The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

21 – Things a Man of Unknown Origin Should Be Cautious About

I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting after receiving the invitation.

There was not a single line criticizing me, who had been fervently devoted to the sacred, and instead, inquiries about my well-being predominated.

If it had stopped right there, I could have been relieved. However, the problem lay in the last line, which stated the mandatory attendance at the National Foundation Day palace banquet.

There would have been no reason to worry in the past. But now, with three children to take care of, I couldn’t be at ease.

“What should I do about the kids…?”

To be honest, Tina and Glen might have come up with a desperate plan. But it was difficult to just leave Prince Julian alone.

As I was deeply contemplating, Elphesia, who had been lurking behind me, glanced at the invitation over my shoulder.

“It’s an invitation to the palace. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect the temple to be the host.”

“You knew? Why?”

Looking at me with genuine curiosity, Elphesia opened her eyes as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Did you think that by writing about divinity, the world would just stay silent? Honestly, even if you interpret it as a desperate plea for help, there’s no excuse.”

“It was… an unavoidable situation…”

“Just because the situation is urgent doesn’t mean people will turn a blind eye. Anyway, now that it’s come to this, we need to come up with a plan.”

Elphesia didn’t have much time to establish a plan.

“For now, let’s go in a direction that exposes Julian openly.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

“Of course. If I present myself as Julian’s guardian, who would dare to make such a foolish move?”

“You’re not really planning on selling the Duke’s name, are you?”

“You guessed it. You may have forgotten, but I am someone who was sold off for my father’s purpose. It’s not like I’m an outsider.”

Elphesia’s argument was valid. Since the Duchess had been living a miserable life in a shabby orphanage, she had mistakenly assumed that her ties with the Duke had been severed.

But as Elphesia had revealed from the beginning, she was not a neglected child. She had been forced into marriage because the Duke coveted divinity.

In other words, Elphesia’s intentions could align with the Duke’s intentions.

If I make the excuse that it’s what I want, the Duke will accept it.

“From then on, the Luminal Duchy also joined the factions, aligning itself. Participating in the power struggle, you see. I’m not particularly worried that my father will lose. Moreover, I might even enjoy it, having boarded a ship that I so desperately wanted to capture, the royal encyclopedia.”

“…”

“Harte?”

“No, I just… I’m concerned that I might already be forcing a difficult path onto Urien. That’s what worries me.”

It was well understood that Urien couldn’t stay confined to the orphanage forever. Because someday, he was destined to return to a palace like the Yellow Court and seize Regalia.

I could help in other ways, but the power struggle was beyond reach.

If I, with the Baptismal Name, step into the power struggle… the principle of separation of powers collapses.

Above all, the probability of stepping on the ‘line’ that must not be crossed would dramatically increase.

“At times like this, the Baptismal Name feels like shackles.”

To the outside world, the miracle of the Baptismal Name seemed like a universal blessing. However, in reality, it was closer to bearing a significant constraint.

Therefore, the areas where I could help Urien were very limited.

At best, I could protect him from the threat of assassination.

“Sigh…”

Deep contemplation exhaled with each breath. At that moment, Elphesia, placing her hands on her waist, spoke with a clatter.

“Harte, haven’t you forgotten the contract?”

“Why the contract?”

“Considering children as the top priority must be a condition for me.”

In the next moment, Elphesia, with a statement truly befitting her, struck a chord.

“Then what’s there to worry about? After all, I am Elphesia Luminal.”

“… Remarkable self-awareness.”

“… Well, I won’t make any mistakes this time.”

Elysia’s assurance felt like magic. Even though there was no evidence yet, I strongly felt that things would go exactly as Elysia intended.

At that point, I dismissed Yurian’s worries.

“Then what about Tina and Glen?”

“They can stay at the Marquis’s estate.”

“… Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. If you’re their beloved father, wouldn’t you bring them even a stick of candy?”

“Imagining it is tough…”

He was the empire’s top inspector and a nobleman with the title of Marquis. That was the current Luminal Marquis.

And he was winning the hearts of young children.

What can I do? It’s hard to believe, but I have no choice but to believe.

“Perhaps Elysia understands the family better than me…?”

The dilemma was resolved surprisingly quickly.

Elysia is so wise that sometimes I am overwhelmed by her presence. It’s reassuring to have her bound to me in some form, even if it’s through a contract.

Above all, it was solid to know that the original villainess was on my side.

“Elysia, then when would be a good time to leave? Since Arwell Territory and the capital are connected by a railway, the journey itself won’t take long. But there are still two weeks until Foundation Day, so we should choose the right time. What do you think?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Huh?”

She gives an unexpected answer.

“Just leave right now.”

◇

The journey from Arwel Territory to the capital took a full two days.

For me, with memories lingering from modern high-speed trains, it was quite dull, but the children enjoyed the train journey with excited faces.

Even if I had no memories from my past life, it would have been out of the question. I can run much faster on two legs than a train.

After arriving at the capital’s train station, we boarded a carriage and, after a good hour of riding, finally set foot in the central part of the capital.

There, I silently prayed.

“Our heavenly mother, please forgive this sin and bestow mercy upon us…”

Because the first place Elphesia led us to was the dressing room.

And that dressing room induced a sense of sin just by opening your eyes and focusing on it.

It was impossible to properly capture those magnificent dresses in a mere glance.

“Well then.”

Elphesia gently opened her mouth.

“Send everything from the left corner to the opposite end. The payment will be handled by the Luminel Viscount.”

“We will handle it with care, Lady.”

“Elphesia…!”

The ‘left corner to the opposite end’ she pointed to was a space filled with children’s dresses.

From the fabric to the jewels, everything was significantly more luxurious than my everyday clothes, and gems that seemed questionably unnecessary caught my eye.

Almost pleadingly, I whispered to her.

“Please… extravagance is a sin, Elphesia. Can’t you just buy what you need? And why do clothes need jewels? I used to be curious, but now I don’t even want to know…”

“Oh, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Calling luxury a sin is just a prejudice.”

“Prejudice? Why…?”

“Think about it. If those who possess immense wealth don’t spend it, how will money circulate in the market? Even seemingly extravagant acts contribute to the circulation of the economy.”

Is that… really how it works?

Something… something… deep inside me rebels against it, but I can’t think of a way to refute Elphysia’s logic.

To someone like me, Elphysia gives a compassionate smile, like an adult.

“If someone with ten gold coins spends one fairy tale, it’s consumption. But if someone with one fairy tale spends one fairy tale, that’s luxury.”

“Uh-huh…”

“But since I have an immeasurable amount of gold coins, the concept of luxury doesn’t apply to me. So today’s shopping is not even considered luxury.”

“Your words… seem to make sense… yeah…”

It feels like I’ve been gaslighted with money. Early-stage moneyslight.

As I dip my feet into the dazzling world I didn’t know existed, I had to endure the cultural shock with my whole body.

“I should pick out formal clothes, right? Since you have silver hair, a white suit would be nice… and a blue suit would be safe too.”

“Please don’t call my silver hair ‘old age’… And I don’t really need any clothes.”

“Are you going to imitate the naked king?”

“No, I was invited as a human of the temple, so the uniform of the Order of Knights is enough for me.”

“Hmm.”

Elphysia rolled her eyes upward as if trying to recall something. Then, she pulled at a loose strand of her hair and smiled vaguely.

“The uniform of the Order of Knights… sounds cool. Definitely.”

“…Have you seen it before?”

“What?”

“Did you see the knight in uniform?”

“Well, that’s…”

It’s not unusual for Elysia to witness a knight in uniform. As long as they are not the owner of a baptismal name, entry and exit from the temple staff area are relatively free.

But it bothers her when Elysia compliments the knight’s appearance.

Although I remember all the aspects of the knights, if I mention the characteristics, it’s easy to identify.

I became curious about who this person is that even Elysia, with her high nose, describes as cool. It’s just a curiosity without any hidden intentions!

“Can’t you just tell me the characteristics?”

“Do I really have to say?”

“I can’t say it’s absolutely necessary, but…”

Honestly, it took a lot of internal conflict to bring out the next words. I had sworn not to use the contract for my own benefit, but here I am breaking that vow just out of curiosity.

I hope those who granted me the temptation will forgive me.

So, I opened my mouth.

“It’s about the contract… You know. The duty of a couple not to look at others. I just… It becomes awkward if you like that person…”

I broke off the words, no longer able to come up with excuses.

“… That’s all.”

Elysia is a competent and wise person. Someone like me, bound by the sacred, was incompatible with her from the beginning.

In reality, I gained nothing from Elysia, while I had no opportunity to help her.

In this way, am I really not just a woman who was sold?

After a moment, Elysia repeated the contemplation of silence and finally spoke.

“I can give you a hint, at least.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Let’s see…”

Elysia’s lips wavered as she chose her words carefully.

Is it happiness just to imagine?

Somehow, an unpleasant feeling crept in.

She, who knew nothing about my inner thoughts, gave me a hint.

“A fool and an idiot that will never exist in the world again.”

“… What?”

“It means getting obsessed with a woman and not being able to distinguish between right and wrong.”

“Well, um… Is that… kind of like a badass guy…?”

Elysia’s ideal type seems to be a bad guy. If so, it’s an ideal type that I could never satisfy.

No, rather, there was no guy running after women in the back alleys of the Holy Knights.

But Elysia chuckled and let out a sigh.

“If you heard that yourself, wouldn’t you be shocked?”

“Feel free to tell me. I wonder how messed up one’s life has to be to say such things, seriously….”

“Heh, heh… Well, well, well, wel…l, that…! Heh…”

Elysia’s vocal cords malfunctioned. I wondered what was so funny that she couldn’t continue speaking.

“Phew… Anyway, even a clumsy guy like that isn’t so bad.”

“Not bad! At least a man should know how to handle alcohol, fists, and be careful with women.”

“At least he’s distant from alcohol and fists.”

“Hmm…”

Who on earth could it be?

There’s simply no knight who dabbles in both alcohol and fists. And it’s not like there’s a lecherous one who reveals himself through women… Consequently, there were no reports of anyone getting into trouble due to such an individual.

“Is Elphesia teasing me?”

Or could it be an outsider impersonating a knight… Highly unlikely. It’s rare to find a profession with such poor cost-effectiveness for impersonation.

But why does Elphesia look at me and burst into a smug laughter for no reason?

It’s puzzling… truly puzzling.

“Look at this.”

As I continued deducing in my own world, she shot a retort at me as if to say, “You’re an incurable fool.”