The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

I had a strange dream.

Under a starry sky, soft orange lights stretched out. Tilting my head, I saw a majestic palace. On the terrace connected to the banquet hall, a woman draped in worldly power leaned lazily.

She glanced at me as I wandered. I returned her gaze briefly before looking away. Though uncertain, I felt I knew her well.

Even though I couldn't make out anything from her face, painted over like static.

As I was about to leave,

A man walked onto the terrace where the woman lingered.

A man and woman sharing a terrace usually meant a secret meeting. I didn't want to end up watching their private moment. So I hurried away before things got awkward.

I immediately realized that was a mistake.

A series of loud shouts.

Followed by a reddish figure falling.

Finally grasping the situation, I sprinted with all my might. One misstep and the banquet might be stained with the woman's blood.

Feeling the rush of wind, I managed to catch her safely.

My gaze met ruby-like eyes, the only thing shining on her blurry face.

They were cold eyes devoid of human emotion. As if she hadn't just escaped death...

The moment her lips moved,

The world distorted and my vision flickered.

The dream world had collapsed.

Bright morning sunlight greeted me as I opened my eyes. It was indeed strong enough to make my dream vision flicker.

I yawned deeply and commented on the night's dream.

"What a weird dream."

Even looking back, I felt foolish.

---

---

Seven in the morning.

A bit early for the children to wake up.

Yulian was usually the earliest riser among the kids, but even he woke up 30 minutes later. Tina and Glen typically got up at eight.

So this was the right time to wake up to prepare breakfast.

Let's feed them well today too. With that thought, I opened the kitchen door and was startled.

"Huh...!"

There was someone there. Someone who looked very unfamiliar...

I cautiously called out to identify them.

"Lady Luminel...?"

"Elphisia."

"Pardon?"

As I stood there stupidly, she corrected me directly.

"Call me Elphisia. You haven't forgotten what we are to each other now, have you?"

"I know, uh... Ms. Elphisia."

"Again."

"... Elphisia."

"That's right, Harte."

Elphisia turned her head primly and went back to what she was doing. Though I didn't want to disturb her, I was so confused I had to speak up.

"Elphisia. What exactly are you doing?"

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"You're being too formal. Rather than awkwardly raising your speech, just talk normally."

"That's a bit..."

"First, fulfill your duties as a spouse."

As I hesitated, feeling very uncomfortable, Elphisia reminded me of our agreement.

"What kind of couple tiptoes around each other?"

"Are you... really okay with this?"

"Don't misunderstand. This is all because of the contract. There's no reason to feel burdened."

"If that's the case... alright."

She's a thorough person. This was my current impression of Elphisia.

Which made me want to ask even more.

Why are you here?

"Elphisia. More importantly, I'd like to know what you're doing..."

"Are you still half-asleep? As you can see, I'm cooking."

"... At this hour?"

I come to the kitchen at this time to prepare meals for the children. But Elphisia was cooking here much earlier than even me.

It was far too early, even for this time of day.

Elphisia glanced at me then.

"Well, it's because you wake up at this time."

"Why... is that?"

"Why? What's strange about a wife preparing her husband's meal?"

"What."

"Hurry and wash your hands, then sit and wait. I'm almost done."

I sat at the table as if in a daze. Then I stared intently at her as she calmly finished cooking.

"Um, do noble ladies usually cook... I mean, do you?"

"... I didn't."

A response in past tense.

I wondered if there was some story behind it. Afraid of touching on personal matters, I didn't ask further.

As an awkward silence fell, Elphisia brought the food to the table.

Meat sauté.

She had grilled thick-cut meat using a mix of high and low heat. Lemon juice and herbs were added to remove any gamey taste and enhance the texture. Though a simple dish, it showed considerable skill.

'Just my taste.'

Though surely a coincidence, I found it remarkable, as if our minds had connected.

As I cut the meat and put it in my mouth, I couldn't help but let out a silent exclamation.

'Ooh...!'

It was impressive that I managed to hold back an audible sigh. With each bite, the taste of grilled meat and lemon settled on my tongue, making me hungrier.

"It seems to suit your taste?"

"Ack!"

Elphisia asked haughtily. Her expression was stone-like, as if others' opinions didn't matter.

Flustered by the sudden question, I choked.

"Here you go."

Thud.

Elphisia swiftly set a glass of water right in front of me. Though she frowned, her actions were kind. Faced with this strange contradiction, I could only break out in a cold sweat.

"Th-thank you, Elphisia."

"No need for thanks. I'm simply doing my duty."

And as always, she added:

"It's because of the contract."

"Ah..."

Honestly, I had no intention of holding her accountable even if she broke the contract.

I figured it was fine as long as she didn't harm the children.

But Elphisia was unexpectedly devoted to married life.

She turned out to be a person with a remarkably strong sense of responsibility.

"But with you being so nice, it's hard to believe you once grabbed my hair and hit me."

"Kuh...!?"

It was when I tossed out that careless joke.

I only meant to break the tense atmosphere, but Elphisia's face turned bright red.

Her eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

I could even sense her legs shaking from where I sat.

"You...!"

She raised her voice.

"Forget that immediately! I was just scared you'd reject my proposal!"

"No, no, it's too harsh to ask the victim to forget."

"Ugh... That wasn't my true nature. Just know that much, at least. No, make sure you understand that."

"Well... okay."

True, it didn't make sense for the cold and ruthless Elphisia to grab someone's hair when they first met.

It couldn't be explained without it being violence born of shock.

"It certainly hurt quite a bit then, but... thank you, Elphisia."

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

"I didn't really care about the contract. That's the truth, isn't it? You're the precious daughter of a ducal family, and I'm just a commoner. I thought you might change completely after just signing the marriage certificate."

"I've heard your words well, painting me as someone without faith or honor."

"I'm sorry about that. It's just... I think I can be sure now."

"Sure?"

I finally smiled comfortably at Elphisia as she tilted her head.

"I think we can be a decent couple in our own way. Even if there's no love, we can still respect each other... like this morning."

Fulfilling our duties as spouses.

With this promise alone, we could solve quite a few problems.

We could become an ordinary family, helping each other when things are difficult and showing kindness together.

Hearing my thoughts, Elphisia abruptly stood up.

"... Ha."

"Elphisia?"

"I'll go up first."

"... Did I go too far? Are you angry?"

"Not particularly."

As she put one foot outside the kitchen, she left some final words.

"Fill the sink with water when you put away the dishes. It'll make it easier. I'll finish them before lunch."

"W-wait, Elphisia!"

Click!

Elphisia hurriedly closed the kitchen door. I could faintly hear quick footsteps crossing the hallway.

I muttered the words I hadn't managed to say.

"I was going to say... I'd do the dishes..."

What had upset her so much to suddenly change her attitude?

She's a difficult person to understand, perhaps because we haven't known each other long.

I wanted to understand Elphisia as a person as soon as possible. Because even if it started with a contract, we were already family.

"... It really is delicious."

Elphisia's cooking was arguably the best meat sauté I'd ever eaten.

As if she had watched my tastes for a long time...

---

---

Returning to her room quickly, Elphisia threw herself onto the bed. She then pulled the blanket over her head and curled up like a shrimp.

It's hot. Too hot. But she didn't want to show her face. What if someone suddenly flung the door open?

There's no way she could let others see her face, as red as if pomegranate juice had been splashed on it.

"Huu..."

Harte is a straightforward person to the point of foolishness. He never changes, past, present, or future.

You'd think he'd have changed a bit after living this long...

"I liked it... still do."

Beef sauté. The dish Harte himself had told her he liked.

She finally heard sincere praise from that unrefined palate that stuffed everything into his mouth. She couldn't remember how long it took to reach this result.

Elphisia looked at her fingers again.

'They're clean...'

In the past, her fingers were always hurt.

She'd been told so many times to quit, having to put on ointment and wear gloves daily. Starting late, she was clumsy and struggled to get good results.

It was only natural, as cooking wasn't something nobles did.

Nobles were only meant to hire chefs.

Of course her skills were terrible at first.

So she worked hard. Very hard. Tirelessly, showing him even when she got hurt.

Because he was the type to prefer honest effort over fancy things.

That's why she wanted to give him something she made herself.

"I'm still... so childish."

I should push him away properly. I should act like a perfect stranger...

But whenever she looked at Harte's face, she found her expression softening.

A few kind words from him felt dangerously close to making her smile.

And then...

[I think we can be a decent couple in our own way.]

His words kept echoing in her ears, forcing her to leave the kitchen.

'A couple... he says.'

Hearing it directly made it hard to bear.

Amidst all this, shamelessly clinging to that expression, she finally whispered the wish she'd secretly held.

"... Darling."

Flap!

The blanket shook from a sudden kick.

Belatedly, Elphisia buried her face in the pillow, rubbing it frantically.

Her broken heart showed no signs of healing.

For a very long time.