43.

Even the pretense of a smile vanished in an instant. Cardier, his lips tightly pressed, rose from his seat and stepped toward her. He firmly grasped Ro’s slender wrists resting on the armrests of the chair, careful not to place any weight on them—warmth was the only sensation, not pain or heaviness.

Cardier bent forward slightly, tilting his head. Their gazes tangled so closely that the pupils in each other’s eyes were sharply visible.

“…….”

“…….”

His breath tickled her cheek. He stared into Ro’s eyes without moving for a long while, then spoke in a voice thick and hoarse, as if deeply weighed down.

“Damn it, I wish I could just once know what’s hidden inside that head of yours.”

Ro looked slightly startled by the raw emotion in his voice. Hidden? There was nothing she was hiding. Having steeled herself to live a new life as Lea, marrying Cardier had been the best possible choice.

He was quite literally the best option available to Ro in this wretched situation where only the worst remained. Even if they married, there would be no obligations, and since he didn’t want children, there’d be no need to periodically engage in… that sort of thing between men and women. Desires could be handled independently, as they were both adults.

It might be a bit disappointing, admittedly.

She had thought this idly, then surprised herself by even forming such a sentence. But no matter how many times she reconsidered, sharing a bed was a non-negotiable boundary. Every man she’d ever slept with inevitably began to see her as his possession. And that always led to one of two outcomes: either one of them died, or they ended up hating each other to the point of death.

Better to remain lifelong comrades who have each other’s backs than burn brightly for a short time and become eternal enemies.

Besides, since he was from the East, marrying him might mean she could smell the salty sea air every day—and if she was lucky, maybe even drag that traitor Nick by the collar someday. Of course, exacting revenge through power wasn’t Ro’s style. For one, a noblewoman physically confronting a commoner would cause far too much commotion…

“Lea.”

“…….”

“Focus on me.”

At Cardier’s words, Ro blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. Only then did she recall her current situation—her hands still held firmly, Cardier still standing over her. He must have seen every flicker of expression as her mind raced wildly. Her cheeks flushed with heat.

Defiantly, almost out of spite, she lifted her chin. The motion nearly brought their lips together, and Cardier flinched, quickly pulling his head back. Ro shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“Anyway, I haven’t lied about anything.”

“……Right.”

“What? Why are you avoiding my eyes?”

“…….”

His earlobe turned red as he silently turned his head aside—was he grinding a curse under his breath? Ro suppressed the urge to giggle. A man who, judging by looks alone, seemed like he’d flirt with any woman or man, reacting so innocently—it oddly made her insides tingle.

Well, at the very least, life with this man wouldn’t be dull. Just judging by his face, she could be entertained for at least twenty years. Ro smiled faintly and added:

“If you don’t believe me, how about we start by drafting a contract?”

“……A contract?”

His clear blue eyes locked onto hers again, as if he’d never looked away. This time, his gaze was calm and steady, unlike before. Ro tried to shrug again, then gave up, nodding instead—her wrists were still held.

“You said you’d write one, didn’t you?”

“……Yes, I did.”

Cardier agreed with a subtle expression and straightened his posture. At that moment, backlight from the window momentarily blinded her. His face became indistinct. Just as she narrowed her eyes, he sighed and sat back down across from her.

“…….”

Cardier had always been like this—past and present. He tuned every sense to her, instantly correcting himself the moment she so much as frowned. As if she needed someone who scurried around reading her every mood, like a dog tending to its master.

But for now, what mattered most was that he had readily agreed to the contract. Ro pulled out the prepared parchment and handed it to him.

“Read it.”

Yet Cardier, as if reading it were unnecessary, simply drew the quill and inkwell toward him and signed at the bottom of the parchment without hesitation. This time, it was Ro who was stunned. So flustered was she that she nearly forgot her resolve to behave, grinding her teeth as if ready to flip the table.

“You… are you insane? Haven’t you been taught not to sign any document carelessly, especially before the Admiral?”

“If it’s a condition you set, I don’t care about anything else.”

…What a madman.

“What if I’d written that you must hand over your entire family estate?”

“What does it matter? You’ll be my wife.”

“…….”

“If you swallow my entire family, then I’ll just be a husband living under his wife’s control.”

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and smiled lazily—an attitude that somehow smugly regained its composure.

“Actually, that might’ve been my dream all along.”

“…….”

Ro looked at him with a helpless gaze, as if she were staring at a genuine lunatic. No man in the Empire—no, in the entire continent—would ever dream of such a thing. Well, his face was perfectly fine… no, not just fine, but flawless…

Still, how could a person be perfect from appearance to personality? Come to think of it, he’d always been a little strange. She should’ve realized it earlier—when he ignored the string of gentle, fair-skinned women trailing after him and instead declared love to a bold, temperamental pirate.

Cardier, completely unfazed by Ro’s gaze—as if she were looking at a half-madman—asked kindly:

“What should we do about the wedding date?”

“……Well, such trivial matters, you can decide.”

“The sooner, the better?”

She gave a vague nod. A longer engagement would only attract more public attention, and the longer it lasted, the more people would expect a grand wedding. Especially if it were the union of Montrosa and Valdemore. The greater the spectacle, the more it would be seen as either a legendary love story—or a strategic marriage involving enormous wealth.

“Whatever works.”

Ro waved her hand with a face already bored to death. Having already scrunched up every feature in annoyance, she only belatedly realized this wasn’t something a woman who’d just been pushing for marriage would say. Ro quickly added in a tone as if reciting from a holy scripture:

“I’m eager to marry you as soon as possible. I’m truly looking forward to it.”

At that moment, Cardier’s expression stiffened strangely—was he smiling, or merely speechless? Ro brazenly lifted her chin. After a pause, Cardier let out a soft chuckle.

“Alright. If you insist so much, I’ll set it for the earliest possible date. That means the wedding and reception will unfortunately have to be smaller in scale.”

“An excellent idea.”

That was truly welcome news. Wearing heavy, jingling ornaments all day and enduring everyone’s stares was something she’d refuse even if it meant death. If possible, she’d rather have an Eastern traditional wedding instead of a noble’s ceremony. Piling up food, hosting a lively feast, and dancing to cheerful music suited Ro’s tastes far more.

It also felt closer to the scene she’d once imagined for her own wedding.

Cardier stood up after checking a pocket watch drawn from his coat. He rolled up the contract—where he’d casually signed—and tucked it into his coat.

“Why are you taking that?”

“We can get Valdemore’s notarization anytime, but getting Montrosa to officially certify all your terms will take time.”

“…….”

“I don’t know what you wrote here, but everything will be exactly as you wish.”

Cardier gave a picture-perfect smile.

“Except divorce.”

Ro nodded dazedly. The clauses weren’t exactly things she could proudly show others, but considering it was a political marriage, they seemed reasonable enough. Still, she had a vague feeling she’d just fallen into some enormous trap… Probably just her imagination.

Ro narrowed her eyes, watching Cardier’s retreating back as a servant handed him his coat.

“Oh.”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Cardier let out a short exclamation and turned back around.

“Since there’s not enough time to prepare a proper engagement gift, I’ll prepare at least a minimal one.”

“An engagement gift?”

“Yes. Since we’re scaling down the wedding and reception, at least accept this without refusal.”

“Well, if it’s just that much…”

Ro nodded, and Cardier smiled faintly before disappearing completely from her sight. Ro scrunched up her nose deeply. She couldn’t shake off a strange, uneasy feeling—as if she’d somehow been drawn into something.

Everything had gone exactly as she wanted, yet she inexplicably felt a sense of defeat, as if she’d been playing in Cardier’s hands all along.

No. Maybe she was just a little too sensitive. Ro desperately tried to shake off the negative thoughts. After all, she’d gotten the long-awaited marriage approval, the contract was carefully written, and everything was proceeding smoothly. At least on the surface.

…But seriously, what exactly had just happened?