PVSS 7

chapter 7

I quickened my pace, almost breaking into a run. The goal was to make a fast escape so that the stunned Lenox wouldn’t have a chance to argue back.

Thinking about how dumbfounded he looked—even after I’d gone as far as cursing at him—made me feel oddly satisfied.

I headed straight toward the administrative offices of the imperial palace.

As I moved, Dominic—currently in my hand—vibrated slightly.

Why?

Dominic and I were bound by contract. Not when he was human, but now that he had taken the form of the sword—the core of our contract—it felt like we could read each other’s thoughts much more clearly.

He sent me a hurried telepathic message.

“Are you really okay, Mel? He’s a duke, isn’t he?”

“You mean me cursing at Lenox?”

I scratched the bridge of my nose.

That petty man would definitely be itching for revenge.

“It’s fine. Our families are equals. At least for now.”

And unless I went too far, he didn’t seem like the type to let me go easily.

“Besides, he’s always been worse to me.”

Thinking about the harsh words Lenox used to throw at Meldenique all the time made my fists clench tightly.

“He always looked down on me and tormented me.”

And yet, he’d been rendered speechless by a single “Get lost.” The absurdity of it was almost laughable.

Hmph.

I snorted loudly.

Dominic paused for a moment before speaking again.

“…Well, that’s true. If that bastard tries anything, I’ll protect you.”

I nodded, then whistled lightly as I continued toward the palace offices. I still had one more goal to accomplish here—filing the business registration.

Fortunately, I was able to complete the registration quickly within the palace.

Of course, while doing so, I received plenty of unfriendly looks—though not openly hostile.

But rather than being a problem, those looks actually helped.

Even within the palace offices, the name Meldenique Babeloa was infamous for incompetence.

So the officials, thinking “She’ll probably ruin another business anyway,” approved everything carelessly without much scrutiny.

‘It’s not so bad that people think I’m incompetent.’

After all, they didn’t even bother checking my business plan or trying to interfere before granting approval.

Feeling buoyant with ambition for success, I stepped out of the office with a lively stride.

I paused briefly by the roadside, organizing the documents into the long bag that also held Dominic—still in sword form.

At that moment, a low, gentle voice came from behind me.

“You dropped this document.”

I turned around and looked at the pure white sheet the man was holding out.

With so many papers, I must have dropped one.

“It’s mine. Thank you.”

I accepted the document with my name written at the top. Our hands brushed lightly by accident.

After placing it in my hand, the man whispered softly:

“Did you mean it?”

“…Excuse me?”

A low chuckle sounded above me.

“What you said—about it being better to marry me than Duke Hesman.”

“Oh, well, anyone would be better than him.”

The moment I finished speaking, a clear laugh rang out above me.

“That’s nice to hear.”

His voice was low, languid, and sweet.

I paused mid-motion while organizing my documents. There was only one person who could ask something like that.

‘Could it be that man from earlier—the one in the shirt?’

I’d only seen him from behind, vaguely.

I lifted my head to see his face—but he had already passed me and was walking away.

All that remained was a refreshing scent carried by the breeze.

I tilted my head slightly, then adjusted my bag.

Now that I had finished the business registration, there was no reason to come back to the palace.

I probably wouldn’t meet that black-haired man—who seemed connected to Lenox—again either.

It felt a little strange.

But that was all. I wouldn’t see him again anyway.

I returned to the shabby stationery shop building.

‘Since there’s no dust, I can rest comfortably.’

Unlike yesterday, the interior was now much cleaner and tidier—thanks to the clumsy cleaning magic Dominic had cast earlier that morning.

I sat on a broken chair in the large one-room space on the first floor and looked at Dominic.

By now, he had already shed his sword form and returned to his human body.

“We’re remodeling tomorrow, so let’s go to the market district.”

“Alright.”

“Hmm… Fortunately, we have some money, so let’s do it properly, okay?”

The Duke of Babeloa had given me around 200 million becquerels.

Hiring a mage to remodel the building would cost about 100 million. The remaining 100 million would be used to purchase items for the shop.

For the Duke, it was just pocket change—but for a small business owner like me, it was more than enough.

“Okay,” he replied quietly.

Suddenly, I felt something was off.

Why did this sword suddenly look so deep in thought?

“What’s with that face? What are you thinking about?”

“Was that man earlier your fiancé, Mel?”

Ah, so it was about what happened with Lenox.

I answered casually.

“Yeah. He was. Not anymore.”

He seemed surprised that I wasn’t hurt.

Maybe the contract between sword and human allowed us to vaguely sense each other’s emotions.

I began to feel the same discomfort he was experiencing.

Dominic ran a hand through his jet-black hair and muttered,

“…Well, it goes without saying—you’re too good for him.”

“Exactly.”

“Even if you try to push scam contracts and use a great sword like me for such trivial things.”

That sounded a bit strange.

‘Why does it feel like he’s insulting me?’

I shot him a suspicious glance.

“What? Are you sure you’re not insulting me instead of Duke Hesman?”

“I’m not.”

Dominic feigned innocence.

I burst into laughter and lightly tapped him before regaining my composure.

There was no time for jokes. I had something important to do tonight.

I rummaged through the clutch I had placed on the table earlier.

Then I took out two sheets of high-quality paper from my family and a fountain pen.

Thankfully, the precious paper was enchanted, so it came out without any creases.

I waved the pen lightly in my right hand and said cheerfully,

“Since I already told Lenox, I’m going to write a letter demanding the annulment of our engagement.”

Dominic, who had been pacing around the shabby room, suddenly came over and nodded.

“That’s a very good idea.”

“I should also request to be disowned. I thought they’d disown me as soon as I left—why are they so slow to react?”

To be precise:

Why aren’t they disowning me already and letting Lenox swarm around like a fly?!

Let’s just go our separate ways.

At my words—filled with my true desire to cut ties with the Babeloa family—Dominic’s expression turned to shock.

“…You’re a noble. Are you planning to give up your status?”

There were countless people who would lick the Duke of Babeloa’s boots just to bear that name.

So it was no surprise Dominic couldn’t understand my decision.

But to completely sever ties with my father, the Duke who hated me, my stepmother who wanted me dead, and my younger sister Sheria—the story’s heroine who felt superior to me—

I had to give up the Babeloa name.

And once I became a commoner, the marriage arrangement with the Hesman family would naturally be canceled as well.

‘It’s not like I’m particularly attached to it anyway.’

I smiled at him.

“Yeah. I’m confident.”

“…Confident in what?”

“That if I really wanted to, I could regain status anytime?”

‘There are ways to become a noble again. I just don’t need them yet.’

I grinned at him confidently.

“Why? I’ve got you—the strongest force there is.”

Dominic looked at me, startled, his cheeks flushing red.

Despite being incredibly old on the inside, he looked like a lovable seventeen-year-old on the outside—so even his flustered reaction was cute.

He rubbed his face repeatedly and muttered,

“Well… it’s true. I’m a trustworthy—the greatest sword.”

I nodded at him.