Prince!”

I grumbled under my breath.

“And if you were going to nitpick like this, maybe you should’ve paid attention when we first started drafting the contract!”

With my hands on my hips and my index finger pointed right at his nose, I looked quite authoritative.

Arpad just smirked.

“Fine. I’ll let this one go.”

“Excuse me, I’m the one letting it go.”

Still, I continued diligently drafting the clauses of the request contract.

It was a small triumph—fending off the only obstacle in the room: Arpad himself.

That is, until I reached the final clause—and Arpad raised a brow.

“If Party B ascends to the throne and either party wishes for a divorce, it shall take effect immediately upon request.”

“This part—what is this supposed to mean? You’re saying even if just one side wants a divorce, it’ll happen?”

I opened my eyes wide and nodded.

“Yes! By that point, everything should be settled, so there’s no reason we can’t divorce.”

“If I become emperor, then you’ll already be empress, right? You’d give that up?”

He seemed genuinely baffled.

I beamed and nodded.

“Exactly! This clause proves how pure my intentions are!”

“Pure…?”

For the first time, Arpad’s voice wavered.

Not in fear or anger—but in the way someone might react after biting into a perfect apple and finding half a worm.

“Yes! This proves I’m not doing this for power or status! I just need your help!”

I was brimming with enthusiasm, like a salesperson highlighting a product’s most attractive feature.

But the buyer didn’t look too impressed.

“…Why would you need to prove that?”

“…Pardon?”

Actually, he seemed… almost disapproving?

I was confused.

‘What’s with him all of a sudden? What does he have to be upset about?’

I added that clause out of kindness.

‘You’re bound to have a lover sooner or later anyway!’

That’s right.

I clearly remembered all the rumors about Arpad from before my regression:

“The Crown Prince went mad after losing his lover.”

“He completely snapped after his beloved was taken from him.”

So if that fateful lover were to appear, I would politely step aside.

And I was even offering to do so without clinging to the empress’s seat or power!

So why on earth did he look so… unhappy?