Chapter 29
“Ah, right. The engagement contract.”
He suddenly remembered the reason he came. He wanted to quickly show the document to Damia, even though it was late today.
‘Maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but it’s good I came. If I hadn’t, it could have been serious.’
Even if he had missed today, he would have found a way to get Damia back. The Sarkis family’s influence and information network was as strong as the royal family.
But if he hadn’t come, Damia would have spent hours, maybe even minutes, trembling in fear. Just imagining that made his heart drop.
‘I need to change some clauses.’
Kasian took a long envelope from his pocket. It wasn’t the family seal, but it had his own official mark as the young Sarkis viscount. It was the most official document a boy his age could give.
Kasian sat down at the old desk. The chair was cold and hard, waking him up completely.
‘Hmm…’
He opened the engagement contract and took a quill. There were a few parts that needed correcting. The current contract was already favorable to Damia, but Kasian wanted to guarantee her a little more.
The girl was smart and brave, even in difficult conditions. Damia needed a real adult to protect her, not just the powerless Viscount Ponti. Kasian was ready to take that role.
He had enough money, honor, and power to last many lifetimes.
‘I really think of Damia like a little sister.’
Kasian didn’t actually have a sister, so he wasn’t entirely sure what that meant.
‘Even if that’s not the reason… the contract is necessary.’
He had to set boundaries so Damia, who had a big crush on him, wouldn’t misunderstand his feelings as romantic love. It was a clumsy conclusion for a fifteen-year-old boy.
(Temporary) Engagement Contract
Even though he wrote it, the word “temporary” felt odd. Kasian himself had stressed that their engagement was temporary and not real.
[Kasian Sarkis (hereafter “Kasian”) and Damia Ponti (hereafter “Damia”) agree to the following temporary engagement terms:]
He had learned administration from the Duchess and the steward, but writing an official document himself still felt awkward. Especially a “temporary engagement contract.” Before meeting Damia, he would never have imagined such a document.
This temporary engagement lasts until Damia becomes an adult.
Kasian will protect Damia from forced marriage or being moved before she becomes an adult.
Damia will actively help Kasian’s illness with a “treatment” (or “contact” if treatment is impossible in urgent situations).
The incident when his stopped heart reacted when he held Damia’s hand was still shocking. That’s why he had already written this contract before leaving the viscount’s house today. He added the word “contact” next to “treatment.”
3. Damia will actively help Kasian’s illness with a “treatment” (or “contact,” only in rare unavoidable cases if treatment is impossible).
Kasian smiled, satisfied with the restriction. Damia liked him too much; he didn’t want her touching him constantly. He couldn’t risk becoming too attached to her.
3-1. “Contact” is limited to normal, light gestures like holding hands or linking arms in public.
He hesitated, then added details. He remembered finding Damia crying in the forest—her warm forehead, tears soaking his chest, the cute little sniffle of her nose. Such restrictions were needed.
‘What am I thinking…?’
His red eyes trembled as he touched his forehead.
Kasian and Damia will not interfere in each other’s private lives, including all romantic relationships outside this temporary engagement.
This was essential. Damia promised not to interfere in Kasian’s romantic life, but she liked him so much that she could easily break a promise. Maintaining life was already hard; he couldn’t calm a jealous fiancée too. This clause also protected Damia, so she wouldn’t have to be tied only to Kasian.
If Kasian dies during the contract, the temporary engagement ends automatically.
He couldn’t make a young girl live bound to a dead fiancé. The contract also stated that Damia would receive financial support, education, or remarriage assistance even if the engagement ended.
If Kasian survives past the contract, they will amicably end the engagement by mutual agreement.
A sweet thought, even if unlikely. But he wondered, if he really lived long, should the engagement end? He thought of her tearful purple eyes, warm forehead, and reddened nose. He wanted to prevent her from ever crying again.
‘No. I must not be tempted.’
Even if he cared for Damia, it was only because he thought of her as a little sister. Marrying her out of vague feelings would only hurt her.
During the temporary engagement, Kasian guarantees the following to Damia:
Many protections followed. As Kasian flipped through nearly thirty pages, he smiled, wondering if it was too much. But it was necessary; without a contract, Damia might misinterpret his feelings romantically.
Kasian will prioritize Damia’s life and safety above all during the temporary engagement.
He remembered her trembling hands and moist eyes. He gripped the quill tightly. He didn’t want to see that scared face again.
Suddenly, he heard measured footsteps from afar. Kasian quickly hid the contract.
“Young Viscount!”
Someone at the door called in a lowered voice.
“Come in.”
Two knights stepped in, looking around the humble room with wide eyes.
“Is this really a noble house? It looks older than the home I lived in before becoming a knight. Weren’t you commoners?”
“Are you insulting my fiancée’s family?”
“Of course not! The Viscount is stubborn about cleanliness yet sleeps here anyway.”
“Enough talk. Did the steward find it?”
The knights immediately became serious and straightened up.
“We… found it. But someone had already acted on it. The body was already stiff when we arrived.”
Kasian chuckled lightly.
“We tracked them immediately, but couldn’t find the culprit. Sorry.”
It was cruel information for a fifteen-year-old, yet the knights reported it calmly, treating Kasian like a future lord rather than a boy.
“But the body looked strange.”
“Why?”
“It seemed like it was killed by something non-human.”
Kasian’s hand froze on the desk. He suddenly remembered Damia had said the driver and he looked alike.
If you want, I can also make an even shorter, very simplified version suitable for kids or quick reading, keeping only the main points and feelings. Do you want me to do that?
