Egon smiled with practiced ease at Lea’s bewildered expression.

“Think of it as a safeguard for your new identity. And besides—this Egon just so happens to need a wife.”

“Marriage…?”

“Don’t feel burdened. It’s simply an exchange, something we both need. A transaction, nothing more.”

He assured her he sought nothing beyond a formal partnership. After all, as Eclace, his days were consumed with endless responsibilities; he would rarely return to this island of Janna.

‘Of course… as Eclace Vitel, he would one day need to form a real marriage—with a reputable young lady, not a hidden fugitive.’

For the sake of House Vitel’s interests, that would be inevitable. This, then, was nothing but a nominal relationship, written in ink.

“It won’t be a bad thing for you, either. People are far less curious about a married woman than about a single one living alone.”

It would even serve as a shield against Shed Lester’s pursuit. Rational, practical—his proposal had merit. With nothing more than a signature on a marriage contract, she could secure this quiet, sheltered life. By all logic, it was a cheap price to pay.

And yet… why, in this moment, did her thoughts stray to Shed? Why cling, so foolishly, to what she had already abandoned?

“…May I ask why you need my name in particular?”

Lea hesitated, unable to lift the pen. He had countless “birds” at his disposal; he could have fabricated a sham marriage without her.

Egon studied her face closely before asking,

“What troubles you about it?”

Lea fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

“As you know, I… I don’t want to tie myself to another responsibility. Not again.”

Heresy, treason—the weight of her sins. She had left everything behind precisely to be free of them. Even a false marriage felt heavy, binding her once more. And what if, somehow, her guilt brought ruin to him too?

Egon rubbed slowly at his brow, considering, then spoke.

“It hardly seems like a contract that demands responsibility… but what if we set an end to it? A limit.”

“An end…?”

“We agree from the start to dissolve the marriage in five years.”

It was, after all, only a contract marriage in name. With a fixed term, five years, she would have no reason to feel bound by it.

“Seems to me I’m offering you quite the bargain.”

Egon bent slightly, lowering himself to her eye level, and flashed her a bright, winning smile.

His smile seemed to urge her on, as if encouraging her to sign. Lea clenched her hands tightly. He was right. Compared to everything he had given her, lending him a false name was insignificant. How costly could a name be? According to him, she owed him a debt and was bound to cooperate. She had received far too much from him to feign defiance now. To refuse him now would be laughable. Where would she even go if she refused?

Lea closed her eyes, steadying her thoughts.

‘Yes… perhaps this way, it will be easier to forget him.’

Shed’s name had haunted her mind all morning. Better to strip it away, to erase the lingering ache. If this marriage could bury those feelings once and for all, then perhaps it was for the best.

At last, Lea nodded. Egon’s smile curved with satisfaction as he drafted another sheet and slid both across the table. A marriage contract—and a divorce agreement. Together, they made plain the contradiction of this fabricated bond.

Five years. Short, if short; long, if long. Still, enough to sever the past and begin anew.

Then Egon paused, as though struck by a thought, and looked at her.

“Ah… but this is marriage, after all. Shouldn’t we hold at least a small ceremony?”

There was a hint of concern in his voice, as though he feared he might be overlooking her feelings. This would be her first marriage. She might feel wronged if it ended with nothing more than scribbled signatures.

But Lea shook her head. She had no desire for white gowns or vows before witnesses. After all, this was a contract destined to end in five years. There was no need for blessings or fanfare.

“Here, then? Shall I sign here?”

Taking the pen he offered, she leaned over the small table and wrote Lea. Egon added his own name beside hers—Egon.

There, on the little garden terrace by the sunlit shore, their marriage was sealed. The swiftest, simplest wedding in the world.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

In the Golden Castle, the heart of Scizlon, Eclace Vitel held the signed contract in his hands and chuckled.

‘So it has come to this, Luise.’

The once-proud and radiant lady had placed her name beside his—the name of Eclace Vitel, merchant count.

Once, she had seemed as high and untouchable as the sky. Now, the noble young lady was nothing more than a canary locked in his gilded cage.

Who would have thought?

As the daughter of a noble family, she should have chosen her husband carefully and celebrated a grand wedding. Instead, she was reduced to such a humble marriage.

‘Only five years, a mere contract…’

He was irritated by the divorce agreement attached to the back of the marriage contract. He had brought her here, hidden her from Shed, and provided her with a home. Yet all he had secured was five years. He had thought that a woman backed into a corner would yield more easily. But even now, she was not one to surrender without conditions.

‘…Still, five years from now, who can say?’

By then, she would understand. That there was nowhere else to lean but on him. That this marriage—false as it was—was necessary for her.

Eclace slid the marriage contract into a leather file and let his mind linger on the future.

Then—

“Young Count.”

His attendant, Bannern, arrived in a hurry. Eclace shut the file and looked up, his expression sharpening. Reluctantly, Bannern swallowed hard before forcing the words out.

“The Fedica has been seized in Blancas’s port of Calais.”

“What?”

Eclace’s face hardened at once. The Fedica was one of the Vitel family’s greatest ships, among the largest in their fleet.

“It seems to be a retaliatory measure—punishment for the recent war.”

Blancas, the northern kingdom of the Empire, had signed a peace treaty not long ago after the last war.

‘I knew there was risk… but I didn’t expect them to move so openly, so soon.’

Eclace frowned as he scanned the documents Bannern had brought with him. Blancas had always provoked border skirmishes every few years. Last autumn, the Empire finally declared open war. Though the fighting dragged on, it ended with a dramatic peace conference. The Empire called it a victory, but to Eclace, it was little more than a fragile truce. Now, that weakness had split open again.

“No wonder everything seemed too smooth… And? What terms are they demanding for release?”

“They have made no clear statement. It doesn’t seem to be a straightforward ransom demand. It’s more likely to be driven by a desire for vengeance. They’re probably testing the Empire while the unrest caused by the heresy scandal continues to grow.”

Eclace exhaled slowly. Blancas’ fickle and uncooperative attitude had long hindered Vitel’s trade. Nevertheless, he had taken the risk of dealing with them because they were the gateway to commerce with the other northern kingdoms.

‘If only the Emperor hadn’t been so careless in that last war, Blancas would never be strutting like this. Captured as a hostage—how disgraceful.’

Every passage through their land or sea demanded bribes and tolls. And when politics turned unstable, trade with them became near impossible.

‘If they keep pushing us like this, we’ll be in serious trouble.’

Touching his chin in thought, Eclace narrowed his eyes.

“And one more thing—Lord Shed Lester has awakened.”

Bannern handed the young count a letter from Ideana.

As Eclace read the report, a dry, mocking laugh escaped his lips.

“As expected of a Lupus… Lord Lester’s hold on life is tenacious. And…”

At the bottom of the letter was a note—Shed Lester, only days after waking, was already searching for Liana Serpens. He had scarcely regained consciousness, and yet he was moving himself.

“He always manages to exceed expectations…”

Eclace’s murmur turned into a low hum as he looked at the map hanging on the wall. His red eyes gleamed dangerously as they fixed on the sprawling continent sketched across it.

“Well, Blancas isn’t the only one harboring a grudge.”

The Emperor himself harbored a deep hatred for Blancas. It was said that to this day he ground his teeth each night, reliving the humiliation of having once been captured by their princess. Surely, before his life ended, he would seek vengeance for that disgrace.

‘No sovereign as proud as His Majesty could leave such a stain upon his record.’

Eclace stared at the map of the Empire and Blancas, thoughts racing swiftly.

“Perhaps… there’s some profit to be made here.”

He rubbed his chin, straightened, and turned back toward his desk.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“My lord, perhaps you should take some rest.”

Sir Carlisle spoke as he watched Shed pacing around, restless and unable to sleep. It had been a month since his lord had awoken from his coma. Although the healing process was complete, the aftereffects lingered and his body was far from whole.

Having served at his side for many years, Carlisle could see this clearly. The duke’s body had changed. Though he did not show it openly, he was uncomfortable each time he moved. Time and again, in quiet moments, he would clench and release his hands as if testing them. The sensation no longer felt as it once had.

And the greater problem was far more dire—

‘I can’t feel his aura…’

Although he was not a Swordmaster, Carlisle was a gifted Lupus. He had always sensed the overwhelming aura emanating from Shed. But now, it was gone.

Whether this loss was temporary, a side effect of the healing process, or a permanent wound remained unclear. One thing was certain, though: his lord was unwell.

Yet Shed was forcing himself onward, beyond reason, merely to chase after one woman.

“Tomorrow, I’ll try Recherdam.”

He spoke as though he hadn’t even heard Carlisle’s plea.

He was restless. More than a month had passed since Liana Serpens vanished without a trace. It was as if she had been swallowed up by the world itself.

He had scoured every place he could think of, questioning countless witnesses, but all his efforts had been in vain.

His hand tightened and trembled as he stared at his fingers, which still lacked strength and sensation.

‘D*mn it. If only I hadn’t collapsed…’

The time lost to his curse gnawed at him.

Meanwhile, Liana could be fleeing deeper and deeper into the world, perhaps beyond his reach forever.

And that thought terrified him.