Twilight Initiator(S), Zed, Son of Shadows
Imperial Calendar: Year 1596, Month 4, Day 10
City of Valenwood, north of the Imperial Territory
- You should work hard to make me happy.
Those words weren't necessary. Why do you always seek the opportunity to say such nonsense? Looking at her, she had a mocking smile… It's a bit embarrassing to say these words. I'm a complete novice, but you had to make it worse. Stopping to think about it, I looked again at the marriage contract. At the end, there's a place for my signature… surprisingly, right next to it was Cristina's signature… a test, huh? Damn, you're very smart, woman. This is very amusing, it was all a farce, you tricked me.
- Surprised? Hehe, you shouldn't be, I think it was quite obvious, wasn't it? I wouldn't let you go; only a fool would. You're mine. I had to put on a little theater and trick you a bit to get you to say what I wanted to hear. And it worked.
Her eyes sparkled, looking straight into mine.
- Now sign, and we'll officially be husband and wife… Don't you think you're winning too? I'm an extremely attractive woman, and I'm still maturing; I haven't reached my full potential yet. Besides, every time a person rises in rank, they become more beautiful and perfect.
She said that proudly, puffing out her chest, filling herself with ego… I have to give her credit, she is extraordinarily beautiful, but that's not the most beautiful thing about her. She's extremely intelligent, that's her inner beauty. She completely fooled me, deceived me with her eyes. They say eyes are the reflection of the soul. She deceived me with her thoughts; she showed me what she wanted me to see, and I fell for it completely. Her external beauty is just one of her weapons… Incredible, amusing, and exciting, she managed to fool me… the first time anyone has done so. I'll give her that.
- Interesting.
With a smile, I raised my hand and took the pen Cristina handed me. She had a broad smile on her lips, looking at me amusedly. She knew she had won against me and was enjoying it. She was excited. Picking up the pen with my fingers, I wrote my signature on the contract. Every line I made made my heart race, every time the black ink seeped in, my smile grew larger. It was slow, but at the same time fast. It was very fast… an invented form, my new signature in this world.
In a matter of seconds, the signature was written on the paper, which quickly turned to ashes.
- Now you're officially my husband. Congratulations!
She exclaimed with a smile. A winning smile.
- Well, now that everything is ready, it's time to discuss the next thing. As every noble has a surname, in normal cases… no, this case is very abnormal. Since you don't have a surname, you'll naturally have to take your wife's surname. But at the same time, there's a problem. Following the rules of the Northern Empire, in a marriage, it's the woman who takes the man's surname, but you don't have one.
The nobleman took out another paper from under his desk and placed it on the table.
- You'll have to invent a surname for yourself.
A surname… Cristina had a curious expression, waiting to see what name I would choose. Apparently, she didn't mind changing her surname at all.
- But I don't have a family or anything, which means I have no noble hierarchy.
- Don't worry about that; you'll naturally inherit Cristina's position, making you a direct viscount.
As far as I understand, Cristina was the heir to her house.
What kind of surname should I use… For a few moments, I contemplated using my surname from Earth, but I immediately rejected it. It's a bit difficult; I thought it would be much easier.
- Spencer, Zed Spencer.
Finally, I decided on Spencer. There's nothing deep about it; I just liked how it sounds. To me, it sounds original.
- Not bad, I thought you'd choose a much stranger surname. Spencer is an incredible surname.
- There's no family in the North with that surname. Well, it's decided then; now you have to write your name and surname on that paper.
- Wait, can I change my name too?
This question just occurred to me now.
- Yes, you can. Do you want to change your name?
I had thought about it, but I really don't want to use someone else's name. It's very strange for me, even though I've possessed his body and used his name, his identity. I don't have a name, so my identity doesn't exist. A person's name is very important; it's more than just words. I want to have my own name.
- Yes.
- Very well.
Looking at the paper, I touched the pen in my hands. I already had a name in mind.
-Zed Cesar Spencer.
That will be my new name from now on. With this name, the world will know of my existence.
Cristina looked at me with some questions but chose to remain silent.
- Surprised?
With a smile, I returned the earlier taunt.
She pursed her lips, annoyed.
- All the papers are in order. Now everything is fine…
The nobleman picked up the two papers and put them in a briefcase.
- Now it's just a matter of sending it to the Empire… according to the expected time, we'll have confirmation in a week, more than enough time. The celebration will take place in two weeks. With this in our hands, he won't be able to do anything about it and will have no choice but to surrender to you, daughter.
- I hope so, just seeing his face again annoys me.
- I understand; it annoys me too. But leaving that aside, first things first.
The nobleman gave me a look.
- Cesar needs decent clothes for the party. Likewise, he needs to learn noble manners in this short period.
- Leave it to me, I'll educate him well… I don't want my husband to embarrass me.
For some reason, I feel like my life is in danger. This woman is crazy. Was it really a good decision to marry her? Yes, of course, it was. As I've said, we're both completely crazy.
- That will be all for tonight. I'll take care of the preparations for the trip and also send these papers right away. You may leave.
With those words, Cristina and I left the office.
A lot happened tonight, too much, I'd say. I have a suspicion that it was all Cristina's doing. A play where I was the protagonist.
************
End of the first volume part 1
Identity