The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 23: The Contract

Chapter 23: The Contract

Damien was genuinely surprised to hear such resolve from someone like Rosalie Ashter, however, what was bothering him the most still remained unanswered. Thus, he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and looked at the girl rather secretively and suspiciously, which made her lean forward too, as if they two were ready to share some important secrets in the privacy of their company.

Damien spoke first,

"Lady Rosalie, I have two important questions I need to ask you."

"Oh... Alright, go ahead."

"First, why do you have to stay here only for one year? What is going to happen after that time is up? And second, how did you find out about the nature of my curse and the way to attend to it?"

Even though Rosalie had thought about the time condition many times already, somehow, she still got uneasy upon hearing the Duke ask about it.

In the novel, the year that passed after this particular Imperial Banquet was described in just a couple of Chapters, briefly touching upon the trials that Damien had to face during the time before Evangelina finally returned to the Capital and met him at the Autumn Harvest Festival. However, it was also around this time that Rosalie finally gave up on her life and succumbed to her brother’s insane desires, which eventually lead her to her death.

’Yes. One year only. Then, I will take the money and leave the Capital to seek a better life away from all this novel mess. But what excuse should I give him?’

Lady Ashter fidgeted with the hem of her dress for a while, mulling over her reply, then took a deep yet quiet breath, and finally answered,

"I... Had a prophetic dream."

"I beg your pardon? Do you possess prophetic powers, Lady Rosalie?"

Damien raised his eyebrows, jerking his body into an upward position once again, clearly startled by such a statement. Rosalie decided to go along with the already far-fetched lie,

"Y-Yes! Well, it is also related to the second part of your question, Your Grace. One day, I saw a dream in which I met the Demon called Asmodeus who told me everything about you and your curse. In that dream, I remember feeling particularly sad for you, so I asked him what can be done, and the Demon told me everything. And..."

The girl offered Damien a quick and timid glance, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expressionless face showed no emotion. Thus, with another deep breath to bolster her, Lady Ashter continued once again,

"He also told me that next Fall, a hidden Saintess will appear who will be able to lift your curse. When I asked Asmodeus if anything could be done in the meantime, he sensed the despair in my eyes and told me that I could assist him. And when I opened my eyes upon awakening, I felt the Acme Flow coursing through my body."

At this point, Rosalie was ready to facepalm. She had thought she would be able to improvise, but her lies were just too obvious, and she would be damned if the Duke would buy it. Yet, whether partially convinced or simply too fatigued to argue, the man let out a long, weary sigh, brushing his thick black hair backward, and said, his voice carrying a heavy tone of reprimand,

"Lady Rosalie... Whatever this is that you are trying to pull off, just... be careful. If the Temple finds out that you were not born already possessing Acme, you might face trial and subsequent execution for being associated with the forbidden Demonic Cult."

It finally dawned on Lady Ashter that she had completely forgotten about the fact that Demonic contracts were forbidden by Imperial Law once the Temple gained control over religion in Rische, and now she had another thing to fear. However, she still believed that Damien would go as far as to protect her from the Temple as well. She just had to be cautious, and since her very life depended on it, Rosalie was convinced that she could do that too.

"Yes, Your Grace, I promise to be extremely careful."

"Alright, let us make it formal then."

The man rose to his feet and walked up to his large wooden desk. He then retrieved a few sheets of paper, a fountain pen, and his personal stamp. Carefully, he placed the set on the coffee table in front of Rosalie. After a few moments of hesitation, Damien took a seat next to the lady and tapped his long index finger on one of the papers.

"Since this sounds like a contractual relationship, I believe it would be best for both of us to state our requests and demands. Please write down whatever you deem necessary here, and I will ensure that it is granted to you, My Lady."

The girl glanced at the empty sheet of paper and was about to reach for the pen but realized that the Duke had not brought one for himself.

"What about you, Your Grace? Don’t you have anything else to request?"

Damien, evidently taken aback by the question, raised his eyebrows in a questioning expression and shrugged his shoulders.

"No, you already know what I need from you. I am not despicable enough to ask for more."

’Wow...’

Rosalie still found it difficult to read the man’s expressions. His voice was reserved and cold, his face remained emotionless most of the time, but the words he uttered... They were the words of a man who cared about the feelings of others and always put their comfort before his own.

She picked up the fountain pen but hesitated to write.

’What exactly should I write here besides the things that we’ve already discussed? Ah! That’s right – money!’

At last, she started scribbling down with the enthusiasm of a child writing their wishlist for Christmas, catching Damien’s attention. He leaned forward to see what had excited her and couldn’t help but scoff.

"Huh? What’s so funny?"

Rosalie widened her eyes—it was the first time she had seen Damien smile, and the sight was so breathtaking that she almost dropped the pen. The Duke, clearly trying to contain his excitement, shook his head and said,

"It’s nothing. However... Are you sure this amount will be enough?"

He tapped on the line with the number written by Rosalie and gave her a questioning look. Lady Ashter double-checked the numbers and shrugged her shoulders.

"I’m not sure..."

"Here, let me adjust it, then."

Damien snatched the paper from underneath her fingers together with the pen and added three more zeroes at the end of the line with a rather smug smile on his handsome face.

"Here, now it looks better."

’Damn... That is a lot of money. I guess he is the only Grand Duke for a reason.’

Once Rosalie was done with her requests, she put her signature at the bottom of the paper and handed it to Damien, who took it rather gladly, although still fixed his golden eyes on the girl’s right palm for a couple of moments, noticing the scar one more time.

With a swift motion of his skilled hand, the Duke added his own signature and the family stamp next to Rosalie’s. He then handed the contract back to her and nodded.

"It is done, Lady Rosalie. We are now officially in a contracted, mutually beneficial relationship."

Rosalie felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. It was done. She was now safe. Or at least, that’s what she thought.