Chapter 4

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“Please follow me.”

As they followed Jack, Rose and the rest of the party stood in a room engraved with dragons. It was the study she had visited the other day, but she felt like a war lied ahead.

As the door slowly opened and they stepped inside, Rose’s eyes began to widen.

The current Duke of Aytan stood with his back turned to them, facing the harsh northern winter.

His sunburned skin, which would be loathed by nobles, was clearly visible in the light of the snowstorm that was swirling outside the window.

The black eyes behind that gaze and his dark hair appeared in Rose’s view.

Standing behind Grey and the red-haired man called Casa, Rose hid her body unknowingly and pressed her hood lower.

Originally, she had planned to greet him first but now she felt awkward since she had missed the correct timing to say it.

‘That man…. right. He hadn’t been good enough for the Emperor of Arga for years. But did that man have to be the Duke of Aytan?’

In an instant, she made every effort to erase the scenes that filled her memory and pressed her fluttering heart with her hand.

Every man in the world would have been okay but him. Rose didn’t know whether this was simply her displeasure due to the prophetic dreams or a bitterness that this was the same man from the dreams who had helped her sleep better.

As she tried to fix the broken pieces together, Grey stepped forward and greeted the duke politely.

“Good to see you. I am Grey Reed from the Kaos Sect. I pray for the repose of the deceased-“

“Get to the point.”

A profound voice suddenly penetrated into their ears. Grey’s neck, which had been through a lot of ups and downs, suddenly turned red that one could even see it with their naked eye.

It wasn’t because of the duke’s rudeness. His voice was full of decadent colour, unlike the sense of dignity felt from his identity.

The sound that came from his throat, combined with the atmosphere of the dry landscape outside the study’s window, stuck to Rose’s ears.

Unlike her companions, who felt embarrassed because of the duke, Rose noticed that his eyes were facing her.

‘Well, I guess everyone knows who the Kaos Sect is. But there’s no need to get the wrong end of the stick.’

Rose swallowed a bitter smile and took off the red hood covering her head.

Her fluttering black hair poured down her back.

His gaze passed through Rose’s hair and stopped on her face. Rose didn’t mind much because her hair colour had always been a spectacle.

However, she didn’t really find it pleasant either, so she lowered her blue eyes to hide her emotions.

“My name is Rose Von Isaac.”

The man’s aura touched her skin like a sharp blade, and her smooth hair stood up.

The duke’ gaze slowly followed Rose’s every movement.

“What do you want?”

Every time she looked into his black eyes, it seemed like his gaze was piercing deep through her, causing goosebumps all over her body.

Her body shrunk and a chill ran down her spine.

The Duke’s intentions were clear. It seemed he had no intention of hiding that playing the role of a ‘Duke’ was gritty and bothersome.

‘I don’t like you either, but I’m only putting up with it because it’s the best option.’

Unlike her inner thoughts, Rose grabbed the contract from Grey’s hands and presented it to the duke.

“One is the contract with the former duke, and the other one consists of my terms and conditions.”

He picked up the paper with his long and elegant fingers. The duke’s actions gave off the vibes of a high status nobleman, making it hard to believe that he was the same man she had seen in her dreams.

There were two documents. One was the contract that the former Duke of Aytan had accepted based on their mutual conditions, and the other was related to today’s business.

After checking both the documents, his mouth curved up mockingly. And he held out the paper that Rose had given him.

“Guardian contract?”

Rose couldn’t read his eyes. Her predictions ranged from if she was being lightly despised to the worst-case scenario where she was being treated as a sexual object.

But this man didn’t seem to belong anywhere.

She couldn’t figure him out.

No emotions flowed to the surface, so it became more difficult to respond.

Her mouth felt dry and her palms were sweating due to the tension.

Every time the duke’s sharp energy touched her, her body would began to throb and her face would be devoid of any facial expression.

“Since the former duke had passed away, I hope that you will keep this contract as his successor.”

A quick flash passed through the eyes of the duke at that moment.

As Rose felt momentarily chilled, she looked down at the duke who still seemed bored. It may be an illusion, but he was a man who had the knack to make a person feel uncomfortable.

After looking at the contract in his hand for a moment, Rose looked at his face which still seemed a little disinterested.

‘You’re going to turn down my offer.’

Rose, who needed to hold on to him matter what, clenched her fist without realizing it.

But the duke responded strangely beyond her expectations.

“I acknowledge this deal.”

Rose doubted her eyes as he continued to show indifference with his entire body. She should have rejoiced at the easy agreement, but it was rather suspicious.

He was an irrevocable power that even the Emperor of the Terran Empire had been forced to surrender to.

The north may only be a periphery, but it was as unique as the Aytan family, which was older than the empire.

This man was young, and possessed great power.

If it had not been for the precedent of the family that had not displaced by one person from generation to generation, he would be the current swordmaster.

So Rose couldn’t understand it anymore.

‘Why is the young heir who has just inherited this position accepting the guardianship contract so obediently?’

Not only would he get caught up in nitpicking gossip, but considering the current tension between the landlord nobles, he’s….

Rose stared at the Duke as her momentary thoughts passed by.

And she saw it.

A calculation blurred over the eyes of the man who did not seem to care about anything in this world.

And her doubts became certain.

“Be my lover, not guardian.”

A bad hunch was never wrong.

“Are you going to use me as a shield against the landlord nobles?”

“Yes.”

“As a countermeasure against any future troubles? For example, courtship?”

“You’re smart.”

His voice sounded innocent, but the words that slid off his tongue were different, like a knife pointed at Rose’s neck.

The voice of the young duke sounded noble and ferocious at the same time. In fact, his voice was running on the extremes of fascinating people to the point where it was crazy, but his cool eyes were still weighing down on Rose.

Rose laughed cynically.

‘It’s true that I need you, but I never said that I’d let you be my boss.’

Her turquoise eyes glanced at the young Duke, wondering whether her nervousness was visible. No matter how strong he was, for every human, it was only a matter of thinking until tomorrow.

The only important thing right now was that the initiative in this conversation should be on him.

“Why do I have to do that? This contract is for the duke to comply with my terms. I’m not fulfilling the conditions of the duke. Above all, why do you think should I listen to you?”

“The desperate one here is you.”

“I’m the master of the Kaos Sect. Do you think there’s anything that the Kaos Sect can’t do?”

“The key point here is that the real hidden master of the Kaos Sect has revealed herself and only wants the Duke of Aytan. That was your explanation, not mine.”

My teeth clenched in front of his gaze that appeared to see me as a fool.

This man wasn’t simply a young successor who had just made his debut. He was already the Duke of Aytan. Rose felt terribly sorry for her lack of information, but she couldn’t help it.

Rose had never bowed down before anyone. The same was true of the Duke of Aytan.

Her eyes blazed like flames.

“It’s true that the Kaos Sect needs the duke, but you forgot one thing.”

The duke’s dark eyes looked back at her.

“I’m a merchant. I may make a small profit, but there won’t be any loss. Since you’ve already taken over the contract of the former Duke, you have to accept my terms. Kaos has already paid a reasonable price, and now it’s time for the Duke to keep his promise. Adding conditions to such a situation is a matter of trust.”

“Who can guarantee that there won’t be any other conditions?”

Rose smiled coldly.

“First of all, how can I trust the Duke?”

The Duke’s aura touched through her skin, causing her body to shudder but she simply gritted her teeth and endured it.

His dark eyes narrowed and a voice that could shake people’s hearts fell into the air again.

“Interesting.”

At the Duke’s words, Rose clenched her fists but waited for his words further.

His eyes, which seemed to be able to pierce through a person’s body, sanky coolly. A slow, deep voice that touched her heartstrings, rang out in the air.

“I don’t believe in humans either.”

And the Duke didn’t say anything more. But his eyes looked different.

Rose could see herself reflected in those black eyes, judging whether she was a prey or a chess pawn meant to be used.

Rose believed she was facing a new kind of predator she had never seen before.

She needed to get her act together to avoid being eaten. No matter how beautiful he was, she must not forget that he had an attribute hidden inside with the ability to dominate others.

“There’s nothing more deadly than an unexpected relationship. If you don’t mind, I’d like to suggest a way.”

His eyes moved gently. He looked like a ferocious beast who did not know how to take out his claws, and at times like these, the more one would want to retreat.

As always, Rose spoke without any hesitation.

“As far as I know, a temple’s contract is nothing short of an oath. Once signed, you guarantee your life until the contract expires.”

“The moment you break it, the heart also breaks.”

“But there’s no contract as perfect as the oath with a will to die.”

Her heart sank coldly, contrary to her frantic beating heart.

“Would you like to?”

“Yes.”

The Duke’s cold answer rather amplified Rose’s suspicion.

At this rate, it was best to quickly point out suspicious matters. Looking at the Duke of Aytan, who looked like a lifeless sculpture, she lifted her lips.

“Since you’ve already played terms on the contract, it is natural for me to revise the terms as well.”

“And so?”

“Are you interested in sleeping with me?”

“Pfft!”

Casa let out an unbearable laugh. She crazily stared at the red eyes exposed under the hood.

‘Rose, come one! Aren’t you crazy? How could you say something like that in a place like this? You’re really amazing.’

‘Shut up. You’re not helping!’

No matter how handsome he was, he was still a man.

When Grey couldn’t even close his wide open mouth, the Duke asked a question without a smile.

“So you mean you’re refusing skinship?”

“Yes.”

The Duke moved as soon as he finished saying those words. He got up from his seat and walked towards Rose.

She tried to step back, but somehow, her body didn’t move.

With only a distance of one foot between them, Kane slowly leaned his head down and made eye contact with Rose.

A decadent voice hit her ears, with his breath close enough to her face.

“I agree.”

The Duke spoke suddenly, rather amusingly.

“But what will happen if you make a move on me?”

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