[Maintaining the Betrothal Relationship Contract]
The new contact written every year had already increased to five copies. Siella pulled out from her drawer the contract she had agreed with Eschert last year and renewed their fifth one.
Over the past five years, Siella and Eschert faithfully delivered their promises made to each other. In return, both of them got what they wanted. Eschert safely inherited and was able to protect the family, and Siella had literally acquired a huge fortune. But in the future, well, we don’t know. What will happen?
‘The following month would be the month to renew the contract again.’
Siella noticed that clause at the very end of the contract regarding the termination of the contract.
[‘If Edwin Louis Nocturm’s whereabouts are confirmed, the parties involved may not renew the contract through an agreement.’]
This was the reason why the two of them had rewritten the contract every year for the past five years in the first place.
Edwin Louis Nocturm. The child of the former Duke and Duchess who had gone missing on the day they died. With the intention of handing over the title of the child who suddenly disappeared eight years ago, Eschert had been desperately searching for the child.
It was a fact that others wouldn’t be able to guess even in their dreams, but only Siella, who remembered the contents of the original story, knew. In fact, Eschert was an abandoned Prince of the Emeras family. It means that he, the current Duke Nocturm, was actually a person who doesn’t share a single drop of the Nocturm’s blood. However, all of those involved who knew about this secret are now dead and gone.
And at the present time, only two people in this world knew of this secret: Eschert himself and Siella. Eschert intended to find Edwin, the rightful heir to the dukedom, and protect him until he grew up. Then he would hand over the title neatly to Edwin.
In order to remain loyal to the former Duke Nocturm and his successor, who secretly took him in and raised him as a son: Eschert needed to hold his place until Edwin came of age. That’s why he had to urgently prepare to become the Head of the household without even having the energy to handle the shock of the former Duke and Duchess Nocturm passing away at the same time.
There were conditions that must be met in order for the successor of the family to inherit the family in this empire. It was said that one needed to be an adult who had his coming-of-age ceremony and had a fiancée officially recognized by the temple. It was because in this empire, unmarried adults are not considered truly adults.
Therefore, Eschert needed a fiancée that would cooperate with him until he found Edwin after inheriting the family. A fiancée who will quietly leave the family, as promised, when the time comes, without being greedy. Eschert chose Siella, because he thought that she was suitable for that position.
Siella tapped the last clause on the contract with her index finger, where her eyes were glued. She once thought that she might have a different future than the original story.
‘Because my engagement with Eschert wasn’t in the original story.’
But that thought was wrong. The female lead came to the Duke’s house with the child as written in sequence.
After becoming the Family Head, Eschert spent so much money and manpower to find him, but the child had never been found. Then he was told that a woman who had literally nothing compared to him had found the child and protected him all this time.
This was beyond unrealistic in her wildest dreams. At this point, she thought that this was a fate that couldn’t be avoided in the first place. The female lead Camellia and Eschert will eventually fall in love, and it wasn’t something she could do anything about. Siella readily admitted that.
At the same time, she put down the contract with a slightly crumpled corner without her knowing that she had been holding it with force.
Then as if it was a signal, the door suddenly slammed open.
“Miss Siella.”
Siella frowned at the uninvited guest who entered her room without even asking for her forgiveness. But before she could even point out the other person’s rudeness, he fired first as he approached her.
“I heard a woman was brought into the annex of the mansion during the day. Is what I heard true?”
“It is.”
“Haa….”
He let out a sigh as if it was absurd at Siella’s calm reply.
“Miss Siella. You are arbitrarily inviting guests while the Duke is away.”
Dennis was the son of the butler, who took care of all the affairs of the Duke’s mansion on behalf of Eschert while he was away. The butler is recognized for his long-term dedication to the Nocturm family. He was a man who received the title Baron from the former Duke Nocturm. This was the reason why, even though he was only a butler, he hadn’t received any restrictions although he would visit [Siella] while forgetting etiquettes and being terribly annoying.
“Why are you asking me this when you’ve already heard this from the butler….” Siella sighed in exasperation, shoving the contract into her drawer and standing up from her seat. “I also sent a letter to the Duke that he has a guest. He must be hurrying back now.”
“You… contacted the Duke?”
“Yes.”
After Siella mentioned Eschert as well as the butler, Dennis, who was standing there with so much vigor, hesitated.
“Is, is that true?”
“Are you afraid that I am going to lie about this?”
“…”
What would I lie for? This was a matter that could never be hidden. Even if she could have hidden it, she had no intention of doing so.
Siella told Eschert [in the letter] that the time had come when they no longer had to renew the contract. And he must have realized that it was something connected to the child he had been looking for so long. Apart from the fact that this was the first time Siella contacted him, he would have put everything important aside and set off as soon as he received that letter.
“The Duke would be back in no time to meet the guests inside. Maybe he had already arrived.”
Siella walked past Dennis, who was standing still, and left the room. Because she is not expecting for him to go out of her way just because he asked him to, as it was uncomfortable to do so.
At the age of 20, a series of incidents had left a mark on Siella. For example, she became morbidly reluctant to be alone with an adult male in an enclosed space. Siella balled her hands into a tight fist under her long sleeves, which had been trembling for a while now.
However, no one noticed those symptoms that continued for a long time after that. Siella’s face was expressionless as she quietly headed towards the annex. She encountered a few servants as usual as she walked down the hallway, and only glanced at her before passing by.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The annex was quiet. Unlike the main building where a lot of employees come and go, there was a calm atmosphere. As she slowly walked down the hallway, Siella smelled the faint smell of food wafting from somewhere. Fortunately, the butler didn’t ignore her words and prepared meals for the guests.
When Siella arrived in front of their bedroom, the maid who had just come out saw her and halted in her position. Embarrassed, Siella glanced at the stiff look on the maid’s face and then looked at the scene through the gap of the open door.
She then saw the neat appearance of the woman sitting in a chair in front of the large skylight window filling one wall. Unlike herself, she must be the real Cinderella, the female lead of the world in this big story – Camellia Moore.
She looked back where Siella was standing, feeling her presence. The maid then opened her mouth with hesitation.
“Lady, I have to go to the butler now….”
An incomplete sentence that ended while dragging her words, keeping her eyes on her own feet and not to the other person. Before Siella could say anything, the maid quickly turned around and left as if she was running away.
Looking at the hurrying back of the maid, Siella soon turned her head away without hesitation. She immediately met Camellia’s eyes, who was looking in her direction with confusion. Camellia smiled awkwardly as soon as she met Siella’s eyes. Siella was about to smile at her, but she gave up that idea and opened her mouth instead.
“Are you free now?”
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