“I have never once seen you as the same kind of person.”

Eve quickly corrected him in a firm voice.

To see Medric, who had rescued her, as the same kind of person as Baptiste who sought to torment people in any way possible—it was absurd.

Medric stared at her for a long time before speaking.

“When you’re sick or having difficulties, you should speak up, not because it’s troublesome but for the sake of those who worry about you. This isn’t Renox County. You don’t need to be cautious about what you do around me.”

“…”

The more she listened to Medric’s explanation, the less she understood his words.

Wasn’t being cautious natural? This wasn’t her home, and from her position of needing to make a good impression on Medric, she felt she had to be careful.

Eve couldn’t bring herself to ask why she shouldn’t be cautious. She didn’t want to further disturb his mood, which already seemed poor.

When Eve nodded, Medric’s expression softened a little.

“Yes. I’d like you to be completely honest with me from now on.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Since we’re on the subject, are there any other wounds I don’t know about?”

Eve looked down at her body while lying down.

Her entire body was still covered with unhealed wounds from Baptiste’s beatings. She wondered how much she should tell him.

“All I know about are the wounds on your neck and the burn on your stomach that the doctor mentioned. Are there more besides these?”

“…There probably are more.”

“How many more? You don’t have to explain if it’s difficult. If you’re comfortable with it, I can hear about them from the physician.”

Eve was surprised that he hadn’t heard everything about her condition from the physician. It almost felt as if he had been considerate of her. After thinking for a moment, Eve sat up.

“Why?”

“I thought it would be faster if you saw for yourself.”

“See what? Your body?”

“That’s right. You asked me to be honest, didn’t you?”

“No, that’s not… You don’t need to take my words as some kind of mission. I’ll hear the rest directly from the physician.”

Medric strode over to Eve and laid her back down on the bed.

“I spoke carelessly. Recovery comes first. Now get some rest.”

Medric pulled the blanket up, covering her to the neck.

His touch was quite gentle. She remembered what he had said earlier. Perhaps he wasn’t a bad person after all. She thought that if he just treated her like a human being, it wouldn’t be so bad to be useful to him.

She watched his back as he left the room.

Before she could think more about him, Eve’s consciousness sank beneath the surface of sleep as drowsiness washed over her.

***

After that, Eve devoted herself to recovery. The physician examined her once a day, and meals were prepared specifically for her.

Thanks to this, she felt like her palate was becoming refined as she tasted exquisite foods she hadn’t eaten for a long time.

“Are they planning to fatten me up and eat me?”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

When Eve muttered while eating dessert in her room, Marie, who was arranging the bedding, looked at her and asked. Eve shook her head and stuffed the rest of the canelé into her mouth, chewing.

She was somewhat bewildered by such attentive treatment, but since the physician said that physical recovery was the priority right now, what could she do? Eve quietly followed their advice, diligently eating, gaining weight, and resting.

“This is delicious. Could you bring me more?”

“Of course! The chef will be very pleased if you ask for more.”

Marie hummed as she left the room, saying she would be right back.

Eve looked at the closed door after Marie left, chewing the canelé in her mouth.

Medric had tried to change Eve’s assigned maid, saying she hadn’t taken proper care of her mistress.

Eve had dissuaded him. Her collapse wasn’t Marie’s fault. Rather, she was the one who had made things worse by not speaking up, and she didn’t want a powerless maid to be dismissed because of her.

Besides, Eve quite liked Marie. Marie was kind and didn’t nitpick or worry about what Eve wanted to do.

If the new maid interfered with everything, it would be troublesome, and Eve didn’t feel the need for a change, so she asked Medric not to replace her maid.

She hadn’t thought that action would earn Marie’s trust.

‘Hmm, that aside.’

Perhaps because she had nearly died, or because her body wasn’t fully healed yet, Eve’s divine power wasn’t what it used to be.

She understood that her body had weakened from being exploited by Baptiste to create holy stones. But even after five days without using even a hint of divine power, her strength hadn’t fully returned.

Eve clenched and unclenched her hand, checking the divine power flowing through her body.

“Weak…”

Moreover, the bigger problem was that she couldn’t remember fragments of her past.

No matter how hard she tried to remember, memories of her family wouldn’t come to mind clearly.

“Strange…”

An unfamiliar feeling of calmness, without strong emotional fluctuations, enveloped Eve.

Knock knock.

‘Has Marie already brought the dessert?’

“Come in.”

Eve was startled by the figure that appeared as the door opened. The person standing at the door wasn’t Marie but Duke Archild.

“Ah… I thought it was Marie.”

“It’s alright. May I come in?”

Where in this mansion would he not be allowed to go? Eve slowly nodded.

“I thought it would be better to write up the contract quickly, so I came when I heard you had finished your meal. Also to check on your condition.”

“My body is really fine now.”

“When asked, you only say you’re fine and don’t show any signs, so I came to check for myself.”

“I really am fine.”

She had spent five whole days eating, sleeping, and receiving treatment. It would be stranger if her body wasn’t better.

Medric pulled out a chair across from Eve at the table and sat down. Then he placed two sheets of paper filled with dense text on the table.

“Well, I can hear about your condition from the physician, so let’s sign the contract first.”

He wasn’t listening.

Eve gave up and looked at the documents Medric handed her.

Having only watched her family handle documents over their shoulders, Eve’s mind went blank when faced with a contract densely filled with text.

“…You should especially check this part, and here, and here. Read it and then sign.”

Her worry was brief. Thanks to Medric’s unexpectedly kind explanation, she was able to go over the parts that needed checking.

“What is this clause?”

“As it says, it’s the amount that will be paid to you after we’re married. It’s solely your money.”

“To me…?”

“Yes, to you. Who else would I give it to?”

When Medric spoke as if it were obvious, Eve hid her confusion and continued reading the contract.

Besides the large sum to be paid without any conditions, she was given the authority to view the accounts and manage the staff.

To give such authority in a relationship formed by contract?

And above all, there was no contract period specified.

Typically, contract marriages naturally specify a duration. Usually, they end cleanly with divorce by mutual agreement after that period.

When Eve glanced up at Medric, he tilted his head as if asking what the problem was, so she lowered her head again and moved on to the next content.

The contract contained mostly clauses favorable to Eve. Even someone not well-versed in contracts could easily tell that it was closer to a pledge guaranteeing Eve’s rights.

‘Above all.’

Medric had only one condition for Eve: to get married.

There wasn’t even anything written about the divine power he had mentioned in the basement.

“Is this the only condition?”

“That’s right. Use your divine power when you think it’s necessary. It’s not something I want to make a condition, so I didn’t include it in the contract.”

‘Unbelievable. Is this really right? Does this person not know how to make a deal?’

Or there must be some other hidden agenda. What duke in this world would propose marriage and draw up a contract at his own disadvantage?

“Ah, and I was going to hold off on talking until your body recovered, but since we’re short on time, we’ll need to hold the wedding as soon as you recover. Just so you know in advance.”

“That’s fine. There’s no problem with me moving around, so I’ll try to prepare slowly.”

“Hmm, don’t overdo it.”

After completing the contract signing, Medric excused himself, telling her to rest.

‘What is it? What does he want?’

She thought she would come to understand his thoughts while staying here, but she was mistaken.

The more she knew about Medric, the stranger he seemed, and the less she understood him.