T/N: I spelled her name wrong, it’s Liese, not Leise. Sorry!

“When have I ever said I would kill you?”

Leopold tilted his head, looking puzzled at her unexpected response.

He wondered if he had made any mistakes himself, so he tried to recall.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he had never done anything to make Ariel think that way.

“No. Well, if I were to go mad and try to kill the woman you love, I might die at your hands.”

There was only one reason why Ariel pushed Leopold away.

She was afraid that he would end up killing her and her family, just as he did in the original work. Leopold was a cold-blooded perfectionist without mercy for the mistakes or faults of others.

That’s why she went all the way to Kolnman to learn swordsmanship and train to become a swordmaster.

“Is the reason really because of that?”

“Yes.”

Leopold turned his head and let out a deep sigh.

“Even after seeing me licking your feet like a dog yesterday, do you really think I would ever love someone other than you?”

Last night, Leopold was anxious that Ariel would get worn out, but at the same time, he wanted to devour everything about her, so he left traces of himself all over her body.

From her toes to her fingertips, even her hair. There was not a place his lips didn’t touch.

Just imagining what happened last night sent a tingling sensation throughout his body.

Ariel was cruel for not acknowledging that.

In such a situation, Leopold was at a loss, but he had to keep her by his side.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath.

“I promise. Even if such a thing happens, I won’t kill you.”

“You promise? You said that last night as well. That we would forget about what happened last night. But today, you came to me and ordered me to become your empress. How can I trust your promise this time?”

“Ha… That… I said that to reassure you since you seem to be afraid of being abandoned after spending the night.”

If we consider the sequence of events, Ariel seduced Leopold first. He merely responded to her seduction.

But she suddenly pushed him away and demanded that he bury what happened that night.

In Leopold’s view, Ariel seemed afraid of what might happen in the future. So he responded to reassure her.

If he had thought she meant to forget about it completely, he would have asked her why she seduced him while asking him to forget.

Leopold continued speaking.

“Even if yesterday had never happened, I would still have asked you to stay by my side. I had no intention of letting you go again.”

After hearing his words, Ariel’s face showed a perplexed expression.

‘Again? Does that mean we’ve met before?’

Even after racking my brain, I couldn’t remember. When and where we met. It seemed like Leopold was confusing me with another woman.

Her gaze wandered into empty space.

Leopold had already realized this when they reunited at the banquet. The fact that she didn’t remember him.

Despite dropping hints and trying to remind Ariel of the time they spent together, a sense of discomfort surged through him, uncontrollably stirring his insides.

At the same time, a fear rose from deep within his chest that if he were to reveal his current feelings, Ariel might permanently vanish to a place beyond his reach.

Leopold concealed his inner turmoil and stood up from his seat.

The shape of his eyebrows, sagging at the ends, represented his emotions.

He passed by the table and stood in front of Ariel. He knelt down in front of her feet.

“What the hell is wrong with you!”

Ariel was stunned by his sudden actions and quickly stood up, pulling his arm. But he didn’t even flinch.

For a moment, forgetting that her mana was sealed, she hesitated, wondering if she should use her magic to lift Leopold.

“Please, don’t do this.”

Ariel hesitated and crouched down in front of him.

Bending her knees, she tilted her head, making eye contact with him. Her eyes pleaded with him, urging him to get up.

The fact that the Emperor would kneel down before a mere marquis’s daughter. This was outrageous.

But Leopold ignored her resistance.

Still kneeling, he held Ariel’s small, warm hand and brought it to his lips.

His gaze shifted towards her hand.

It was rough and scarred, not the hand of a noble lady. There are scratches, calluses, and hardened skin on every joint of her fingers.

Things that didn’t appear on that dark day now caught his attention one by one.

He wondered what had happened to her in the past ten years for her previously flawless white hand to transform like this.

But Leopold tightly sealed his lips and kissed each of her fingertips.

Ariel felt her face grow warm as she watched this.

The tickling sensation made her fingers tingle.

It traveled up her arm and settled in her heart.

She couldn’t even think of withdrawing her hand.

The concept of social status faded away from Ariel’s mind.

She forgot that the man in front of her was the original Leopold.

All she remembered was the handsome man with dark purple hair and deep eyes, gently kissing her hand.

Driven by a fierce stimulation, her throat became dry.

Ariel stuck out her red tongue and licked her dry lips.

His gaze still lingered on her hand.

“Please become my Empress.”

Leopold finally raised his head. He noticed that his reflection was fully contained in her trembling emerald eyes.

His heart trembled. He longed for this moment to last forever.

If only this fleeting moment could become eternal, he would willingly give up everything he has.

Leopold’s determination shone through his unyielding eyes.

The emotions reflected in Ariel’s gaze, as she looked at it up close, went from trembling excitement to fear.

Something fiercely overpowering overwhelmed her.

‘My heart doesn’t work the way I want it to.’

Rapid breaths, flushed cheeks, and a tingling sensation at the back of her neck, nothing was under her control.

At this point, it felt as if the original work was mocking her efforts. You are destined to love him anyway. You cannot escape, so accept this fate.

At the same time, her well-trained instincts were activated.

He would not step back. It was as though a warning signal was telling her he would finally grasp what he desired with his own hands.

But there was still something she had to do.

She had to retrieve her sealed mana.

She needs to find out the terms of the seal, and her activities would be restricted if she became the Empress.

In the palace, where many eyes were watching, she had to be cautious of whom she meets and what she does.

Like an entangled and tangled thread in an irreparable state, Ariel’s thoughts became more convoluted.

She reached a point where she could not provide any response to him.

Ariel’s pupils trembled like the dry leaves on a fragile branch, shivering in the winter wind.

Ultimately, she gently withdrew her hand from his grip—from the grip that was tightly entwined with hers like a noose. Then she took a seat.

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid someone might see. Please return to your seat.”

“If you cannot trust me… how about a contract then?”

Leopold looked down at her.

If even this is rejected, what should I do?

It might require the use of force.

His lips twitched with anticipation as he silently waited for her answer.

“You must first sit down so we can start a conversation.”

Ariel frowned, crossing her arms. She indicated that if he wanted an answer, he should sit first.

In response to her insistence, Leopold returned to his seat with a grin.

Turning away from the suffocating reality and the oppressive feeling in his chest, he got straight to the point.

“Regardless, it is true that you took my virginity. So, I’m proposing a contractual marriage. If after two years you still feel nothing for me, I will let you go without any regrets. We will mention this in the contract. Of course, it goes without saying that the contract will also contain a promise not to harm your life under any circumstances.”

‘Contract marriage? And it’s a contract marriage with a two-year deadline.’

Ariel blinked her eyes slowly in response to his unexpected proposal.

As long as she could endure the not-so-long and not-so-short period of two years.

‘I can connect Liese and Leopold in the meantime and then slip away unnoticed.’

Her mind quickly raced.

He even promised that he would not harm her life, no matter what happened.

The contract conditions didn’t seem bad.

Even if she refused this proposal, he would try to persuade her with different words.

Ariel’s mind seemed to be leaning toward accepting his offer.

Leopold didn’t miss her reaction and was about to suggest writing the contract right away.

But at that moment, Ariel interrupted his words and raised a question.

Why? Why does this man want to possess me?

How can he guarantee that I will fall in love with him without even knowing me? She can’t help but be curious about what he believes in to make such a significant decision so easily.

“If you’re confident that I will love you within two years.”

“Then.”

“Do you even know what kind of person I am for you to go this far?”