The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

69 – To Permeate

From noble mtl dot com

A bright afternoon.

Near the large pond inside the temple, Ivria called out to Harute.

“Harute, you’ve been looking a bit down lately?”

“What’s with the sudden question?”

Harute asked, puzzled. But Ivria’s pale face remained stern.

“You haven’t been sleeping, and you’re still attending to that person. At first, I thought you might have found a weakness, but somehow, when I look at your face, it doesn’t seem like that.”

“No way, a weakness?…! That’s absolutely not it, Ivria.”

Harute shook her head roughly. She seemed so urgent, like a fish struggling on a hook.

‘I can’t say it… to Ivria… to anyone in the temple… even if my lips are torn apart, I can’t say it…’

As a priest who values chastity and purity, I’m a middle-ranking figure in the temple. Yet, due to a certain incident involving a unmarried woman’s thigh, I ended up getting involved with the ducal household. Hart’s mental strength was too weak to confess.

“Anyway, were you curious about that…? Is it a weakness or something?”

“Of course, I’m curious, but I’ll give you a warning.”

“A warning?”

“Yes, a warning.”

Eubria’s expression turned dark. She gave Hart a serious, sincere advice.

“You might not know, but the truth is, Duke Lumine’s reputation isn’t good. People think of him as a villain.”

“What…?”

“Even if that’s the case, I’ll tell you anyway. If you get close to something black, you’ll unknowingly get stained. I hope you’ll be cautious around Duke Lumine.”

Eubria was being sincere because the one she was advising was Hart. She didn’t want to see Hart, who was as pure as a white swan, get tainted by the darkness. However, Hart’s thoughts were the opposite of Eubria’s.

“Thanks, Eubria, but I’ll believe what I’ve seen.”

“Hart.”

“I know the duke, and he’s not that bad. So, even if his reputation is bad, I’ll believe in him. After all, we believe in people, right?”

Eubria let out a deep sigh. “You’re using your job as an excuse… You’re a saint, for goodness’ sake!”

Hart’s opinion was the correct one. As a saint, she had to accept criticism and doubts.

The temple’s work was coming to an end.

◇

At the Lumine ducal household, about half an hour before Hart’s arrival.

Elphesia was feeling uneasy. The criticism of her inhumane behavior and the public opinion war led by Ascalion, which seemed to be riding on the trend, were unbearable.

The supply line for relief goods had been cut off for a long time. Thanks to that, the 3rd prince, who was bound hand and foot, could only continue the fight in this way.

“… What will you do, Your Excellency?”

Glen, who was attending her, asked quietly. Elphesia looked down at him with an expression like she was gazing at a chessboard.

“What’s the easiest way to win against an opponent?”

“I… don’t know.”

Glen hesitated for a moment before giving a vague answer. On the other hand, Elphesia stated her theory without batting an eyelid.

“If you repeat the actions they hate, that’ll do. It’s a behavior that can instill intense hatred…”

Originally, it was difficult to be a saint, but easy to be a demon. And Elphesia was a woman who walked the middle path of being a demon. With a perfect background and qualifications, she didn’t need to take the difficult path.

Therefore, choosing to be a demon was a natural course of action.

“I’ll spread well-crafted gossip through the yellow press. And since they’ve taken my hand, I’ll tie Ascalion and the empress together as one.”

“… I’ll obey your orders.”

Glen was about to take action when the bell inside the mansion rang, signaling 6 pm.

At the same time, a despicable servant appeared in Elphesia’s mind. That servant was, of course, Hart, who would soon arrive to fulfill the unfair contract after finishing his temple duties.

“… Ah.”

“Your Excellency?”

It was an unexpected sigh. Glen felt uneasy and stopped in his tracks. And his judgment was excellent.

“… Forget the previous order.”

“What? What… I understand.”

“And… lift the restrictions you placed on the upper ranks.”

“What do you mean…?”

“…”

Glenn attempted to reconfirm her resolute decision. However, Elpisia’s lips did not open twice.

She suspected she was hearing things, but reality was stern. So, Glenn prepared to write an official document and retreated.

Thus, Ascalion’s wish was fulfilled. The supply of relief goods to the slums would resume once again.

If it were the usual Elpisia, she wouldn’t have yielded even if her feet were on fire.

She knew that well, so she tightly closed her eyes.

“Huu…”

It was an impulsive decision without any excuses—a decision that even she herself couldn’t understand.

It was all because of Harute.

When she thought about the innocent man who had grown up unaware of the world’s cruelty, she felt utterly helpless.

She didn’t want to tarnish that pure man with her own filthy past. Moreover, seeing him shower her with infinite kindness made her feel even more ashamed.

“Damn it!”

Bang!

Elpisia let out a loud cry and kicked the wall. Why did she keep thinking about him, and why did her own actions make her feel so ashamed…

Her ability to distinguish between good and evil was also unclear. She knew too well that she was closer to evil…

That’s why she felt even more frustrated.

On the other hand, Harute, who had just opened the door to the mansion, witnessed Elpisia’s furious expression in real-time.

“Your Excellency!”

Thud!

Harute rushed up the stairs in one breath. He immediately knelt on one knee and examined Elpisia’s shoes.

“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt your feet, did you? What’s making you so angry that you’re hurting yourself…”

“Hmph.”

Elpisia wanted to shout at him, saying it was all his fault. But somehow, the words wouldn’t come out. If she declared that Harute was the cause, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to take it back.

“Leave me alone.”

“Yes.”

Harute obediently followed her command. Unlike before, when he was awkward and hesitant, he was now calm and collected.

He then asked a sly question.

“So, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, it’s not like that.”

“Mind your own business.”

“Hmm.”

Now, Harute was pretending to be concerned, tilting his head with a sly expression. Elpisia’s face twisted in annoyance at his drastic change.

“You, are you trying to make me feel better or something?”

“Maybe it’s because Your Excellency has always treated me well.”

Elpisia had never treated Harute well. On the contrary, she had always pushed him around.

“You… what’s gotten into you?”

A new thought occurred to her.

If she continued to act like this, she might end up being swept away by the temple’s power, losing herself completely.

Unlike Harute, whose brain was as pure as a child’s, the world was too cruel. So, someone had to protect Harute.

“How did it come to this?”

If I were a woman pushed around by a man at the imperial palace’s ball, I would have done the same. Anyone who had contact with me would have wagged their tail like a lost dog and followed me. And I would have signed that ridiculous slave contract without hesitation… and acted as they pleased.

“My face… is quite satisfactory, isn’t it?”

As a noble, my physique is also impressive, making me a desirable woman. If I were a foolish young noblewoman, I would have lured Hart into a swamp of lust, using my charms as an excuse.

Even without a specific target, I felt a surge of energy in my clenched fist just from imagining it.

“Is this… a sense of responsibility?”

The sense of responsibility that arises from knowing Hart’s true nature. Moreover, having been brought into this unfair contract, I must make him human again.

Either way, it’s inevitable. At least, Elpisia was certain of that.

“… You.”

“Yes?”

“Do you do this to others too? Do you rush to them like this when they’re angry and punching walls?”

“Well, it’s only natural… If you get hurt, it’s tiring, isn’t it?”

When I heard the answer, my mood seemed to sink. Elpisia forced a smile.

“… That’s right.”

But her forced smile didn’t last a second.

“But, Duke, please don’t try to break anything. If you call me, I’ll come running. Then I’ll help you vent your anger.”

“Even though the temple’s tasks aren’t finished?”

“Ah…”

“…”

Usually, at times like this, people would try to smooth things over with lies. But somehow, my mood didn’t get worse.

The fact that I couldn’t even pretend to be fake was quite Hart-like.

“Do I… feel comfortable with this?”

I’ve lived my whole life suspecting others. When I entered the social circle, my eyes would draw a curve, but my lips behind the fan would remain horizontal.

Deception was my daily life, so I couldn’t trust anyone.

But the fact that someone I could unconditionally trust had appeared was a welcome change.

“… I’ll come running as fast as I can. It’s actually quite fun talking to you, Duke.”

“Alright.”

Elpisia turned around and tossed out a casual remark.

“Do as you like.”

◇

After the contract with the two names was signed, time passed. One day, when the spring breeze had disappeared and the early summer sun was getting stronger, an invitation to the temple arrived.

It was an invitation to a banquet celebrating the Emperor’s birthday.

“I’ll have to attend…”

Euphemia made up her mind.

“I’ll have to confirm with my own eyes that Elpisia Ruminel is… the person I think she is.”

From noble mtl dot com

Her pursed lips reflected her determination.