Chapter 14: 14

“I will enter the contract with you. The marriage contract that Your Grace wants to make.”

Adeline, who had made up her mind, faced Kael with firmer eyes than ever before.
The only way to rescue Leo without being controlled by the Crown Prince.
That was the way Kael held out his hand.

“In return, I have a condition.”

Adeline added firmly, and Kael, who had been staring at her the whole time, leaned slightly against the desk.

“Please rescue the Commander of the Fidel Knights, Leo Tien. He is being held by the Corrupted in the north.”
“…”
“You said you would make me your wife, by all means.”
“…”
“I’ll give you a chance now. Please save my brother by all means, as you said.”
“…”
“Then, I’ll become Grand Duchess Inver, as much as you want.”

The eyes of different colors faced each other for a long time, tensely.
It was Kael who broke the silence first.

“Are you going to accept the contract you refused so much because of one of your brothers?”
“Because that brother is too precious to me.”

Adeline did not hesitate the slightest and replied.

“When I see my brother coming back safe and sound with my own eyes, I’ll enter the contract right then.”

The most important thing was Leo’s safe return. Adeline clearly stated her condition.
Since she was overturning all the efforts she had made just to save his life, she couldn’t enter the contract until she confirmed his safety herself.

‘… His reaction is so strange.’

Adeline resolutely conveyed her intention, but Kael’s reaction to that was unexpected.
Even though she suddenly came to talk about entering the contract that she had refused all this time, Kael was just calm.
He wasn’t surprised by the situation, nor was he happy to have achieved what he wanted.

“I am curious about something.”

Kael, who was only looking at Adeline without saying a word, slowly opened his mouth.

“Why did you come to me without following His Highness’s will?”
“…”
“It’s an opportunity to get an even higher position without marrying me, as you wanted. And to save your brother, too.”

Adeline could immediately see why.

‘He knew the whole situation.’

Even though she didn’t explain what had happened, Kael knew everything.
So, there was no way he would be surprised or embarrassed.
He must have anticipated what she would offer from the moment she opened the door of the study.

‘… He’s trying to balance the scale.’

Adeline, who was quietly brooding over Kael’s behavior, realized why.
The one who had been in an advantageous position on the scale of power regarding the marriage contract was Adeline. Kael wanted the contract more vehemently, and he was the one who would be more disappointed when things went wrong.
However, the scale fluctuated as Leo’s safety was on the line, and Kael did not miss this opportunity. When Adeline became more desperate for the contract, he immediately tried to take the lead.

‘He’s not easy, enough to annoy me.’

She had to ask him how he knew the whole situation, but for now, answering Kael was more important.

“I don’t want to hold hands with the cowardice of using my family as a hostage and trying to control me.”
“…”
“Being a partner in treason is also more to my liking than being the empress.”

It was an answer that revealed that she knew what the Crown Prince had said.
Kael, who had been facing Adeline with an emotionless expression, finally smiled.

“Follow me.”

Kael led Adeline out of the study.

“Where are we going?”
“To a place where we can sign the contract right away.”

She was taken aback by the sudden move, but Kael’s words were very meaningful.
Adeline paused for a moment before following him.

“… Brother!”

As she stepped into a spacious room after walking in the hallway for a long time, Adeline rushed straight to the bed.
Leo was sleeping, with a bandage wrapped around his chest.

“How did my brother get here…?”

Adeline found out why Kael knew the whole situation.
Since he saved Leo, there was no way he didn’t know.

“The Corrupted is the faction you should be the most wary of in the north. I always have eyes and ears in place. At first, I was told that a citizen of the Empire had been captured by them, but I did not know their identity.”

As soon as Adeline heard Kael’s words, she remembered the scene she witnessed in the bookstore.

[And the identity?]
[I haven’t figured it out yet.]

The main character of the serious conversation he was having with Zion was none other than Leo.

“But I heard that the Commander of the Fidel Knights had been captured. So I rescued him.”

The Crown Prince had yet to hear the news, so he believed that Leo was still being held captive by the Corrupted, but the reality was different.

“The situation was so urgent that we opened the portal in the north. I thought we should bring him straight to the capital.”

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It took at least a fortnight to come to the capital from the north.
Leo didn’t have that much time, and when Kael heard the situation, he ordered the portal connecting the north to the capital to be opened and transported him.
Originally, portals couldn’t be opened and used without the Emperor’s order, but the one in the north was the exception. At the moment of crossing the northern border, all command was transferred to Kael.

“He’s past the critical moment. You can call someone and take him to your mansion right now, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not a very light wound.”

Adeline looked at Leo with her lips tightly closed.
The brother who was always strong was lying still with a lot of wounds, looking miserable.

“Will it take a long time before he wakes up?”
“Even I was surprised by how fast he recovered. It won’t take long.”

Adeline let out a breath of relief at the hopeful news she was barely able to hear.
She was a little relaxed by the thought that he had avoided the worst.
Now that her fluctuating heart was calming down, she thought she should know why the situation was so twisted.

“Do you know why my brother was captured?”
“He crossed the boundaries of the Corrupted.”
“My brother?”
“The terrain is steep, so it’s easy to mistake it as the land of the empire if you only check it on a map. So normally, if there is a mission to check that place, I’m given an order.”

Kael didn’t say anything else, but it was enough for Adeline to know what he meant.

The geography of the north could not be easily understood unless it was northern people.
So, Kael took care of everything related to the north. Only Kael and those under his command could solve the problems of the north.

However, the Crown Prince, who knew this better than anyone, gave an imperial order and sent Leon to the north.
Anyone could see that it was a trap he had deliberately set up.
The Crown Prince had no intention of saving Leo from the time he sent him. He was just trying to use him as a way to get Adeline.

The more she thought about it, the more Adeline’s insides burned.

“The contract you told me about before, does it remain unchanged? I mean, that you will let me enjoy all the things I can enjoy with the power you have.”
“Of course.”

Adeline, who was looking at Leo while sitting beside the bed, slowly got up from her seat.

“If I say I won’t let this go, will you stop me and say no because it’s too dangerous?”
“Do what you want. Being an obedient subject isn’t to my liking either.”

Kael and Adeline exchanged a rather dangerous conversation casually.
Adeline’s anger was that great, and Kael was far from being a loyal servant of the imperial family from the beginning.

“So the contract is signed now?”
“Not yet.”

Although she confirmed that Leo was safe, Adeline put on the brakes again.
One of the most important conditions she had thought of throughout her journey to Kael’s mansion still remained.

“Please promise me one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“If I fall in love with Your Grace, you’ll end the marriage.”

The story that began to go wrong on the day of the ball was now so different that comparing it with the original was meaningless, and even the book, which had the same title but was completely different, appeared.
In this situation, it was even more silly to hope that it would be the same as the original.
However, Adeline wasn’t going to give up everything and conform to the flow.

‘Just the end. I just need the end to be the same. The Grand Duke kills me, and I end my possession.’

Whatever the middle of the story, it didn’t matter if the conclusion was the same.
It would be fine if she could somehow make a vacancy for Vanessa.
Adeline intended to escape from Kael before the lie that he would die if he married her was discovered.

“What’s the reason?”
“Because Your Grace wants a woman who will never love you. Aren’t I useless if I fall in love with you?”
“So, is it a condition for my sake?”
“Yes.”

Kael smiled as he saw Adeline talking calmly, saying that it was for his sake.
Although on the surface, it was not much different from the previous smile, the temperature it contained was significantly lower.
It was a sarcastic smile, not believing in Adeline at all.

“No matter how you think about it, I think it’s a condition for your sake, because you only think about running away from me.”

Kael, who had come so close to her at some point, bickered and recited in a low voice.

“I think you’ll pretend that you love me deeply.”
“How could I do that? Love isn’t an emotion that can be made up. How can I deceive Your Grace with love?”

The sharp blue-grey eyes faced the pale green eyes for a long time.
Just looking at him made her feel like her body was freezing, but Adeline did not avoid it.

Kael’s premonition was correct.
Asking how someone could be deceived with love was a lie. Adeline had the confidence to act like she was in love as much as she could.
With all her might, she tried to cheat Kael plausibly.

“Very well. I’ll put up with the conditions as you want.”
“…”
“Let’s see who wins.”

Kael kept a cold smile in his mouth and accepted Adeline’s offer.

“Now it’s really a contract.”

Now that all the conditions were met, all that was left was confirmation from the two of them.
Kael asked for Adeline’s hand in a neat motion, without any superfluousness.
Adeline stared at Kael for a moment before slowly reaching out and placing her hand on his.

“Let’s do well, Adeline.”

He called her by her name, with the titles omitted. The way they would call each other from now on.
Adeline took a deep breath, then nodded slightly, and added.

“Alright, Kael.”

Kael smiled as he looked at Adeline, who didn’t miss the opportunity to call the name of Grand Duke Inver.
The smile of a beast facing a very interesting prey appeared once again.

Kael kissed her hand gently, not taking his gaze away from Adeline’s eyes.
It was a sign that the contract had been concluded.
Adeline also accepted Kael’s glaring eyes and quietly strengthened her will.

‘I will surely succeed.’

Adeline had two ways to go about her goal of pretending to love Kael with all her heart and soul.
One. Become Lady Tien whose engagement was broken off before the wedding.
And if that didn’t happen,
Two. Become the first grand duchess in the Empire to get divorced.

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