Chapter 8
“Yes, I admit my situation isn’t great right now. That’s why I need you, a mage, so badly.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, Didier. You’re the only option left.”
“Ah…”
Didier’s expression shifted slightly at my words. He still looked sad, but there was a hint of eagerness. It seemed the idea of being the last option appealed to his heart to some extent. So, I threw out the next words to entice him further.
“And… I have something to offer you.”
Didier’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
“Ancient books related to magic.”
“…What?”
“As you heard. I’ll give you the ancient books owned by our family, Didier.”
Didier’s eyes widened even more.
It was an irresistible offer for a mage. Even if Didier didn’t know the intricacies of the world, he surely understood the value of those books. Even non-mages would spend fortunes to acquire them.
This was the best condition I could offer in this deal. I’d give him a chance to showcase his talent as a mage, and in return, Didier would become my fiancé and help me escape my family’s grasp. That was the essence of this contractual marriage.
Didier was the only one who could grant me freedom through this marriage.
“Of course, it’s not just because you’re a mage that I’m proposing this.”
“Then…?”
Didier looked very surprised. But his eyes were different. I expected to see confusion in them, but contrary to my expectations, I saw anticipation.
I thought he’d consider me crazy for this strange offer.
“If you help me, I can execute my plan… and honestly, if I have to marry, I want it to be with you.”
“…With me?”
“Yes, with you, Didier.”
Didier’s voice trembled. He must think I’m eccentric. Perhaps I was too hasty. I started to feel belated regret for my greed, but I noticed his neck gradually turning red. Did I see wrong? I looked at him again, and signs of joy appeared. The sadness had already dissipated.
“If that’s the reason, then I… I agree.”
With a trembling voice, as if confessing love, he gave his consent. I swallowed hard unconsciously. A strange tension began to creep between me and Didier.
“…The duration will last until I can leave the family. After that, I’ll give you the right to choose whether to continue the contract or not.”
Maybe you’ll want to leave me someday.
I couldn’t say the last part. My father would try to prevent my marriage to Didier by any means. The harsh looks and hurtful words he’d face might make him want to leave me.
So, this was a safety net.
Words that gave Didier the freedom to leave the family whenever he wanted. Since our meeting was so brief, this was a grace period for any potential change in his feelings.
Even I, who lived in that family, found it horrifying, so how much worse would it be for Didier? A life entirely controlled by constraints.
It was worse than hell.
He seemed to think for a moment, but soon opened his mouth with a determined expression.
“If I can stay by your side, Lady Erica, I’m ready to do anything.”
How can you give me such blind faith?
“What do you trust in me so much?”
Even if I was the one who proposed the political marriage first, he had only seen me for two days.
What did he see in me during this short time to say such things?
My face contorted. No, it crumbled. Seeing this, Didier cautiously took my hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb, as if to reassure me.
“I know you’re a good person, Lady Erica. I knew it from the first glance. No matter what happens, I want to stay by your side.”
Didier’s warmth stirred my guilt, but it also made me want to surrender to it. What was this love? I realized now that I was very weak in the face of affection.
I wanted to keep receiving this pure love, even if in a twisted way.
The decision had been made from the start.
Even if I returned alone, I would search for Didier again. And then, I would bind him to my side with my greed.
‘It’s just a matter of time…’
Yes, it would have happened anyway.
I was just hastening it. From now on, I had to stay vigilant and protect Didier. I had to shield him from attacks so he wouldn’t get hurt by my side. Perhaps he’d be safer by my side.
My hand was already holding his, but I gripped it again firmly.
“It will be a tough path for you. It’s a place full of rigid people… but I’ll protect you.”
“Yes, Lady Erica.”
I felt like he gave me all his faith. His warmth melted me until no trace of me remained. Even if I suffocated in the family, now…
‘Now I can breathe even there.’
No matter what I did for Didier, this proposal was no different from dragging a peaceful person into a battlefield. Feelings of regret and pity mixed together.
If it weren’t me, he could have met someone better. Someone truly meant for him. Did I have the right to hold onto him with my greed?
“I’m really okay, Lady Erica. Don’t worry too much.”
He seemed to interpret my guilt as concern for him. The feeling was similar, but the essence was entirely different.
My insides were rotting with darkness. But I didn’t regret it. If I were going to regret it, I wouldn’t have proposed it in the first place.
Yes, I didn’t regret it. So, as long as he was by my side, I would do my very best. This was the only chance to lighten the heavy burden I’d built for him with my selfishness.
I took a deep breath and held his hand tightly. What was done was done, and now I had to do my utmost. For him, and for myself.
“I’ll treat you really well, Didier.”
Truly.
Didier smiled with a radiance brighter than sunlight. I felt like my own personal sun had risen.
***
Yesterday, we talked about the contractual marriage, ate dinner, and then I fell asleep before Didier… but when I woke up, I found him holding my hand, sitting on a chair and sleeping uncomfortably, half-asleep.
‘Why is he sleeping like this?’
Feeling sorry, I placed my hand on his head. His hair was soft, slipping through my fingers. Didier didn’t stir despite my touch, lost in deep sleep. I didn’t know what kind of smile formed on my lips as I watched him. I only knew I was smiling.
‘He looks so tired.’
Then, I’d let Didier rest and…
It was time to move.
I couldn’t stay idle under the pretext of recovery. When I returned to the family, there would be a hunting competition and meetings between families. I couldn’t show slow movements at such events. Before, I showed perfection for the family’s sake, but now it was different. I just wanted to avoid their displeasure.
‘Especially since the other families will know about the birth of the Alpha.’
Even if I left the family through a contractual marriage with Didier, I had to maintain my dignity until then. That way, no one would dare disrespect me after the marriage.
I lifted my hand from Didier’s head and got out of bed. The pain wasn’t as bad as yesterday; it had lessened significantly. I was recovering at a strangely fast rate, but it wasn’t surprising. It seemed my body knew I was fighting to survive.
I carefully placed Didier on the bed, then stood up. The pain in my ankle was still there, but it didn’t stop me from walking steadily. Of course, running or jumping would be difficult.
“It’s time to return.”
Only three days left. I didn’t know the exact location of this place, so we needed to start before it got too late. Perhaps my companions, found by Kob, were close by now. The distance wasn’t far, as he said.
While I was thinking, noisy sounds began to seep from outside the cabin, where only the gentle sound of the wind had been.
I didn’t expect to be happy about this commotion. The noise was a sign of my companions’ arrival. The sounds outside the cabin grew louder. I quickly moved toward the door.
I worried that the noise might wake Didier, but in truth, I missed seeing my companions, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.
Before I could open the door, the cabin door swung open suddenly. I saw Mary with teary eyes, Arin sighing in relief, and Riel offering a prayer of thanks to the Ruler in that cramped space. Above Riel’s head, Kob was flapping his wings excitedly upon seeing me.
“Did you worry a lot?”
I smiled awkwardly as I greeted them, feeling sorry.
“Is that even a question? Do you know how much I worried about you, my lady?”
Mary couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
“…Thank the Ruler, truly.”
Riel closed his eyes, then checked my condition.
“I knew you weren’t one to die easily, but my heart nearly stopped. We searched under the cliff and couldn’t find you—how terrifying that was.”
Arin finally smiled as he saw me.
Their words were filled with worry and relief, as if they had compressed all their emotions into a single sentence.
“I’m fine now. Don’t worry too much. I wasn’t seriously injured.”
They looked at me skeptically, but when they saw me standing steadily, they nodded reluctantly. Of course, Mary was ready to strip my clothes to check me. She was serious, so I needed to change the subject.
“By the way, did you complete the mission?”
Their three faces darkened. Did they fail to deliver the offering to Pyrotus’s nest? No, not Riel and Arin. They were the ones who carried out missions no matter what. They hadn’t expected me to fall off a cliff, but…
“You’re too harsh, my lady…!”
Mary cried harder, carefully holding my arm.
“Right now, your body is more important than delivering the offering! How could we think about the offering when we didn’t know if you were alive or dead?”
“Mary, I understand how you feel, but delivering the offering is more important than my life.”
“…That’s too harsh, really.”
Even if there was no one to take the offering, and even if there was no way to confirm it was delivered, abandoning a long-standing tradition because of my incident wasn’t a good option.
Moreover, this offering carried the wishes of the people who trusted the Guinevere family and lived on this land.
So, my gaze instinctively turned to Riel. In my absence, he was the group’s leader. He made quick decisions in crises and prioritized the mission above all.
“Yes, we placed it in the usual spot.”
“No strange reactions?”
“You know, as always, the offering stays there untouched.”
As Riel said, no matter how many offerings we presented, the rituals were meaningless if no one took them.
Pyrotus’s nest was filled with accumulated offerings. It seemed its owner had left long ago. Yet we continued to present the offerings despite that.
