ITSM 04

Any doubts I had quickly vanished. Since it wasn’t difficult to understand, I didn’t question it further.

On the last page, as I had heard before coming here, the terms of employment and salary were listed.

In the contract Bael handed me, my salary increased every month—by a full 3 gold each month.

“This is much better than what Mr. Roan mentioned earlier. Is this really allowed?”
“Of course. We have the Duke’s permission.”

Even working just one year would earn a huge sum.

“Uh… but I think the severance pay is written incorrectly…”

The amount was ten times the contract pay!

3,000 gold—enough to buy a small mansion in the capital.

Was it really possible to hire someone under these conditions? Winsphere seemed to surpass imagination, not only in military power but in wealth as well.

“No, you’ve read it correctly.”

Bael nodded with a smile, as if to confirm I hadn’t misread it.

I alternated my gaze between the severance pay and him. Somehow, the dark circles under Bael’s eyes that made him look tired suddenly seemed noble.

“My goodness… conditions like this. I could dedicate myself to this work immediately.”

I meant it. Where else could a mere baroness earn this kind of money?

Except for the restriction of not leaving Winsphere territory during the contract period, everything was excellent—no, the best conditions.

I skimmed through the remaining sections, thinking they didn’t require much attention.

After reading for a while, an unusual clause caught my eye.

“Oh, what is this clause?”
“Which one do you mean?”

I read aloud the clause regarding resignation.

“After receiving the contract pay for three years of service, resignation can be negotiated. However, if one comes to know the Duke family’s secrets, they will be bound here for life.”

Bael explained it to me with a bright smile.

“Usually, a high-ranking noble family has at least one secret that must not leak out. This clause exists to prevent that.”

It made sense, but somehow it felt unsettling.

I carefully asked Bael,
“Did you end up bound here because you learned Winsphere’s secrets?”

He laughed heartily at my serious question, tears slightly gathering at the corners of his eyes from laughing so much.

“Of course not. I’m here by choice.”
“That’s right, haha.”
“You don’t need to worry too much about this clause. Unless something unusual happens, Miss Walker wouldn’t come to know this place’s secrets either, right?”

Unless someone blatantly told me, I wouldn’t discover the secrets of Winsphere, a pillar of the empire.

Besides, in most families, someone who learned the secrets would be killed immediately. Being bound to Winsphere for life wasn’t so bad in comparison.

Almost instinctively, I took out the seal I always carried in my pocket.

“You don’t need to read any further?”

Bael, now without his glasses, smiled faintly as he asked.

The moment our eyes met, a question flashed through my mind:
‘Were his eyes originally pink?’

But I couldn’t dwell on it. Ignoring the dizzy feeling, I answered Bael.

“Of course. I had already decided to stamp the seal before coming.”
“Very admirable.”

He gestured with his eyes as if urging me to do it. I raised the seal high and stamped it without hesitation.

At the same moment…

“Ah?”

My past life flashed before me.

It wasn’t a strong emotion. I realized this place was from the novel Angel of Paradise, that the main story focused on a romance between a paladin male lead and an angelic female lead, and that demons would appear to interfere—but I was only flustered, not horrified enough to deny reality or run away.

The strange thing was, aside from the content of that book, I couldn’t remember any events from my past life.

One of my strengths was quickly understanding reality and focusing on the present.

It was foolish to dwell on the past, so I shook my head and checked the contract I had just stamped.

The empire believed in angels, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I’m actually a vessel…

At that moment, goosebumps ran from my toes to my scalp.

“W-where… am I again?”

I stammered. Bael, seeing nothing unusual, answered casually:

“You’re at the Winsphere Duke family estate.”

I was doomed. Definitely doomed.

The reason for my shock was clear.

The Winsphere Duke family was where the villains and demons of Angel of Paradise lived!

Snapping back to reality, I trembled as I checked the family seal again.

‘Oh my god… Lilliana, how could you stamp that without any suspicion?!’

I wanted to tear my head off immediately.

The alternative I had found to avoid being sold turned out to be a den of demons.

“Miss Lilliana Walker, I look forward to working with you from today. Ah, you mentioned arriving in a hurry? Should you go home first to collect your belongings?”

Bael continued speaking calmly, as if unaware of my panic.

I clenched the contract in my hand until it crumpled with a crunch.

Bael noticed and smiled cheerfully.

“Don’t worry. Even if you grip the contract tightly, it won’t be destroyed.”

I gritted my teeth at his kind words, realizing why I had stamped the contract under his influence.

The demons and angels in the novel had unique abilities. Among Bael’s abilities was one that could sway human hearts.

In other words, the reason I stamped without suspicion was him.

Bael still smiled sweetly as if unaware of anything.

He clapped his hands, reading my expression.

“Oh my, Miss Walker. Are you so thrilled to be working at the Winsphere Duke estate?”

Behind Bael, with his demon-like grin, I saw the reception room—clearly not a place for humans.

I regretted how casually I had taken such a strange scene in the past.

When I didn’t release my grip, Bael tilted his head.

“Surely it hasn’t even been a minute since you stamped. You’re not thinking of canceling the contract, are you?”
“…….”
“If that’s your intention, unfortunately, you’ll have to pay three times the contract pay.”

His polite explanation was terrifying.

“Also, you used the wizard’s portal to come here, right? That cost must be paid too.”

I realized I couldn’t undo it. Slowly, I accepted reality.

The deed was done; there was no turning back.

‘…Think positively, Lilliana.’

My immediate priority was paying off my father’s debt and leaving the Walker estate.

I would have to live among demons for three years, but Angel of Paradise hadn’t even properly started yet.

I could earn money and safely leave…

[However, if one learns the Duke family’s secrets, they will be bound here for life.]

…Huh?

The Duke family’s secret must be that they are demons.

“Ugh.”

I covered my mouth in panic.

‘I already know… then what happens?’

My heart pounded like crazy.

Being bound here for life meant I’d still be here when the original story began.

‘Then… then I’d die…’

All the demons in Angel of Paradise die. It was inevitable for the villains.

After barely escaping the Walker estate, I was now facing a three-year life sentence.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Why me?!

“Shall we go see the Duke now?”

Bael, who no longer seemed gentle at all, said.

I gritted my teeth and thought.