Chapter 22
“First, if you accept me as an official client, I’ll tell you the details of my request.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable demand. Everyone of high status who hired Rizzelo followed this method.
First, you submit a foed that the request was impossible to fulfill, he could refuse it.
However, any information he had already heard could not be revealed to anyone. That was the contract known as a “formal request.”
“Why do I have to go through this hassle with a saint?”
“If you accept me as a formal client, I’ll overlook the fact that you’re Ray Monahan.”
Rizzelo’s eyes flickered.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m proposing a deal.”
The identity of Ray Monahan must have been a mask Rizzelo had carefully crafted.
Too valuable to discard easily.
Rizzelo stared at me intently. The longer the silence, the drier my mouth became.
After a few seconds, he finally spoke.
“Fine. Let’s hear it.”
Got it.
If he just listened to the request, Rizzelo wouldn’t be able to refuse.
“Before that, wait a moment.”
Rizzelo lightly waved his hand in the air.
In an instant, I felt an unusual stillness around us.
“From now on, passersby will barely perceive our presence. Almost not at all. Speak freely.”
“…Thank you.”
I hid my surprise as I responded.
A magic that could reduce one’s presence… as expected of a magician who made a fortune from all sorts of bizarre magical items. Truly unique.
“Please tell me how to block sexual energy.”
“What did you say?”
Rizzelo’s eyes widened.
I slowly recited the script I had prepared, without hesitation.
“As I mentioned, my divine power is foresight. Are you familiar with it? The agony of seeing someone’s future even when you don’t want to.”
“……”
“When I go to crowded areas, countless visions of the future overwhelm me. My ability isn’t strong enough yet to filter them. I am just drowned in a flood of information, and it’s painful.”
A pile of unfiltered information is useless.
Rizzelo, as a researcher, would know this better than anyone.
Even I thought it was a plausible excuse.
“Of course, I’m not asking to completely erase sexual energy. Just if it were possible to block it for a few seconds when I’m too exhausted… if I could do that, I’d feel relief.”
Rizzelo remained silent for a while.
A few seconds later, he asked an unexpected question.
“Does your fiancé know that you’re struggling with this?”
‘Fiancé? Here?’
I was startled by the sudden mention of my fake husband.
‘No. He must not know.’
If he learned I met Rizzelo in secret despite the warning, there would be no letting me off this time.
I met Rizzelo’s sharp question with a faint smile.
“He doesn’t know. I didn’t want to worry him.”
“Hm. Isn’t a married couple supposed to share both joys and sorrows?”
Rizzelo’s faint smile lingered as he spoke.
“Ah, well, you’re not truly married yet anyway.”
There was something off about his tone.
It seemed as if he was hinting that we might never truly become a couple.
“Being engaged is practically the same as being married.”
I smiled brightly. I was very sensitive about this issue. Of course—I had a ten-million-Mars contract!
“Shall we return to the matter of the request? I’d like it done within ten days.”
I cleared my throat. A signal to stop wasting time and get to the point.
Fortunately, Rizzelo didn’t stray from the topic further.
“Blocking sexual energy, huh. Ten days is tight… but it’s an interesting request.”
I scoffed inwardly. “Interesting”? That’s an understatement. He would be extremely intrigued.
Researching sexual energy had long been one of his interests.
In fact, in the original story, he successfully invented a method to block sexual energy.
‘Though it was too restricted to be of much use.’
Anyway, Rizzelo had clearly succeeded. That was exactly why I sought him out.
“Very well.”
Finally, Rizzelo nodded.
“I’ll take the request.”
“Thank you for accepting. How much would you like as a fee?”
“Forget money.”
I widened my eyes at his words.
The Rizzelo from the original story, who loved money more than anything, refusing payment?
“I’d like your help whenever I want it, instead.”
He whispered in a darkly low voice.
‘…What scheme is this?’
I narrowed my eyes. He expected me to provide help whenever he demanded it? What a painfully unfair contract.
“No. I’ll pay in money. How about five hundred thousand Mars?”
I cut straight to the point. Rizzelo licked his lips as if reluctant.
“…Hm. Very well.”
Finally, Rizzelo nodded.
He had the nature of a crow hunting for shiny things—utterly obsessed with money. He wouldn’t refuse such a large sum.
‘It’s a huge expense for me, but… I can accept it.’
I had to, really. As long as I could safely pass the saint appointment ceremony.
“Deal, then.”
I extended my right hand to Rizzelo.
As we shook hands, he whispered secretly.
“Do you agree to formally enter a contract with me?”
“I agree.”
The moment I answered, a blue flame rose over our clasped hands.
A contract magic.
Its effect was similar to the unbreakable contract stone I had with Ian.
I paid the fee honestly, Rizzelo would fulfill the request, and neither of us would reveal the details. Breaking it would have severe penalties—likely soul damage, just like with a contract stone.
“Very well.”
Rizzelo smiled, satisfied.
“You are now an official client. I’ll fulfill the request with utmost dedication.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
In the empty corridor, the secret deal was concluded.
After my tea time with Cordelia and the negotiation with Rizzelo, I felt utterly drained.
‘From the afternoon, I’ll just lie down and rest.’
The satisfaction of having finalized the deal with Rizzelo made me feel slightly relaxed.
He wouldn’t fail. He would definitely meet the deadline.
That was my faith as someone familiar with his character from the original story.
Speaking of the original story, it was a bit disappointing that I hadn’t seen Rizzelo’s true face.
He always wore a mask when not disguised as Ray Monahan, but under it, the original heroine had described him as very handsome.
Well, I already saw plenty of handsome faces daily, so it wasn’t a serious disappointment. Eye candy can be too much anyway.
‘Maybe I’ll take a bath first.’
Thinking that, I opened the door to my familiar space, feeling the comfort of being home.
Just as I was about to open the bedroom door lazily…
“Are you coming now?”
“Ahhh!”
A voice that shouldn’t have been there made me startle.
I turned toward the sound and saw Ian seated on the living room sofa, watching me.
“Why are you so surprised? Do you feel guilty about something?”
“Guilty? What are you talking about?”
I laughed as if it was a trivial joke.
‘Oh no… he didn’t see anything, right?’
Joan and Anette were waiting outside the mansion. No one else could have seen me meet Rizzelo.
I forced myself to remain calm and faced Ian with a confident expression.
“Entering a lady’s quarters without notice is impolite.”
“Between us?”
‘Between us… what?’
…Well, we were engaged. One of the hottest scandalous couples in the Lehart Empire.
With nothing to say, I looked away.
Ian rose from the sofa and strode toward me.
‘Keep distance… keep distance…’
I swallowed my unease and tried to back away.
But I hit the wall, so my efforts to maintain distance failed.
Since I had definitely done something wrong, facing Ian was uncomfortable.
“I apologize for coming suddenly, but I heard some unpleasant news.”
“Eh…?”
I looked up at him, wondering what he meant.
A faintly crooked smile appeared on his face.
“I heard rumors that you met a strange man alone.”
‘No… way.’
There was definitely no one at the place I met Rizzelo.
Even if there had been, he would have noticed and blocked the view first.
Plus, he had used magic!
I racked my brain desperately, when Ian’s voice continued.
“Adan Odello, I believe.”
The unexpected name made me perk up.
“So you met him on the terrace for a while, I hear.”
‘Ah… that’s what they mean.’
I exhaled in relief. Thankfully, he hadn’t discovered anything about Rizzelo.
“I didn’t talk much with Adan. Nothing important.”
I didn’t want to explain the necklace incident or the forced sale. Ian probably didn’t want to hear it either.
I tried to brush it off, and Ian gave a faintly mysterious smile.
“Adan Odello. Last year’s ‘Lehart’s Flower’ male winner, I hear from Lucian.”
‘Lehart’s Flower?’
I remembered—oh, yes. ‘Lehart’s Flower’ was an annual contest selecting the most beautiful men and women in the empire.
The original male lead accidentally participated and won.
“…Really?”
I recalled Adan’s face again.
He was indeed handsome, but… not enough to win such a contest.
I found myself glancing at Ian.
‘He probably didn’t enter, huh.’
Of course he didn’t.
I nodded, satisfied with my own reasoning.
“Fair enough.”
“You seem to prefer the pretty type, madam.”
I looked at Ian, puzzled by his remark.
He still had that subtle smile as he regarded me.
“I only spoke with Adan for a few minutes. That’s all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There’s no need for long explanations. Really, nothing happened.”
“Hm.”
Ian raised the corner of his lips smoothly.
“No double-dealing, madam.”
‘Huh?’
I froze at the absurdity.
“Me? Double-dealing with Adan?”
I laughed quietly. There’s no way I would betray someone with a ten-million-Mars marriage contract.
“Don’t worry. I don’t see him as a man like that. My type is taller, broader, and…”
There he was, standing as the perfect example.
“You have to be at least like you, Ian.”
Ian subtly raised one eyebrow.
“Too tall, perhaps?”
