Contract Marriage with the Villain Who Will Kill Me

A sword, wider than a handspan, blocked her path.

She quickly steadied herself, planting her left foot to avoid being pushed back by the sudden force.

The tall, broad figure shimmered with the emperor’s red cloak and golden armor. His auburn hair swayed in the wind.

Bardi Rentworth.

It was the emperor.

Rohana glanced up at him briefly. His sharp blue eyes narrowed.

“Rohana, do you really have to go this far?”

Rohana’s brow twitched.

“This far?”

She tilted her tightly set jaw and glared.

“The more you do this, the less I can let you go.”

His large, imposing body drew closer. They were so near that she could feel his breath. The sound of their swords clashing was sharp and piercing.

Rohana let out a small laugh.

“Oh, please.”

Her full, red lips, which seemed as if they might burst with a light touch, curved into a faint smile.

“Do you still think words like that can threaten me… Do you really believe that?”

Her blue eyes gleamed.

“Enough already.”

At that moment, Bardi suddenly relaxed and lowered his sword. Though Rohana still had her sword raised, his large hand reached out and touched her shoulder.

For a moment, she glanced at his hand, then raised her own and brushed it aside.

They were close enough for her to strike with her sword.

Whether he was unaware of her calculation or simply ignoring it, Bardi spoke.

“It’s not about that anymore.”

His trembling voice, to anyone else, might sound like he was truly hurt.

“Even now, you can still turn back. If you have a conscience, stop here.”

Rohana whispered a warning. She meant it.

“I can’t give you up. I can’t give up this place.”

His blue eyes scanned Rohana intensely, as if licking over every part of her, before he finally spoke in a low voice, as though he had to get it out.

“Do you know who Kaiden has allied with?”

Rohana’s eyebrow twitched.

“Do you know why Franz Soyez is here right now?”

In the distance, the sound of cannon fire continued.

“Rohana, you don’t belong there.”

His gaze, a mixture of threat and sweet temptation, glimmered in the twilight.

“Come back now.”

Rohana slowly opened her eyes and met his sharp blue gaze once more.

She knew all too well that she was an unwelcome guest here. But if there was one thing she understood for sure now…

Kaiden’s words suddenly made sense.

“Do you think I ran away back then to survive? I just didn’t want to die there”

“I’m not going to die by your side, either.”

A mysterious smile spread across Bardi’s face.

“Pity.”

In that moment of distraction, a metallic clang rang out.

Rohana had struck first, but Bardi was no easy opponent when it came to swordsmanship.

The guards’ arrows aimed at her.

“Stop, no one move.”

Then it happened.

A black arrow shot between them, embedding itself in the ground as a warning.

“What the…”

As the silence was shattered, the thunderous sound of hooves began to rumble across the dry earth. The guards fired flares into the sky.

Rohana let out a breath as she stared at the black arrow. As the hoofbeats stopped, a familiar voice came from behind her.

“Rohana.”

That urgent yet always gentle voice called out to her. As always, she didn’t need to turn to know he was there.

It sent a slight shiver through her whole body.

“I’m fine.”

Whether understanding her signal or simply acknowledging Kaiden’s presence, the Caladrius began to sing once again. The voice that came closer carried a sense of dread.

The clattering of shields being slammed into the ground echoed as the imperial infantry arrived like the wind. The army that formed behind Bardi was impeccably organized, without a hint of disorder.

“The Imperial Army is merely defending against the kingdom that crossed the border. This reaction is quite alarming.”

Though the imperial guards quickly surrounded the emperor in three layers, Bardi slowly stepped forward, as if lost in thought, and spoke.

“Are you injured?”

Without taking his eyes off Bardi, Kaiden dismounted and approached Rohana.

Blood splattered along his jawline. His black cloak and armor were so familiar, yet strange, just like the first time she had seen him.

Rohana, instinctively scanning Kaiden’s condition, swiftly replied as she noticed his narrowed eyes.

“It’s not my blood.”

Glancing at Franz Soyez, Kaiden gave a short nod. The kingdom’s soldiers, who seemed to have opened the gates for Kaiden, withdrew with Franz.

“Stand back now.”

“I’ll fight, too.”

“Stand back.”

Kaiden’s voice took on a slightly rougher edge. She was about to argue further when Bardi cut in.

“Rohana, do you know that Kaiden has allied with R.D.?”

Rohana’s brow furrowed for a moment. Kaiden simply stared at him, showing no reaction.

“Kaiden, what is he talking about…?”

Without a word, Kaiden stood in front of her, his broad back like a mountain, shielding her. His steel-like arm gently pushed her aside.

Meanwhile, the kingdom’s soldiers, who had poured out from the southern gate, began to line up behind Kaiden.

“Stop this pointless stubbornness and give us back the princess. It looks like you, Shatonwell, and R.D. are all in on this… Are you really going to keep the princess as a hostage and threaten us?”

Rohana recalled the original story. In the end, things could *appear* that way. In the original plot, this is how she would eventually die, as a declaration of war.

There was still time until the summer days came.

Rohana instinctively tried to calm her racing heart as Bardi continued speaking.

“Let’s do it this way.”

A faint, expectant smile spread across his lips.

“To clear up any pointless misunderstandings, return my Rohana, whom you forcibly married.”

As he said ‘my Rohana’, his piercing blue eyes flashed with a madness.

“Then, our imperial army will graciously retreat.”

The entire army stirred, the air vibrating with tension, but his calm figure didn’t even flinch, as if he had expected such an uproar.

“Don’t want to?”

Rohana’s heart began to pound anxiously. As Gregory had warned, she knew all too well that she didn’t belong here.

‘So this is why he told me to leave.’

Remembering Kaiden’s harsh demand for her to withdraw, Rohana suddenly felt a pang in her heart, though she wasn’t sure why.

‘Why didn’t he look at me?’

His intentions were now shrouded in a fog, suddenly unclear.

She resented the way his dark eyes avoided her.

Once again, a low voice rang in her ears.

“You’re good at spewing nonsense.”

Kaiden’s languid gaze slowly filled with murderous intent.

“She is *my* wife.”

Rohana lifted her head to look at him. His jaw was clenched tight, and his sharp, deep-set eyes were fierce, almost inhuman.

He looked much like he had the first time she’d seen him.

The image of the ‘White Wolf’, his infamous moniker, came to mind instantly.

‘Wife.’

Without realizing it, Rohana clenched the left hand that bore her wedding ring. Despite all the time they’d spent together, even after the nights they shared, she had never truly thought of him as her husband.

“How dare you ask for another man’s woman…”

If she had allowed herself to think of it that way, the fear would have been unbearable.

She had deliberately chosen to forget. Rohana tried to suppress the unknown unease gnawing at her heart since earlier.

“You really shouldn’t say such nonsense now that you’re the emperor.”

A long, heavy sword made a sharp metallic sound as it was drawn from its sheath. Its unwavering, blue sheen flickered.

“Prepare for battle!”

The imperial army pointed their swords and spears. From behind, the sound of archers drawing their bows cut through the air.

At that moment, Kaiden glanced slightly backward. When Rohana turned as well, she saw a familiar and welcome face.

“Heath!”

Riding in on his horse, Heath wore an expression as though he was ready to tear through their enemies.

“Ride to Nopthal.”

Without a word, Heath nodded. Even as he made eye contact with Heath, Kaiden still refused to look at Rohana, who stood behind him.

“Kaiden, the Caladrius has appeared. Give me a horse too. I can fight well, you know that.”

Rohana spoke urgently, but Kaiden acted as if he neither saw nor heard her.

“Heath, tell him! I could be the ‘incarnation,’ you know!”

Rohana, feeling increasingly frustrated, grabbed Heath this time. Kaiden’s face hardened further, and an unspoken tension flowed between the two men.

“Rohana, this is your last chance. You can save everyone.”

When she turned to look at Bardi, his eyes were filled with certainty, making Rohana feel sick to her stomach.

Then, Kaiden’s firm, unfamiliar voice echoed in her ears.

“Go.”

His gaze, which still refused to meet hers, was chilling.

“Kaiden!”

Without a word, Heath roughly lifted Rohana and placed her in front of him on the horse. As soon as he had her seated, Kaiden charged forward.

A sense of impending doom engulfed her.

Thud, thud.

‘Why won’t he look at me?’

Rohana reached out, but both Kaiden and Heath were too quick.

Her fingertips barely grazed the edge of Kaiden’s cloak.

Bardi opened his mouth and gave a slight gesture with his hand.

An order to attack.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

As Kaiden raised his sword, the rain of arrows that had been flying toward them shattered within the wide radius around him, protecting the two riders.

“Wait!”

“Rohana, stay still!”

Despite Heath’s urgent warning, Rohana twisted her body to look back.

Thanks to the higher ground, she could still see Kaiden.

In his relentless advance, the imperial soldiers who had been blocking his path were falling one after another, slaughtered without mercy.

Bardi, under the protection of dozens of guards, was retreating quickly.

The Caladrius was flying just above her, its wings flapping.

Its opal-colored eyes flashed.

As it drew closer, an immense wind swirled around them.

Rohana gritted her teeth.

‘I am the incarnation of the Caladrius.’

Its beautiful song echoed like a warning. Rohana stared intently into the bird’s opal eyes.