Chapter 47 : The Deal (12)

Ayla, who had just woken up from a nap, seemed a bit refreshed.

Her hair was a little disheveled, but once I combed it, it quickly looked fine.

When I was a man, no matter what I did, my hair always looked messy after waking up.

“I’ve been thinking.”

Ayla spoke while I was brushing her hair.

“Anyway, I’m the owner of this place. But I can’t rely solely on the guests staying here.”

My initial goal had already fallen apart.

It was to change Ayla’s fate and run away together. That was my goal.

In other words, it wasn’t about acquiring immense power; rather, it was about abandoning everything and leaving.

If Boju had still been intact, maybe I wouldn’t have cared about the Count’s fate.

But now that Boju is broken, the Count’s death could actually be seen as an opportunity.

At least, it’s a situation where I can choose a second-best option.

If Ayla firmly holds on and becomes the owner of this place, maybe she will be able to live her life doing what she wants, peacefully, for the rest of her days.

“If the Empress comes, I will meet her, not you.”

“Understood.”

“The person who follows me seems hesitant in their response.”

“No, Ayla-nim.”

“That’s to be expected. You know everything about me. You probably know I didn’t get along well with the nobles, and that I’ve kept away from power. The Count probably treated me no more than a puppet.”

I had no words in response to Ayla’s statement.

“That’s true. I don’t have the political acumen that other nobles do.”

“No, Ayla-nim.”

“You don’t need to say things to flatter me. It’s better to understand the situation rather than delude yourself. You came to save me, right?”

Now, saying I owed the Count seemed meaningless.

Ayla had accepted my existence in her own way.

Though she hadn’t fully accepted it, she seemed to have accepted me as a friend who looked a bit suspicious.

I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

“So, the only thing I can do is treat the Empress with sincerity.”

“…….”

“I need to hear from you about what kind of person the Empress is. After all, you’ve probably had more conversations with her than anyone else in the kingdom.”

“I can tell you, but…….”

“After that, I’ll handle it myself. Though I’m reluctantly playing the role of the owner of this place, I don’t plan to keep being swayed.”

Ayla stood up from her seat.

She walked to the side of the chair and stood in front of me.

I politely gathered the comb in my hand and lowered my head slightly—until I felt Ayla’s hand touch my neck.

I looked up again.

Ayla was touching my choker with the tips of her fingers.

“I’m curious why you tried to instill trust in me by making something like this. Could it be that you were sent by another noble?”

“Well, okay. We’ll figure that out eventually. It seems pointless to ask about it now.”

Ayla’s fingertips gently pressed my neck before withdrawing.

It wasn’t a long time, but strangely, the sensation lingered.

“It’s probably time for a meal. Is Seila still at the forest lodge?”

“I should check, as she’s been in this room the whole time.”

“Let’s go out and check together.”

Ayla moved ahead but then stopped.

“Do you think Seila is very angry?”

She asked that.

Maybe she was referring to when I momentarily angered Seila.

“I think so.”

Their relationship seems to be developing in a rather unusual way.

It’s not about clearing misunderstandings but more about getting used to each other’s existence.

Seila still misunderstands Ayla, but at the same time, she’s learning that Ayla doesn’t intend to harm her.

Ayla, on the other hand, hasn’t cleared up Seila’s misunderstandings, but her tone has been getting a bit kinder.

More than anything, it’s a good thing they’ve moved from completely ignoring each other to having at least some conversation.

Having people around is a good thing.

It’s easier to talk in a lively place than to speak to someone in a quiet room.

“But I don’t think you need to worry too much. Seila is probably satisfied with her current life.”

“Satisfied? She has a stepmother who tortures her.”

“Sometimes, children need an enemy.”

Of course, I’m not talking about an enemy who has to risk their life.

I’m talking about an enemy from my very early childhood—not the kind that came after I became a second son.

For example, my younger brother.

After my younger brother suddenly found out that I, a second son, had entered their life, he had been hostile to me for a long time.

Perhaps my younger brother looked at me in a similar way that Seila looks at Ayla.

Maybe it was even more hostile than that.

Even so, my younger brother and I eventually became friends in some way.

I believe that the relationship between Ayla and Seila is a very good one for a noble family without blood ties.

Ayla, who had stopped in front of the door, seemed to hesitate for a moment before turning toward me.

“Luna, you said you wouldn’t leave my side.”

“That’s right.”

“But I don’t believe in words like ‘forever’.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Words like that… have no meaning.”

Do they have no meaning?

I thought about whether we had ever discussed such things. We probably had. I never told Ayla I loved her, but I had expressed several times that I hoped such peaceful days would continue forever.

Ayla, even while giving a wry smile, had always responded to my words.

I didn’t think those words were meaningless.

Even if those words were hollow, even if they were impossible to fulfill, I never thought they had no meaning.

It was just something I said because I wished for it.

“Words alone are meaningless.”

Ayla continued talking, seemingly unaware of what I was thinking.

“If it’s just words like that, anyone could say them.”

Did Ayla think that about the things I said?

The words “I’ll protect you, let’s run away together,” too.

“Then, let’s make a deal. Just like any other master and maid, you and I will form a contract.”

“If that would make you feel more at ease.”

“Yes. That would be more comfortable. There’s something we can give each other. If you work under me, there will be something you gain from it. That’s better, right?”

I was already gaining something.

In fact, I was gaining much more than in any previous life.

I didn’t have to worry about social status, and I didn’t have to move to a different room at night.

There was no need to grab a sword and fight to protect each other, and no need to run far outside the village just to be alone together.

“Yeah. Let’s admit it.”

I was ultimately the coward.

Maybe the most courageous moment of my life wasn’t when I faced the evil witch of the forest, or when I met the shadow who poisoned me during our first encounter, or even when I stood in front of the Empress, the head of an empire.

It wasn’t when I faced the dragon either.

The most courageous moment of my life was probably when I told Ayla to run away with me.

Would things have been different if I had gathered more courage then? If I had said one more word?

“Even though I can’t say it now, I definitely couldn’t have said it back then.”

“First, it’s the first deal.”

“The first, you say?”

But Ayla’s words lifted my slightly downcast mood.

The fact that she said “first” meant there would be more deals to come.

Ayla furrowed her brow as if she didn’t understand my reaction.

“Well, of course, it’s the first one. All servants get paid when they work. If they only get paid once, they’re not servants, they’re slaves.”

I nodded.

“I can’t pay you yet. So after the first deal, I will give you something you want, something I can provide. Of course, I won’t offer something too unreasonable.”

“I understand.”

“Is that enough? I don’t know what conditions you want to set.”

“That’s sufficient.”

“…You’re really a strange person.”

Ayla paused for a moment, then cleared her throat.

“Then, the first deal is—”

Ayla took a brief pause,

“That you and Seila get along. At least, so that she doesn’t see me as an enemy.”

I was silent for a moment.

Then I responded.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to set the deal to something else—”

“No. I can’t think of anything else right now.”

Ayla firmly said that and turned her body.

“We’ll make the second deal after the first one is completed.”

Then, without waiting for my response, she opened the door and left.

…Hmm.

It felt like the day for the second deal would be a while away.