“Ah, that’s a bit…”

Rizel trailed off as she studied his expression. Saying such things with a face that showed no personal interest lacked any persuasiveness. It was just a bit absurd.

Noticing that his counterpart’s tense atmosphere had softened, Harzen smoothly changed the subject.

“I was joking. You looked too serious.”

“I appreciate the consideration, but my heart dropped for a moment. Will you explain properly now?”

“Yes.”

As he nodded, she leaned forward slightly, taking a listening posture. Harzen tapped a silver teaspoon and spoke in a dry voice.

“Honestly, there’s no grand purpose behind this marriage. I’m simply trying to protect my interests and avoid troublesome matters.”

“…That’s rather vague. Could you give me a simple example?”

“It concerns my interests including the mana stone mines, marriage proposals, and other factors.”

“I understand.”

Rizel nodded. It seemed there were people targeting his valuable mana stone mines and many annoying issues related to marriage. It was a problem she could roughly guess without hearing more.

Harzen paused briefly before speaking again.

“And there are two reasons why I specifically sought you out. First, because you’re a mercenary.”

“Mercenaries are convenient because they work well when paid, are verified by the guild, and have enough combat power to serve as good shields. Unlike noble ladies, we come without complications.”

Her voice was monotone, devoid of emotion. Though the content might be uncomfortable coming from the person herself, her expression remained detached.

Harzen set down his teaspoon and calmly replied to her cold and realistic attitude.

“That’s not entirely wrong, but I focused on the convenience of employment and work progression.”

“Ah, I see. Then what’s the second reason?”

“That you’ve worked with spirit users before, and you’re a spirit user yourself.”

“…How did you know I’m a spirit user?”

Rizel’s face showed a momentary flicker of surprise before quickly settling.

Her nickname was the Black Sword Master. It was a nickname given to suggest she handled water attribute magic and an ambiguous black aura, but while the former was correct, the latter was not.

This was because the spirit she had contracted with was a darkness spirit, which belonged to special attributes. Unlike the four general attributes referred to as water, fire, earth, and wind, special attributes weren’t well recognized by people.

So only those close to her or those sensitive to energies could recognize it, while others naturally misunderstood her as a magic swordsman. She didn’t bother to correct their misconceptions.

Harzen casually answered while clenching and unclenching his hand.

“I sensed it from your energy. I’m a spirit user too.”

“…Oh.”

“I have a contract with an earth spirit. I’m not sure what spirit you’ve contracted with, but it’s probably a special attribute.”

“That’s correct. But aren’t you concerned that I might cause problems because I’m a spirit user?”

“Miss Rizel, you’ve maintained a stable state so far. And I’m in no position to criticize the instability of spirit users.”

Harzen smiled bitterly and shook his head. He seemed to have experienced something unpleasant related to spirits, giving off a melancholic atmosphere. Rizel observed his expression and smoothly changed her stance.

“I see. Well, as fellow spirit users, we do share some common ground.”

“Yes. Now that I’ve explained everything you were curious about, do you need more time to think?”

“No.”

The scales in her heart tipped toward acceptance. Harzen smiled slyly and extended his hand.

“Then will you be my wife?”

“Yes, let’s do it.”

Rizel firmly grasped her employer’s hand. After the handshake, Harzen took out a thick contract he had prepared in advance and handed one to her.

Rizel carefully checked the contents of her copy of the contract and quickly signed it with a pen. She carefully tucked the contract into her spatial pocket while muttering.

“Hmm, so the wedding will be in a month. That’s sooner than I expected, and in winter too.”

“Yes, because we need to do it before the New Year’s banquet at the Imperial Palace. Is that inconvenient or burdensome for you?”

“No. I was just a bit surprised.”

Rizel dismissed it casually. Since her employer had decided, she just needed to go along with it. Harzen nodded and politely asked.

“Good. Do you have any other questions or inquiries?”

“Yes, Marquis Darkus. There’s something I wanted to mention…”

“Harzen. That title is too formal for a married couple.”

He spoke smoothly with a slight upturn of his lips. Rizel immediately accepted her employer’s feedback and continued the conversation.

“Alright, Harzen. Are there any points I should particularly keep in mind?”

“Just follow what’s specified in the contract. If I must add something, let’s not hope for love even while pretending to be a happy couple. It’s cleaner to recognize our relationship as one bound only by money and contract.”

“Sounds good. I don’t intend to ruin the request with personal feelings either.”

Rizel smiled brightly. If she were to become genuinely invested in this relationship, she would be the only one to lose. Only money and power could reliably protect her present and future as both insurance and means.

Harzen gestured with a businesslike smile.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. Please continue.”

“Yes. Since this is a hastily arranged marriage, there will be a lot of talk, and situations will arise where we need to explain how we met or our connection when talking with others. Do you have a backstory in mind?”

“Let’s say I fell for you first and after searching hard, we ended up getting married.”

His demeanor was surprisingly composed for someone saying such things.

‘Was the earlier joke for this setup? But…’

Rizel tilted her head and carefully pointed out.

“Didn’t we just meet today for the first time?”

“That’s fine. I’ve actually seen you before.”

He answered calmly while looking at her. Rizel blinked as she searched her memory.

“I’m sorry, but when was that?”

“Didn’t you pass through the Darkus province while on an escort request? I saw you standing in front of a carriage with your colleagues on a remote street. You were quite noticeable and left an impression.”

“…So it was then. It was such a chaotic situation that I didn’t realize someone was watching from a distance.”

It was a situation where she had to get off the carriage and stand guard because of a problem with the client’s carriage while returning to the west. As Rizel made an embarrassed expression, Harzen lightly waved his hand.

“In that situation, it’s understandable you wouldn’t notice a non-hostile presence. Anyway, we can use that as our backstory for how we met.”

“Yes.”

“Are all your questions answered now?”

He carefully observed her thoughtful expression. Rizel cautiously began.

“No. Is there a training ground at the Darkus mansion?”

“Yes.”

“May I use that training ground? Of course, I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with our married life.”

Although only the two of them were in the reception room, Rizel euphemistically referred to the request as “married life.” Harzen readily granted permission, making her concerns seem unnecessary.

“If needed, I’ll provide you with a private training ground.”

“Thank you. I was worried about getting stiff while resting, so that’s a relief.”

Considering what would happen after the contract period expired, maintaining her physical condition was important. Harzen briefly made a strange expression before leaning toward her and asking in a playful tone.

“Surely you’re not thinking of taking on other work while living as my spouse?”

“Of course not. The time is barely enough to spend on our married life. Unfortunately, I have no room to handle other work.”

Rizel good-naturedly accepted her employer’s joke with a wink. Her answer implied that during the contract period, she would focus only on the designated request she received from him.

Harzen made a deflating sound as he laughed and nodded. She politely cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“Ahem, now that the contract matters seem settled, when are we going to the Darkus province?”

“Tomorrow.”

“…That’s quick.”

She genuinely admired her employer’s drive. He narrowed his eyes and casually asked.

“Do you have any remaining business in the capital or luggage you need to bring?”

“I have no business to attend to, and what I have with me is all my luggage.”

“Then stay here tonight and we’ll go together tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Rizel nodded and stood up. Harzen extended his hand to her and quickly added.

“Oh, before that, let’s go out together for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Rizel, somewhat bewildered, accepted his escort and left the town house to board the carriage.

* * *

The first place the carriage stopped was a clothing store. Rizel quickly put her weapons into her spatial pocket while glancing around.

“Ah, so you wanted to prepare some clothing before we go.”

“Yes. It won’t take long. And we need rings too.”

“That makes sense.”

After this brief exchange, they entered the clothing store. Harzen glanced sideways at the mercenary who was examining the dresses indifferently.

“Rizel, do you have any dress preferences?”

“Honestly, I don’t know enough to choose. Just pick something for me.”

“Alright.”

In the end, he handled everything. After being measured, Rizel changed into the blue dress her employer had selected and came out. She turned slightly in front of him and asked cleverly.

“How do I look?”