The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

89 – Their Original Sin

The Duke’s Bedroom.

We were surrendering our bodies to the awkward atmosphere, relying on Eco’s enthusiastic cheering. The stiff hugs had long since dissipated, and our eyes wandered aimlessly.

“Khmm!”

At that moment, Elpisia let out a forced cough, as if trying to revive the mood.

With a flushed face, she began to speak.

“So… Harute.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really going to keep using honorifics…?”

“I… it’s just…”

To be honest, I didn’t know what direction I wanted to take either.

The pressure to use honorifics with Elpisia clashed fiercely with my memories of casual days. The reason I habitually used polite language was because of that.

“What do you want, Elpisia…?”

“I wish you would treat me like you used to.”

“What do you mean by ‘used to’…?”

“… since our regression.”

“Ah, I see…”

It seemed Elpisia wanted to hear casual language from me.

If that’s what she wanted, I wouldn’t hesitate. I always wanted to respond to the requests of someone precious to me.

“Alright… Elpisia.”

“Yes… it’s better now.”

“If you didn’t like honorifics, you should have told me earlier.”

“What do you mean by ‘earlier’…?”

“… before our regression.”

Whenever I recalled my memories before the regression, I felt genuinely ashamed. It could be seen as a dark history that I wanted to erase.

‘If I didn’t have memories of my past life, I would have grown up like that, but…’

I always acted like a tongue in her mouth, and Elpisia liked that. It was a truly thoughtless existence. The problem was that I still didn’t dislike it.

I wanted to treat Elpisia with affection right away, but the shame from my past memories held me back.

‘More than anything, the shame is shameful, but I’m still ashamed…’

I lived a life of natural flirting, saying and doing things that came naturally to me. It was a legend, but I found it hard to acknowledge myself. I was a walking flirting machine, and Elpisia must have been bewildered.

“Anyway… I understand, Elpisia. It’s hard, but let’s drop the formalities.”

“It’s not that hard for me.”

“That’s true. It’s just hard for me.”

“You’ve had it hard, so I’ll have it hard too.”

“Elpisia? What have I done to make things hard?”

“… don’t you still not know?”

Elpisia revealed a shocked expression. I shrank back, intimidated by her astonished gaze.

“What, what was it…?”

“What are you even saying?!”

Next, Elpisia unleashed a torrent of bitter resentment.

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“Do you know how ridiculous I felt? Meeting someone like you, who doesn’t even know me well, and yet you showered me with sweet nothings like an experienced lover. Your eyes sparkled like grape juice. Anyone would think you liked me from the start. You would have done the same to Euria… the saint, too. I was so confused, wondering how you saw me.”

“Ah, Elpisia…?!”

“You were a real criminal before your regression. It’s a crime to behave like that to anyone. I still have nightmares about you saying or doing something like that to Euria. It’s still a huge concern for me.”

“Th, that’s… sorry.”

Elpisia suddenly burst out in anger, her immense energy overwhelming me, making my eyes spin.

As she gazed at me with a piercing stare, I felt my eyes drop.

“But there’s more to say, right?”

“Y, yes… but people should be treated equally, and being kind makes the other person feel good…”

“Whatever. That’s how it should be. That’s Hartez…”

She let out a deep sigh afterwards.

“Haa, whatever. I didn’t know that, nor did I accept it…”

“Ahaha…”

We continued to chat, making up for lost time.

As the conversation went on, I realized that I had been asleep for a year. I had limited stories to share, but Elpisia had stored up various topics in her heart.

I was satisfied just by facing Elpisia, but following her unknown stories was a different issue. I felt sorry for not being able to respond with a heartfelt reaction.

However, even Elpisia’s stamina was not infinite, and our conversation eventually came to a halt.

I took that opportunity to steer the conversation in a new direction.

“By the way, Elpisia.”

“Yes, go on.”

“I want to talk about Glen.”

“Uh-huh.”

Elpisia’s happy face suddenly turned guilty. I didn’t enjoy seeing her like that, but I had to push on.

“What if we tell Glen the truth?”

“… Are you talking about his real parents?”

“Yes.”

Glen’s biological father was the Demon King, and I suspected that his biological mother could only be Letitia Baskhill, the sole survivor of Baskhill.

“The shock would be immense.”

“There are truths that are better left unknown, and I also know that.”

“… Ah.”

Elpisia’s head drooped at my words, and I immediately realized my mistake and corrected myself.

“Wait, Elpisia! I mean… I want to know everything about your life, no matter what… That’s… uh…”

“…”

“No matter what life you’ve lived, I like you the most in the world.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Elpisia’s cheeks flushed bright red. At the same time, I felt my face burning up like a hot plate.

I had made a habit of saying embarrassing things. I realized once again that my pre-regression self was a dangerous person in many ways.

“Kkheok… the important thing is not that…!!! At least, we should respect Glen’s right to know the truth.”

It was unclear how Glen would react.

As a human, he might be shaken by the revelation or struggle with his identity.

But if Glen accepted the reality, a new path might open up for us.

“Of course, assuming Glen accepts his parents and reality… maybe the entrenched conflict between humans and demons could be resolved peacefully.”

Humans and demons had recently reached an extreme level of conflict. The Empire’s emperor had been assassinated at the Hunt, which would have been unthinkable in the past.

However, despite the intense confrontation, a national crisis was avoided.

It was as if I had been lying down for a year, and the great priest of the demon tribe was no exception.

Or perhaps, with only martial arts, I had suppressed the demon king in one blow, which might have created tension.

Anyway, they were just waiting for the right moment.

It was a fragile peace that would eventually break.

“Elpisia, you know, I’m quite foolish.”

“I know. You’re foolish, so you chose the woman who killed you again.”

Elpisia chuckled, and I also drew a smiling curve on my lips.

“What can I do? I’m a fool, so I desperately need the clever Elpisia. So… will you think it over with me?”

“You really can’t help it, can you?”

Elpisia said.

“I’ll think it over with you, stuck to you like glue.”

She whispered, making a provocative declaration.

◇

For the past year, Yurian had been having a very difficult time.

The emperor had been assassinated, and the first prince, Lupehit, was a traitor.

So, the remaining royal family members were only the second prince, Rainier, and the third prince, Yurian.

The sudden loss of the national leader resulted in Rainier taking on the duties of emperor. However, Rainier’s knowledge was still immature compared to Yurian, who was young but had a lot of experience, so in reality, Yurian was the one making major decisions.

At such a young age, he had taken on the responsibility of managing the empire’s affairs, and the burden and fatigue were overwhelming.

Harte noticed a subtle change…

“Yurian, you… your skin has become very rough. You’re still young.”

“It’s because the director is too harsh.”

“If you sleep for a year, your skin will shine.”

“That’s not a joke.”

It was true that Yurian’s face was really pale. The joke couldn’t even bring back his color…

But then, he suddenly called out to Tina.

“Tina, I have a favor to ask…”

“Ah, that? Got it.”

Tina, who could understand even vague language, nodded.

After accepting the request, Tina placed her hand on Yurian’s forehead and drew out the dragon’s unique energy.

“… Hmm.”

I was shocked, and my eyes widened. As soon as Tina’s hand touched him, Yurian’s complexion quickly regained its luster.

‘Yurian, this guy… is using the Bloody Dragon’s power like a health supplement?’

It was indeed a very useful ability. Considering the impact of blood on our bodies, it would be excellent in non-combat aspects as well.

The Bloody Dragon we had faced earlier didn’t know this usage, probably because they had no purpose other than exercising violence.

Our lovely daughter was becoming more and more impressive.

However, we couldn’t indulge in admiration forever.

I clapped my hands to lighten the mood and spoke up.

“Hey, kids. Can I talk to you for a bit?”

“Yes, Dad. What are we going to do?”

Tina thrust her sparkling eyes at me. I felt burdened by her invitation, and my lips twitched with a mix of emotions. It’s been a year since…

“Uh, Tina. I’m sorry, but can we put off playing for a bit… and have everyone except Glen leave for now?”

“Director? Are you saying I’m the only one staying?”

Glen asked, looking puzzled.

“That’s right. You heard me correctly.”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“Of course not. You’re the most exemplary one among us.”

Just then, Yuri intervened.

“Director, that’s unfair. No matter how I think about it, I’m the most exemplary one. I didn’t even sneak out at night.”

“You’re disqualified because you can’t use polite language.”

“Injustice…!!”

What’s with the injustice?

Now that I have memories of my past life, using polite language is a grave matter for me.

Yuri seemed to be fed up with me, and he left with a sulky face. Meanwhile, Tina’s eyes were overflowing with tears, and Echo looked worried about Glen.

Finally, the kids left the playroom, leaving behind a desolate atmosphere.

It’s probably because Glen’s nature is quiet, making it even more so.

I slowly approached Glen, who was tense.

“To be honest, I want to tell you to relax, but… I can’t. I have a serious talk planned.”

“Is it because I did something wrong again?”

“No way. It’s not like that at all. If anyone did something wrong, it’s us who wronged you.”

“That, that’s not possible. The director and vice-director have been so kind to me…”

Glen’s pure emotions made Elpisia’s fingers tremble. It seemed like her guilt had turned into physical movements.

I, too, couldn’t be free from that guilt.

“Glen.”

“Yes?”

So, I had to tell Glen the truth.

“Your mother is still alive.”

Even if it meant taking responsibility for the child’s resentment.