Chapter 3 Part 2
What’s with this sudden marriage proposal…? Does he not realize what an incredible statement he just made?
“I can’t meet you on a weekly basis. But if we’re engaged, I can see you without hesitation.”
Looking at Hyle with a ‘you must be joking’ expression, his face was more serious than ever.
No matter what, isn’t ‘engagement’ a word that shouldn’t and can’t come up between us?
As long as Hyle was a Feros and I was a Laté, this absolutely….
“I hate to say this to someone who saved my life… but are you crazy? That’s impossible.”
Of course, I knew Hyle wasn’t in a position with enough freedom to meet me regularly.
After the Saint’s absence, numerous magical beasts had been rampaging throughout the Empire as if they had been waiting for this moment.
As the leader of the Feros Knights, Hyle had a duty to be the first to deal with these magical beasts that threatened the Empire’s safety at the frontlines.
Not only that, but Hyle was already somehow managing a busy schedule as a Marquis.
So I completely understood his circumstances of not being able to meet weekly.
But even so, “engagement” wasn’t a word that could be casually thrown around.
From the start, it wasn’t something that could be easily accomplished just because the two of us decided on it.
“I wish you’d acknowledge that I’m a Marquis in my busiest period.”
Hyle, speaking with a dry expression devoid of any playfulness, looked extremely serious.
Knowing that he was serious made it even more difficult to know how to respond.
Someone of his station wouldn’t joke about something this important or fail to understand its implications….
But still, isn’t engagement too extreme?
Just looking at the relationship between our two houses, we’re absolutely incompatible.
“Is there really no other way besides such an extreme method?”
“Then would you prefer secret midnight meetings every week? If that’s your preference….”
“Ugh, of course not.”
“For now, this is the best option. You know that too.”
As he said, if we were engaged, we could meet comfortably day or night without worrying about others’ eyes.
Moreover, it wouldn’t be bad for me either since staying by Hyle’s side meant I wouldn’t have to suffer endless pain when my heart was strained.
Certainly… considering everything, engagement with Hyle was indeed the best option available right now.
However, there were problems. Quite a few of them.
But if I had to pick the biggest problem, naturally….
“Father won’t allow it. And what about your family? Moreover, Father has the deepest hostility towards House Feros among all past heads of our house. You know this better than I do.”
…Mattio Laté was the biggest obstacle.
Even if by some miracle the head of House Feros gave permission, there was absolutely no way Mattio would straightforwardly approve our engagement.
He was someone whose hostility towards House Feros was uniquely deep-rooted, enough to be counted as the one who had inflicted the most damage to House Feros among all past heads.
Of course, I understood why his hatred was particularly deep – he lost his left leg in a battle with House Feros long ago, where he was used by his father, the then head of House Laté.
I also knew that this incident and its shock was what made Mattio become someone who didn’t care about the lives of his own blood.
Yes, knowing too well was the problem.
Mattio, who thoroughly saw me as a means to an end, would absolutely never approve an engagement with Hyle.
Being connected to House Feros through marriage – this was something that would be rejected outright without even being considered in Mattio’s mindset.
He might even declare war on House Feros for daring to provoke his fiery temperament.
While I had become quite serious, Hyle’s expression wasn’t particularly dark.
With his usual calm face, he answered gently in a peaceful tone.
“It’s fine.”
Hyle’s eyes as he gave his firm answer were unwavering and straightforward.
Not ‘it will be fine’ but ‘it’s fine’….
What is he thinking?
Even though there was no reason to be confident before the head of House Laté who would clearly be a powerful obstacle, somehow looking into those mysterious green eyes raised a vague sense of trust.
“It’s good to be confident, but you shouldn’t take Father too lightly. Despite appearances, he’s quite a monster with lots of accumulated dark magic.”
After giving this warning, I reached out to Hyle’s neckline and slowly stroked it.
A small mark in the shape of black wings was engraved where my hand brushed his neck.
Hyle seemed to feel something and touched that area, then stopped his hand where the mark had appeared.
“What is this?”
“It’s an imprint.”
“…An imprint?”
Come to think of it, Hyle being from House Feros probably doesn’t know about imprinting, which is exclusive to demons.
“House Laté receives a share of demons’ abilities by using their power. This is one of them. If you break the contract, you’ll lose your life by the power of this imprint.”
I explained simply while looking at Hyle’s puzzled eyes.
Fortunately, he seemed to understand well, nodding his head.
“I see. So it’s a means of trust to prove the contract.”
“That’s right. The contract term is until you completely purify my heart, how’s that?”
“No objections.”
With Hyle’s answer, the same imprint was engraved on my neck in the same position.
The imprint, which emitted a black light signifying the establishment of the contract, soon vanished from sight.
Though it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye normally, I could always feel the imprint’s presence there.
Now then… since the urgent matter has been resolved, shall we move on to the next thing?
“Hyle, there’s something you need to do.”
“What is it?”
A sudden announcement of engagement between House Laté’s princess and House Feros’s marquis would look suspicious to anyone.
It was common knowledge throughout the Empire, not just among nobles, that the only connection between the two houses was through fighting.
“Help me break off the engagement with Abel.”
So I planned to use Abel and Hyle appropriately.
