A chilling silence filled the Grand Duke’s office.
Despite Milena’s words, Kalion showed no reaction.
He simply sat there with a document in hand, watching her.
His cold silver-gray eyes held no emotion whatsoever.
As if silently telling her to continue.
Without hesitation, Milena spoke.
“Please annul it, Your Grace.”
People often said a single glance from the Grand Duke was enough to make others forget how to breathe.
But at this moment, Milena’s instinct for survival outweighed her fear.
“My sister’s death has never been officially reported. On paper, the Grand Duchess is still alive. Under those circumstances, how could her younger sister take her place? It would disgrace the Grand Ducal House.”
“......”
Milena had never been good at hiding her emotions.
Yet now, she neither pleaded nor begged.
She spoke calmly, maintaining an appropriate distance.
Kalion listened quietly until one particular sentence caught his attention.
“And since I’ll be leaving the estate soon, please find a new nanny for Ash. The heir of the Grand Duchy deserves a proper guardian.”
Our Ash.
All she wanted was for Ashdel to receive treatment befitting his status.
But Kalion’s reaction was completely unexpected.
“You’re leaving?”
For the first time, the icy mask on his face cracked.
A faint tremor passed through his expression.
Then he suddenly rose from his chair.
It was the strongest reaction she had seen from him in years.
Instinctively, Milena took a step back.
“You said you’re leaving?”
“Of course. Haven’t I stayed here long enough?”
It had already been five years since she had lived here without her sister.
More than enough time.
But why was he reacting like this?
Before she could organize her thoughts, Kalion had already crossed the room.
His overwhelming physique loomed before her.
His sheer presence pressed down like a mountain.
His gaze felt as though it could crush a person into dust.
“Elly cherished you.”
The moment she heard those words, Milena’s face twisted.
“...What?”
Who cherished whom?
And he even used Lariette’s nickname.
The absurdity was unbelievable.
Milena and Lariette had never been particularly close sisters.
If Lariette had truly cared about her, she never would have dragged Milena into a deception involving a faked death.
She wouldn’t have cast spells on her.
Wouldn’t have manipulated her.
Yet Kalion continued speaking as if everything he said was obvious.
“Elly entrusted Ashdel to you. Do you not understand what that means?”
“No.”
“It also means she wanted someone to take care of you.”
His tone was maddeningly matter-of-fact.
“You have no marriage prospects left. At your age, even finding a place as a second wife would be difficult. Elly probably wanted me to take responsibility for you. Even monasteries won’t accept you now, so where exactly do you plan on going?”
As if she were nothing more than a troublesome burden.
With an indifferent expression, he casually dug a knife into her deepest wounds.
“......”
Milena’s lips trembled.
Yes.
Twenty-eight years old.
An old maid.
An age where even remarriage opportunities were scarce.
But so what?
And whose fault was that?
Her fists clenched tightly as she forced her emotions down.
If she exploded now, it would all be over.
He would simply see her as the same foolish, obsessive woman he had always known.
But who could she blame?
In the end, she had been the one clinging to someone who never wanted her.
Even if a spell had played a role, she was still the one who had lived that life.
No excuse could bring back the years she had wasted.
The anger inside her refused to settle.
Her blazing green eyes collided with his cold silver-gray gaze.
“If you want, I can process both the marriage registration and Elly’s death registration at the same time.”
Milena had been staying silent to avoid a pointless argument.
At those words, she sucked in a sharp breath.
He was insane.
This insane Grand Duke was talking about declaring her very-much-alive sister legally dead.
“So don’t even think about leaving.”
His deep voice slid across her skin like a shadow.
Kalion took another step closer.
The moment the distance between them disappeared, nausea churned in her stomach.
An unfamiliar sense of revulsion rose within her.
“Don’t forget. Your signature is already on the marriage contract.”
The distance between them was suffocating.
Leaning close, he whispered into her ear.
“Smile, Milena Lastia. Isn’t this the marriage you always wanted?”
“......”
Perhaps to someone else, his voice would have sounded intoxicating.
To Milena, it felt like a death sentence.
If this was revenge against the woman who had tormented him for years—
then Kalion had succeeded.
Now that she had finally begun facing reality, this wasn’t a reward.
It was punishment.
Her face turned deathly pale.
Only then did she realize the truth.
Her name was already written on the contract.
She was trapped.
The Holy Temple had created special marriage contracts to prevent people from treating marriage lightly.
Once signed, the couple was required to marry within three months.
And remain married for at least one year.
Otherwise, they would be cursed for violating a sacred vow.
A ridiculous law.
Yet a very real one.
Of course, there was a way to invalidate the contract.
If one had enough money.
Milena had none.
“...It can be canceled, right?”
Desperation seeped into her voice.
The easiest person to nullify the contract was the Grand Duke himself.
But his response was merciless.
“Why would I?”
“You don’t even like me! You don’t want to report my sister as dead, and you don’t want to marry me either!”
“Who knows.”
His reply was maddeningly vague.
“Perhaps that’s no longer true.”
Milena’s mind went blank.
Something incomprehensible lingered deep within his eyes.
An emotion she had never seen there before.
“It seems this conversation is over.”
Kalion snapped his fingers coldly.
A knight waiting outside immediately entered the office.
“He will be your personal guard. Behave yourself until the wedding.”
“......”
“It’s an honor to serve you, Lady Milena. My name is Hubert.”
The knight bowed.
Messy gray hair obscured part of his face.
But Milena barely registered him.
By the time she gathered herself enough to protest, she had already been dismissed.
Milena walked away with an expressionless face, as though nothing had happened.
“Hubert.”
“......”
The man standing outside the office watched her retreating figure for a long moment.
“Hubert!”
A sudden shove snapped him out of his thoughts.
For a brief instant, sharp eyes flashed beneath the curtain of gray hair before disappearing again.
“...Ah.”
Right.
At the moment, he was Hubert.
“Yes.”
His delayed response made the Grand Duke’s aide frown.
“What are you doing? Go follow Lady Milena. You know your role.”
“......”
When no answer came, the aide sighed.
“Keep a close watch on her. Don’t let her do anything strange again.”
“Something strange?”
“She’s always doing crazy things. We should count ourselves lucky she hasn’t stormed into His Grace’s bedroom naked.”
...Naked?
It didn’t match the woman he had just seen at all.
If anything, she looked far more likely to stab someone with a sword than seduce them.
Then again—
that might be even more entertaining.
A small laugh escaped him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Has she actually done something like that?”
“No. It’s a figure of speech.”
Apparently embarrassed by his own exaggeration, the aide coughed awkwardly.
“Just stick to her and keep her from causing trouble.”
Hubert—
or rather, the man disguised as Hubert—
gave a brief northern salute before turning away.
Once the aide disappeared from sight, he strolled down the corridor, quietly humming to himself.
“So she’s the infamous villainess.”
A smile tugged at his lips.
“Not the kind I expected.”
Not once had she called Kalion by name.
Always—
Your Grace.
Nothing but distant, formal titles.
It was completely different from the rumors.
And those eyes...
“They’re not the eyes of a woman in love.”
Slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
Perfect.
Now he could observe her up close.
Was she an obstacle that needed to be eliminated?
Or a resource that could be useful?
If she became a problem, he could simply dispose of her.
And if not—
“...Perhaps I should try seducing her.”
With hidden intentions concealed behind his smile,
the man who had infiltrated the Grand Duke’s castle under the name Hubert turned and walked toward Milena’s room.