After speaking in a threatening tone, Derick eventually let out a deep sigh. Roughly brushing up his hair, he scanned Elisia’s face with sharp eyes.

Under his gaze, Elisia bit her lip and avoided eye contact.

In truth, she had anticipated this to some extent.

That was precisely why she had been meticulously searching through the archives since her possession.

To find a way to terminate the blood contract. To remove the mark engraved on her body.

‘To be precise, I’m looking for a safe termination method.’

The villainous Elisia had unilaterally initiated the contract on their wedding night. After paralyzing Derick with drugs, she had forcibly carried out the blood contract.

The blood contract.

A terrible contract so dreadful that no one would dare attempt it carelessly, as it controlled even the other person’s life.

On a night with a full moon, after pressing parts of each other’s bodies together and sharing blood, from that moment the blood contract is enacted, binding each other’s lives.

If one dies, the other inevitably dies too, and if one suffers a fatal wound, the other receives the same injury, which is why it’s also called the companion contract. However.

‘Well…’

Isn’t it giving up too much to call it purely romantic?

Forgetting her embarrassment, Elisia stared at the red symbol engraved on Derick’s chest and unconsciously opened her mouth.

“…If I find it, will you divorce me then?”

“…”

Derick silently sneered at her.

As if saying, do you really think you can find it?

But despite his mockery, Elisia only gently raised the corners of her mouth.

“You clearly promised.”

“How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand?”

Looking at Derick who gazed down at her as if she were an annoyance, Elisia recalled the termination method from the original story.

The method described in the original story was incomparably cruel.

It involved bursting the heart of the one who initiated the contract.

Even if the initiator’s heart burst, the other party wouldn’t die.

In other words, the heart that needed to burst was Elisia’s heart.

But Elisia clearly remembered. There was definitely another method besides this cruel termination.

‘It’s unfortunate that I can’t remember it.’

She couldn’t die over something like this.

That was why she had been searching through the library so meticulously.

Resolving to search the archives more diligently from now on, Elisia nodded.

“Alright.”

“Don’t forget your promise to cooperate with me until then.”

After hearing the word divorce, Derick had become much colder than usual. At his icy tone, Elisia bit her lip.

“…I understand.”

“I’ll call for you when needed.”

With those final words, he permanently withdrew his gaze from Elisia. As if wanting to remove her from his sight.

Though something felt unsettling, Elisia quietly rose from her seat. As soon as she left the office, she let out a deep sigh that she had been holding back.

‘He doesn’t even ask why I want a divorce.’

She thought it was fortunate that he wasn’t interested in her at times like this.

Should she go find the method right away? As Elisia was about to head straight to the archives, she soon changed her mind.

Though it had been a short time, it had been a series of tense moments. Now that the conversation was roughly over, her body felt drained and she didn’t want to do anything.

‘Let’s rest today. I’ll start searching diligently again tomorrow.’

It was obvious that even if she looked at books now, nothing would register.

Elisia changed her mind and headed to her bedroom.

***

‘Did Elisia have the power to calm madness?’

Sitting at a table set up on the terrace, she had been lost in thought all along, now tilting her head back. The sunset sky was extremely beautiful.

She wasn’t sure how many days she had been pondering this.

She stretched out her hand to cover the sky, but the sunlight seeping through her fingers felt only warm.

“…Or is my memory wrong?”

In fact, there was no need to question whether it was right or wrong. The detailed background of the villainous Elisia wasn’t described anywhere in the original story.

Elisia sighed and closed her eyes. Her body gradually slid down under the chair, but she didn’t care.

Elisia slightly opened her eyes and stared at her palm.

“It was surprisingly warm.”

It was already the third time. Holding hands with him.

Lost in thought, Elisia smiled faintly. It was because she recalled Derick’s face as he endured despite disliking contact with her.

‘Seeing him endure despite his personality, it seems touching me really does calm his magic.’

Suddenly, she thought that Derick Elphias wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

He had suffered from madness to the point of swallowing deadly poison, losing his sense of self as his magic ran wild.

And now he had obtained a tool he could use anytime. The tool named Elisia Adelheit, who had loved him to the point of madness and even attempted s*icide.

‘Would he really give that up easily?’

The answer was no.

‘Even in the original story, Derick exploited Elisia until the end.’

His personality wouldn’t change.

The sunshine was so pleasant that she unconsciously walked slowly to the garden. Remembering where the bench with good sunlight was, Elisia lightly moved her steps.

‘What if I can’t find the answer in the mansion archives?’

The thought of having to find another termination method gave her a headache. Moreover, she had to obediently run to Derick when called and offer her hand to him.

‘Ah, how did it come to this?’

This wasn’t the direction she had in mind.

After realizing she had been possessed, she had planned to twist the story to her advantage. She wanted to connect Derick with the female lead, escape the terrible ending of dying by his hand, and live well on her own.

But somehow, she felt the story was becoming increasingly tangled.

‘Where exactly did it go wrong?’

A question without an answer.

Lost in thought, she eventually arrived at the bench she had been looking for. Confirming no one was around, Elisia slowly lay down on the bench.

‘Let’s say I find a safe way to terminate the contract. Would Derick really let me go quietly?’

Just as another ominous thought was about to overwhelm her.

“Since when did a bench become a bed?”

She was startled by the sudden voice. How long had he been watching? Her eyes met Derick’s as he looked down at her with the sun behind him.

“Y-Your Grace. When did you arrive?”

Elisia awkwardly smiled and hurriedly tried to raise her upper body.

“…?”

No, she tried to.

After hesitating, Elisia lost strength and lay back down. It was because of the hand that suddenly appeared before her.

‘He’s really meticulous.’

Elisia pretended not to notice and willingly took Derick’s hand.

At that moment, Derick’s deeply furrowed brow began to relax. Only then did Elisia truly realize that contact with her brought him peace. Though she felt nothing herself, it seemed to have a definite effect on him.

“This is so typical of you.”

“I was just lying here because it’s comfortable.”

As soon as she got up, Elisia dusted off her hair and clothes.

“What brings you here?”

She hadn’t expected him to personally come looking for her, given how much he disliked her, almost to the point of loathing.

She met Derick’s gaze with a puzzled face. He just let out a deep sigh, as if reluctant to speak.

“In two days, there’s somewhere we need to go together.”

“With me?”

“…Yes.”

“Where?”

“The Imperial Princess’s birthday celebration.”

“Why with me…”

As she was asking the question out of curiosity, Elisia suddenly tilted her head as another question occurred to her.

“But why are you telling me this in person?”

“Killing two birds with one stone. I also don’t want to invite you into my personal space anymore.”

After saying that, Derick unnecessarily applied pressure to her hand. Feeling his intention through their joined hands, Elisia inwardly laughed.

It was amusing to see the man who couldn’t let go of her hand despite his discomfort.

Though his words were harsh, she couldn’t help but think: he really needs me.

“Elisia Adelheit.”

“Yes, yes.”

She responded indifferently, obediently following his will. Yet Derick’s handsome eyebrow shot up.

‘I wonder how long this man can endure?’

Elisia just wished for this torturous time to pass quickly.

The moment Derick released her hand, Elisia secretly let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, she realized she had been unconsciously on edge the entire time.

As soon as their hands parted, the heaviness in her chest lightened considerably.

Their joined hands had become damp with sweat.

‘Above all, it feels strange.’

Elisia shook her head at the subtle emotion she had just felt and organized her thoughts.

‘That can’t be right. My heart just hurt for a moment.’

She decided to dismiss the illusion that she had felt a flutter for that man.

He left the garden without hesitation, as if his business was finished. Watching his retreating figure, Elisia swallowed a faint sigh.

“When he acts like that, I can’t even talk to him…”