‘But if I don’t accept the proposal, I’ll go to prison for the crime of stealing the button…… After that, I don’t know if it’ll be hanging, flogging, or burning at the stake!?’

Framing her as a thief wouldn’t be a simple threat for him. She recalled the personality of Felix from the original work. He took revenge on Marina so brutally, several times over what he had suffered. Not only did he burn Marina with the sun power, but the Enchester family also disappeared from the Solium Empire’s land that very day.

‘If I don’t accept the contract, I might die right away!!’

Felix, who had been watching her contemplate with sharp eyes, let out a big sigh.

“Hmm…… I suppose it’s difficult to get an immediate answer.”

At his sigh, she flinched and stopped thinking to look up at him. She had an intuition. That she couldn’t guarantee her safety by avoiding him.

She swallowed a handful of fear. He was the second prince of the Solium Empire while she was just the daughter of an insignificant baron family. So if he wanted, he could manipulate her in any way.

“I’ll give you time to think. But not for long.”

Reassuring words fell over her head as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“……Huh, yes? Re, really?”

“Not all contracts are concluded just by shoving a contract in front of someone right away. I don’t want to force a contract either. Think it over well.”

Felix shrugged one shoulder and moved away from her. Without realizing it, she stood up from her seat as if enchanted, following him. Due to the sudden release of tension, her body swayed for a moment, but Felix caught her arm to support her.

“Ah, I’m fine……”

“Tsk…… Do you eat properly?”

He stared intently at Marina’s thin forearm and spat out a remark. His additional comment was quite annoying.

‘Ah…… still, it’s fortunate.’

It was fortunate that he was more generous than the original work’s description, giving her time. Looking at his appearance in the original work, she thought it would be possible for him to push further here and invite her to a burning ceremony. With those words, Felix leisurely left the Enchester mansion. The luxury goods that had been piled up as if showing off also disappeared with the servants.

“I wanted to give everything as gifts, but I don’t want to force my feelings for the lady. I’ll bring them again when you accept my heart.”

He said that since she hadn’t accepted Felix’s heart yet, he was taking the gifts back in case she felt burdened.

At his words, the Enchester couple drank a bowl of kimchi soup. They felt that the second prince’s sincerity toward her had been conveyed.

‘Actually, he’s taking them back because today’s contract fell through.’

One person approached her with a bewildered expression. Having read the original work, she knew well who he was.

“I am the second prince’s aide, Kale Finkler.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

“His Highness says he’s upset about taking back all the gifts, so he’ll leave just a few gifts. Here, a dress that was specially ordered and five bolts of silk.”

Kale, who had been speaking as if making a loud report, eventually whispered in a small voice that only she could hear.

“You can send a letter with your reply to His Highness by noon tomorrow, but you don’t need to feel burdened at. all.”

“Ah, ahaha…… Yes……”

She smiled bitterly and secretly accepted the note Kale handed her. Looking briefly, it contained an address where she could contact Felix directly.

“I’ll hang the dress here.”

“Ah, yes, yes……”

She answered the attendant who spoke to her in confusion. The attendant quickly hung the dress on the reception room wall and stacked several bolts of silk on the table.

As soon as they left, she was surrounded by her family members and interrogated.

“Hey, Marina! Were the gossip magazine articles true?! But what happened to the wealth they brought earlier, did you refuse it?”

“Honey, it’s not like our child is being sold for money. Should she just accept it eagerly?”

“Of course! Haha. I was just asking out of curiosity. Abso! Lutely! don’t worry about it. But Marina, you’ve decided to accept His Highness the Second Prince’s heart soon, right?”

“Miss! Are you leaving the Enchester mansion now and entering the imperial palace? Then Miss will become a princess consort……”

“Lecia, you’re moving too fast! But His Highness the Second Prince’s gaze at Marina was so passionate……”

Not only Lecia but even the Enchester couple were excited and making a fuss. They were drinking several bowls of kimchi soup. They must have been blinded by the brilliant wealth from earlier. But she couldn’t blame them.

“Now we can remove the newspapers blocking the windows.”

“Just selling one bolt would allow us to repair all the mansion’s windows.”

“Haha! The inside of the mansion will finally be warm.”

The baron was genuinely happy thinking about selling one bolt of silk that Felix had given to solve their meals and replace the broken window glass.

“Oh my, look at this color.”

“It’s so pretty! I think it would suit you very well, Miss?!”

The baroness carefully lifted the dress that Felix’s aide had left behind and admired it. Lecia also chimed in.

“Marina, imagine how delighted His Highness the Second Prince would be if you wore this outfit when meeting him! Lecia, keep this outfit well.”

“Yes!”

The baroness handed it to Lecia with careful hands, worried that dust might get on the dress.

‘Sigh…… this is troubling.’

They were naturally lazy and had lived naively relying only on their title, but these people were absolutely not bad people.

‘If they had been bad people, they would have put Marina on the marriage market long ago……’

It was true that the baron couple cherished and loved Marina. They were simply purely happy that their only daughter had caught the second prince’s eye and that their circumstances might improve.

“What should I do, really……”

She suppressed her complicated feelings and shut herself alone in her room. She needed to organize her thoughts about what lay ahead. Lecia kept looking into her room asking if she was okay, but she sent her away with words of thanks.

She lay down on the bed and just stared at the note.

“Contact them here, they said……?”

Perhaps the answer was already clearly decided. Whether she made the contract or not, it would be dangerous either way, but being accused of touching imperial wealth was a problem of a different dimension.

“If I don’t contact them, I’ll go straight to prison, meaning I could die like this.”

Rather than that, even if she had to burn to death, it would be much better to make a contract, get even a few crumbs, and plan to live in the future.

But it was too early to feel relieved.

“Both the water power and the fact that I noticed his secret have all been discovered by Felix.”

The sun power that Felix possessed was top secret that even the imperial family hushed up. It was obvious he wouldn’t leave alone someone who knew this. Moreover, if he even suspected she was connected to Kervic?

“Ah, this means getting completely entangled in the succession struggle……”

The answer had already come out, but it took quite a while to accept it. Doing something she had decided never to get involved with right after possessing someone was quite uncomfortable.

In the end, after worrying all night, she sent a letter early in the morning.

I will accept the deal. But I have conditions.

The reply to her letter arrived at the Enchester mansion that afternoon.

Good, we’ll meet at the imperial palace soon. We’ll modify the contract then.

Thus she decided to make a contract with Felix.

⁕⁕⁕

The next day, from early morning, the Enchester family welcomed a guest. It was Felix’s aide who had visited yesterday, Kale Finkler.

“I came by His Highness’s command. He says to bring the lady quickly.”

“Yes? So early in the morning?”

To the surprised Baron Enchester, Kale answered reluctantly with a displeased face.

“He’s so lovesick for someone that he can’t help himself.”

At Kale’s words, Baroness Enchester looked at her while covering her corners of her mouth that shot up to the sky with a fan. She shouted at Kale with a slightly distorted face.

“This quickly?”

“Yes, that’s right. This quickly.”

At Kale’s reaction that was refreshing but somehow quietly angry, she was also fed up.

‘Ah, this is really cringey. He could just tell me to come quietly to sign the contract, but he’s going to make even his aide act like a prince in love?’

The Enchester family, unable to read the awkward yet irritating atmosphere flowing between Kale and her, became busy.

“Marina, how about wearing the dress His Highness gave you as a gift?”

“Miss, I’ll prepare it for you. Please come quickly!!”

“Huh? Uh…… ye, yes.”

She was led by the baroness and Lecia’s hands. The baroness took out cosmetics she had secretly saved without the baron knowing. She said it was her secret weapon she had hidden until now so her daughter wouldn’t look shabby on an important day like today. Somehow moved, she could no longer resist.

She left the mansion wearing the dress Felix had left behind. And she turned her head slightly to look at the faces of the Enchester family members who were greeting her with bright faces. Though her steps going to make a deal weren’t entirely light……