Chapter 5 (Part 3)

Sienna wiped her eyes roughly with the back of her hand and let out a trembling sigh before retrieving something from the drawer. It was the magical contract she had signed after winning Eden at the auction.  

She gazed blankly at the word “two weeks” written on the contract and fiddled with it absentmindedly. Yes, she told herself, it was just a vivid dream she had for two weeks. She repeated the resolution she had been telling herself over and over, engraving it into her heart once more.  

Meanwhile, Eden entered the bedroom silently and stood there, staring blankly at Sienna’s back. Seeing her sitting in his bedroom wearing only a robe made his chest tighten, and a tingling sensation spread to the tips of his limbs.  

Every time he saw her in his space, the strange sense of stability and fulfillment he felt grew stronger, and he found himself increasingly reluctant to let it go. After taking in the sight of Sienna’s back, with her glossy light grayish-blue hair cascading down, he slowly walked toward the table.  

“Sienna.”

After her graduation was confirmed, Sienna suddenly found herself with nothing to do, and perhaps because of that, she seemed uneasy. Feeling that he couldn’t just stay in the bedroom holding the unsettled Sienna, Eden decided to take her horseback riding today to explore the hill behind the villa. He had just returned from the stables, where he had ordered the preparations. Around this time of year, the hill would be covered in the beautiful Ulmire clusters, which were a pride of the villa.

Calling her name—a name that always felt sweet on his tongue—Eden strode forward, only to furrow his brows when he saw what she was holding. His gaze stopped on the familiar piece of paper in her hands, and he stiffened, pressing his lips together as he hurriedly calculated the date in his head.

“Oh, you’re back, Your Grace.”

“Sienna, that’s…”

“…I checked, and it turns out the contract is up today. Time has flown by so quickly.”

Sienna smiled brightly, as if it were nothing, while Eden clenched his fists at her words. Today was the last day. He had been so preoccupied with her that he hadn’t even thought about it.

‘What would Sienna do once the contract ended?’ That question had weighed on his mind for days, leaving him restless.

It was no wonder—Sienna appeared to be more interested in his body than in him. Wasn’t that how it had been from the start? He still vividly remembered their first meeting, when she had glanced at his chest and parted her lips. Even now, she occasionally displayed such behavior, to the point where he sometimes wondered if he should intensify his swordsmanship training to further build his chest muscles.

The more time he spent with Sienna, the more his feelings for her grew, and the less he wanted to let her go. He wanted to stay by her side—not because of the contract, but because he cared for her. He wanted to confess this to her, but every time the topic of the contract came up, Sienna would evade it and silence him, as if his actions were burdensome to her.

It often felt like he was the only one growing anxious, while she might simply enjoy his body and then leave without a second thought. The frequent unease he felt at the possibility of her sudden departure was only exacerbated by how easily she changed the subject through physical affection. Though he felt pathetic for always falling for her distractions, the deeper his feelings grew, the harder it became to maintain his composure.

At times, it seemed like she felt the same way he did, but at other times, it didn’t, leaving him even more confused. While she would lose herself in his arms when they made love, her tendency to avoid serious conversations became increasingly noticeable.

His mind was filled with chaos and torment, and to make matters worse, the contract had come to an end. Eden, who had planned to confess his feelings once again by showing her the Ulmire flowers—also known as the bride’s wreath—rubbed his face repeatedly, trying to sort out the situation.

Meanwhile, Sienna, unaware of the turmoil in Eden’s mind, approached him awkwardly with a tense smile. Seeing him stand silently, staring down at the contract with a hardened expression, made her back stiffen nervously. The contract she held out with both hands shook as much as her anxious heart.

“In just a few more hours, the contract will end, so I’ll return this to you now, Your Grace. Thank you for everything.”

“…Thank you for everything?”

Did that mean she wouldn’t see me again in the future? 

Eden repeated her words with a hardened gaze. Biting his lips and lost in thought for a moment, he suddenly snatched the contract from her hands and took a step closer to her.

Something about his demeanor resembled a predator deciding whether or not to devour its prey. Startled, Sienna looked up at him, but before she could react, golden magic burst from Eden’s fingertips, rapidly enveloping the contract.

“W-What are you…?”

How much magic was he even drawing upon? The endless surge of light was almost blinding. Sienna, unable to comprehend what he was doing to the contract with such immense power, could only gape at him in shock.

“There’s no need to thank me, nor is there any need to return it, Sienna.”

Eden growled as he placed the contract back into Sienna’s trembling hands. Having drawn so much power in an instant, his breathing had become slightly ragged. Sienna, still clueless as to what had just happened, looked up at him in confusion before cautiously examining the contract again. Her lips, which had been slightly parted, released a startled gasp as she took in its contents.

The contract period stated in the document had been changed from a fortnight to a lifetime. As Sienna held the trembling contract in her hands, Eden’s resolute voice pierced her ears like a nail.

“Unless you terminate it, the contract will remain in effect.”

“…Why, why?”

Sienna, frozen in place as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, slowly lifted her head. Perhaps, she thought, this might be the moment where she would finally hear the words she had desperately hoped for, and the anticipation made her heart pound wildly. And, as if answering her wish, Eden bent down, gently caressing her face with cautious hands, and confessed.

“Because I want you so much that I’m willing to call myself something as absurd as a ‘slave mate’ just to stay by your side.”

If she would allow it, he wanted to become her lover. Even if she wouldn’t, he was determined to seduce her with his body since, at the very least, he knew she liked his appearance. If that didn’t work, he planned to cling to the contract and persist stubbornly.

“I like you, Sienna.”

Eden whispered his feelings with more sincerity than ever before. As he lightly touched the tips of her round ears, now as red as his own crimson eyes, he waited for her response. Sienna, whose large dark green eyes darted around nervously, suddenly let out a small sob.

“Hic…”

“Sienna.”

Startled, Eden pulled her into his arms. 

Was my confession too overwhelming for her?

Overcome with guilt, he used his thumb to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall. But then, Sienna clutched the contract tightly to her chest and looked at him with determination.

“No take-backs. I’m never going to terminate this contract.”

Eden stared blankly at her tear-streaked face. 

Did those words mean what I thought they did?

As if he couldn’t believe it, his crimson eyes glistened with moisture, blending with the dark green hue of her gaze. Finally, Sienna buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath before mumbling softly.

“…I like you too, Your Grace.”

It was a confession that came softly, yet clearly, as if embarrassed. Eden’s once-stiff, handsome face gradually became filled with joy. His expression, overflowing with emotions he could no longer hide, was something Sienna gazed at blankly before breaking into a smile.

His feelings had always been clear, and yet she had only now realized it after being buried in her own worries. To think that he wanted her so much that he would even renew the magical contract. The confession she had just heard still lingered pleasantly in her ears, fluttering like a gentle breeze.

She decided not to care anymore about the difference in their statuses or the strange circumstances of their first meeting. The fact that their feelings were mutual made all those other problems seem insignificant.

Their gazes intertwined more deeply with one another. Holding tightly onto the contract, she was suddenly lifted into his arms. Whispering for her to say it again, he showered her face with frantic kisses.

With the full bloom of spring surrounding them, their new contract had only just begun.