IHRS 10

Chapter – 10

2. The Contract

“Please, have some.”

“…Thank you.”

Ascel took the teacup awkwardly. Steam rose from the freshly brewed tea.

We were sitting in the temple garden. To be precise, it was more like a neglected, overgrown graveyard of plants than a proper place to linger.

Aside from Seraphina’s room, there wasn’t any indoor space suitable for staying, so we had no choice.

It was here that I finally had a chance to talk privately with Ascel.

Having been raised as royalty, he had always been forced to live as a model for others.

For someone like him, my action of grabbing him by the collar out of impulse was unforgivable.

Feeling embarrassed in front of me, he would usually comply with my requests if they weren’t unreasonable. That was why we could have this private meeting.

Through this, I also learned the full story of what had happened.

“So you went to the Marquis’s estate?”

“Yes. I thought it better to rush to the scene as quickly as possible to prevent evidence from being destroyed.”

‘So, the person whose memories have returned is Gepetto, huh?’

Why did it have to be someone like him?

Even though his reputation had faded a bit in comparison to Laura’s notorious fame, Gepetto was still a rogue. Even if he spoke in my defense, no one would listen. Maybe if I beat him up and stirred public opinion, it would work.

Actually, I had asked Ludina for a spoiler—I wanted to know whose memories had fully returned.

But…

‘He kept spouting useless stuff about divine secrets and didn’t help at all.’

It was so unhelpful that I tuned out, and watching the situation now, it seemed unnecessary to know whose memories had returned anyway.

‘Whoever it is, it won’t help.’

“Which brings me to my question.”

For a long time, Ascel seemed to struggle with whether to speak. He kept his gaze in the distance, exhaling softly before finally asking:

“Were we… lovers?”

“And what do you think?” I asked.

“To be honest… I don’t think so.”

“Then we weren’t.”

It truly wasn’t.

To be precise, it was a one-sided relationship where I relied on him.

‘I melted because of his kindness.’

He had appeared in this world, lifted me up when I was lonely, comforted me with gentle indifference, and once everything ended, acted as if nothing had happened.

I had relied on his strength to get back on my feet. Since it was a one-sided reliance, it couldn’t be called a romantic relationship.

“I didn’t even know this place existed. And until you mentioned it, I hadn’t properly noticed Ludina, the deity here.”

Ascel’s eyes slowly scanned the surroundings, taking in the remnants of a once-thriving religion.

“Hiding here to buy yourself time would probably have been better, so why did you call me?”

“I wanted to make a proposal.”

I paused briefly, taking a breath.

I had done this before, two years ago.

I knew that every word and every breath carried meaning, so my tension grew.

“I know your wish.”

The wish that wasn’t clear when reading about it in print—Ascel’s true desire.

“When you were a child, the Empress went missing, correct? You want to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.”

When Ascel was young, the Empress had vanished from the palace.

Whether it was a kidnapping or voluntary disappearance was unclear. The Emperor had wanted to find her, but when evidence suggested she had attempted rebellion, the search was abandoned.

Even if the Empress were alive, he would have had to dethrone or execute her himself, and Ascel, as her child, would be branded a criminal.

However, making the Empress a “missing person” eliminated the need to prove her guilt or innocence. The Emperor had chosen the best option to protect Ascel.

Ascel’s desire to ascend to the throne wasn’t just for survival—it was also to find out the truth about his mother.

Once at the pinnacle of power, he could wield far more influence.

“I can help you, Your Majesty.”

In the original story, Ascel never finds his mother.

‘Everyone involved had died.’

The Marquis had become a monster and destroyed the palace, and the Empress had perished screaming.

But in this world, the Empress still lived. Though confined, there were still clues to follow.

“And what power do you have that could help me?”

“Oh, have you already forgotten who I am?”

Shirin and I had interacted for a long time. Laura’s affinity with me was high enough that I could summon her without a formal ritual.

A small bellbird appeared, generating a gentle wind around Ascel.

• “Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Were you looking for me? The ultra-genius, ultra-competent, super smart spirit Shirin has arrived! Ugh?!”

Sensing that Shirin might talk too much, I grabbed her beak.

“As you can see, I’m a spirit master. My familiar Shirin can collect all sounds within a 500-meter radius.”

• “I did some espionage too!”

Shirin added, clearly on point.

“Exactly. That’s how I got the confidential documents from the Marquis’s estate.”

“…Indeed.”

Ascel nodded again, looking at me.

“But there’s one more thing, right? That… dark thing…”

He must mean Acapilace.

“Acapilace can merge its body with shadows and move through them. It can track someone precisely. But I won’t be able to summon it for now. That day, I used a lot of energy to evacuate myself from the cave.”

“Seems weaker than I thought.”

In truth, I had been restraining the demonized Marquis alone, but I smiled lightly. For now, it was better for Ascel to see me as a manageable variable.

“Also, Princess Marien is currently in the palace, isn’t she?”

I helped Ascel make an easy decision.

“She’ll likely think she has a chance to intervene because your relationship with me seems loose.”

However…

“What if I, as your fiancée, tighten our bond? Then she won’t be able to do anything. Same goes for other ladies who might have similar intentions.”

Additionally…

“This would prevent the Grand Duke from interfering in the palace because there’s no lady in charge. You’ve always been wary of him.”

Does the protagonist have a sixth sense or something? Even before the side story began, Ascel consistently kept an eye on him.

“So, I ask you to use me as your tool.”

“….”

“And discard me when I’m no longer needed.”

After this, Ascel could place whoever he wanted beside him. He’d lose nothing.

“This is an extremely favorable arrangement for me. Why would you go this far?”

“The reason is obvious: I’m begging for my life.”

Ascel’s eyes narrowed as I whispered:

“Please… spare me.”

I meant it. Survival was more important than pride. As long as I stayed alive, I could always find opportunities.

From when I sent the confidential documents to the palace, this was the plan: to show that I could be useful, and buy time to remain as Ascel’s fiancée.

“There’s another concern. How can you guarantee that once all this ends, you’ll actually dissolve our engagement? You have more to gain by staying married to me, especially after being rejected by the Marquis.”

Perhaps, but…

“You’ll have to believe me. Because…”

A small figure waddled over just then. I bent down to pick it up.

“Mother!”

Seraphina clung to me, tugging at my clothes excitedly.

“As you can see, I’m like this.”

Ascel, watching the child in awe, finally found words, though with difficulty:

“You might… name me as this child’s father…”

“Out!”

Seraphina pointed at Ascel with authority.

“Daddy… out!”

“Yes. So you need not worry, right?”

Ascel stayed silent for a long while.

Ascel sat in his office.

His tightly closed lips and gaze fixed on the documents seemed focused on work, but his hands hadn’t moved for some time.

“Did your discussion not go well?”

Angel hadn’t been present when Ascel and I had spoken privately. She didn’t know what we had discussed, but seeing Ascel like this made her worry.

‘What nonsense did she say to cloud His Majesty’s mind this time?’

Laura had always been a troublemaker for Ascel, so Angel had good reason to dislike her visits.

“No, that’s not it.”

Fortunately, Ascel shook his head.

“On the contrary… she told me only good things.”

It was almost unbelievable—Laura had maintained her composure and even negotiated a deal with him.

To be honest, he was tempted. Laura’s abilities were useful to him.

…Maintaining engagement with her wasn’t difficult under the current circumstances.

But he wondered:

‘We’ve been engaged for four years now…’

He sensed a gap in his memories.

He wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but he deduced it had something to do with Laura.

And seeing the child she held looked two or three years old…

‘Could it really be that nothing happened between us?’

Were we just bound by coerced engagement and half-understanding?

Then…

‘Why does this child feel so familiar to me?’