He knows nothing about her, the way she hunted monsters as a swordmaster, the fact that she had been stripped of her mana by a sorcerer. He doesn’t know that to this day, she’s still clutching at her sheets to hold back the murderous intent that comes up from time to time, and yet he wants to make her his empress without knowing any of that.

Unlike most noble ladies, she had endured great storms. Therefore, she cannot face life with just a bright and cheerful attitude.

What Leopold saw last night was Ariel in a drunken state.

It was the old Ariel who reached out recklessly without thinking about the aftermath, who wanted to obtain what she desired with a possibly reckless attitude, escaping through the influence of alcohol.

If he expects her to be that way, he will regret it. He may end up regretting his decision to be tied to a contract marriage that exists for a duration of two years.

A piercing pain struck her chest as if it were puncturing her heart.

‘Why does my heart ache so much?’

She doesn’t even love Leopold.

Between the two times she has seen him, she wonders if he understands the current situation.

She doesn’t want to hold on to false hopes. She changed her mind about accepting his proposal.

Ariel’s eyes turned cold.

Leopold had already noticed that Ariel’s attitude had changed.

Earlier, she had a friendly attitude that seemed to accept the proposal, but her round eyes suddenly became sharp.

Then he had to use a straightforward method. So that her determination would not harden.

Leopold thought that he had to gather his heart and convey his sincerity.

Kind and warm-hearted. Ariel had a warm heart but sometimes showed a wicked side. Her appearance, which was mature beyond her age, appeared before Leopold’s eyes as if he had seen her yesterday.

However, Ariel’s appearance at the victory party yesterday was very different from what he knew.

The gaze and aura of someone who had experienced everything in life. With an expression revealing a pessimistic attitude towards life.

If someone said that she was a completely different person from what he had seen 10 years ago, he would believe it.

“I noticed that you didn’t even pay attention to the banquet.”

“Were you watching me?”

Leopold nodded his head.

“From the moment you leaned against the balcony. I wanted to get to know you slowly. Give me that chance.”

A tremor ran through her body as she threw a casual glance at him as he was speaking.

With Leopold’s truthful words, Ariel’s heart wavered, and she became confused.

‘I think he means to accept me as I am. Can I believe his words? Ah, after two years, it will be as if nothing happened anyway. Maybe I’m thinking too deeply. Who knows if Leopold’s feelings will change by then.’

Her emerald eyes trembled without rest.

“A period of two years, although it seems short, is a long time. I don’t have the qualifications to become an empress in the first place.”

“Because I am the Emperor, if you marry me, you become the empress. I didn’t choose you because I needed an empress. I… I want you as you are.”

When she heard those words, a wave of warmth surged from Ariel’s chest to her throat.

Her restless gaze finally fixed on him.

Her gaze transitioned from the realm of doubt to the realm of certainty.

It was an unbelievable statement to hear. But at the same time, she wanted to believe it so badly.

But judging by his attitude, Leopold’s desire to embrace her as an empress was for reasons other than pity.

Ariel had a hunch that Leopold was hiding something.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t go so far as to want to marry her.

Ariel swept her left hair to the right with her hand.

With her head still lowered in that position, her white and slender neck was revealed.

Leopold’s line of sight, which was looking into Ariel’s eyes, slowly moved down along her gentle touch.

In the place where her white hand had passed, a vivid red mark thought to be the Emperor’s seal was conspicuously revealed.

Leopold’s gaze lingered there for a long moment, the shards of desire that had been hiding in her blonde hair exposed.

The dark bruise clearly revealed his desire to swallow everything about her.

Leopold’s whole body shivered with anticipation.

“Why do you want me?”

“Because you are you.”

“I’m curious why it has to be me. But it seems that Your Majesty has no intention of giving me the answer I want.”

He grasped the table in front of him with one hand and leaned forward towards her.

Leopold approached closer.

Intense possessiveness blazed in his red pupils like fire.

‘For some reason, I feel like I’m the prey in front of a predator.’

Not fully understanding what his gaze meant, Ariel rolled her eyes down as if dismissing him.

“My answer to that question is just this. Because it’s you, because it is you.”

In response to Leopold’s confident reply, a tender sensation arose on Ariel’s face. And inside her chest, her heart began to beat on its own accord.

Simultaneously, Ariel had a hunch. That his attitude would never change.

Her rapidly beating heart settled down as if it were chilled with water.

‘He’s showing no signs of backing down, so I have to get a definite answer.’

Freedom of action. This must be guaranteed if she is to know the conditions for restoring her mana.

“But what should I do? I have something I need to do.”

“You can still do whatever you want, even after marriage.”

“If I become the empress, I won’t be freer than I am now.”

Leopold narrowed his eyes in response to Ariel’s firm answer and leaned back on the sofa.

What on earth did she need to do, he wondered.

Was it related to her rough hands? Had the Marquis of Clark fallen into economic hardship without his knowledge?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind.

His lips twitched, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. If he did, she might escape.

“Do I just have to guarantee your freedom?”

“Can you promise to have no interest in whoever I meet or wherever I go?”

Leopold concluded that he had to meet her demands to hold on to Ariel.

But doubts still lingered in his mind.

Why would she even ask such a question if she wanted to meet someone else? Leopold’s narrowed gaze reflected his growing discomfort.

Once again, the beast of possessiveness was about to surface.

Like setting fire to a dry thicket, that beast seemed to quickly dominate his mind.

If she was trying to meet another man, he thought he would have to cut off that bastard’s breathing.

Leopold clenched his lips tightly.

To calm his mind, he clenched his fists repeatedly.

But the emotion didn’t subside at all.

Ariel’s reflection was deeply embedded in his burning red eyes, filled with ardent longing toward her.

‘Since I have decided to follow Ariel’s wishes, I must follow through until the end.’

Leopold wetted his parched lips, hesitating to say something he didn’t feel like saying.

“I’ll pretend not to see it and pretend not to hear it.”

“What would you gain by going to such lengths?”

“You being by my side.”

“Haa… I see.”

Ariel lowered her eyes.

Deep concerns lurked within the shadows cast by her lush eyelashes.

All the efforts she made to avoid him for ten years became meaningless because of her careless thoughts and actions, leading to this situation.

Regret and remorse were all pointless.

If she couldn’t avoid it, she had to accept it.

She had nothing left but to take responsibility for her actions.

Her green eyes collided with his.

Her gaze was resolute and confident.

Her decision was not recklessness but compliance.

When Ariel met Leopold’s eyes, he sensed that she had accepted his proposal.

“Since it seems you won’t give up, I have no choice but to step back.”

Ariel said that and suddenly got up from her seat, walking towards the bookshelf.

The light blue lace tied around her waist fluttered along with her movement.

Leopold’s gaze followed her.

‘Why did she suddenly get up?’

Ariel took out a piece of paper, a pen, and an ink bottle from a drawer and came back to the table, holding them tightly in her hands.

Sitting back down, she let her plump lips part.

“Now, please write the contract.”

Then she placed the paper, pen, and ink bottle on the table.

Leopold looked at her with a bewildered expression.

Of course, he had a feeling that she would accept his proposal when he saw her expression earlier.

But now that it was happening in reality, he couldn’t believe it. He felt a mix of disbelief, excitement, and other indescribable emotions.

Raising his right hand, he opened the inkwell, and then picked up the pen.

He scribbled something on the paper, hoping she would change her mind.

His expression was as solemn as if he were writing a diplomatically important document.