Strange. Gabriel might get drunk easily, but Kisa didn’t drink that much.
She didn’t particularly like alcohol to begin with, and she would get drunk quickly after just a small amount.
“It’s already a great honor to perform at such a grand occasion as the Duke’s engagement ceremony, but to receive such generous compensation as well…”
Kisa momentarily let Gabriel’s words go in one ear and out the other as she focused on her heartbeat.
Thump-thump. It seemed a bit fast.
After trying to calm her excited feelings by taking several deep breaths, she concentrated again.
Then she felt that her heartbeat had definitely slowed down compared to before.
A moment later, after concluding that her heart was perfectly normal, Kisa breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter how weak she was with alcohol, it would be troublesome if her heart started acting up after just one glass of wine.
“Kisa?”
Just then, Seyard’s voice tickled her ear.
“Is something wrong? You seem distracted from the conversation. Are you feeling unwell?”
He leaned in close to Kisa, who was sitting beside him, and whispered in her ear with concern.
Kisa hastily shook her head, moving away from his lips that had almost touched her.
“…No, I’m just a bit tipsy.”
For some reason, the spot where Seyard’s breath had touched felt hot and flushed.
“That’s good then. But Kisa.”
“Yes?”
“Would you come to my room after dinner?”
As Gabriel, who must have been quite drunk, started nodding off with his breathing providing background music, Seyard quietly said.
“I have important business to discuss.”
His eyes curved into a smile.
Shortly after, Gabriel left for his room with the help of servants, and Kisa and Seyard also rose from the table.
Kisa followed him toward the innermost part of the mansion where his room was located.
‘Important business.’
Since Seyard had avoided answering when she asked what it was, saying she would see when they got there, Kisa’s curiosity grew with each step she took.
Part of her thought it probably wasn’t anything special, but somehow she couldn’t help feeling nervous.
As they walked, they soon arrived at an imposing door.
“Please, come in.”
Seyard opened the door with a polite gesture, inviting Kisa inside.
This was Seyard’s study. One of the spaces where he spent most of his time during the day.
Entering the room, Kisa carefully looked around.
A large desk, bookshelves filled with books, a low table for receiving guests, and sofas…
It was the Duke of Hillan’s impeccably neat and elegant study.
Yes, rather than Seyard’s study, it was the Duke of Hillan’s study.
Despite the undeniably excellent space before her, Kisa felt slightly disappointed.
Unconsciously, she had hoped she might discover a different side of him here.
“You can sit there.”
Just then, Seyard pointed to a sofa beside the table and walked toward the desk.
“Ah, yes.”
Kisa sat down awkwardly and observed Seyard standing in front of the desk.
He picked up a document that had been placed on the desk and looked at it with an expressionless face.
Judging by appearances, it seemed like a document someone had newly placed there while he was away.
Was it serious content? His reddish-brown eyes seemed more subdued than usual.
Looking at him, Kisa naturally revised the thought she had earlier.
‘Here it is, a different side.’
Come to think of it, this was the first time she’d seen him engaged in official duties as the Duke of Hillan.
In the library he had seemed like a student, and during their date like a man in love, but now he was every bit the Duke of Hillan.
Kisa secretly observed his profile for a while with an inexplicably nervous feeling.
Meanwhile, Seyard, after putting down the document he was holding, opened a drawer and rummaged through it.
Soon after, he approached Kisa holding another document.
“You can go ahead with your work. I can wait.”
When Kisa said this, Seyard, who sat across from her, shook his head.
“I cannot possibly make a guest wait. Besides, this matter is more important to me.”
Seyard handed her the document as if for her to read as well.
Her eyes widened slightly as she confirmed the writing on the paper.
It was a marriage contract formalizing the details of the contract marriage between Kisa and Seyard.
-First, the two people must maintain their marital relationship for the period they have mutually agreed upon.
-Second, after the period has passed, if either party wishes for a divorce, they can terminate the relationship.
-Third, as long as the marital relationship is maintained, they will faithfully fulfill their roles as each other’s spouse.
-Fourth, however, those spousal roles do not include sexual acts such as conjugal relations.
Below these four main principles that Seyard had established at the Vansfelt’s garden previously, there were detailed specifics that the two had discussed bit by bit whenever they met.
He had said before that he would take care of preparing the contract, and it seemed it was finally complete.
While Kisa read through the content written on the paper, Seyard spoke.
“Please check carefully, and if there’s anything you’d like to modify or add, feel free to tell me.”
“Oh, is that really necessary? I’m sure Seyard has done a good job writing it.”
“No, that won’t do. Regardless of the type of contract or who you’re contracting with, a contract should be examined until there’s not even a single doubt remaining.”
“Of course.”
“Kisa, do you understand?”
“……”
Seyard, emphasizing again, was looking at her as if she were a child left alone by the water.
Although it was slightly embarrassing, even she thought her previous statement had been too naive, so Kisa just glared intently at the innocent contract.
She was determined to leave no room for doubt, just as he had advised.
Afterward, she wrestled with the mere one-page contract for nearly an hour.
She reread parts she didn’t understand multiple times, and if she still couldn’t comprehend something, she asked Seyard.
Thankfully, he showed no sign of annoyance and sincerely resolved all of Kisa’s questions.
Listening to his logical explanations made even difficult legal terms easy to understand.
Shortly after, having finally eliminated all doubts and checked the same content more than five times, Kisa confidently said,
“Let’s sign now.”
Everything was exactly as they had agreed upon, and there were no disadvantageous clauses for Kisa.
Silently, Seyard took out a pen from his chest pocket and signed his name in the signature field first.
Then, after signing another contract document with identical content, he handed both contract papers along with the pen to Kisa.
Secretly thinking that his signing looked cool, Kisa tried to write as stylishly as him while moving the pen.
“With this, our contract is established.”
When she finished signing, Seyard said in a somewhat subdued voice.
“Now you can’t back out even if you want to?”
At his playful tone, Kisa responded cheerfully.
“That’s my line. Seyard, you’re stuck being my husband for at least two years after the wedding?”
Seeing Kisa secretly embarrassed by the connotation of the word “husband” that she herself had just used, he curled up the corners of his mouth.
“That’s exactly what I wanted.”
That day, the two each took one of the twin-like identical contract documents.
****
The next day, Kisa visited the Hillan mansion again.
The ostensible purpose of the visit was preparation for the engagement ceremony, same as the day before, but in truth, she couldn’t calm her mind just sitting at home.
No matter how predetermined their relationship was, it was inevitable to feel excited about an engagement ceremony.
Kisa met Seyard and watched the transformation of the banquet hall together as they had done yesterday, then strolled through the garden that the Hillan family prided themselves on.
“Your Grace, so here you are.”
But during the walk, Gilliam, Seyard’s secretary, appeared before the two looking for him.
“A message from His Majesty the King has arrived from the palace.”
From what she heard, it seemed the King had found another trivial excuse to summon Seyard.
Seyard apologized to Kisa with an embarrassed expression.
“I’m sorry, but I need to go right away. It seems you’ll have to continue your walk alone.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
Apologizing once more, Seyard headed toward the garden exit with Gilliam.
Kisa continued walking through the garden, feeling a bit disappointed. Having just arrived, she didn’t want to leave yet.
But then, someone caught her eye.
It was Gabriel, who had joined them for dinner yesterday.
Thinking he must have also come out for a walk, Kisa was about to thoughtlessly call out to him but closed her mouth.
This was because Gabriel was staring intently at something with a rather unusual look in his eyes.
And at the end of that gaze was Seyard’s retreating figure leaving the garden.
His expression, as he stared endlessly at Seyard without even noticing Kisa’s nearby presence, was incredibly complex.
It certainly didn’t look like the face of someone viewing a benefactor who had helped him.
‘Yes, it’s more like…’
It was the look of someone harboring a tremendous, hopeless love in their heart.
Good heavens. Kisa swallowed a single exclamation down her throat.
