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Chapter : 05
I’ll Sign a Lifetime Contract (1)
The moment certainty struck me, my heart dropped straight to the floor.
Why did I ever believe I wouldn’t get caught?
Now that I thought about it, things had been strange from the start. There hadn’t been just one or two suspicious points.
Come to think of it, he never even told me the destination. I couldn’t use magic inside the carriage either. And look at this—he’s put me right in front of that man and still hasn’t untied the rope! That’s not how you treat a guest!
I’d skipped along happily at the thought of turning my life around…!
Am I going to die?
This thing tied around my wrists—don’t tell me it’s a real binding rope?
I twisted my wrists wildly, desperately trying to loosen the rope.
But it was useless.
Just as Silbern had warned, resisting only made it hurt more. My skin rubbed raw, and all I could do was shed a few silent tears.
No! I worked so hard to escape so this wouldn’t happen!
The moment I realized my situation, my whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
I should’ve just ignored it. I shouldn’t have helped him.
Is this what they call poetic justice?
No, what poetic justice—does that mean it’s right for me to die? I can’t accept an ending like this! I refuse! I won’t—!
“Cough—! Hack, cough!”
In the middle of my frantic, silent screaming, I—
“Cough, cooough…”
—ended up choking badly.
I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands, but—
“Hngh.”
Once the coughing fit started, it showed no sign of stopping.
Eclipse, who had been quietly watching me, ordered Silbern to bring a glass of water.
“…Thank you.”
With tears welling in my eyes, I bowed my head deeply.
If it weren’t for this water, I’d probably have kept choking until the very moment I died.
When I lifted my head, the tears that had pooled spilled down my cheeks. Eclipse frowned slightly as he watched me.
“You handled her more roughly than necessary, Silbern.”
“My apologies. There were some issues during transport.”
I shot Silbern a sideways glance as he answered meekly.
Issues? The real issue was those thugs guarding the front gate, thank you very much.
If only they knew how dangerous those guys were. Truly awful people!
Well, I guess no one would believe the words of a con artist who got caught anyway.
To them, I was probably no different from those thugs.
Half resigned to my fate, I slumped back against the sofa, shoulders drooping.
As Eclipse examined me carefully, his gaze fell on my wrists. He set the documents down and let out a shallow sigh.
“She’ll need first aid.”
A moment later, a maid appeared in front of me holding ointment and bandages.
The maid spoke politely.
“May I see your wrist?”
“Ah—yes.”
I held out my tightly bound wrists. Red, raw marks from where I’d struggled stood out clearly.
After examining them for a while, the maid spoke with a troubled expression.
“The rope is tied too tightly for me to examine it properly. I think we’ll need to remove it first to treat the wounds.”
“That does seem necessary, doesn’t it?”
I replied with an awkward smile.
Of course, there was no way they’d easily remove a magic-sealing restraint from a fraudster’s arms—or so I thought.
“Pardon me for a moment.”
Eclipse had already stepped closer and spoke to me.
In his hand was a rather rough-looking dagger that seemed oddly out of place.
“Don’t move. You might get hurt.”
“…!”
Holding my wrist lightly with one hand, Eclipse skillfully cut through the knot.
The severed knot dropped onto the carpet with a soft thud.
“Now you can examine it properly.”
I barely even noticed the maid tending to my wound.
He just… untied me?
Why would he do that after restraining me so carefully? To him, I was nothing more than a criminal.
Was it because my wrist was injured? Even though I’m a criminal?
Come to think of it…
I paused to consider why he’d shown me such kindness.
Oh, right. In the original story, Eclipse was actually quite gentle despite his appearance. He was a kind older brother who doted on his younger sister, even though they weren’t related by blood.
An older brother who seemed cold and blunt but always took care of what mattered—that was Eclipse.
Though he does eventually go dark and become the final villain…
Honestly, looking at him now, I couldn’t believe it at all. How could anyone think this man would become a villain?
I watched his back silently as he returned to his seat.
Then the maid spoke to me.
“This may sting a little. Here we go.”
“Ow.”
As the unfamiliar sensation touched my wound, my dazed mind snapped back to clarity.
The first aid was over in an instant.
Fidgeting unnecessarily with the bandaged wrist, I snuck a glance at Eclipse.
“Elsie Bloomhire.”
“Yes!”
I answered reflexively, tensing up.
“Nineteen years old. Witch. Resident of Windelton District Seven. No parents, siblings, or relatives. Is this information correct?”
“Yes.”
It felt exactly like being interrogated by the police.
Funny. The one who’s actually destined to be a villain is Eclipse.
Eclipse never looked up from the documents in his hand. They were probably records of my personal information.
“Maintains a living by running a street stall near her residence. Primary goods sold are…”
He was listing my personal details without any filter.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve shouted, Isn’t this an invasion of privacy?!—but—
“Magical tools, Your Highness.”
What? Anger? Who do I think I am, daring to show that here?
Stay calm. As calm as possible.
This isn’t a place where I can act out.
Since I’m already caught, I should cooperate as much as possible. That way, I might at least get some leniency.
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“……”
After the brief exchange, an awkward silence settled in.
I kept my mouth tightly shut as well.
In situations like this, staying quiet is best.
If I said something unnecessary, I’d lose what little favor I had left.
As my eyes wandered quietly, something caught my attention—
Huh? What’s that doing there?
On Eclipse’s desk sat a familiar glass bottle.
Inside the small, transparent bottle was a purple powder.
It was Dreaming Butterfly Powder—the very thing I’d searched so desperately for.
You survived, my precious!
My lost year had survived!
I was relieved—but given where we’d reunited, the feeling was far from pleasant.
Of all places to lose it, it had to be here.
How was I supposed to retrieve that?
As I was scheming, I didn’t notice Eclipse’s gaze turn toward me.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
I didn’t know it then.
That a massive storm was about to crash into my life.
I raised my head to look at him.
“Elsie Bloomhire, I would like you to take charge of my younger sister Lynette’s magical education.”
“…Pardon?”
What did I just hear?
W-w-whose what am I supposed to take charge of?!
Still thinking only about stealing the bottle, I stuttered like a broken machine.
Wait—are you telling me to teach the female lead magic?
Why all of a sudden? What did he see in me?
I’m just a minor extra whose plan failed when memories of a past life returned at a critical moment!
Unlike me, flustered by the sudden proposal, Eclipse looked perfectly calm.
“Silbern, give her this.”
He had Silbern hand me a document—the same one he’d been reading earlier.
“A… contract?”
I stared at the document in disbelief, rereading it again and again.
Is this some kind of test?
Maybe there was a forgery spell on it.
But no matter how closely I examined it, it was unmistakably genuine.
The Grand Duchy of Ledeir offering me a job?
I couldn’t believe it.
Just yesterday I’d been a failed con artist—and now I was being hired by a conglomerate. No, not a conglomerate—a grand ducal house.
Has the world turned upside down?
My eyes trembled as I read.
Not just my eyes—my hands holding the paper shook, my empty stomach quivered, having eaten nothing all day.
Every part of me was in total chaos.
Calm down. The white part is text and the black part is paper. No—wait, the other way around?
Muttering nonsense as I reviewed the contract—
What is this number supposed to be?
My mind went completely blank at one particular section.
I was so shocked that even my words tangled.
“Uh, um… this… I mean…”
Written there was a monthly salary far beyond anything reasonable.
