The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

20 – Invitation to the Palace

The capital’s temple boasts a vast area.

However, visitors can only see half of the grounds and must turn back. In contrast, a normal official can see 80% of it, and the remaining 20% is only accessible to a small number of officials.

For example, the hallway where the current commander of the Holy Knights, Rupert, takes a break was like that. At first glance, it was just an ordinary hallway, but because it was a passage to the pontiff’s residence.

Therefore, Rupert and the pontiff conversing while looking at the lake was a familiar scene.

“Pontiff, you called for me.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you going to do anything?”

“If you put it that way, I can’t understand.”

Rupert coolly scratched the back of his head. Then, he furrowed his brow at the clear but shallow lake.

“I’ve never seen or learned about the owner of a baptismal name wandering outside like that. Why aren’t there any sanctions?”

“Maybe the Lord Commander should have prevented him from going out in the first place?”

“How am I supposed to stop that guy? Just because he’s a hot topic with a sword, how do I stop him from doing that…”

Rupert grumbled a few more words, recalling the day Harte left the Order of Knights.

“He was serious about it… even if I stopped him, he was determined to push through.”

Rupert indeed held a high position, but he couldn’t possess a baptismal name.

However, a miraculous event walked on its own. He couldn’t figure out what to hold it back with.

“One dragon vanished this time. Thanks to none other than Harte.”

“Impressive, as always.”

“Is it time to calmly appreciate and discuss it…”

“Well, I don’t have a baptismal name, do I?”

“Even without that…!!! No, forget it… Phew!”

Rupert couldn’t comprehend the Pope, who seemed nonchalant without a care in the world. He had never understood men, especially in this matter, but for some reason, he was unusually lenient about this incident.

Was there a connection between inhuman things?

It was truly a puzzling behavior.

“Hey, what’s your real intention? Except for extremely exceptional events, there has never been a leak of baptismal names even during wars. At this point, the temple should be overturned, but it’s too quiet, and it scares me.”

“Indeed, it seems unusual, doesn’t it?”

“Whether it’s unusual or not, they said they would make a decision in the temple, but nothing has been decided.”

Rupert, who had been staring at the lake, turned his gaze to face the Pope.

“I also have to make a decision. Tell me how you see Harte.”

“Hmm.”

The Pope stroked his chin with his hand. His response came immediately after.

“It feels like a close call, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Actually, if you have a baptismal name, you can’t just punish them recklessly. So… it’s like the feeling of not being able to cut off a paralyzed right hand, so to speak.”

“By the way, whose right hand is it?”

“Of course, it’s the Lord’s.”

Having a baptismal name meant that they had received some of the divine power. They had the right to challenge the order of the world. It was truly a sign of exclusive favor from the Lord.

“No matter how strict the rules of the temple are, um… you could say that the believer becomes a whip for the Lord. Anyway, it’s troublesome.”

“Are you giving up on the sanction?”

“Rather than that… honestly, the significance of the matter is unexpectedly light.”

“What?”

“It’s not like they would let their guard down and go wild in front of us… and, although the leader doesn’t have a baptismal name, those who have one must know the ‘lines’ that they have to keep.”

In conclusion, it meant that they would let Harte’s transgression go unpunished.

Rupert was perplexed by some factor that he couldn’t understand.

“If they really were to punish, it would be the story of crossing those lines. So, my conclusion is that it’s a close call.”

“What does ‘edge-of-the-seat safe’ mean?”

Amidst the conversation of the two men, a woman’s voice intruded. The Pope, turning his gaze to the approaching woman, grinned broadly.

“Oh, the Saint herself. Come in quickly. We were just talking about the adventures of your escort knight.”

“Your Holiness?”

“Well, it seems the escort knight adapts too well to the outside world.”

“Oh…”

To the Saint, who displayed a subtle and complex reaction, Rupert casually threw in an old piece of news with an indifferent face.

“Did you know, Saint? Harte, that guy, got married.”

“Really?”

“After making a fuss in the Luminel area, he finally ties the knot with a noblewoman. Seems like he couldn’t resist women… quite entangled, I must say.”

The momentarily dimmed Saint soon regained her composure and showed her usual clear smile.

“… Congratulations, I suppose?”

“Well, of course, from a humane perspective~.”

In agreement with the Pope’s calm and genial acceptance, the Saint nodded her head.

“Soon… there will be an opportunity for blessings.”

◇

After returning from the expedition to the orphanage.

The orphanage was always peaceful, but unlike before, subtle changes had occurred.

“It was fortunate that we returned by train, right? It was my first time riding it, and it was surprisingly fun.”

“Unexpectedly refreshing.”

“Seems like I can escape every day… I wonder how the station staff feel?”

In order, it was Glen, Yurian, and Tina’s impressions. The three of them were sharing lively stories in a narrow cubicle named the ‘Playroom.’

Whenever I passed by, Tina, who had caught the sound of footsteps, would often approach with light steps. And with a bright smile, she would chase after me.

“Dad, is that laundry? Can I help?”

“Well, it’s not so bad that my daughter’s hands would get wet with cold water.”

“I want to be with Dad… Is that not possible?”

Tina expresses a disappointed look. Amidst the disappointment, the reason for her disappointment was so pure that I thought she was radiating holiness.

“What’s this? An angel?”

I never expected to hear such adorable antics in my lifetime, especially after having a daughter.

“Our child has changed.”

Lately, Tina has become excessively harmful to my heart. She was cute from the first meeting, but recently, her changes have reached a level where it’s difficult to attach appropriate adjectives.

Yes.

The most significant change since returning from the change was precisely Tina’s transformation like this.

“Tina.”

“Yes?”

“Can I hug you?”

“Sure!”

I put down the laundry basket and lifted Tina up tightly.

Even floating in the air with our eyes at the same level, it felt like our child wouldn’t hurt even if she got in my eyes.

As our eyes met for a moment, Tina suddenly stretched out her neck.

Peck!

Her adorable lips lightly pressed against my cheek.

Who would have thought a surprise cheek kiss could be so enchanting? She truly was like a carefully crafted masterpiece, gathered and assembled by the goddess of beauty herself.

“hehehe… It’s the same spot where Mommy kissed Daddy.”

“What am I going to do with you… Tina.”

It felt as if the memories of the accident that occurred on the carriage ride to the party were vividly etched in her mind.

If only those words were left unsaid.

Thanks to that, the feeling of guilt and sin from the time when Elysia left her mark resurfaced.

While I was lost in my own turmoil, Tina tilted her head playfully.

“Can’t Daddy do it too?”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

Tina vigorously nodded her head up and down. Her braided hair swayed rhythmically with each movement.

I cleared my throat, trying to maintain my composure.

“Ahem, if my little princess insists…”

It felt like our relationship as father and daughter had progressed as I granted her request. This was yet another blessing in disguise.

So, just as Tina did, I leaned in to place my lips on her cheek… or so I intended.

“What are you doing, you…?”

Until Elysia glared at me with a strange look in her eyes.

“Um… a kiss?”

“Kiss… you say?”

But Elphicia’s reaction was strange.

For some reason, she looked at me with a mournful gaze, as if resentful, her tone filled with emotion.

It was hard to understand.

“I would rather she looked at me disdainfully… at least I could understand that…”

Even though she was my adopted daughter, she was only ten years old, so it might be uncomfortable for her. Especially if she grew up conservatively like Elphicia, a noble-born young lady, she might have interpreted it as an inappropriate joke.

But looking at her now, it doesn’t seem like that.

“Mmm.”

Tina looked back and forth between me and Elphicia, turning her head quickly. And then, as if she had discovered some great truth, Tina clenched her fist and jumped up and down on her own, pounding the ground.

“Daddy, did you kiss mommy today?”

“What…! Tina?”

“You did? You didn’t?”

“No, well, I didn’t… but…”

As soon as Tina heard my weak voice, she widened her eyes and grabbed my hand. And then, forcibly joining our hands with Elphicia’s, she proudly puffed out her chest.

“Then what do we do? Mommy is mad, you know?”

“What, what are you saying?! Who am I supposed to be mad at?”

“I read in a book that mommies and daddies always give each other a morning kiss when they wake up. Uh, but…”

Innocent Tina asked us a cruel question.

“Why don’t mommy and daddy sleep in the same room?”

“… Tina?”

“What…!?”

“We kissed on the carriage, so we’re on good terms, right? Did you fight? Remember when Mom tore Dad’s hair out?”

“Mm…!”

Elphesia groaned in response to the one-sided verbal assault.

Tina, recalling even the one-sided violence at the time of their contract marriage, reluctantly accepted it herself. From Tina’s perspective, who didn’t know the internals, it was a conclusion that she couldn’t help but nod to.

“Dad. I’ll wash the laundry with Yurian and Glen, so from now on, we can make love in separate rooms!”

“…”

“…”

Elphesia and I were dumbfounded and lost our ability to speak. Meanwhile, our daughter faithfully played the role of mediator for the couple and was dragging the two liars into my room.

When I closed my eyes and opened them again, the location had changed. It was an incident that happened in the blink of an eye, enough to make me think it was an illusion.

“Have a nice private time. Mom, Dad!”

Swoosh.

Tina, who forcibly accommodated us, closed the door. No, to be precise, she left only a thin gap, like a thread, and secretly observed us.

I wonder if she really believes that she won’t be found out. It’s such a cute delusion that tears might come out.

“Haa! What can we do?”

“… Harte, you…?”

I took a step towards Elphesia. And for every step I took, Elphesia took a step back. In this comical situation, I lowered my volume as much as possible and whispered to her.

“Tina is watching.”

“So, so what…!”

“I’ll finish it soon. I know you don’t want to, but I’d appreciate your cooperation, Elphesia.”

The repeated pattern of advance and retreat soon reached its conclusion. The room was so narrow that the only thing behind Elysia was the bed.

Unbeknownst to herself, Elysia tripped over something. And just like that, the image of her body carrying its weight onto the bed was complete.

“Ah… ah…”

Perplexed, Elysia lost focus. Seeing her in that awkward and pitiful state, I hastily added an explanation.

“Calm down, Elysia. Just act like you’re doing it moderately. Nothing will actually happen, I promise.”

“Really…? Why…?”

“Why? Well… because I dislike you. That’s how it is.”

“Th-that’s right! Of course. It’s obvious…”

Somehow, Elysia’s face seemed on the verge of tears.

“Ugh… because I’m watching… there’s no other choice… It’s all because of the contract, you know…?”

“Contract? At a time like this?”

“You said it yourself… always prioritize the children. Also… I emphasized the duty of a couple. So, my point is… I’ll take full responsibility, so sincerely appreciate it!”

“Elysia… you’re…”

A tremendous determination.

Indeed, Elysia was a woman who regarded promises as important as faith. Without tears, in a difficult-to-hear tone, I once again felt a genuine affection for her.

“Where should we do it? Choose the least unpleasant part.”

“Just anywhere is fine. Since we’re technically a couple on paper, lips… lips should be okay, right…?”

“Lips…”

“To avoid controversy… well, maybe doing the cheeks together would be better…”

This time, it was my turn for a dry laugh.

Elysia had already prepared herself for the sacrifice, ironically, it was my acceptance of her favor that left me feeling overwhelmed.

But she, a noble lady, displayed such courage. Without reciprocating that courage, a man would be nothing more than refuse, and certainly not a husband.

“I-I’m going. Elysia.”

“Cough… Come…!”

Lips slowly closing the narrowing distance. Moving ever so gracefully towards the perfectly sculpted crimson skin.

Elysia’s breath felt enchanting up close. Perhaps that’s why an unsettling excitement kept threatening my composure.

Just before our proximity reached zero.

“Headmaster!”

“Huff!”

“Ack!?”

Urien and Glen unexpectedly rushed towards us, their footsteps echoing through the corridor.

As a result, our efforts met an inevitable failure, and I found myself sprawled on the floor.

“Ugh, it was an important scene right now…!”

“The important thing is not that!”

“Like you know what it is!”

Tina openly scolded the two boys.

Even pretending not to know becomes unnatural…

Anyway, it was rare for the boys to aimlessly run around the corridor.

There must have been some story worth throwing manners aside.

“Phew… Boys, what’s going on?”

As I approached the children gathered outside the door, Yurian, as the representative, handed me an envelope containing a letter.

“Just received mail… and the seal of the temple was imprinted on it.”

I roughly tore open the seal and began reading the contents.

Excluding formalities, the content was concise enough for a sentence summary.

[… Therefore, you are commanded to attend the National Foundation Day banquet at the palace in Harte.]

[Postscript: The director is very angry. Also, congratulations on the holy maiden’s marriage. Of course, I feel the same way.]

‘… His Majesty personally wrote the letter?’

I was thoroughly confused.

I expected a stern warning to be written in a row, but each sentence was surprisingly peaceful.

Of course… even the content wasn’t entirely peaceful.

‘Is this my punishment…’

Crinkle!

The Pope’s letter was crumpled randomly. Not out of hatred, but because it was too disturbing.

I turned my gaze to Elphesia, enduring dizziness.

She was burying her face in her knees, sitting alone in contemplation.

… I don’t know. Everything given to me in this situation.