Chapter 171: Breaking the Contract
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: Breaking the Contract
Suddenly feeling a wave of hunger, I turned to look at my maid.
“Cecilia, I’ve grown hungry.”
At those words, Cecilia’s face lit up brilliantly.
“Please wait just a moment! I’ll tell Berni to prepare a proper meal right away.”
“I’ll go tell him!”
Reta, whose expression had brightened just as much, hurried off to the kitchen to deliver the news.
Before long, I was able to enjoy a feast so grand the table seemed to groan under its weight.
*
The moment he arrived at the villa, Loik took the stairs three or four at a time.
— “Her Highness the Consort’s mood has improved significantly. It seems she even had a proper meal this afternoon.”
This was the news Tiern, who had been guarding the villa like an iron fortress all day, had heard from the maids and passed along.
Arriving at the door, Loik straightened his clothes and knocked cautiously.
“Annette, may I come in?”
“Come in.”
Relieved by her voice, which sounded much brighter than yesterday, he opened the door.
Immediately, a soft body fell into his arms.
Feeling his entire body heat up pleasantly at her sweet scent, Loik pulled his wife into a tight embrace.
Her loose golden hair softly tickled the back of his hand where it rested on her waist.
Surprised yet filled with happiness, Loik tenderly stroked Annette’s hair.
“Have you eaten?”
Annette, who had been nodding with her face buried in his chest, suddenly looked up.
Her mood definitely seems better.
Her clear eyes gazed at him for a moment, and then, pressing her chin firmly against his chest, she spoke.
“I was waiting for you.”
The corners of Loik’s mouth curved upward.
Ever since the day Annette had told him she was waiting for him and explained why, it had become his favorite thing to hear.
“Did you miss me?”
Annette let out a small laugh at his expectant tone.
“I did miss you, but I also had something to say to you that I couldn't say yesterday.”
“Something you couldn't say?”
“You saved me, and I didn't even get to say thank you.”
Annette said, clutching the fabric of the shirt at his waist.
“It’s late, but thank you.”
A large lump formed in Loik’s throat.
This wasn't something Annette should be thanking him for; it was something Loik should be kneeling and apologizing for.
Because he had failed to protect her properly, she had been forced to endure such a terrible ordeal.
Last night, beside Annette—who had finally fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning with swollen eyes—Loik had repeatedly whispered his apologies.
Every time he recalled her sobbing and saying how scared she was, he felt like his heart was being torn out...
But there was no point in saying such things now.
The more he apologized, the harder Annette would try to pretend she was fine.
He didn't want to burden her like that.
So, Loik simply pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her eye.
“I am more grateful to you, Annette, for holding on safely.”
The two exchanged a gaze that was slightly ticklish yet pleasant.
“Would you like to go for a short walk?”
Annette nodded readily.
Loik opened the wardrobe, which had been filled with clothes in just a single day.
“I can just throw on a shawl.”
“Absolutely not. Haven't I told you time and again that you shouldn't walk around in just your nightgown?”
“But this one isn't see-through at all.”
Annette held up the white nightgown.
“Your ankles are completely visible.”
In the end, Loik pulled out the longest, thickest robe, dressed Annette in it, and even tied the sash firmly.
As they stepped outside, the knights on guard duty looked relieved to see the Grand Duchess looking energized.
Loik took Annette’s hand and headed toward the lakeshore in front of the villa.
“It’s so beautiful.”
Moonlit ripples flowed softly over the emerald lake.
Along the lakeshore, lined with dim lights, the annex and the servants' quarters were clustered together in the distance.
Watching Annette marvel at the lake, which was larger than she had expected, Loik toyed with a small box in his pocket.
Loik had received many lessons regarding 'today.'
He had heard much about the 'right moment,' but he couldn't tell when that moment was.
Should I have done it on the terrace instead?
He was beginning to doubt if the lakeshore was truly the 'right place.'
Suddenly, Annette turned her head and asked.
“How did you know it wasn't me?”
Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled.
Loik, momentarily puzzled, soon understood the meaning behind her question.
Stopping in his tracks, Loik carefully cupped her soft, pale cheek.
“How could I possibly mistake anyone else for my lovely wife?”
At those words, Annette’s face flushed slightly.
The knights had also asked him several times today.
How on earth had he recognized that it wasn't Her Highness?
— “Was it because the black magic reacted to your mana, Captain?”
— “No, I’m telling you, he distinguished her presence using his instincts as a Sword Master.”
But Loik had truly just known instinctively.
From the start, he hadn't felt that aura—something too soft and warm to be called a mere scent, something that made his whole body feel languid and heated—that came only from Annette.
“Even if a hundred identical women stood before me, I would recognize you at a glance.”
At Loik’s firm declaration, Annette stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“That’s a reward for doing a good job.”
Even though it was just a light kiss, his face heated up instantly.
“You know,” Annette said, gently swinging their joined hands. “This is something I heard from the Dragon...”
That I am Loik’s companion.
“Companion...?”
In a voice as sweet as sugar, Annette went on to explain that Loik had imprinted on her.
Only then did Loik realize that the true nature of this vivid sense of exclusivity and possessiveness he felt for Annette was an imprint.
'Imprint' was a nice way of putting it.
In the end, didn't it mean he would harbor a terrifying obsession for his woman, just like a dragon?
“Did you know? Now, Loik has no choice but to like me for the rest of his life.”
Did she have any idea how persistent and relentless a dragon’s greed was?
Her voice, speaking as if she were the one who had caught him, was maddeningly adorable.
Loik let out a small laugh.
“Why? Are you laughing because you’re so happy?”
Looking at Annette as she spoke playfully, an indescribable happiness welled up in his heart.
Loik lifted her hand, their fingers interlaced, and kissed it tenderly.
“I am very happy.”
Annette tightened her lips as if trying to hide her growing smile.
“However, I think you’re mistaken about something.”
“Mistaken?”
“Even without something like an imprint, you are someone I would have no choice but to love for the rest of my life.”
Loik swallowed hard.
Now was the time.
If this wasn't the 'right moment,' Loik would likely never know when that moment was.
Carefully letting go of Annette’s hand, Loik pulled the box from his pocket.
It was a small jewelry box decorated with delicate patterns.
Annette’s eyes widened when she saw it.
Loik felt his throat go dry as he opened the box.
Inside was a ring set with a dazzling blue diamond.
Annette let out a small gasp at the sight of it.
The exquisitely crafted blue diamond caught the lights from the lakeshore, reflecting brilliance in every direction.
Beneath the large diamond, tiny diamonds surrounded it.
It was a wedding ring created by the finest master craftsmen of Nobledem upon the order of the Grand Duke of Blenheim.
— “There is a mineral we have kept aside because it is too precious to put up for auction.”
The blue diamond was a rare gem, the likes of which had never been discovered before.
With that diamond, Loik had created a one-of-a-kind wedding ring, solely for Annette.
Ever since he first saw Annette wearing a wedding ring, he had wanted to do this.
With a trembling heart, Loik dropped to one knee.
Startled, Annette covered her mouth with both hands.
Loik began to speak in a low voice.
“I know that I am a man who is severely lacking for you.”
The hand holding the ring was trembling pathetically.
“I am well aware that wanting to stay by your side like this is a greed that exceeds what I deserve.”
Loik truly knew.
Annette was the most radiant and perfect woman in the world, and he was the monster Grand Duke.
“But I love you so much.”
Loik continued his confession with a shaking voice.
“Just seeing you smile makes me happy, and when you smile at me, I feel like my heart is going to burst. ...Because of you, Annette, I wanted to live for the first time.”
Annette’s eyelashes fluttered.
“At first, I intended to let you go after a year. But now, I don't think I can live without you.”
He wanted to break the one-year contract they had made.
“So, though I know I am being very selfish... I want to protect you by your side for the rest of my life.”
Loik looked into Annette’s eyes and spoke.
“Will you accept me as your husband forever?”
Just then, a breeze blew, making the branches rustle as they brushed against each other.
Why was there no answer?
That fleeting moment felt as long as eternity.
“Accept me, Annette.”
The words escaped Loik’s parched throat before he could stop them.
Annette lowered the hands that had been covering her mouth.
Her blue eyes, reflecting the starlight, were shimmering with tears.
Her lips parted, and finally, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“You’re so mean.”
