Chapter 1.1

“Is this really the only way?”  

“…Kiss me.”  

To confirm if the method she had guessed could truly break her limited lifespan.  

‘But… how can I endure this?’  

It felt extremely awkward to say such words to someone who, just a few months ago, seemed ready to tear her apart.  

Moreover, her counterpart was none other than the Grand Duke, who had perfectly hidden his identity and was the mastermind of the novel’s plot.  

Although she tried to act indifferent, her face stiffened with tension, betraying her true feelings.  

However, as always, he met her gaze with a relaxed and arrogant smile.  

“Cielie.”  

“…”  

“Your voice is too soft. I couldn’t hear what you said.”  

Even though her voice had been small and hesitant, he must have heard it. But he simply smiled leisurely, pretending not to have heard a thing.  

In the end, she let out a deep sigh and slowly parted her lips.  

“A kiss…”  

Ah, damn it.  

Saying it again made her tongue freeze up.  

‘Still, if I want to confirm, I have to do it. I need to.’  

She tried to calm her racing heart.  

Taking a deep breath, she looked at him with a serious expression.  

“Erden.”  

Her long-time rival.  

Her contract lover, with whom she had pretended to be a sweet couple.  

And now…  

‘I don’t know anymore.’  

But one thing was certain—she had to say it again.  

“Kiss me.”  

This time, her voice was slightly clearer and louder than before.  

At her words, Erden tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips.  

Judging by his reaction, it was clear he had heard her earlier.  

“How should I do it?”  

“…”  

“Like this—”  

Plop. Plop.  

Erden began unbuttoning his white shirt, stained with traces of blood.  

Her eyes widened in shock as she leapt forward, grabbing his freely moving hands.  

“Not that!”  

“…”  

“When did I ever ask you to take off your clothes?!”  

“…”  

“I said kiss me! With your lips!”  

And then, silence.  

‘Ah… I overreacted again.’  

Her quick temper, which she should have fixed long ago, had flared up once more.  

Recalling her loud outburst just moments ago, she squeezed her eyes shut, too embarrassed to open them again.  

Meanwhile, Erden, unfazed by whether her eyes were open or closed, continued speaking in his usual composed manner.  

“…Cielie.”  

“…”  

“I only unbuttoned my shirt because it felt tight. What kind of misunderstanding are you having? Of course… I know you like this kind of thing.”  

Flinch.  

Erden added, in his characteristic leisurely tone, as if he had decided to tease her.  

Sure, there had been a time when she had gotten a nosebleed from seeing his upper body… but that wasn’t the case this time!  

She frowned deeply, muttering excuses she couldn’t say out loud.  

But for now…  

‘…Silence is the answer.’  

Remaining silent seemed like the best course of action.  

However, Erden’s soft chuckles grew louder and louder, filling the room.  

Unable to endure his laughter any longer, she cracked one eye open.  

She didn’t dare open both eyes yet, as her embarrassment hadn’t subsided, and one eye was enough to glare at him.  

“Stop laughing, will you?”  

“…Alright.”  

Erden finally stifled his laughter, wiping away tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes.  

“Cielie.”  

“…”  

“This is more like you. At first, you weren’t yourself at all.”  

Who would have imagined?  

The Empire’s only wielder of dark powers, known as an emotionless killer, laughing so hard that tears formed in his eyes.  

And only in front of her.  

The thought made her chest feel a bit tight, and she frowned slightly.  

But her faint frown was quickly smoothed out when Erden suddenly leaned in close.  

Thud.  

The sound of his shoulder lightly brushing against hers echoed briefly in the office before fading away.  

“…You’re too close.”  

“Cielie. You’re the one who asked me to kiss you.”  

“…”  

“And I can’t kiss you unless I’m close.”  

Erden wore a deliberately regretful expression.  

That sly fox of a man!  

But by now, she was used to his antics and responded sharply.  

“Who said anything about kissing on the lips? I asked you to kiss my hand.”  

“Is that what you meant?”  

“Why are you pretending not to know?”  

She extended her hand right in front of his face, glaring at him with sharp eyes that belied the nervousness she had shown earlier.  

Despite her piercing gaze, Erden simply shrugged nonchalantly.  

For a moment, their crimson eyes locked.  

She tried to hold his gaze, but in the end, she couldn’t withstand the intensity of his stare.  

‘Why does he have to be so ridiculously handsome?!’  

She pouted, blaming her heart for reacting to his good looks.  

As she silently complained, Erden’s lips brushed against the back of her hand.  

It had taken him a while to kiss her hand, but once he did, his lips lingered for quite some time.  

From the back of her hand to each finger.  

And finally, to her palm.  

For some reason, she felt a bit warm. It wasn’t just because of the sunlight streaming through the large windows.  

“Will this suffice?”  

Erden tilted his head slightly, a soft smile gracing his lips.  

She gathered her scattered thoughts and replied coolly.  

“More than enough.”  

And then, she did what she had been meaning to do all along.  

[249]  

[24※§]  

The numbers on her bracelet began to change.  

[256]  

In her favor.  

The numbers on her bracelet, which represented her remaining lifespan, had increased for the first time.  

The numbers that had only ever decreased, no matter what she did, had gone up.  

‘The moment Erden’s lips touched me.’  

A refreshing and cool sensation coursed through her body, instantly dispelling the heat she had felt moments ago.  

At the same time, she couldn’t hide the ecstatic expression that spread across her face as she gently closed her eyes.  

Just like yesterday.  

‘I’ve finally found it.’  

The way to break free from her limited lifespan.  

If that was the case, there was only one thing left to do.  

‘Even if it’s a bit ridiculous to propose this after running away upon discovering Erden’s identity as the mastermind… does that matter right now?’  

If it meant she could survive.  

Bang!  

She slammed her hands on the desk and stood up abruptly.  

The force of her action caused the desk to shake, and the heated air in the room seemed to tremble and dissipate.  

Suppressing her excitement, she presented the contract she had prepared the day before.  

“Erden! Let’s make a deal.”  

At her sharp declaration, Erden stared at her for a long moment before slowly parting his lips.  

“You mean the strange condition you mentioned yesterday… about my lips touching you?”  

“…Yes.”  

“And whenever you want, at that?”  

Was it too unreasonable a condition?  

Just as she began to wonder, Erden’s elegantly curved lips formed a question.  

“And why should I trust you?”  

“…What?”  

“You broke the first contract by running away. What’s to stop you from doing it again?”  

“…”  

“Cielie. Leaving before the contract ends is a breach of contract.”  

Erden spoke with feigned regret as he took a sip of his tea.  

His demeanor was so infuriating.  

‘It was just a misunderstanding about the contract’s end date, with only one day left…!’  

Yes, that was the reason.  

His behavior was so irritating that…  

“You broke the contract too, so let’s just call it even!”  

She blurted out the thought she had only vaguely considered.  

“You didn’t abide by the clause about not falling for each other, did you?”  

“…”  

“Am I wrong?”  

It was purely a guess based on various circumstances, not a certainty.  

As the silence between them grew, she felt her rationality returning.  

‘He’s going to tease me again. I should’ve held back…’  

Regretting her impulsiveness, she closed her eyes tightly.  

But strangely, there was no response.  

No mockery, no accusations of misunderstanding, not even laughter.  

Quite some time had passed, but there was still no response. As she slowly opened her eyes,  

“Yes, that’s right.”  

“…What?”  

“I broke the contract too, so we can let the previous agreement slide.”  

Wait, did he just acknowledge that? Did he even realize what he said?  

Unlike her shocked reaction, Erden remained composed and arrogant as he asked,  

“Now, tell me. What do I stand to gain from this contract?”  

Erden was always clear about such matters. He would never agree to anything that left him at a disadvantage.  

‘Of course… considering he just made something that sounded like a confession to me, asking about gains in such a business-like manner doesn’t really fit.’  

Perhaps it was just typical Erden.  

She pushed aside her scattered thoughts and answered, trying to steady her swirling emotions.  

What mattered now was ensuring the success of this contract.  

“…Anything.”  

Though her answer might seem insincere, she meant it wholeheartedly.  

She wasn’t sure if such a vague response would satisfy his calculations, but she truly had no idea what else to offer him.  

Then, without much hesitation, Erden’s lips curved into a meaningful smile.  

“Alright.”  

“…Really?!”  

Unable to hide her excitement, she smiled brightly. For a moment, Erden’s lips relaxed into a lazy grin.  

“But.”  

His resolute voice made her flinch as their gazes locked.  

Her reflection was caught in his crimson eyes. It was natural, given that they were staring at each other, but it sent a chill down her spine.  

At that moment, he smiled softly and continued the words he had paused earlier.  

“Don’t disappear from my sight and stay by my side.”  

“…?”  

“That’s the condition.”  

The unexpected condition rendered her speechless, her lips opening and closing silently.  

Why was he talking like one of those obsessive protagonists?  

“Then, anytime you want, I’ll kiss you, Cielie.”  

But oblivious to her turmoil, Erden continued speaking with a sly expression, his lips curling slightly.  

“If… even with this condition, you disappear.”  

His gaze suddenly deepened.  

“You’ll have to take responsibility, Cielie.”  

“…W-what kind of responsibility?”  

She looked at him with a bewildered expression, to which he replied with a gentle smile,  

“Anything.”  

“…Anything? What does that even mean? What could it possibly be?”  

Why was he looking at me with that expression?  

She internally muttered the words she couldn’t voice aloud and stared at Erden.  

“If you’re really curious, try it again.”  

His words, delivered with a deep smile, left her feeling dazed.  

‘I can’t shake the feeling that things are getting more and more tangled.’  

…How did it come to this?  

It all started that day.