STM 110

Knock knock

Rick knocked on the large office door, waited a moment, then opened the door and stepped aside.

“Go in.”

At the sound of his voice, I took a deep breath and walked forward. Alright. Let’s do this.

Tap, tap.

My footsteps echoed loudly inside the office. My target was Tairok, sitting with his back to the large window.

“The office is so huge,” I thought, quickly approaching. Tairok, who had been looking at the papers on the desk, looked up. For a moment, a bright light seemed to flare in his eyes.

But because the room was so brightly lit, it was difficult to gauge the emotions contained within. And I didn’t have the luxury of considering it right now.

Contract. I need to get the contract.

This was all I could think about, so I ended up misunderstanding what he was asking.

“How is it?”

“Very good. It’s the perfect weather for signing a contract.”

His lips twitched and he tilted his head to the side. Why did it feel like he was laughing?

“Didn’t you ask about the weather?”

“Tell me what you think of this place.”

“It’s nice.”

I didn’t really think much about the mansion, so I answered lightly and added something just in case.

“It is certainly a very suitable place to write a contract.”

His smile deepened. Now that I was used to his laughter, I could tell if he was upset or not, but his smile was ambiguous.

It was truly fatal to have to watch his every move, but I was in a miserable state of having to please him until the contract was signed.

But this time I didn’t do anything wrong, right?

As I was venting my frustration, he pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer and placed it on the desk. My eyes involuntarily drifted to the paper. I couldn’t read anything else, but I did notice the title centered on the first line.

‘Marriage contract.’

Huh?!!!!

I strained my face, barely holding back the screams that threatened to burst out, but I felt eyes on me. Feeling I’d been too obviously staring at the contract, I unconsciously sat down, staring straight ahead.

When I heard no sound, I glanced over and saw him looking out the window. His face was expressionless, but strangely, it felt like I was looking at a sculpture imbued with all sorts of emotions.

“Did you see that fog?”

“Yes.”

“That’s proof everyone can see of the Kun family’s curse. And you think it’s good?”

I paused for a moment, unsure of how to put it in a way that would please him. But in that brief moment, he stared at me and tried to put the contract back in the drawer.

What are you doing?!

Instead of shouting, I quickly opened my mouth.

“I haven’t seen the Kun family curse with my own eyes, so I have nothing to say about it yet. I believe the fog was made by the Grand Duke, so I didn’t judge it badly.”

“I made it? Why?”

The question was direct, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. As expected, you made it.

“When you saw the fog covering Crystal Lake. You said that to cover such a vast area with magic, you’d have to use black magic. And that Dorgo used it to deceive people.”

I glanced out the window.

“But there’s no illusion overlaying that fog. It’s as if it’s openly warning people not to approach, that this is black magic. And the only person who would put up a warning sign in Kun Castle is its owner.”

“…….”

Oh, did I speak too cleverly again? Without realizing it, I glanced at the contract and, and opened my mouth.

“I almost died…….”

“Right. You said you survived a near-death experience and your head started working well. So I looked into it, like you said. To see if there was someone like you among those who had nearly died.”

Damn it, why would you even look into that?

I was going to tell him to look for more if he said there wasn’t any, but his next words were different.

“There was this person. He was stupid as a child, but at some point he became quite intelligent. Until recently, he kept his intelligence a secret.”

He didn’t say a name, but someone came to mind. I knew he was watching my expression, but I couldn’t help but freeze.

“Besides, that person, like you, claims to be Salvation. You know him well. Ma Hoiga.”

When I still didn’t respond, he held up the contract again, threateningly. I forced my lips to move, fearing it would just end up in the drawer again.

“I also think it’s a really great coincidence.”

“Or maybe it was the result of someone forcing it.”

“Who is it?”

“Well, either by God or by man. Perhaps it was something done in some unknown world.”

“……Do you believe there is an unknown world?”

“I have no choice but to believe it. Even monsters emerge from the rifts in space.”

He continued, looking at me as I tried not to waver.

“So it can’t be a coincidence. If only one person had a brush with death, survived, and transformed into a completely different person, I’d believe it was a coincidence. But what if two appeared at the same time? And both are Salvation?”

Unlike me, who was frozen, he chuckled and placed the contract back on the desk. Then he leaned back in his chair and looked at me.

“You look like you’ve heard a scary story.”

“That can’t be.”

I forced myself to smile.

“I just feel bad because I’m being lumped with Ma Hoiga.”

A gleam appeared in his eyes.

“I thought you were friends?”

“No.”

I shook my head firmly. Pretending to be friends with a traitor? I absolutely didn’t want to act like that.

The only truth I showed him that day seemed to have resonated with him. He smiled back at me.

“If my fiancé says so, then so be it.”

The title “fiancé” felt quite awkward, so I frowned unconsciously before quickly collecting my expression. Because he was handing me the contract.

“Oh, I’ve drawn up the contract you wanted. Check it out.”

“Check it? There’s nothing to check. It’s something you prepared, Your Grace.”

I’ve already scanned the contract with my eyes. I smiled leisurely and deliberately looked away, pretending not to care about the contract.

Otherwise, I felt like my pounding heartbeat would show on my face and give everything away. Especially since I could even hear him take his pen out of its holder and ask a question.

“But why do you want a contract so badly? We already made a promise. Isn’t that enough?”

“No, because it’s not official. I want to make sure it’s documented.”

“…….”

Tairok’s movements as he picked up the pen stopped as if someone had pressed the stop button.

Why? His gaze was fixed on the desk, so I couldn’t properly look at him in the eye.

Was there something strange in what I said? I tried to rephrase it, but his hand moved again.

I looked at him expectantly, wondering if he was going to sign, but the pen pointed to another document on the desk.

Oh, really. He should’ve taken care of that earlier. I grumbled to myself, but then heard a belated response.

“Is that so?”

His voice sounded casual, so I didn’t think it was anything serious. I guess he just stopped to look at other documents.

“Yes.”

“……I see.”

He muttered slowly. He seemed to be deep in thought, so I looked away to avoid disturbing him.

Swish.

The sound of papers rustling across the desk made me glance over to see him finally pushing aside the document he was signing. He then pulled the contract toward himself.

Finally!

Gulp. I swallowed dryly and quickly looked away. If I stared too much, he might misunderstand. Plus, he might catch my pounding heart.

Now that I realized that all that was left was the actual contract, the time I spent here flashed before my eyes.

As soon as I arrived, I encountered non-human beings, and the next day, I met a monster and nearly died. And to make matters worse, I was kicked by the human right in front of me and almost died.

But I overcame it all. And I felt I was almost there. I had worked hard and persevered toward my goal.

What is my purpose? To prevent the destruction of the world I live in.

To that end, I crossed over to an unfamiliar dimension and even made a contract to marry a man. Now, all that was left for him to do was sign the contract. Then, I could overcome the greatest mountain…

Click.

He just put the contract he didn’t even sign in a drawer.

Why? Why on earth?

I swallowed the question that was on my mind and carefully opened my mouth.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

“Then please sign it now.”

“It’s not something I need to do right this moment.”

No, it is necessary. How could I trust only words? Especially when he already saw me as an enemy.

“I need a written contract immediately. Only then will I be able to feel assured.”

He slowly smirked. The smile the whole world admired meant nothing to me.

It was only a bad sign. Every time he smiled like that, unpleasant words followed. This time was no different.

“Then, I’ll see how you behave.”

What? I barely held back every curse that reached my tongue. That man was supposed to be the hope to save our world.

I gave a forced smile.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Keep your promise.”

“I will be a loyal partner to the Grand Duke’s household rules.”

I promised like a machine and raised my voice.

“That’s why I came to the Grand Duke’s house today with all my luggage.”

“And then?”

Then?

“What else will you do?”

He laughed as he replied. I’ll say it again, I never trust his smile. If there’s one last person in the world who wouldn’t fall for it, that would be me.

“Tell me what to do, and I’ll follow.”

I straightened my posture like a soldier taking an order and looked directly at him. My reaction made his smile widen. Anyone would’ve smiled back like they were under a spell, but I kept my face blank. He stared at me and opened his mouth slowly.

“My beloved fiancé says so.”

Flinch. That word “beloved” still made my eyebrows twitch every time I heard it. After we agreed on a contract marriage, he started calling me that to justify lying to others. It was disgusting. The more uncomfortable I got, the more amused he looked.

“Starting tonight, I’ll go to your room.”

“You’re switching rooms with me?”

Did he want my room? I couldn’t understand what that had to do with my conduct. He answered my doubt in a light tone.

“No, I’m going to hold you.”

I blinked, not understanding what he meant. It was a contract marriage. Why would he? Before I could even ask, he dryly ordered.

“Leave.”

“Wait, when will you sign the contract then…?”

“If you want it that badly, get on my d1ck and beg while you move your ass.”

I didn’t know what kind of face I had right then. Sit where, do what?

“Well, you only understand when I say it directly.”

No, I still didn’t understand. Was he serious? I froze like an idiot and barely managed to speak. 

“Why?”

His golden eyes, bright like the sun, filled with amusement. This smile wasn’t fake. He was honestly enjoying himself. That was the problem. It was a cruel joy that made my skin crawl.

“Take a guess.”

Fuck, is this a short-answer question?

***

Acorn Forest.

True to its name, the forest’s entrance was lined with clusters of oak trees. The gentle slope leading up to the mountain stretched out like a vast plain, and the deeper you went, the more diverse the trees and grasses were, a delight to the eye.

The forest had not been visited by humans for a long time, and there were no proper paths, but Black Bear made her way through the forest paths as if she were accustomed to it, and reached her destination, a cabin.

But the forest quickly grew dark, so she had to hurry to tidy up the cabin and gather firewood. And that wasn’t all? The forest was also teeming with beasts, who hadn’t seen humans for a long time, eager to prey on anyone.

But she climbed the rock at a leisurely pace. Standing atop the two-story-high boulder, she was able to take in a panoramic view of the forest.

“I really like it.”

She surveyed the forest with rapt eyes, but soon stopped at one spot. A massive mass of fog. Within it lay the infamous, cursed castle of Kun. Black Bear, who had been admiring the forest, lost her interest.

“Why did it have to be Kun…….”

No matter how much debt she owed, she absolutely didn’t want to get involved with a divine beast family. Especially if it meant helping one

Adeye Lu, who became the partner of Grand Duke Kun, would not harm Kun, so of course it would be the opposite.

But the reason she didn’t refuse this job was because of the box that Adeye Lantuya sent.

‘The matriarch has asked you to repay the debt.’

Debt? It was a word that made no sense to her. She had been indebted to Adeye Lantuya, but she had already paid the price. Lantuya had also settled things. So, she had no remaining debt.

But the moment she opened the box, even Black Bear couldn’t help but be surprised.