OCDRF 04

Chapter 4

A Life-or-Death Engagement-Breaking Contract

The Grand Duke let out a disbelieving laugh, his expression utterly incredulous.

“Break off the engagement………………? And you, of all people?”

I had expected him to have trouble believing my words, but I hadn’t expected him to be this displeased.

Suddenly, I remembered the description of the Grand Duke’s personality from the original novel.

Grand Duke Benhardt hated situations that went against his expectations. And especially when the person acting unexpectedly was someone he looked down on, he was the type to crush them without mercy, even if it meant taking a loss himself.

Should I tell him I didn’t need the money after all?

For the first time, my body trembled uncontrollably under the pressure of his killing intent.

Perhaps I had been too hasty in proposing the engagement be broken off simply because I wanted to avoid the future in which the Grand Duke would kill me.

The Grand Duke sneered openly as he shot back at me.

“You certainly have many ways of attracting attention. Did you think bringing up breaking off the engagement would make me interested in you?”

“I’m serious.”

“Yes. You’re certainly serious about attracting my attention and accomplishing whatever it is you want. I came here because, even if you’re only my fiancée in name, I was concerned about you. It seems I needn’t have bothered.”

I was surprised by his words, which almost sounded as though he had genuinely been worried about me.

At least it seemed that the Grand Duke hadn’t been the one who pushed Liviat into the lake.

He doesn’t seem to hate Liviat enough to kill her. Not yet, anyway.

If so, now was the perfect time to push for the broken engagement.

I hurriedly called out to the Grand Duke as he stood up, apparently intending to end our conversation.

“I’ll write up a contract! And if I fail to keep my promise, I’ll accept whatever penalty Your Grace decides on.”

Contracts in this world were infused with magic.

Once one was written, it was impossible to violate its terms.

The Grand Duke remained silent for a moment, as though trying to determine my true intentions.

Then he asked,

“You seem like a different person. It’s strange enough that you’re saying everything you want to say while trembling like a frightened goat.”

The Grand Duke openly regarded me with suspicion as he interrogated me.

Well, it was only natural to become suspicious when someone suddenly changed.

But why does that perfectly reasonable suspicion have to come from the Grand Duke of all people?

Since possessing Liviat’s body, he was the first person to become suspicious of me.

I clasped my trembling hands together and gave him a faint smile.

“As I said, nearly dying changed the way I think.”

“Even so, can someone’s personality really change overnight?”

“I was only pretending all this time. Because I liked Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke asked in a tone that made it clear he absolutely did not believe me.

“Does that mean you don’t like me anymore?”

“I’m going to sort out my feelings little by little, so I’ll stop liking you soon.”

“You certainly won’t.”

Judging by his contemptuous gaze, there was no point in trying to persuade him any further.

The moment I fell silent—

“Fine. I accept the deal.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since you’re saying I can decide the penalty for breaking the contract however I wish.”

What is he planning to demand as the penalty?

I glanced at the Grand Duke’s muscular forearm, the veins standing out prominently, and the firm chest visible through his loosely opened shirt.

Is he going to say he’ll beat me if I break the contract?

If I took a punch from that arm, I probably wouldn’t have any bones left to pick up.

The Grand Duke’s following words, spoken in a chilly voice, instantly snapped me out of my thoughts.

“If I give you 1,000 gold, can the engagement be broken off three months from now?”

My mouth fell open in shock before I quickly came back to my senses.

1,000 gold? Seriously?

“Th-that much?”

“I thought it would be appropriate, considering what I intend to demand as the penalty.”

“What is the penalty?”

“Your life. As promised, if you fail to break off the engagement, you will stake your life. Sign the contract.”

The weight of the word life made my heart sink.

Staking my life as the price of a bet seemed excessively dangerous.

But 1,000 gold is roughly the annual budget of a small territory.

If I break off the engagement with the Grand Duke as promised, wouldn’t everything be fine?

The Grand Duke dangled bait in front of me while I struggled between reason and money.

“I’ll give you all of it in cash. Through private mail, so the Count won’t know.”

My reason screamed at me to run, money or no money.

But my soul had already nodded.

“I’ll do it. Thank you.”

The Grand Duke pulled a sheet of parchment from inside his coat and began writing down the terms of the contract.

Every time the black ink touched the parchment, a faint light spread across the page.

It didn’t look like an ordinary contract.

It felt as though we were creating a shackle that, once fastened, would never allow me to escape.

Watching the Grand Duke’s magic seep into the contract, I signed it with trembling hands.

By then, my mind was filled with only one sentence.

I’m rich now.

The thought of the amount of money I would soon receive made my heart tighten with a mixture of fear and excitement.

After successfully completing the contract with the Grand Duke, I went straight to bed.

Although there had been a slight variable(?) along the way, I had told the Grand Duke that I wanted to break off the engagement—and I had even managed to squeeze some money out of him.

And yet, the ominous feeling filling my chest refused to disappear.

I’ve even secured my escape money, so why do I feel so uneasy?

Betty urged me to change into my nightclothes and lie down properly.

“Young Lady, you weren’t this lazy before!”

“People naturally become lazier as they get older.”

“That’s just an excuse lazy people make!”

“Laziness isn’t a personality trait. It’s a behavior, and behavior always has a cause.”

“Yes. Now get up.”

It was only after Betty’s relentless nagging finally forced me to get up that a servant entered the room and informed me that the Count was looking for me.

He must be awfully curious.

Perhaps because of the fact that I had supposedly attempted suicide, the Count and Countess had been extremely cautious around me.

Before receiving the Grand Duke’s letter, they had even subtly avoided me.

And yet, the moment he returned to the estate, the Count had summoned me to his study.

Will he be angry if I tell him I’ve decided to break off my engagement with the Grand Duke?

Worried about the Count’s reaction, I knocked on the study door.

“Father. It’s me.”

When I opened the door, the Count, who had been sitting in his chair, immediately stood up to greet me.

He had dark purple hair and was so handsome that it was hard to believe he was forty years old.

The Count approached me, hesitated awkwardly, and then asked,

“Um……………… How are you feeling? And what happened with His Grace the Grand Duke………………?”

“I’m fine. But I don’t think marrying His Grace the Grand Duke will work out after all.”

“I suppose he said he didn’t like you. But if you keep trying, wouldn’t things improve a little, like they have now?”

“You knew this was a relationship that couldn’t be fixed through effort.”

“……Yes. If that’s what you want, there’s nothing we can do. He was far too great a person for our family to begin with.”

Surprisingly, the Count seemed to accept my decision without much resistance.

The Count’s consent, which I had considered the biggest obstacle to breaking off the engagement, had been resolved far more easily than expected.

My heart finally felt at peace.

Then the Count retrieved a sheet of paper from a safe in the corner of the room.

“There’s something you need to know before you break off the engagement.”

“Something I need to know?”

“Actually, there was a reason you became engaged to His Grace the Grand Duke.”

“I thought there must have been.”

The Count looked flustered by the fact that I wasn’t surprised at all.

After clearing his throat, he unfolded the paper and showed it to me.

Written on the document was a clause stating that, in exchange for the engagement, the Serban Count family would transfer ownership of a gold mine to the Grand Duke.

So that’s why he was willing to casually give me 1,000 gold.

He already received a gold mine, so I suppose compensation for breaking the engagement would make things fair.

“He needed an excuse to avoid a marriage arranged by the Emperor, and coincidentally, I was the one who proposed the contract.”

“Does that mean there’s no longer any reason for him to maintain his engagement to me?”

“I heard that the princess who nearly married the Grand Duke recently married into another country.”

“Isn’t it excessive to hand over a gold mine for nothing more than an engagement?”

“Actually……………… because of that, the family’s situation is a little difficult.”

He studied my expression before cautiously continuing.

“Breaking off the engagement itself is fine, but would it be possible to do it a little later? Once news of the broken engagement spreads, it will inevitably affect our business.”

An engagement was also a means of demonstrating that a noble family remained strong and prosperous.

The Count’s words were reasonable.

But if I failed to break off the engagement three months from now as stipulated in the contract, I would lose my life.

I held my throbbing head and somehow managed to speak.

“Father, please tell me honestly. How bad is the situation?”

Even then, the Count tried to reassure me and ease my anxiety.

“It’s not bad enough for you to worry about. Things will get better soon.”

“I have the right to know the truth. This concerns my family, too.”

And then I checked the family’s financial records.

I was horrified.

Contrary to appearances, the Serban Count family was on the verge of collapse.

Their debts had already far exceeded the amount of cash assets they possessed.

If they failed to secure the necessary funds before the deadline, there was a very high chance they would become unable to pay their debts—in other words, they would go bankrupt.

I silently lowered the documents.

The moment I secured enough money to escape, my family was about to go bankrupt.