My Will Did Not Mean This

“I need to hurry up with the engagement ceremony.”

 

Aslan, who was sitting at her desk and working, suddenly muttered. Dylan, the aide who was by his side, asked again.

 

“Yes?”

 

Dylan was a long-time vassal who had been with Aslan since he was relegated to Blackford, a rugged region in the north, at the age of only fourteen. His relationship with Aslan goes back even longer since he knew him, and he was confident that there was nothing he didn’t know about his master. Even his other side.

 

“I was going to wait until Vivian’s condition improved, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m so nervous I’m going crazy.”

 

Aslan broke his pen and threw it away. A lot of ink splattered on the document he was looking at.

 

“I have no intention of opposing it if your highness wishes, but originally, the princess… No, you didn’t like your wife. To the point of publicly shaming her.”

 

“I regret it.”

 

“Rumors are spreading in the capital. The reason your Highness protects her so much is because of the inheritance you will receive after your death.”

 

Aslan’s face wrinkled even more fiercely. His mood dropped to the bottom when something he was already worried about was pointed out to him. He knew Vivian didn’t trust him. It was natural. He had always been cold to her. He declared in public that a woman like her would never become a Grand Duchess, even if she died. Thinking about it now, it was crazy. To the extent that it felt like a miracle that Vivian had remained by his side all this time… 

 

‘Yes, it’s a miracle. Perhaps she gave me my last chance.’

 

He planned to take his time and slowly touch Vivian’s heart. Things were actually going well for her, and she was starting to accept him little by little. When she first hugged him in the carriage, her whole body was shaking with excitement. How much patience did she have to endure to get to this point? She could not be disturbed in any way.

 

“You’re going to be careful not to get into Vivian’s ears, right?”

 

“Of course. We are always careful when bringing in people from outside as well as controlling the entry of workers.”

 

“It’s not enough to be cautious. We will have to be more thorough.”

 

Aslan picked up another document placed next to the desk. It was a weekly report posted by the family doctors on Vivian’s condition.

 

“As expected, it would be better to hurry up with the engagement ceremony.”

 

Aslan’s expression as he looked at the documents was not good. Although her symptoms were relieving, she was still skeptical about recovery from lung disease. There was also an added comment that it was difficult to guarantee how long Vivian would last. At a time when Aslan’s eyes darkened, Dylan cautiously intervened. He could only guess one reason why Aslan was suddenly in such a hurry to get engaged.

 

“Master, are you considering engraving?”

 

“…”

 

“You have to be careful. For my lord, and for the lady.”

 

“But other than this, I don’t see any way to save Vivian.”

 

Engraving was a type of contract that a cursed demon shared with its companion. When they share each other’s blood and form a physical relationship according to a certain ritual, the inverted pentagram, a symbol of the devil, appears above the hearts of the two people, and an imprint was established.

 

“Once the imprint is established, Vivian’s lifespan will follow mine. Vivian can’t die until I die.”

 

“Instead, if my lord passes away, the lady will also die. There is no time to do anything.”

 

Aslan was a man with many enemies. The empress and crown prince who passed the curse on to him were like that, the nobles who drove him out to the rough terrain of the north when he was still young were like that, and the emperor who was wary of Aslan’s followers was also like that. This was the reason why Aslan had not been able to easily mention his imprint until now. Because if he died untimely, Vivian would also die with him.

 

“But I can’t lose Vivian without doing anything like this.”

 

“Isn’t that the only problem?”

 

Dylan had no particular regrets about Vivian. No, rather, he hoped that she would stay by his master’s side as long as possible, in that she was gently controlling Aslan’s violent and reckless nature. Of course, even so, the most important person to Dylan was definitely Aslan.

 

“If you betray your lord, you will never be able to return to her as a human being.”

 

“I doesn’t care.”

 

“Didn’t you feel terrible about the time spent trapped in the bottom of consciousness when the curse was manifested? I watched my master’s scream with some kind of feeling…!”

 

“I would have said it didn’t matter!”

 

Because of Aslan’s demonic energy, the documents he was holding were charred and disappeared. It was proof that he was truly angry. Dylan looked down and looked down.

 

“More than anything, if you make an engraving, evidence of the contract will remain on your body. How do you explain that? Can you tell me everything?”

 

The fact that he was not actually a perfect human being. The fact that he was the victim of a curse that had been passed down through the royal family for generations. Dylan swallowed back his words, but Aslan did not know what he meant. When the engraving was made, a dark red token of the contract was engraved on Vivian’s chest. Anyone could see that it was a symbol of the devil.

 

“Yes, I was foolish.”

 

Aslan washed his face dry without saying a word. His demonic energy gradually faded.

 

“I can’t tell Vivian anything…”

 

The blatant hatred he faced every time his identity was revealed. Looks like they were looking at a monster. Their eyes looked horrified even when they were in the same space. After returning from Blackford, he no longer had to endure such humiliation, but for one thing: Vivian. If Vivian saw him that way.

 

“Still, we will proceed with the engagement ceremony. Even if it’s not because of the engraving, I want to make our relationship more certain.”

 

“Then, I will tell the Chamberlain to prepare the procedures. I guess I’ll have to send someone officially to Eleonora as well.”

 

Dylan, who sensed that his lord’s will had broken, took the processed documents and bowed, saying he would get up first. As he was opening the door and leaving, he added as if something suddenly occurred to him.

 

“Master, have you proposed to the lady?”

 

“Of course. You know, right?”

 

Aslan clicked his tongue as if he was talking nonsense. He had put in a lot of effort to seduce Vivian. He decisively resolved the issue with the emperor who called for an end to the engagement, and thoroughly crushed the political opponents who were targeting Vivian, causing him to be dethroned. He also worked hard to win the favor of his brother Alex, and presented Vivian with a marriage certificate several times and even gave her a heartfelt engagement gift.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

However, Dylan’s expression upon hearing the answer was complex and subtle for some reason. He massaged his eyebrows as if he was in pain.

 

“That’s not it.”

 

He made the statement that every employee of the mansion wanted to make, and Dylan finally did it.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Vivian, who sleeps a lot in the morning, starts a little later than others. As early as 10 a.m., and at the latest, around 11 a.m. When she woke up late, she first took a bath to warm up her body. It’s not a long stay, roughly 30 minutes. Then, when she came out and dried her hair, Aslan came in and gave her a comb and massage. It’s been like this for about a week, and contrary to her initial expectation that it would only last three days, it has lasted quite a long time. It was a time when Vivian was leisurely relaxing in a bathtub filled with rose petals.

 

“Ma’am, your face is red. Aren’t you dizzy?”

 

“It seems like that from what I heard. Should I just wake up?”

 

“Yes, then I will tell my master that you are coming.”

 

The servants treated Vivian more than their own masters. They had never seen Aslan so kind to someone. Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the mansion, which felt like walking on a knife’s edge, became much softer and more comfortable. This was the biggest change that occurred after Vivian came in. One of the maids walked out of the bathroom at a brisk pace, saying she would call her master.

 

“Come out here, ma’am. Be careful not to slip.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“Would you like to go in front of the mirror?”

 

Vivian placed her body on a large bath towel that her maids had spread out. She shouldn’t get too used to this comfortable life. Vivian muttered softly and looked in the mirror. And she tilted her head.

 

‘What is this?’

 

There was something shiny above her left chest where her heart was. She thought the water had not been cleaned properly, but the maids were carefully wiping off every last drop of water left on the body. Vivian rubbed it with the tips of her fingers.

 

“…?”

 

Instead of disappearing, it actually glowed brighter and then disappeared. It didn’t completely disappear, but it just returned to its original extent.

 

“Emma, can you see this?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Vivian asked Emma, a middle-aged, seasoned maid. But she only fiddled with her monocle and did not give a satisfactory answer.

 

‘After all, presbyopia has come.’

 

Vivian thought she should give Emma some eye supplements as a gift, so she asked the other maids. But they also collectively shook their heads.

 

‘Did you get presbyopia as a group?’

 

Vivian bit the maids, thinking she should order more eye supplements. Left alone, she looked in the mirror and thought deeply.

 

“It looks like a pentagram.”

 

It was a very transparent silver color, so it was not very noticeable. But if you look carefully, you can clearly see a vague shape.

 

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Translator Note: