BVAL 09

Chapter 09

The Peach You Can’t Eat

“What did you say?”

So… that’s why he tried to catch me?

Now that I think about it, it was strange that he reached out his hand in front of so many people.

I thought he’d just secretly shaved off a bit of my lifespan without me noticing—but turns out, the curse doesn’t work at all if he’s wearing gloves…

I got played…

In <The Contract Saintess>, the details about the Admiral’s curse weren’t explained that thoroughly.

That scene only existed to show that Anael, the saintess, loved Friedrich enough to pretend she didn’t notice his underhanded scheme—and at the same time, that she was kind enough not to expose the Admiral’s secret.

So the curse was only mentioned briefly, and my memory of it was just as vague.

While I stood there looking stunned, Zipfel spouted nonsense to the Admiral.

“But Admiral, it’s possible she came without precise information and just got caught.”

At that moment, irritation overpowered fear.

“Do I look that stupid? If I were a spy, I would’ve already figured out that you grab people freely when you’re wearing gloves! And why would a Duke’s daughter be spying in the first place?! Ow, damn it—are you not moving that away?!”

The dagger didn’t budge. I glared at the Admiral with eyes full of resentment.

He narrowed his eyes and muttered,

“A troublesome situation—neither killing nor sparing her feels clean.”

“If I die like this, do you think my fa—father will just sit still?”

Even if he thought I was a failure as a child, he wouldn’t consider my death in a foreign land acceptable.

At the very least, for the sake of reputation, he wouldn’t ignore it.

But the man holding a blade to my throat seemed to think differently.

“It wouldn’t be difficult to disguise it as an endemic disease or an accident. I recommend leaving no loose ends.”

This bastard.

At this point, there was only one option left.

I clenched my teeth and shouted,

“Spare me! I’ll make sure no men or women can get close to you!”

My voice echoed through the vast residence.

No one reacted immediately—but their gazes sharpened.

“…Prevent both men and women from approaching me, is that it?”

Eyes as deep as the ocean pierced through me.

Instinctively, I knew I couldn’t miss this chance.

“No matter how much—ha—no matter how much you say the curse doesn’t work when you’re wearing gloves!”

Knowing this stuff just makes it worse—thinking about how I got tricked still makes my teeth grind.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

“You still pretended to have germaphobia because you were worried that if people got close, the curse might be exposed, didn’t you?”

This was confirmed in the original story. No doubt about it.

“And?”

The Admiral stared at me, clearly telling me to get to the point.

I took a breath, recalling my first presentation in front of executives as a rookie employee.

“The excuse of germaphobia isn’t perfect.”

Looks like I got his interest.

At his signal, Zipfel lowered the dagger about a hand’s width from my neck.

“Germaphobia is, after all, a psychological issue. And things you can’t see tend to be dismissed more easily.”

I looked into his eyes as I spoke, then glanced down at his hand.

On the surface, there was nothing wrong with it—if anything, it was aesthetically beautiful.

“…Not something I can just demonstrate openly.”

The Admiral muttered as if to himself, then removed the white gloves he’d been wearing the whole time and stretched his arm over the black marble table.

A classic silver vase sat on the table.

Crack—

The moment his fingertips touched it, the bright red hydrangeas in the vase lost their vitality and withered instantly.

After pulling his hand back and putting his gloves on again, his face remained completely expressionless.

For some reason, my chest felt tight. I coughed awkwardly and spoke with forced energy.

“Ahem—of course, it’s rare to find someone bold enough to openly ignore you, Admiral.”

Anyone who didn’t want to die, that is.

If Anael’s popularity in the capital was like that of a rising superstar, then in the South, the Admiral’s status was practically that of a living legend.

“But precisely because it’s you, the opposite can also be true.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like a peach you can’t eat—people still want to poke it.”

The Admiral’s eyes turned icy, but after being trained by dealing with Mihail, I could handle that much easily.

“Are you mocking me right now?”

“Please take the metaphor as just a metaphor. Objectively speaking, you are one of the most desirable bachelors in the Empire.”

According to what Maribel and Louisa told me, there were plenty of women who asked him for dances and tried to strike up conversations.

“Besides, everyone in the South already knows about your germaphobia. Which also means—even if they get rejected, they don’t really lose anything.”

Some might criticize them as rude, but at least no one would say they were rejected because they lacked charm.

“And from their perspective, it’s not like there’s zero hope. After all, you’re a man who values justice above etiquette.”

“And how exactly is that an excuse?”

His voice carried a deep fatigue. Looks like he’s dealt with this quite a lot.

But I had no intention of sympathizing.

“Even today, you prioritized saving me over your germaphobia, didn’t you?”

Once you break your own rule, others start treating it lightly too.

“…That was an unavoidable situation. I have never made exceptions in private matters.”

His tone was cold, his gaze unwavering.

But I just shrugged.

“For some people, it doesn’t matter whether it’s public or private—what matters is that exceptions exist.”

I could already think of at least five cliché scenarios.

“‘By chance,’ a lady collapses from anemia in an empty hallway. Won’t you catch her?”

“I’d prevent a concussion. That’s all.”

“A maid sprains her ankle badly at night and collapses on the stairs. Won’t you support her?”

“I’d take her to a doctor. Nothing more.”

“But there will still be plenty of people willing to try.”

“…Damn it.”

Judging by his expression, he’s already experienced this plenty.

Only now does he seem to realize the grand schemes of those pitiful ladies.

“You’re more naïve than you look, Admiral…”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I genuinely feel sorry for you.”

He glared sharply at me, but it wasn’t as frightening as before.

At least the killing intent that had once strangled my throat was gone.

Watching him rub his face, I continued,

“In any case, there are far more people than you think who will stop at nothing to satisfy their desires.”

“….”

“That’s how it’s always been—and how it always will be.”

Ironclad heart, but a body with exceptions? No wonder that trope exists.

Of course, I had zero intention of testing that myself.

Just look at those withered flowers. I’m not about to flirt and end up as a dried corpse in a horror scene.

Anyway.

The Admiral stared at me with sunken eyes, and I spoke under his gaze.

“The key to approaching you is your ‘sense of justice.’”

By the way, that bronze door had remained tightly shut for quite some time now.

At this point, Mihail should have arrived already…

“Even though you’ve essentially ‘detained’ an innocent me here, ‘threatened’ me, and even had your subordinate issue a ‘death threat.’”

The Admiral flinched ever so slightly after taking three consecutive hits of moral pressure.

But that was all.

His blue eyes still held suspicion and caution.

“It’s true that you’ve said something useful, but that’s not enough for me to trust you.”

“Then don’t.”

This was my first time in the South. A high-ranking noble’s daughter knowing about the curse—it would be suspicious.

I used the Sea God as an excuse, but in truth, I knew best that it was just exaggeration based on catching fish well.

So none of what I said was meant to earn trust.

“Just don’t kill me.”

That was the real point.

“It would be a waste to kill someone as valuable as me.”

As long as the Emperor remained wary of the Admiral and sought to weaken his power, someone like me—who came from the capital—would always be under suspicion.

“Everyone values their own life.”

Yeah, I was wondering why he’d been listening quietly.

I lightly brushed my stinging neck and turned around.

A man with ash-gray hair and dark skin stared at me sharply, as if asking what trick I was trying to pull.

“So you are a man.”

“If you’re trying to change the subject with nonsense—”

“Doesn’t seem like same-sex relationships are common in the Hesen Empire.”