Chapter 27. Gambling with Life

To tell the truth, this wasn’t the original plan. At first, I thought of casting a love spell on Enoch Bayern as soon as I saw him.

But then… I began to doubt whether that would be a crime. Forcing someone’s feelings with magic seemed like something that shouldn’t be done.

If it were my mother, she would have wanted me to instantly capture the only grand duke of this country with a love spell. But unfortunately, I didn’t have the guts to commit such an unscrupulous act.

So instead, I decided to make a deal with Enoch Bayern. To give him something he wanted in exchange for what I wanted… Though, given the person I was dealing with, I wasn’t very confident about pulling it off…

“…Marriage?”

Enoch Bayern chuckled as if he had heard the most absurd thing, lifting his teacup. The pretty teacup with pink floral patterns looked destructively out of place with him. It seemed the maids had brought out such delicate tableware because the guest was a noble lady.

“…It may seem sudden, but I’m not joking. I’ll say it again. Please marry me… if you haven’t already confirmed your engagement to Lady Philoan.”

Executing this plan had its own set of problems with Iris Philoan. She seemed genuinely eager to marry Enoch Bayern.

After my stepmother caused that scene at Count Lakers’ social party, Iris never visited Helene again. Not even the occasional gifts or letters.

It was her way of expressing disappointment in my stepmother’s rash behavior. Needless to say, my stepmother and Helene were deeply shocked. Moreover, the arrangement for Marquis Philoan to look for a suitable match for Helene was now likely to fall through, making the atmosphere in the household tense.

Despite this, Helene still believed that her beauty would solve everything, remaining as arrogant as ever. But my stepmother was different. Recently, she had been exuding a gloomy aura and occasionally glared at me as if she wanted to kill me. As if all the misfortune was my fault.

…Well, my stepmother and Helene had always been like that, so there was no need to pay attention to their moods now. The bigger problem was Iris. From what I heard, the Philoan family was working hard to marry their daughter to the Grand Duke…

If this deal went through, Iris and the Philoan family would surely see me as a thorn in their side. After all, I would be snatching away the marriage partner they had painstakingly courted. But I had no choice. I wanted to avoid the dreadful future of marrying Marquis Anderson and being abused.

So this deal was a matter of survival for me. Not about ‘how long’ I survive, but ‘how’ I survive. I refused to live and die as a slave under the hands of an abusive husband. Even if I were to die in a year, I wanted to live as myself and die with dignity until the end.

Even if that foundation was built on fake love created by magic…

“I don’t do marriage. Not with you, not with Iris Philoan. Not with anyone.”

…I had a feeling he would answer like this. It seemed the rumors about the Grand Duke of Bayern remaining single despite the numerous noble ladies pursuing him were true.

It wasn’t surprising. This man would do such a thing. He was so lofty and complete on his own that he didn’t seem to feel the loneliness that people naturally do.

A certain poet once said, ‘A star shining alone must be lonely,’ but the man before me would probably scoff at that idea. He was clearly someone who was satisfied with shining alone, detached from others.

Perhaps he believed that was the ‘perfect’ state. Though it was just a hunch, it felt close to the truth.

“The ‘marriage’ I’m talking about is different from the usual meaning. What I’m proposing is a kind of contract.”

The man raised an eyebrow at my words. I took out the contract I had prepared and, before handing it to him, I opened my mouth to say the words I had repeated in my mind countless times.

“The contract terms are, well…”

When it came time to speak, I hesitated foolishly. Well… it wasn’t something one could say with a clear mind.

But if not now, there would be no other chance.

I mustered up my courage and spoke, despite the embarrassment.

“Your Highness, please love me for just one year.”

“What?”

His gaze pierced me as if asking if I had completely lost my mind. It was understandable. The content of my request was absurd.

But this was also part of my strategy. Before revealing my magic to him, I wanted to confuse him first. I believed it would help in persuading him.

People are easier to approach when they are confused.

“What nonsense are you spouting? It’s not even summer yet, and you’re already suffering from a heatstroke?”

“…I’m sorry. But it’s neither nonsense nor have I lost my mind. I’ll explain properly now, so please listen.”

In truth, his love wasn’t necessarily required for this contract. However, in the future I saw through the mirror of foresight, he seemed to have clear affection for me, and after much deliberation, I concluded that it was because of a love spell.

Therefore, for that future to come true, I had to make him fall in love with me. The only way to do that was to cast a love spell on him.

“I have… magic. If I want, I can make anyone fall in love with me.”

“Magic?”

As I struggled to bring up the topic, he crossed his arms and looked at me with a crooked posture. His eyes were filled with suspicion and distrust. It was as expected. Soon, he would probably question if I was an unlicensed mage. Before he could ask, I quickly took the initiative.

“Until recently, I didn’t know either. I thought I was an ordinary person too.”

“…Did you awaken late?”

Still looking at me with eyes full of disbelief, he asked. Since it wasn’t entirely a lie, I nodded while looking him straight in the eyes.

To tell the truth, I would have to explain in detail about my mother and the jewelry box… but it seemed better to keep the detailed story a secret.

“The first condition of the contract is that Your Highness falls under this ‘love spell.’”

“A love spell? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“The duration is only one year. After one year, the spell will be completely broken. I will never bother you beyond that.”

“Have you reported this to the Mage’s Tower?”

When I shook my head, he made a face that said, ‘I knew it.’ This was where the problem lay. If the card I played didn’t appeal to him, he would hand me over to the Mage’s Tower.

“Additionally, what I can offer Your Highness is information about the future.”

His eyebrows arched as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Without hesitation, I continued speaking.

“I have another magic.”

By this point, he was looking at me as if I was something truly bizarre. I felt the same way. I had lived a life unrelated to magic until I was an adult, and suddenly, one day, I became a suspicious woman with two types of magic.

“No one can possess two types of magic. It’s common sense, and you should know that well.”

“…It’s not entirely impossible.”

“You… don’t tell me.”

Enoch Bayern’s eyes flashed sharply, as if he might turn against me at any moment. The pressure he exuded was overwhelming, but before the misunderstanding could deepen, I quickly added an explanation.

“Stealing someone else’s magic is forbidden. I know that. I swear I haven’t done such a thing. The magic I possess was inherited from my biological mother.”

Magic, an alien power that seemed to deviate from the natural laws of this world, could only be possessed one per person.

That fate was determined at birth, with some being born with the magic to create fire, some to summon wind, and others to heal wounds.

For example, Lady Penelope Ashwood, known as the ‘Saint of Healing,’ had healing magic. To possess more than one type of magic like me, one had to either steal it from someone else or inherit it.

“……Do you realize how dangerous what you’re saying right now is?”

“……I know, it’s a gamble I’m taking with my life.”

“I could hand you over to the Mage’s Tower right now.”

“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“Don’t pretend to be unruffled, Miss Lopez. Aren’t you actually scared?”

“…….”

Instead of answering, I bit my lip and clenched my hem tightly. ……He was right. I was scared. This was exactly why I wasn’t confident in convincing him. He was the grand duke of this country and a hero who led the war against the magical principality of Atreos to victory. There was no need to mention how terrifying the mages of Atreos must have been to him.

Enoch Bayern wouldn’t like mages. Especially if they were dangerous individuals possessing two types of magic.

But I had no choice. Only a future with you in it can pull me out of hell. Taking a deep breath, I spoke carefully.

“……My other magic is…… future foresight.”

“……What?”

“I can see the future through foresight.”

His face, looking at me, hardened even more. His golden eyes, resembling the sun, felt unbearably cold. I could feel that the leisurely air that had always surrounded him when dealing with me had completely vanished.

He was wary of me. It was as if I could hear the sound of him deliberating my fate in his mind. I chose my words carefully to sound as respectful and sincere as possible.

“Your Highness, you may seem to lead a leisurely life, but in reality, you’re always concerned about the movements of Atreos, our hostile nation. You’re also very interested in where and how the capital in the economic market flows.”

“……Continue.”

He straightened his posture and looked at me with such an overwhelming gaze that it was terrifying. I realized anew that what I had seen of this man so far was merely a fraction of his true self. On the battlefield and on the international chessboard, he was a completely different person from his social persona. It was only natural.

“Although the war with Atreos ended quite some time ago, you know we can’t be at ease yet.”

“…….”

“For the next few years…… we must keep a close watch and stay on high alert…….”

The man, who had been silently listening, suddenly stood up. As he rose, he seemed as tall as a mountain. Watching him approach slowly, I felt suffocated, and when he sat right next to me, I almost choked.

A large hand covered the back of my neck. The spot where his fingers touched felt as if it were burning, perhaps due to his warm body temperature.

His hand seemed to slide to the side, then moved as if stroking my shoulder blade. Soon, a heavy weight settled on my shoulder. He had draped his arm over my shoulder.

It was a position that seemed to embrace me, but it was a clear threat. My body trembled involuntarily. It wouldn’t be surprising if he strangled me right then and there. The pressure and murderous intent were crushing me.