Her silky, beautiful black hair and ruby-red eyes were intense and striking.
Her sharp features were undeniably those of a beautiful woman.
“…I have no idea how.”
Of course, even in this genre of story, it’s astonishing how a woman could possess such beauty. Although, it’s not really my place to comment.
Of course, her beauty wasn’t her only trait.
The dark circles under her eyes and her half-dead gaze exuded an air of decadence that was distinctly hers.
Her condition clearly showed the hardships she’d endured.
Though, naturally, I have no real reason to care about it right now.
While I was lost in thought, she remained silent.
What is she thinking? How could someone of the rank of a duke stand before her without even offering a greeting?
For some reason, I felt a slight discomfort and decided to voice it.
“..What are you doing?”
“I apologize. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, Duke Hardenberg.”
Her deep bow alleviated some of my discomfort.
Thinking about it, was I genuinely upset because I didn’t receive a proper greeting as the baron’s daughter?
It seems I’ve grown accustomed to this world’s class system after living here for so long. With an awkward sigh, I spoke.
“Alright. I wasn’t really criticizing you, so don’t worry about it.”
“I thank you for your benevolence.”
“So, what is it that you seek?”
At the same moment, her ruby eyes contracted slightly. Adelle Este exhaled sharply and met my gaze.
“..Is this a regression?”
It was exactly as described in the story. Her eyes contracting while she felt a bit of pain.
I couldn’t tell how many times she had regressed, but judging by her worn-out complexion, it wasn’t just a few.
“I’ve come to request a trade.”
“..A trade?”
Tapping my fingers on the chair, I continued slowly.
“Adelle, do you understand what ‘trade’ means?”
“..I do.”
Of course she would. From her perspective, these words are not new; she’s heard them countless times, until they’re almost tiresome.
“What?”
“To exchange something of equal value.”
Precisely the point I intended to make. It’s fascinating how the regression ability manifests so vividly.
“You and I are on the same wavelength.”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“So, what does Lady Este seek?”
“A one-year contract marriage.”
“Hmm?”
As the original story unfolds, this development is familiar.
Originally, she would use information related to the royal family to draw Duke Hardenberg to her side.
However, for someone who has read the original, that information holds little use.
Likely, the Adelle in front of me also knows this after countless regenerations.
“Indeed. Are you looking to return to the social scene?”
“Yes, I am.”
According to the original, Adelle cannot currently enter the social circles.
Unlike typical fantasy romance stories, this grim version means one can’t access society without an invitation.
It’s a novel filled with unnecessary realistic details.
“So, what does Lady Adelle wish to exchange?”
“Our family company.”
She paused for a breath, then went on.
“More precisely, the exclusive rights to the Este family trade company.”
…Correct.
The decisive reason why Duke Hardenberg originally agreed to the contract marriage was the company itself, which holds around half of the empire’s market share.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough for Abel to endure a contract marriage just to obtain the rights.
After all, Abel, from public perception, was a duke on par with the royal family.
The simple reason Abel agreed to the deal was:
“The Este baron is a military supplier.”
This is a piece of information only the royal family and the Este baron know: that the Este family’s trade company handles the distribution of military supplies.
Even the Adelle standing in front of me might not know how crucial this secret is.
In the original, Abel agreed to the contract marriage because he was aware of this.
Of course, from my standpoint, which is adverse to the royal family, this is still worth taking.
“Hmm… Interesting. You’re like a child holding a jewel in their hands and not knowing it.”
“..What do you mean?”
“Nothing to worry about.”
I called out to Alan waiting outside.
“Alan.”
“Did you call me?”
“Bring it.”
As Alan entered the room, I instructed him.
Alan immediately realized what I was asking for and produced a sheet of paper from mid-air, utilizing simple subspace magic.
It was the contract.
After standing up from the chair, I sat down on the sofa across from Adelle. Alan placed the contract on the wooden table between our sofas, flipping it over so she could read it.
“..Impressive.”
“Hmm. It’s just a little trick.”
“Is that so.”
Adelle closed her eyes briefly, seemingly exhausted, and then picked up the contract to read each line one by one.
“By the way, this contract has a Geas placed on it. If violated, you’ll pay the price accordingly.”
“How calculating.”
“Consider it a complement.”
With that said, Adelle focused solely on reading the contract contents.
For some reason, I started to feel a little bored, so I turned my gaze to look at her face.
If one could express decadence through a face, it would likely be like hers.
Since entering this fantasy romance world, I’ve noticed there are just too many beautiful people here.
Ironically, characters with unreal beauty always occupy important roles in the original story – including myself, Adelle, and even the original male leads.
Whenever I face these kinds of faces, I feel a certain sense of alienation towards this world.
This alienation is why I don’t feel much excitement about her beautiful face.
While I was lost in thought, Adelle addressed me:
“Can the contents of the contract be amended?”
“Of course. But only if we both agree on the changes.”
“..I see.”
Adelle skimmed over the contract again. There were likely no issues that needed changing.
Naturally, that had to be the case.
The contract I drafted was the exact same one that Abel and Adelle used in the original.
Incidentally, I noticed that our names are quite similar.
It’s a difference of only one initial sound. Did the original author plan for this?
“I’ll proceed with it as is.”
“Then imbue the contract with mana.”
“Understood.”
Soon, a red mist rose from Adelle’s hands, gradually being absorbed into the contract. I also channeled my mana into the contract.
The contract trembled briefly due to the mana’s reaction before settling down.
This was the indicator that the contract had been established.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the Este baron.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you think you could deliver a message to him?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t move recklessly.”
“..Understood.”
Adelle hesitated slightly, lowering her head.
“The engagement will take place in a month. Starting tomorrow, come to the ducal estate.”
“…”
“The wife of a duke deserves appropriate training, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…”
“I’m talking about bridal lessons.”
Upon hearing this, Adelle looked startled, and her usually composed face betrayed a pure look. I suppressed a laugh, though I wasn’t being purely teasing.
Of course, bringing her to the ducal estate wasn’t solely for lessons.
My intention was to make Adelle a hostage against her father, the Este baron, ensuring that he wouldn’t recklessly divulge information about me to the royal household.
“Aright, you may go. I’m getting ready to sleep.”
“..Understood.”
Adelle quickly recomposed herself, and Alan escorted her out of the study.
‘The original plot, huh.’
Gaining the Este baron as a long-term piece through the contract marriage wasn’t bad.
Moreover, Adelle Este was the key to my purposes.
What needed to be memorized was my goal.
To disrupt the royal family, the instigators of future calamities, beforehand, is my purpose.
In the original, Abel had minimal information about the royal family, so he had no choice but to follow them. Not me.
‘Undoubtedly, it won’t be easy, even accounting for this fact…’
What can you do? If I’m to avoid being controlled, I have no choice but to try.
*
‘A dangerous man.’
He is, indeed, a very dangerous man.
When my friend explained the original story, he mentioned Abel, a cerebral mastermind who operates from the shadows.
Actually experiencing him myself, I couldn’t help but fully agree.
‘The issue isn’t that I can regress.’
Regressing was something I had already accepted. In reality, I’ve been chased away by him countless times.
The fact that my save point exists just before this meeting was quite fortunate; otherwise, I might have gone mad.
Initially, I planned to offer him information about the royal family in exchange for a contract marriage.
But he showed no interest in that information at all.
After regressing five times, I concluded that he already knew the information I intended to share.
The ripple effect of my previous actions likely led Abel to acquire that information.
Had these been the only factors, I wouldn’t need to guard myself so much.
‘This man… he already knew I was planning to offer a contract marriage as a trade-off when I met him…’
He even anticipated the cards I intended to play. The contract I handed over contained all the relevant details.
Clearly, he was prepared in advance.
Even considering the pre-written contract, it was like he was testing me.
Whether I would propose the same trade-off as outlined in the contract was his ultimate test.
If I failed, he wouldn’t hesitate to discard me. And in reality, that’s exactly what happened multiple times.
‘…Maybe I’ve made a mistake.’
I clenched my eyes shut and leaned against the carriage wall. Even though the jolting carriage motion reached me, it didn’t bother me this time.
There was something else on my mind that bothered me far more.
