HSMLHP 06

Chapter 6

 A Half-Political, Half-Contractual, Half-and-Half Marriage

Riding for a little over ten minutes down the steep slope brought them to the terrifying castle she had seen from the sky earlier. That place was the Bexborn Ducal Castle.

Carved directly out of solid stone, the fortress was meticulously intricate and as colossal as a dark mountain.

“Wow, so this is it. You have no idea how shocked I was seeing it from up in the sky. The castle is truly magnificent.”

Following behind Arkas, Eshaphe kept voicing her admiration.

At her lagging pace, Arkas finally turned around to face her. Under his piercing gaze, Eshaphe flinched and hurried forward.

“You’ll have plenty of time to leisurely sightsee around the castle from now on.”

After all, she would be living here for at least two years.

At his words, Eshaphe nodded with a smile.

“It’s just that everything is so new to me, I keep finding myself stopping in my tracks.”

Perhaps because he possessed the cold and ruthless male-lead attribute, he gave her a subtle look of disapproval every time she stopped walking.

Surrounding the castle, massive dark mountains stood like an imposing fortress. A stately garden stretched out before them, and a path extended beyond the grand entrance gates.

It was a marvel. The interior of the castle was also beyond expectations. A thrill rippled through her just seeing the servants line up and bow respectfully at Arkas’s appearance.

“My lady, would you care for a separate beverage?”

Eshaphe and Arkas sat facing each other inside the parlor. The servants moved in disciplined synchronization, setting out a variety of desserts and teapots.

Steaming hot coffee rose in wisps before him. He seemed to be a male lead who enjoyed hot drip coffee. However, Eshaphe…

“Well, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could I get my coffee with ice and cold water mixed in?”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t drink coffee unless it’s ice-cold…”

Eshaphe was a die-hard fan of iced coffee, even if it meant freezing to death.

Arkas lowered his coffee cup to his lips and stared at Eshaphe with a slightly shaken gaze. It was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed such a thing.

‘Ice and cold water in coffee? Is she out of her mind?’

When the head housekeeper nodded in understanding and withdrew, an iced Americano was placed before Eshaphe shortly after.

Life instantly returned to Eshaphe’s eyes. Taking a single sip felt like receiving a blood transfusion.

‘Ah, this is what living feels like!’

People around here might find putting ice in coffee bizarre, but she couldn’t give it up. Iced Americano was a beverage blessed by the gods.

“Would the Duke like to try a sip as well?”

“No, thank you.”

Arkas replied flatly as he set his coffee cup down. She could sense a hint of mild disdain and contempt directed at someone who drank cold coffee, but that was fine.

Eshaphe wasn’t someone to get hurt over something like this.

Though it was currently spring and relatively warmer than usual in the North, people in the inherently chilly northern regions never drank cold beverages.

Naturally, an iced Americano didn’t exist in the capital either.

Coffee meant hot coffee, and nothing else. Putting anything else into it was a foolish act that would never be tolerated anywhere.

Arkas leaned back against the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

“You almost died back there. If you wish, I can have a physician summoned right away.”

“I’m fine. I didn’t die, and thanks to the griffin, I arrived at the ducal castle two whole days early, so it’s a win in its own way.”

Arkas’s eyes narrowed.

There seemed to be something a bit strange about this woman.

‘She was snatched by a griffin, dragged flying across the open sky, and dropped from the heights, yet she wasn’t even scared?’

She hadn’t even let out a single scream.

“The North is colder than the capital. If you go around drinking things iced like that, you might actually need to call a physician for real.”

“I drink it like this even in the dead of winter. As long as there’s iced coffee wherever I go, I feel like I can survive anything.”

An iced Americano was something she couldn’t give up even in her rofan life!

Arkas fell silent, lost in a strange train of thought for a moment before letting out a soft breath.

The woman who drank coffee in such a bizarre fashion was baffling, but now was not the time to worry about such trivialities.

“Let’s get straight to the point. Due to our covenant with the imperial family, the wedding ceremony with Lady Eshaphe Andover will proceed as scheduled. However, there is a matter regarding a separate private contract that I would like to draw up between you and me.”

A contract?

Curious, Eshaphe looked over as Arkas glanced to the side. Ulrich, who had been standing at attention in the distance, approached and placed a single document down before Arkas.

The word “Strict Confidentiality” caught her eye first. It meant a private agreement between her and him, kept secret even from the Duke of Andover’s household and the imperial family.

“What kind of…”

Arkas explained in a tone that was neither overly friendly nor unkind.

“This is a contract stating that our marriage will remain valid for only two years. After that period, the compensation I provide to you will be more than generous.”

“Are you proposing a contract marriage?”

A contract marriage.

It was her absolute favorite rofan cliché.

A political marriage topped off with a contract marriage?

Was this a dream?

“Yes.”

Arkas gave a single nod.

Her heart hammered wildly, threatening to burst out of her chest.

‘To think I get to experience a contract marriage. I’ve always wanted to try that.’

In rofan novels, couples who enter into a contract marriage invariably fall in love and promise eternity. Whether the contract is for two years or two hundred years, every reader knows eternity is what they’re truly signing up for.

She had never once seen a pair actually part ways as the contract stipulated.

Right now, the male lead was acting all prim and proper, demanding a divorce after two years, but in the end, he would inevitably be the one clinging desperately to the female lead.

However, there was a problem.

“I’m warning you, don’t ever forget that even after you’re married, you are still a puppet of our Andover family.”

“Eshaphe. Just don’t forget that you belong to our Andover house and the imperial family. If you try any foolish stunts… you know what will happen.”

Of course, the probability of it actually happening was low, but the moment the mere whisper of a divorce surfaced two years later, the Duke of Andover’s household and the imperial family would go absolutely berserk. Just imagining the brutal price the Andover family would exact made her shudder.

After all, Eshaphe was a precious spy planted deep within the North.

‘And what does that have to do with me?’

Whether they exacted a terrifying price or not had nothing to do with her.

If they found out she had contracted a two-year marriage with Arkas, they would probably try to break both her legs, but would the Emperor just sit back and let them get away with it?

Eshaphe picked up the contract and looked it over. As per tradition in these situations, the female lead needed to accept the contract marriage readily and coolly.

“Well then, that doesn’t sound bad at all. Since this wasn’t a marriage either of us wanted in the first place, getting a divorce two years from now sounds like a great option.”

“?”

One of Arkas’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

She was accepting it this easily?

Eshaphe Andover was undeniably a pawn of the Andover family, an agent of the imperial faction. They surely must have hammered her role and objectives into her head before sending her off.

It was obvious.

They would have told her to seduce him using her body or whatever means necessary.

Yet her attitude accepted a contract marriage with such casual indifference.

Expecting her to resist and having prepared various conditions for pushback, Arkas felt a bit deflated. No, if anything, it was for the best.

Eshaphe examined the contract meticulously.

“I appreciate that you’ll take responsibility for my residence and future livelihood even after the divorce. But there is one favor I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Once we divorce, the imperial family and the Duke of Andover aren’t going to leave me alone. I’d like you to guarantee my personal safety and protection.”

“You needn’t worry about that. If you wish, I will arrange a brand-new identity for you. You’ll be able to live far more comfortably than you ever did within the ducal household.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Eshaphe beamed brightly. Once again, a strange sensation brushed across Arkas’s consciousness.

“So, shall I sign here?”

“Yes.”

The woman picked up a pen and signed without a moment’s hesitation. Arkas showed no reluctance either. After they swapped copies of the contract and added their counter-signatures, the agreement was finalized.

Ulrich gathered the two contracts with a slightly dazed expression.

Wasn’t the young lady a bit too cool-headed, without showing even a shred of resistance? It was a coolness capable of melting away the harsh northern winter.