"Good... person."
"Learning is a good thing. They are really a good person."
Elise passed it off nonchalantly. An indecipherable smile hung on Karan's lips.
"It's ready. I hope it suits your taste."
Elise took a sip of the tea Karan had prepared. The tea indeed tasted excellent.
"That person must be really proud."
"Who are you talking about?"
"The person who advised His Majesty to learn tea-making. They would be happy to know you can make such good tea."
"Do you like it?"
Elise blinked as if to ask why that was directed at her.
Then she soon realized he was asking about the taste of the tea and smiled brightly.
"It's really delicious. It suits my taste perfectly. The aroma is nice, and the subtle flavor is lovely."
Karan smiled back. Elise gazed at him, momentarily lost in thought.
His usually sharp demeanor seemed completely different, softened.
His refreshing smile, reminiscent of a green apple, made Elise's heart flutter.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, Your Highness. You're just very..."
"Yes?"
"Handsome."
Elise quickly shared her thoughts, worried that Karan might find it offensive.
Karan just parted his lips slightly, without any other reaction.
In Bedroca, complimenting someone's appearance was part of social etiquette, not taboo.
But was it different for a Titrisian? Karan's lips tightened.
"I apologize if I've offended you."
"It's not that I'm offended… Do you like my face?"
If it was just a matter of liking or not, obviously.
"Yes."
Karan beamed.
His smile was like a ripe red apple compared to the green apple of his gentler expression.
Elise's heart skipped a beat for a different reason at his enticing smile.
"I'm glad you like it."
What exactly was he glad about?
Every conversation with him raised new curiosities.
But it was hard to ask outright. Elise had memories from before her regression, so she felt close to him, but to Karan, she was still a stranger.
'Let's become friends slowly and then ask everything.'
Elise quietly fiddled with her teacup.
Karan prepared his own tea and sat opposite her. They both focused on drinking tea for a while.
After finishing a cup of tea, Elise broached the main topic.
"Have you thought about it?"
Though the subject was omitted, Karan understood what she meant.
The two were to enter into a marriage contract today.
"Yes. Do you have any particular conditions in mind?"
"I'll adapt to you in everything."
A deep skepticism appeared in Karan's eyes.
It was a life-altering contract.
Elise needed his help, but there was no need to give him all the control.
'How would she handle it if I became greedy?'
Karan concealed his boiling greed and suggested politely.
"I don't want an unfair contract. Since you proposed it, you should also speak first about the conditions."
"I'm not in a position to be picky, as I told you. I wouldn't be a good match for His Highness."
"Please don't say that. I've chosen to marry you by my own will. I don't want to belittle my choice."
With each word from Karan, Elise felt his consideration for her.
Elise realized anew what a good person he was.
'Did he save me before I died because he's such a good person? But why was he in the underground dungeon then?'
Elise never dreamed Karan had come to the dungeon for her.
"Please tell me."
Karan urged.
The tea had long since gone cold. As they kept yielding to each other, Elise decided to state her condition first.
"I have only one wish. Just let me maintain the position of your first wife."
Titris was a polygamous society.
However, only the first wife had the right to assert her position as a wife.
Elise's ultimate goal was to elevate Karan to the throne.
That was the only way to completely subdue Chase.
And she thought that was necessary for Karan not to be at a loss in their marriage.
For that, Elise needed power.
She hadn't initially coveted the position of first wife, but when Karan asked her to state her desire, she found herself wanting it.
"Does saying 'first' imply you think there will be a second wife?"
But was it too much to ask?
Karan looked quite displeased.
"It's common in Titris."
Karan's hand, which had been fiddling with his teacup, stopped.
The warm air surrounding him suddenly turned cold.
"You're greatly mistaken."
Elise inhaled sharply. It seemed she had made a big mistake. How to rectify this, she wondered.
"Let's make it clear. There will be only one wife for me. That should be included in the contract."
"What? Only one? Does that mean you won't marry me?"
Elise was so surprised that she almost knocked over her teacup. If Karan hadn't caught it, it would have fallen.
Karan placed the teacup in front of Elise and looked up at her.
"Titrisians may be barbarians, but we don't treat fidelity like trash."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'll keep my promise to you. I will have only one wife, and that's Elise Walton."
Elise's eyes widened.
'Does he mean he won't take any wife other than me?'
It was hard to believe. With marriage comes power and influence… but why?
As Elise tried to grasp this fact, Karan brought pen and paper.
He first stipulated in the contract that Elise would be his only wife.
"Your Highness, you don't have to go to such lengths…"
Elise tried to stop him belatedly.
"No. It's a promise I must keep."
Was monogamy a flaw in Titris? Elise was confused.
"Is there anything else?"
"No, not really…"
Karan had conceded too much.
"You have no demands of me, it seems."
His escape to his country had already been a big inconvenience.
Though Elise was confident she could bring him benefits far exceeding any temporary scandal, the marriage seemed disadvantageous for Karan now.
So, asking for more would be shameless.
"I do have another condition. We'll maintain our marriage life until I say we divorce."
"What? Not three years?"
"Yes. The duration will be decided by me."
Disappointment crossed Elise's face.
Three years was a long time, but too short to repay Karan and lay the groundwork for revenge.
"If it's too short…"
Karan chuckled at Elise's muttering.
She was misunderstanding quite firmly.
This marriage would last a lifetime, as long as Karan lived.
He had no intention of letting Elise go.
But there was no need to teach her that.
Karan licked his lower lip and tapped the table with his fountain pen.
"Will it be difficult?"
"…No. I'll accept it."
"There's one more condition."
"I thought you had none in mind, but you seem to have given it much thought."
"I've devoted the longest time of my life to it."
He wasn't just talking about the contract terms. This was about a new beginning with Elise.
Elise smiled.
She liked that he took their contract seriously.
"Please, tell me."
"Be faithful in our marital life. What we do will be no different from a real marriage. Marriage itself is a contract, isn't it? The only difference is whether we make the contract before a priest or not."
"What exactly do you mean by 'marital life'?"
"Everything you can imagine. Everything that's expected."
As he finished speaking, he smiled. His suggestive smile made Elise's lips go dry.
While Karan cherished Elise, he wasn't going to just hold her like a treasure.
Instead, he planned to completely imprint her sweet breath, body scent, and warmth onto his body.
"How about it? Will you accept my contract terms?"
Elise nodded.
Karan wrote the contract including the terms he just mentioned, making two copies.
"Now we need to sign. Do you have anything prepared for that?"
Usually, contracts are sealed with a family crest.
But Elise, being just the second daughter of a minor noble house, didn't have a family crest.
Elise picked up both copies of the contract.
She aligned them side by side and pressed her lips to it.
"Will this do?"
Elise handed one copy to Karan.
Looking down at Elise's half-lip imprint, Karan leaned forward abruptly.
As Elise moved back, he placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward him.
"A contract's signature should be done together. But I'm unprepared, so let's borrow yours."
He quickly pressed his lips against hers, then pulled away cleanly.
He picked up the contract and, looking at Elise, brought his lips over her lip mark.
The moment his lips covered hers on the paper, Elise felt her own lips with her fingers.
'Ah, I'll be late again today.'
Elise had a feeling.
That this night, too, wouldn't pass easily.
"You've been sleeping more, Miss."
Regina, unable to wait for Elise to wake up, pulled back the curtains and opened the window wide.
Struggling to open her eyes in the deep sunlight, Elise felt her body as heavy as if she had done strenuous labor.
Last night went just as Elise had expected.
"We are married now."
Karan had caught Elise's hand trying to push him away and whispered in her ear, leaving her defenseless and crumbling.
Karan was overwhelming in every way. When he pressed down on her, Elise felt as if trapped in a cave.
No wonder her body was exhausted after spending a night with such a man.
'I should have limited marital relations to once a week in the contract.'
It was too late for regrets now.
"Regina, please fill the bathtub."
"A half bath? Good thinking. I'll prepare it with herbs."
Regina hurried off. The bathtub was quickly ready. Elise stopped Regina at the bathroom door.
"I'll do it alone."
"Let me help you."
"No, I need to think."
Perhaps because of the contract, Karan had been determined last night.
Elise knew her body would be bruised, so she pushed Regina away.
"I want to help… Is there anything else you need? Shall I prepare some cool tea?"
Elise shook her head, then paused. There was something she needed to check, something very important she had even made a note of, but she had completely forgotten because of Karan.
"Regina, did we receive today's Alleycat Times?"
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This novel has been translated up to chapter 30.
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