Chapter 6. After the Contract Ends

“…What?”

“I’m saying, let’s make it look like ‘you’ fell for me first.”

“W-What? What did you just say?”

“To elaborate, we’ll say that you were infatuated with me, pursued me passionately, and, moved by your relentless sincerity, I finally accepted you.”

“…”

Serenia froze, as stiff as a stone.

His expression immediately turned sour at her reaction, and he added curtly.

“Well. Forget it if you don’t like the idea.”

He raised his hand as if ready to rip up the contract right then and there.

Startled, Serenia frantically waved her hands.

“Ah! No, no!”

After fidgeting nervously for a while, she finally nodded in reluctant acceptance, as though swallowing bitter medicine.

“…Fine. Let’s say I was the one chasing after you…”

“Excellent. It’s a deal, then.”

He promptly seized on her agreement and picked up the fountain pen.

With elegant strokes, his hand signed his name in the <Party B> section of the contract.

But when Serenia leaned in to see the signature—

“…What is this?”

She couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

“My signature.”

He said proudly, gesturing to the scribbles he’d just scrawled on the paper.

This was none other than the famed “Ain Reveron’s handwritten signature,” which had once fetched a staggering 76 krovats and 33 tilings at auction for a single theater poster.

To Serenia, however, it resembled some bizarre amalgamation of a starfish and a worm.

‘The moment he started doodling a star shape, I had a bad feeling, but I waited until the end just in case—and of course!’

Serenia furrowed her brows as she stared intently at the signature.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t decipher a single letter.

Was the first character an “A”? Or maybe an “E”? No, wait—”O”?

“Or… ‘I’? Is it… Iain?”

“…”

His deadpan expression made it obvious she was wrong.

“That name brings back memories.”

He murmured softly, his voice smooth and gentle.

But the weight behind each word made Serenia squeeze her eyes shut in unease.

“There used to be quite a few people who mistook my name for that back in the day.”

“I-I see…”

“Well, I understand why. The letters can be confusing, and Iain is a more common name anyway.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“I think I’ve given you enough hints now.”

Under the pressure of his expectant gaze, Serenia forced a smile and ventured hesitantly, “…Ain?”

He grinned.

“Correct.”

And then, with a dazzling smile, he added, “I’ll make sure you never mix it up again.”

“What?”

Before she could protest, he raised his hand.

There was a peculiar grace to the way his hand moved, as if it were painting the air. For a moment, Serenia found herself oddly captivated by it.

And then—

“Aing♡.”

With a finger pressed to one cheek, Ain let out a playful, slightly whining voice.

Serenia barely restrained the fist that was on the verge of flying at him.

Grinning brightly, Ain deliberately poked at Serenia’s last frayed nerve.

“What do you think? Now you’ll never get confused again, right?”

Through gritted teeth, Serenia managed to force out a strained reply.

“Ah. Y-Yes…”

As she ground her teeth in frustration, Ain swiftly tapped the contract papers into order, dividing them into two envelopes.

Serenia, still fuming internally, widened her eyes as she noticed his actions.

“What are you doing now?”

“Organizing the contract, of course.”

“You think I’m asking because I don’t know that?”

“Then why…”

“You haven’t told me your full name yet!”

“I just told you, didn’t I?”

“Not the starfish part! You need to explain the worm-like scribble too!”

“Worm…?”

“Your last name, you ridiculous man! Your last name!”

At her outburst, Ain gave her a look that screamed incredulity, as if she were the strange one here.

“That’ll disappear once we’re married anyway. Why bother learning it now?”

“…Huh?”

As she stood there dumbfounded, her face blank with shock, Ain handed her one of the envelopes containing the contract.

“Well then, now that the contract is complete, it’s getting late. Shall we call it a night?”

“What? Uh… Sure…”

Before Serenia could process what was happening, Ain smoothly escorted her off the sofa and towards the door, his movements so natural she unconsciously followed his lead.

By the time she came to her senses, she found herself standing outside the estate’s entrance.

In front of her wasn’t the plain carriage she had arrived in, but a lavish, four-horse-drawn carriage that dominated the entranceway. Her jaw dropped.

Without giving her time to react further, Ain helped her into the grand carriage. But instead of bowing and stepping back, he climbed in after her.

The door closed behind him, and the carriage began to move briskly forward.

Inside the brightly lit cabin, illuminated by lamps, Serenia stared at Ain sitting across from her, his perpetual smile plastered on his face.

“And what is this supposed to be now?”

Despite the frosty tone in her voice, Ain replied, unfazed, his smile never wavering.

“As your fiancé, I can’t possibly send you home alone at this late hour.”

“Ha! But as a fiancé, it’s perfectly fine to only tell me half your name?”

“Hmm? My lady, let’s not twist the truth. It’s not that I didn’t tell you—it’s that you forgot what I already told you.”

Beneath the heavy sleeves of her ornate dress, Serenia clenched her fists tightly.

The urge to wipe the smug grin off his face was nearly overwhelming.

“Anyway,” Ain continued, nonchalantly adjusting the large-brimmed hat he found inside the carriage, “I have no intention of paying an additional six million krovats, so I’ll fulfill my moral responsibilities as your fiancé.”

With that, he subtly shifted his position to block the carriage window with his body, tilting the brim of the hat low.

Serenia, puzzled by his suspicious behavior, glanced at him briefly but decided not to pry further.

She didn’t notice the poster fluttering past the window he had covered, with the words “Ain Reveron starring in The Young Duke, Raskal” emblazoned across it in bold letters.

* * *

The grand four-horse-drawn carriage glided effortlessly over the snowy road.

‘Money really is amazing,’ Serenia thought to herself as she watched the carriage arrive at the front of the Barishart estate not long after they had departed. It was a somewhat shallow thought, but she couldn’t deny it.

Meanwhile, Ain stepped out of the carriage and opened the door, offering his hand with impeccable courtesy.

“The ground is slippery with snow. Allow me to help you down, my lady.”

It was an escort so flawless it was infuriating, and Serenia couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab.

“How thoughtful of you, Mr. Ain-Whatever-Your-Name-Is.”

“My, it seems you hold a grudge longer than I anticipated,” Ain replied with a smirk.

“Well, I’m not interested in hearing that from someone stingy enough to only share half their name after taking my money. Mr. Ain-Whatever-Your-Name-Is.”

“Stingy? It’s truly heartbreaking to hear such words from someone so cold-hearted as to forget a name after introductions were made.”

Serenia glared daggers at him, though Ain remained unbothered, his expression sunny as ever.

After a moment of pouting, Serenia changed the subject.

“So, where shall we meet tomorrow morning, Mr. Ain-Whatever-Your-Name-Is?”

At her question, Ain’s ever-present smile faltered.

“Tomorrow morning…?”

Serenia nodded firmly in response to his puzzled tone.

“Yes. If we get there as soon as the office opens, it’ll be less crowded.”

“The office? What for…?”

“What do you mean, what for? To file the marriage registration, of course.”

Behind the violet-tinted glass of his spectacles, Ain’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Filing the marriage registration already? Without an engagement ceremony, a wedding, or anything?”

Serenia tilted her head nonchalantly.

“Why not?”

“I mean, it’s not impossible, but still…”

“If it’s not impossible, then let’s do it,” she replied with an exaggeratedly shameless expression.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry for the money.”

In truth, it wasn’t an immediate crisis, but with Raskal possibly showing up any day to demand her life, she needed to secure the money as quickly as possible.

She had to get the funds before her time ran out—enough to prepay thirty years of her father’s hospital bills and clear the family’s debts to the bank.

Ain, unaware of these circumstances, looked flustered at first but soon turned his gaze toward the Barishart estate. With no lights or signs of life to be seen, the house appeared as lifeless as a ruin. He nodded slightly, as if he finally understood.

Feeling his gaze of pity, Serenia barely managed to suppress her irritation and sweetened the deal instead.

“Fine. Once I get the three million krovats, I’ll let you have the engagement ceremony, wedding, or whatever you want.”

She kept the words ‘if I’m still alive by then’ buried deep inside her heart.