~Chapter 81~
“…Prince Leonie?”
The man, half-hidden in the shadows, stepped forward.
His golden hair, slicked neatly back with no stray strands, gleamed under the light.
“We’ve met once before, Duchess.”
Unlike Leonard, he spoke formally even though he was royalty. But his voice was stiff and filled with cold sarcasm.
‘Why is he even here?’
The Imperial Academy was on imperial land, but it was still separate from the royal palace. Royals almost never came here in person.
That was why Damien and I agreed to the judges’ request so easily, thinking it was just about interpreting my painting more thoroughly.
“Ah… yes. It’s good to see you again.”
This was in the middle passage that led to the Academy’s main gate, where I was supposed to meet Damien.
‘Strange. There’s no guard or escort here.’
It meant his attendants were waiting somewhere else nearby. Which meant he hadn’t come by chance—he had come to talk to me specifically.
‘What exactly does he want?’
Whatever it was, I didn’t want to get more entangled with the imperial family.
I decided to politely refuse whatever offer he might bring.
“Well then, I’ll be going now. My husband is waiting for me.”
“Wait.”
Leonie blocked my path. His cold green eyes looked down at me.
For the first time, I realized even such a warm color could look icy.
“Just a moment. I wish to speak with you privately.”
“…Privately is not possible. I’ll call my husband. If the three of us talk—”
“That won’t do.”
His dry, flat voice cut me off.
“It must be the two of us alone.”
My eyes grew cold. If he insisted this much, it had to be a shady offer.
And for Leonie, known for never bowing to anyone, to lower himself this way—he must be desperate.
“I refuse.”
I stepped past his arm blocking my way.
“You appear without warning and stop me like this, while my husband waits outside in this weather. What should I tell him?”
But Leonie didn’t back down.
“Duchess, it will only take a moment. You can tell the Duke afterward.”
“My answer is the same.”
I slipped past his arm and walked on.
We already had a deal with the imperial family: if we attended the victory banquet, we would not be summoned again.
This offer wasn’t worth accepting.
“Duchess.”
Leonie’s urgent voice stopped me in my tracks.
“This matter is related to the Duke.”
My eyes widened. I had no choice but to stop.
Slowly, I turned back and asked in a low voice,
“Are you threatening me?”
Leonie looked into my face. I couldn’t tell if he read my anger, or if he had never meant to threaten me in the first place.
He shook his head.
“No. It’s a request.”
‘A request? Then show the attitude of someone making a request.’
At this point, I decided to turn this around—like I once did with Leonard.
“…Fine. Let’s hear what you call a request.”
I turned and quietly called from under my skirts.
“Ruhi.”
At my whisper, Ruhi peeked his head out from the folds of my dress.
“Go to Dad and tell him I’ll be late. If you can, tell him about this too. I’ll give you a pencil.”
With his tiny hand, Ruhi grabbed the stubby pencil I offered.
[Ru-hi (That’s not Dad).]
“Hey, I’m your mom, so Damien is your dad.”
[Ruhi (Still not true).]
“Fine, fine. Just tell Damien, okay?”
I soothed Ruhi and tried to send him off—
“Duchess.”
Leonie’s voice called me again.
“What are you doing, turning away like that?”
His face, so dry before, now brimmed with suspicion.
Of course, to him it must have looked like I was muttering nonsense to myself.
“Ah, nothing at all.”
I turned back to him calmly, and at that moment Ruhi slipped away under my skirts.
“Where should we go?” I asked.
“Follow me.”
I glanced once at Ruhi’s little back as he bounced away with the pencil, then followed Leonie.
‘She’s late.’
Damien leaned against the Academy wall, waiting.
The judges must have had so many questions for Ruby.
‘But four hours? That’s too much.’
At that rate, both sides should have collapsed from exhaustion.
She went in at 2 p.m., and now the sun was already setting.
‘Ah.’
He felt Ruby’s presence drawing closer.
At last.
But suddenly—her presence stopped.
And then… it moved away from him.
Damien straightened, sensing something wrong. His sharp gaze scanned the dark hallway of the Academy.
‘Something happened.’
Just then, a familiar figure bounced toward him.
[Ruhi! Ruhi! Ruhi!!]
The noisy little curse that Ruby loved so much.
[Ru-hi!]
Ruhi spat out the stubby pencil from his mouth at Damien’s feet.
‘Ruby’s pencil…’
Then he began scribbling on the ground with it.
The drawing showed a man with square glasses, dragging away a big-eyed woman like from a romance comic.
The glasses told Damien everything.
“…Do you know his name?”
Ruhi scribbled clumsily:
[레, 오] (Le, O)
“You can just say it. I don’t mind hearing you.”
Ruhi glared at him, then muttered,
“Ruby called him Leonie.”
“Blond, with square glasses?”
“Yeah. Handsome, but mean-looking.”
“That’s him.”
Damien stood, stretching to full height.
He turned to his servants by the carriage.
“I’ll be late. About an hour. Wait here.”
“Master, shall we—”
“Not yet. Just wait.”
With Ruhi jumping onto his shoulder, Damien walked into the dark halls of the Academy.
“So. What do you want from me?”
Leonie had brought me to a royal residence through a hidden passage connected to the Academy.
The room was beautifully decorated, the tea set elegant—but I only thought of Damien waiting outside.
I wanted to finish quickly.
Leonie gazed into his teacup, then finally spoke.
“…I heard the Blue Moon has risen.”
My hand paused on the cup.
‘As expected… he even knows that?’
But I still couldn’t guess why he brought it up.
“The Blue Moon means you are preparing the second ritual of the soul contract, correct?”
His green eyes behind his glasses pierced me.
“What I want is simple: for the Duchess to complete the second ritual, and the third as well. I want you to form a complete soul contract with the Duke.”
I stared at him, trying to see through his intention—but nothing showed.
‘He wants me to finish the soul contract?’
I had thought he would ask me to support him in becoming crown prince.
But instead—this.
‘I planned to complete the soul contract anyway.’
Because that would help Damien.
“It shouldn’t be difficult, should it? You already seem willing to continue the contract.”
Yes. I wanted Damien, who loved curses yet suffered from them, to finally find peace.
“If you complete it, I will even reward you. Whatever you wish.”
His offer actually matched what I had already decided for myself.
“Anything you desire.”
He leaned in slightly.
“So. That’s my request. What do you think?”
I raised my head slowly.
And answered,
“I refuse.”
For the first time, Leonie’s cold face showed deep shock.
