Chapter 11
Before the sky turned completely dark, Cassian brought me home — my arms full of shopping bags he had stuffed into them.
No matter how I looked at it, this couldn’t be called “overtime work.” My conscience was screaming.
“Your High—”
“Your workday isn’t over yet, Rose.”
“…Ian, I do love my salary, but I don’t think I deserve it today.”
Just the things he’d handed me were worth a fortune.
We’d gone through every famous store in the capital.
Even stopped by a high-end dress shop — despite my obvious glare that said, why are we doing this?
“I just want to gift my wife something special. She’s so frugal that she keeps running away.”
That’s what he’d told the tailor, with the most natural expression in the world.
He ended up ordering several dresses — from evening gowns to day dresses.
When would I even have a reason to wear those?
“…I thought you’d like them.”
He looked genuinely disappointed at my reaction.
“But this isn’t work, it’s—”
“It was work, Rose. I wanted to see the famous shopping district of the capital with my own eyes.”
“You’re really good at making excuses.”
If that was really the goal, he could’ve said so from the start.
But somehow, it felt like that wasn’t the truth.
It seemed like he just wanted to see what I liked — what caught my attention.
Normally, when work got intense, Cassian would try to “compensate” me with extravagant meals or higher bonuses.
But today didn’t feel like that kind of day.
“Are you tired?”
“No, not at all.”
Honestly, after leaving the restaurant, I’d just… given up and enjoyed myself.
Shopping with someone else’s money — what’s not to love? Though, to be fair, it still felt kind of wrong.
“Then it wasn’t meaningless. I just…”
“…?”
“…wanted to give you something that wasn’t work.”
He’d already given me so much — my salary, my bonuses, good food, peace of mind — what more could there be?
While I was staring blankly, Cassian suddenly leaned in.
A soft peck brushed my right cheek before I could react.
“This is payback. For something from before.”
“…What?”
“Goodnight, Rose.”
Smiling in satisfaction, he disappeared into his carriage and left.
What on earth did he eat today?
Why was he acting so weird?
“…Payback for what?”
I stood there like an idiot, my hand pressed against my cheek, watching his carriage disappear toward the west — toward the gambling district we never went to.
“…You were supposed to take me there, Ian.”
Seriously. What was that man thinking?
***
After a weekend full of unanswered questions, I returned to Cassian’s office, determined to clear my head and get back to normal.
Cassian was there, as usual — relaxed in his shirt, flipping through reports with that calm, unreadable expression.
It was the same routine scene I’d seen hundreds of times. Annoying, yes. Comforting, too.
I sat down and began to report the day’s schedule.
“This morning, there are no special appointments. At 2 p.m., the Knights’ Division—”
“Before that, Rose.”
“Yes?”
He cut me off mid-sentence.
“Let’s get engaged.”
“…What?”
“I said, let’s get engaged.”
“…Did you meet someone? Should I schedule the announcement?”
I blinked, automatically reaching for my pen like a proper secretary.
Cassian? A lover? When?!
Had last weekend’s “date” been… practice?
Before my mind could wander too far, Cassian spoke again — this time, clearly.
“I don’t have a lover. I’m talking about you, Rose.”
“…Pardon?”
“I want you and me to be engaged.”
“……”
What kind of lightning strike was this?
I’d worked beside him for a year. I was supposed to understand how his mind worked by now.
But this — I had no idea.
“…Your Highness, just to be sure.”
“Mm.”
“You and I… aren’t in a relationship, right?”
Just in case, I needed to make sure I hadn’t accidentally agreed to something while half-asleep during paperwork.
“I almost want to lie just to see that expression on your face,” Cassian said lightly, smiling.
“…Thank goodness. For a second, I thought I’d overstepped and done something terribly rude.”
“Why would that be rude?”
He frowned faintly. “You think being my lover would be rude?”
I ignored that and sighed.
“Please explain, Your Highness.”
“I wanted to make your heart flutter a little, but I guess that failed.”
If that was the plan, he could’ve at least warned me.
My unimpressed stare must’ve gotten through, because he raised both hands in surrender.
“Fine, fine. You’re right. It’s a fake engagement.”
“…Why?”
“The Empress.”
Of course.
“She’s been ‘reflecting,’ but apparently she decided to contact the Kingdom on her own.”
“What?”
“She told their royal family that I’d make a perfect match for their precious princess.”
My eyes went wide.
So this was where the effects of my “story meddling” were showing up again.
In the original novel, that plotline didn’t happen until much later.
“She’s trying to form a royal marriage alliance. My brother already has a fiancée, and I don’t. Sure, there are other princes, but…”
The Third Prince was, what, sixteen?
And the Kingdom’s princess was older than Cassian.
“But I have zero intention of leaving the Empire.”
“…Wait. So that’s why you dragged me out last weekend? Was that rehearsal for this?”
“…Not exactly. But if thinking that makes you feel better, I’ll allow it.”
He looked oddly lonely for a second, which made me shake my head.
“Your Highness, you could have any number of other noble ladies as your fiancée.”
Even with the Empress’s interference, Cassian had built enough of a reputation that plenty of good families would have gladly offered their daughters.
“That would be rude to them. Since I’d have no real intention.”
“So you want a contract engagement?”
“Something like that.”
He smiled, clearly entertained.
“You don’t have feelings for me, and I don’t for you. Perfect, isn’t it?”
“…That’s one way to put it.”
He immediately began drafting a contract like it was a normal day at work.
I leaned over, skeptical.
Even if it was fake, being publicly engaged to Cassian meant I’d have to deal with so much gossip later.
I wasn’t against marriage in general, but I didn’t want to give my parents new reasons to worry either.
But before I could fully think it through, Cassian was already sliding the completed paper toward me.
“What do you think of these terms?”
***
[Proposed Contract Terms]
- 50 gold per official event attended as fiancée.
- All necessary items provided.
- 3x overtime pay for additional duties.
- No salary deduction during engagement duties performed on work hours.
My eyes widened.
This… was evil.
Temptation itself.
I shouldn’t agree. I really shouldn’t—
“Hmm, if that’s not enough…”
He added a few more lines before I could protest.
- 30 gold for each article mentioning the engagement.
- 100 gold bonus if my portrait appears publicly.
- Full severnce bonus upon contract termination.
Oh, come on.
I looked at him, half in disbelief, half in despair.
And instead of that smug, confident look I expected, Cassian looked… sincere.
“Is that still not enough?”
He sounded like he was pleading.
“Only you can help me, Rose.”
I almost preferred when he acted arrogant!
At least then, I could say no.
But this expression — that quiet, desperate look — it reminded me too much of the Cassian I once rooted for in my past life.
“I’ll make sure you’re not harmed when the contract ends. I’ll take full responsibility for everything.”
He even wrote that part into the contract before placing it in front of me.
“Please.”
Oh, for crying out loud.
I sighed deeply.
Fine. I’d save the man and make some money.
With this kind of bonus, I could pay off my debts five years early.
“…Fine. I’ll do it.”
I closed my eyes and signed.
A strong wave of déjà vu hit me — like I’d made this kind of mistake before.
Well, humans repeat their mistakes, don’t they?
Whether I’d sold my soul for money or fallen for Cassian’s ridiculous sincerity, I wasn’t sure.
When I handed the contract back, he took my left hand suddenly and smiled faintly.
“You look like someone who’s just been kidnapped.”
“That’s exactly what this is, Your Highness.”
“You mean this contract is my way of chaining you down?”
Before I could answer, he lifted my left hand slowly.
And somehow — I didn’t even see when — a ring was already on my finger.
A massive, sparkling diamond ring, beautifully crafted and obviously expensive.
“Of course, that’s yours too.”
He pressed a soft kiss to my ring finger and smiled warmly.
I couldn’t even smile back.
That ring alone had to be worth over a thousand gold.
“…Your Highness, who gives a ring that expensive for a fake engagement?”
