“Hop. Here it is, Madam.”
Ris went under my bed, took out the box, and placed it on the sofa table.
“Thank you, Ris.”
Now that I had become the Duchess, I was told I could store my most important belongings in the Duke and Duchess’s secret vault, so I was planning to sort out what to put there.
Usually, heirlooms would be placed there, but I intended to send mostly documents.
To me, they were more important than jewels.
After Ris left, I sat on the sofa and opened the firmly locked box.
At the very top was the most recently placed document—the succession certificate naming me the Head of House Krone, and beneath it was the engagement contract with Rastan.
It was called a contract, but in reality, it was about the size of an encyclopedia. As I took it out and held it, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
It had only been five or six months ago, yet it felt like something from a very long time ago.
On the first page of the contract, Rastan’s name and mine were written as the contracting parties. As I absentmindedly looked at it, I remembered that there had been magic placed on it when I signed it.
‘It was magic he put on without even telling me beforehand.’
When I protested, Rastan had brushed it off casually, saying, “If you intend to faithfully uphold the contract anyway, it does not matter, does it?”
‘That’s something you’re supposed to explain in full before I sign!’
That was common sense for someone who had lived in Korea, but unfortunately, in this world, the laws regarding commerce and contracts didn’t seem to be established in such detail yet.
‘So he has no conscience, but intends to claim he’s still following the law…’
He said he was accumulating good deeds, but moments like this made me feel like I was occasionally glimpsing the demon-like side of him.
‘Or maybe it’s natural, since he is still a demon.’
Seeing such unexpected sides of someone I had always thought of as upright and kind felt strange, and at the same time, there was a subtle sense of satisfaction in knowing that this side of him was something only I knew.
Thinking about that signature, a belated thought occurred to me. For some reason, it felt like there might be other tricks hidden in the contract as well.
‘The fact that something that could have been written simply was made this absurdly thick already feels like a trap…’
I should set aside some time and read it carefully from beginning to end. Or maybe read a few pages each day.
Even as I thought that, the idea of carefully reading through hundreds of pages of a stiff contract that wasn’t even an interesting novel felt daunting, so I flipped through it quickly—when suddenly, something came to mind.
‘In most contracts, sensitive matters are usually included in clauses about contract termination or compensation in case of damages, aren’t they?’
Praising my own cleverness, I decided to read that section first.
After searching through the table of contents of the contract, which was practically a book, I found the clause titled ‘Termination of Contract,’ which occupied a small chapter toward the back.
‘Let’s see… ah, here it is!’
As expected, it began with lengthy explanations defining key terms, so tedious that just reading the first line made me yawn.
It wasn’t an easy challenge, especially since my sleepiness had increased tremendously ever since becoming pregnant.
‘Still… at least this chapter, I’ll read it properly.’
I yawned every two sentences as I quickly but carefully skimmed through the dull content, making sure not to miss anything.
After flipping through about eight pages like that, a familiar sentence appeared.
[…Unless both parties mutually discuss and agree at least 9 months before the contract expiration date, this contract will automatically be extended indefinitely.]
At first glance, it was a clause commonly found in contracts. I was about to skim past it quickly like the others, but one unfamiliar number suddenly caught my attention.
‘Huh? 9 months? Isn’t it usually 3 months?’
My eyes, which had been about to close, snapped wide open.
I had thought it was just an ordinary clause, but looking at it again, the wording of that familiar sentence was subtly different.
First of all, the duration of this contract was one year.
‘But to terminate the contract, I had to indicate my intention not to extend it not in the last three months, but before even the first three months had passed?’
Of course, from the current point in time, those three months written in the contract had long since passed.
And even stranger was that if one of the contracting parties didn’t wish to extend the contract, it wasn’t enough to simply express that intention—the clause stated that ‘both parties must agree.’
At that unfamiliar wording, I tilted my head slightly.
‘In the end, that means if the two parties don’t come to an agreement at least 9 months before the contract expiration date, the contract is automatically extended, doesn’t it?’
And in that case, the contract wouldn’t just be extended by another year, but extended ‘indefinitely’!
If I had assumed from the beginning that it was only a one-year contract, it was actually a contract that could bind me for life.
‘What is this absurd clause?’
I rubbed my eyes and brought the contract close to my face, examining it carefully.
‘If this were modern Korea, this would be enough to file a lawsuit for a fraudulent contract.’
But the biggest problem was something else.
It was the fact that at the very end of the contract, right below the sentence, ‘Evelyn Krone confirms and agrees to all of the above contents,’ I had signed my name.
‘At the time, I trusted Rastan unconditionally…!’
In this situation, even if I filed a lawsuit claiming fraud, I would have no chance of winning.
Rastan had presented the entire contents to me without hiding anything, and he had never prevented me from reading the details.
So the fault lay entirely with me, who could read and even had basic legal knowledge, yet hadn’t properly read the contract.
The true deceptiveness of this contract was perfected precisely at that point.
‘Rastan presented a contract like this, yet didn’t violate imperial law in the slightest…’
I shook my head at his meticulousness and continued reading the suspicious contract.
Then I found another strange clause.
[If the two contracting parties marry, the term “engagement” in this contract will automatically be changed to “marriage,” and its validity will continue unchanged.]
“What is this?”
We had already married, so I thought this ‘engagement’ contract had already lost its validity—but it hadn’t.
Moreover, it was clear that when he created and presented this contract, he had already intended to truly marry me.
‘Well, he did say that stiff and awkward proposal he made back then was sincere in its own way.’
At this point, a reasonable suspicion arose in my mind that when he politely presented this ‘engagement’ contract, he might have already planned not only our family future but even the names of our children and grandchildren.
After discovering several more unusual clauses—most of which either assumed that we would marry or were designed to make it practically impossible to terminate the contract—I took the contract and went to find Rastan.
The moment he saw me holding the thick, heavy contract, Rastan quickly took it from me, almost snatching it away.
“Did I not tell you that pregnant women have weaker joints and should not carry heavy things?”
When held in his large hands, the contract, which had felt like an encyclopedia, suddenly looked much smaller.
Rastan must have already realized why I had come, stomping toward him while holding it, but I narrowed my eyes sharply regardless.
“Is this not practically fraud? I read it, and there are so many problematic parts!”
Seeing me fuming, Rastan tilted his head leisurely.
“…As you can see, I provided you with the full contract without hiding anything.”
That was true.
But I had my own argument.
“When you give someone hundreds of pages, you should also provide a summary, or at least point out the important parts or unusual clauses! Before the contract is signed!”
But Rastan remained shamelessly calm.
“Well. Some may kindly do that, but it is not a legal obligation. The contracting parties have the responsibility to carefully read the entire contract and understand all its contents. Is that not correct?”
“…”
In the end, it was my fault for naively believing that he would present a normal, reasonable contract.
When I fell silent, Rastan smiled faintly and confessed his own wrongdoing.
“It is true that I used a bit of legal technique to ensure I could keep you by my side for life.”
In truth, more than legal technique, it seemed he was far more skilled at manipulating my emotions like this. Just seeing that handsome mouth curve slightly was already enough to soften half of my resolve.
Still, I forced out the most defiant voice I could manage.
“To use my trust in you like this. I am not going to trust you anymore. Ever.”
At that, Rastan hesitated slightly before asking,
“…If you had known about these clauses, would you not have signed the contract with me?”
“Well, since I have already married you and intend to stay with you for life, it does not matter in the end. But still, how am I supposed to trust you if you do things like this?”
“Other than that contract, I have never tried to deceive you. I swear it.”
Rastan lightly raised both hands beside his shoulders.
His relaxed attitude irritated me, and when I glared at him, his voice lowered subtly. It was obvious he was trying to coax me.
“Then how about this? If I confess every trick I put into the contract, will you forgive me?”
‘Hmm.’
As I raised one eyebrow crookedly, Rastan made a second offer in a low, sweet voice, as if proposing a secret deal.
“And I will never again use wordplay or tricks on you for the rest of my life. No matter how good the intention.”
I let out a breath of disbelief, but in truth, I had no other real choice.
‘Even if I refuse to forgive him, it’s not like I can divorce him anyway.’
After all, I had personally signed a contract that included such clauses.
Though reluctant, I nodded, and Rastan’s sweet smile deepened.
He picked up the contract he had placed on the table, came over beside me, and opened it.
