With hair as beautiful as silk and intense red eyes that glimmer like rubies, her sharp features were enough to confirm she was undeniably a beauty.
‘..This is unbelievable.’
Is this what happens in a romance fantasy novel? How could a woman possess such looks? Of course, it’s not like I have any room to talk.
But she wasn’t just beautiful. The dark circles under her eyes and her lifeless, half-dead gaze exuded a decadent aura.
Her condition was poor enough to reveal just how much she had suffered. Not that it was any of my concern right now.
Even while I was lost in thought, she said nothing.
What the heck? What kind of thoughts could she possibly be having, standing in front of a duke without even offering a greeting? Feeling slightly annoyed, I opened my mouth.
“..What are you doing?”
“I apologize. It’s my first time meeting you, Duke Hardenberg.”
Her formal bow eased my irritation a bit.
Thinking back, I realized I was annoyed because I hadn’t received the greeting due to her status as the Countess Este.
Living in this world has clearly made me adapt to the social hierarchy. I let out a sigh, tinged with bitterness.
“Well, it’s fine. I wasn’t exactly planning to scold you, so don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you for your leniency.”
“So, what’s the matter?”
At the same moment, her red eyes widened slightly. Adele Este took a shaky breath, looking at me.
‘..Has she regressed?’
Just as described in the story. The slight pain in her expression as her eyes constricted.
I couldn’t tell how many times she had regressed, but judging by how tired she looked, it wouldn’t be a small number.
“I’ve come to request a transaction.”
“..A transaction.”
I tapped my fingers on the chair, slowly continuing.
“Miss Adele, do you know the meaning of ‘transaction’?”
“..I do.”
Of course, she would know. This certainly wasn’t the first time I had spoken such words.
“What is it?”
“It’s the exchange of something of equal value.”
Exactly what I wanted to say. Experiencing her regression powers this way is quite fascinating.
“Looks like we’re on the same page.”
After a brief pause, I continued.
“So, what does the Countess Este desire?”
“A contractual marriage for one year.”
“Hmm?”
It’s a classic plot development.
Originally, she would use information related to the imperial family to pull Duke Hardenberg to her side. However, for someone like me, who has read the original work, that information wouldn’t be very useful.
Adele in front of me likely knew this through countless regressions as well.
“Indeed. Do you wish to return to high society?”
“Yes.”
According to the original story, Adele couldn’t even attend high society events at this point. Unlike typical romance fantasy novels, in this desolate one, you can’t even enter high society without an invitation.
A novel riddled with unnecessary realism.
“Well then, what is it that you wish to exchange?”
“The trading rights of the Este family’s business.”
She took a deep breath and continued.
“Specifically, the exclusivity rights to the Este family’s business.”
..That’s correct.
The key reason Duke Hardenberg decided on a contractual marriage with Countess Este was precisely due to the Este family’s business.
The Este family’s enterprise holds about half of the empire’s market share. Naturally, if that were all, the original Abel wouldn’t have gone through with the contractual marriage just for the exclusivity rights.
After all, to others, he already stood shoulder to shoulder with the imperial family.
The simple reason Abel accepted the marriage was straightforward.
‘Since the Count Este is a military supplier.’
It’s a fact known only to the imperial family and Count Este. The fact that the Este family’s business deals with military supplies is a closely guarded secret.
Even Adele in front of me doesn’t know this crucial piece of information, highlighting just how important it is.
The original Abel accepted the marriage because he was aware of that information.
Of course, from the perspective of someone who despises the imperial family, there’s plenty of worth in this arrangement.
“How intriguing. A child holding a jewel without even realizing it.”
“..What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
I called out to Allen, who was standing outside.
“Allen.”
“Did you call for me?”
“Bring that here.”
I said as he entered through the door.
Allen quickly understood what I meant and pulled out a piece of paper from thin air using a simple spatial magic.
It was the contract.
After standing up from the chair, I sat down on the sofa across from Adele.
Allen placed the contract on the wooden table between us, flipping it over so she could read it.
“..You’re impressive.”
“Eh, it’s just a trivial little trick.”
“Is that so?”
Adele closed her eyes briefly, looking tired, before finally picking up the contract and starting to read it closely.
“As a side note, the contract is cursed. Breach it, and you’ll face the consequences.”
“You’re meticulous.”
“Take it as a compliment.”
After that, Adele focused on reading the contract’s contents, not saying another word. Feeling a bit bored, I turned to look at her.
If decadence could be expressed in a face, this would be it. Even stepping into the fantasy world, I felt there were just too many beautiful people here.
The funny part is that anyone unrealistically beautiful always plays an important role in the original narrative. Not just me, but Adele too— even those who were supposed to be the protagonists.
Every time I’m faced with such faces, I feel an odd sense of detachment from this world. My lack of reaction to her stunning beauty is likely part of that feeling.
While I was deep in thought, Adele directed a question my way.
“Can the contents of the contract be modified?”
“Of course. However, it would require mutual agreement.”
“..I see.”
After that, Adele continued to skim through the contract. Perhaps she didn’t find anything that required modification.
Of course, that made sense.
The contract I had drafted would mirror the one from the original story where Abel and Adele had reached an agreement.
Now that I think about it, my name and hers are remarkably similar, differing by just a single consonant. Was that something the original author intended?
“I’ll go with this.”
“Alright then. Infuse mana into the contract.”
“Understood.”
Soon, red smoke began to emanate from Adele’s hand before it absorbed into the contract. I also drew out my mana to inject it into the document.
The contract trembled momentarily due to the resistance of the mana before settling down. That was the sign that the agreement had been established.
“By the way, I haven’t seen Count Este in a while.”
“Is that right?”
“Could you pass a message for me?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him not to move recklessly.”
“..Understood.”
Adele nodded slightly, her expression serious.
“The engagement ceremony will be held a month from now. So, starting tomorrow, you should come to the duke’s residence.”
“What?”
Was my comment a bit sudden?
“If you’re going to be the duke’s wife, of course, you need the appropriate lessons.”
“What do you mean..?”
“I’m talking about bride training.”
At that, Adele looked at me in shock. For a moment, I held back laughter at her innocent expression that seemed so out of place on her ominous face.
Of course, that wasn’t the innocent reason behind it. The reason I wanted her in the duke’s household was to use her as leverage against Count Este.
The doting father, Count Este, wouldn’t dare reveal any information about me to the imperial family if I held his daughter as a hostage.
“Well then, off you go. I should be getting to bed soon.”
“..Understood.”
She quickly fixed her expression before following Allen out of the office.
‘Just like the original development.’
I’ve secured a long-term pawn in the form of a contractual marriage with Count Este. Not bad at all. Plus, Adele Este is the key that suits my goals.
And the thing to remember is my objective.
My goal is to obliterate the imperial family, the root cause of all the tragic developments to come. While the original Abel had limited information about the empire, I am different.
‘Of course, even considering that, it won’t be easy…’
What can I say? If I don’t want to roll over, there’s no other option but to give it a shot.
*
‘A dangerous person.’
Truly a dangerous person.
When my friend explained the original story, they said Abel was a significant mastermind with considerable intellect. Having faced him directly, I couldn’t agree more.
‘It’s not the regression that’s the issue.’
Regressing was something I had already resigned myself to. I’d already been kicked out by him numerous times in the past.
At least I’m grateful the save point was right before talking to the duke; otherwise, I might have lost my mind.
Originally, I had planned to finalize the contractual marriage by providing him with intelligence related to the imperial family. However, he showed absolutely no interest in that information.
After five regressions, I concluded that he likely already knew that information. It was highly probable that Abel acquired it due to the butterfly effect of my own actions.
That alone wouldn’t warrant such wariness.
‘That man.. he already knew I intended to use our marriage as leverage…’
He even predicted the card I was about to play. Every detail related to those intentions was written in the contract. He had done his homework on little old me, the villainess.
Considering he had even prepared the contract in advance, it’s clear he was putting me to the test. To see if I could suggest a deal according to the contents of that contract.
If I failed to propose as per the contract, he would have ruthlessly discarded me. It had happened before, after all.
‘..I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.’
I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned against the walls of the carriage. The bumpy ride reverberated through me, but I couldn’t find it in me to care, not when there were far more pressing concerns now.
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