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Episode 4
The group followed the butler inside and stopped in front of a mahogany door engraved with dragons on both sides.
“Please wait a moment.”
Jack entered the study with a white-gloved hand, then came back out and opened the door wide.
“He says you may enter.”
The moment Roze stepped inside, Roze’s eyes widened.
‘That man…’
The man from the dream.
Roze had thought that meeting him someday was inevitable after seeing him in the prophetic dream, but Roze never imagined that the place would be here.
And of all possibilities, as the successor who inherited Duke Klaus’s position.
Roze forced the rapidly beating heart to calm down and looked at the Duke of Aitan, who stood with the snowstorm-filled window behind him.
The tall man with a solid build and black hair had a face so beautiful it sent chills down the spine.
The information that the duke had wandered battlefields and only recently returned seemed true, as the tanned skin—something nobles would despise—was clearly visible.
In Roze’s mind, the image of the duke swinging a sword while drenched in dark red blood overlapped with the man standing before Roze now.
The heart that had barely calmed began racing again.
The duke, who had been standing behind the desk, looked at the group entering the room.
Without realizing it, Roze pulled the hood deeper over the head and hid among the group.
Roze was too flustered to even realize that such behavior only made Roze stand out more.
On top of that, the embarrassing scenes from the dream flooded Roze’s mind the moment Roze saw the Duke of Aitan, causing great discomfort.
And bitterness as well.
‘There goes peaceful sleep.’
Now that the identity was known, sleeping comfortably would no longer be possible.
In dreams, anything could be allowed, but in reality, a single mistake could send the entire Chaos Trading Company into ruin.
When Roze hesitated to step forward, Guild Master Gray read the situation and greeted the duke first.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Gray Reed, the guild master of the Chaos Trading Company. I offer my deepest condolences for the late—”
“Get to the point.”
The deep voice cut in abruptly and pierced everyone’s ears.
Even Gray, who had been through countless hardships, felt the back of the neck heat up from the decadent sensuality in the duke’s voice.
Standing among the startled group, Roze realized that the duke’s gaze was not on Gray, but on Roze.
‘Well, he must already know who the real owner is. There’s no need to cause unnecessary misunderstanding.’
Swallowing a bitter smile, Roze removed the red hood.
Black hair spilled down in waves.
The duke’s gaze moved from Roze’s hair to Roze’s face.
“I am Roze von Isaac.”
“I am Khan von Aitan. Are you the owner of the trading company?”
“Yes.”
The duke stared at Roze for an oddly long moment before speaking.
The voice carried a lingering metallic edge and killing intent, though it was not unpleasant.
“There must be a reason you came all this way through a snowstorm to find me. I prefer quick and direct dealings over polite circles.”
Roze already knew, from the man in the dream, that Khan was not someone who liked long explanations.
Though the way of speaking was rough, it was clear that Khan aimed for clear communication.
Roze shook Roze’s head at Gray, who was frowning, took the contract, and held it out to the duke.
“One is the contract with the previous duke.
The other contains my conditions.”
As Khan read the documents, interest flickered in Khan’s eyes.
“A guardianship contract?”
Roze nodded and answered.
“Since the previous duke has passed away, I ask that you, as the successor, honor this contract.”
Khan silently stared at the papers before looking at Roze.
Roze thought it might be possible to read Khan’s emotions to some extent, but nothing could be read at all.
‘Is this going to be rejected?’
Unexpectedly, Khan accepted calmly.
“I will accept the deal.”
Roze should have been relieved by the smooth agreement, but suspicion crept in.
Though a guardianship contract meant patronage, in the Terran Empire it was more commonly used to imply a hidden lover.
It was not good publicity for a young duke who had just inherited the title.
Sensing the meaning in Roze’s gaze, Khan spoke first.
“But there is a condition.”
Khan frowned slightly, as if speaking itself was not familiar.
“I acknowledge this deal as my duty, but the clauses protecting the trading company and you are vague.
Too broad. They allow for excessive interpretation.
You are a merchant who dislikes losses, and I am the same.
I do not favor deals where I lose.
However, if you accept one condition, I will sign the guardianship contract without delay.”
“I fulfilled my role according to the promise with the previous duke, and I am merely asking for the result.
There is no reason to accept an unfair deal.
The late duke clearly said that any condition would be accepted.
So why should I accept your condition?”
At Roze’s cold question, Khan fell silent.
After thinking briefly, Khan gave a short and clear answer.
“You are the desperate one.”
“As the owner of the Chaos Trading Company, there are few things beyond my reach. To say I am desperate is difficult to understand.”
Khan neither affirmed nor denied it.
Khan simply stated what was known in a stiff tone.
“From what I heard, you came to my grandfather first and requested the deal.”
Khan’s voice, now free of metallic sharpness, was deep and indulgent, loosening the listener’s mind.
Yet the words themselves were cold and rational.
“As you said, the owner of a trading company that can achieve anything revealed even the hidden true self and visited Aitan.
In exchange for solving the northern winter problem, all you wanted was a guardianship contract.
There is no plausibility, and even as a profit-seeking merchant, this is not a relationship that produces gains.”
Like in the dream where enemies were beheaded in an instant, Khan showed no openings.
Khan stated firmly, face devoid of humor.
“I know you have another motive. As long as there is no harm to our side, I will not dig deeper. That is the condition. Accept it.”
Khan pressed Roze using blunt honesty as a weapon.
“Of course, you could pressure me using my grandfather’s promise. But how much do you think a simple guardianship contract can move me?”
“Nonsense.”
At Roze’s icy voice, Khan asked coldly,
“You revealed your weakness by coming here through a snowstorm after hearing of my grandfather’s death.
Why waste each other’s time? It’s not even a big condition.”
Khan looked at Roze’s pale face.
“If you need time to think, I will give it.”
Roze clenched Roze’s teeth.
With only a few clues, Khan had inferred everything and was confident Roze could not refuse.
This man was not a newly debuted young successor.
This man was already the Duke of Aitan.
Though Roze deeply regretted the lack of information on Khan, there was no choice.
Only the cards in hand could be played.
Meeting Khan’s cold gaze, Roze stood firm.
“Chaos has already paid a fair price.
It is now your turn to keep the promise.
Adding conditions at this point means breaking trust.
Who can guarantee there will not be more conditions later?”
Anger was clear in Roze’s eyes.
“Above all, how am I supposed to trust you?”
The pressure radiating from Khan made Roze’s skin sting and body shrink, but Roze endured.
Black eyes narrowed, and the voice that unsettled the heart sounded again.
“Then what do you propose?”
Since things had come to this, Roze decided to demand the condition once abandoned with the previous duke.
“I want a vow sworn at the temple.”
The butler, who had been quietly standing beside Khan, turned pale.
The old man trembled, glaring at Roze with murderous eyes, yet dared not interrupt.
The study atmosphere instantly turned ominous, but Khan looked intrigued instead.
“A vow sworn at the temple requires staking one’s life.
Break it, and divine power will tear the heart apart.
Are you telling me to offer my heart to complete this deal?”
“Did you not just convince me that a piece of paper cannot move you? Then on what grounds should I believe this deal will be honored?”
Khan remained silent.
Roze was prepared to make Khan regret everything by any means if Khan refused.
Unexpectedly, Khan agreed calmly.
“You’re not wrong. With trust already spilled, neither of us would feel satisfied discussing trust over paper alone.”
“Then you agree?”
“The temple vow is bilateral. Your heart will be staked as well. There is no reason to refuse.”
Roze had gained something greater than the original contract, yet felt no joy.
What condition could be worth staking a heart remained impossible to guess.
The furrow between Roze’s brows deepened, the chest tightening.
After closing and opening the eyes, Roze asked,
“So what is the condition you want?”
“I am an Aitan. Does nothing come to mind?”
“Are you asking me to solve a riddle—”
Roze stepped back unconsciously.
‘No way. Surely not that. But… since Roze came asking for a guardianship contract… maybe it isn’t impossible… damn it.’
Biting down on the lip, Roze glared and spoke.
“You want me to become bait to drive away your suitors?”
Khan gazed at Roze with eyes carrying a faint smile.
“That’s about right.”
“Does it really have to be me? Nobles know better than anyone that courting the House of Aitan is pointless.”
“Because it’s a family mad with love.”
Roze blinked.
“Was that too honest? Everyone knows it anyway. Pretending otherwise for dignity isn’t my style.”
Khan casually closed the distance Roze had created.
“As you said, political marriages do exist in our family.
My grandfather was such a case.
But because those marriages were for convenience, divorce after childbirth was common.
Women preferred compensation and freedom over risking madness or enduring a cold marriage.
Some cases were different, but most chose economic independence.”
“That makes this condition even harder to understand. There are others besides me—”
“I plan to marry the woman I love.”
‘Love?’
Roze stared at Khan.
Gray narrowed the eyes, Kasa showed interest, but Roze noticed the coldness in Khan’s gaze despite the sweet words.
‘Nonsense.’
Whether sincere or not, Roze knew too well how empty such words could be.
Even if the Aitan obsession with love was real, it often led to ruin.
Coldness settled in Roze’s eyes.
Khan lifted the contract and asked calmly.
“If that answers your question, may I sign now?”
“May I ask one more question? It may be rude and unpleasant.”
At Khan’s nod, Roze looked with dry eyes and spoke slowly.
“Do I need to sleep with you as well?”
Kasa bit the lip to suppress laughter, watching with fascination.
Gray and the butler stared in shock, mouths open.
After a brief pause, Khan answered with eyes gleaming strangely.
“No.”
“Then that is fine.”
At Roze’s calm reply, Khan smiled faintly and stepped closer.
Closing the distance to just a few steps, Khan leaned down until breath nearly touched.
Khan asked softly.
“Then what if you want me instead?”
