Chapter 07
Maya quickly sat down on the sofa the Archduke had pointed to.
“That’s a good idea.”
He was right. If they were going to talk for a while, there was no reason to stand.
Her legs were fine, but the sofa was far more comfortable. There was no need to resist the conveniences of civilization.
The sofa was at least twice as soft as the bed at House Pendragon.
‘Now I’m really looking forward to tonight’s bed.’
She already couldn’t wait to see how soft the bed would be.
“Do you know what kind of power the one who inherits the Pendragon line possesses?”
He opened with a question.
It was something Maya already knew the answer to.
“If they awaken, they become a Swordmaster who surpasses human limits. They inherit the power of the White Dragon.”
“You know well.”
He seemed surprised.
Well, even Maya herself hadn’t fully understood until she awakened and experienced it personally.
“In that case… have you heard of the curse of the Black Dragon, Beiadin, who once defeated the Demon King alongside the White Dragon Pendragon?”
A curse? All she remembered was the prophecy about the Demon King.
“No, I haven’t.”
“That prophecy used to be passed down through the head of the house. I figured House Pendragon nowadays wouldn’t know.”
Though he worded it mildly, the meaning was clear:
“Your family’s so chaotic, you can’t even pay attention to important matters like this.”
“Pfft.”
Maya hit the nail on the head with her blunt interpretation.
The Archduke choked and coughed for a while before continuing with the forgotten legend.
The White Dragon Pendragon and the Black Dragon Beiadin came down to earth and defeated the Demon King who had taken root in what is now the Empire’s territory. Enraged by the loss of his dominion, the Demon King cursed them.
I will tear you apart, so that you are ultimately forced to kill each other.
Only ruin awaits you in the end.
“The Demon King’s curse was said to return with him, so the two dragons made their own preparations.
They arranged for their descendants to awaken together with the curse.”
It was a shocking revelation.
Tristan Beiadin had just revealed his greatest vulnerability to Maya without hesitation.
“Maya Pendragon. I need an awakened heir from House Pendragon to break the curse on me.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
The gaze of someone who genuinely wanted her.
Seeing his desperate eyes made her feel like she was the most important person in the world.
“It’s you.”
A shiver ran down Maya’s spine.
She clenched her fists to calm herself, then realized her face was flushed.
‘Get it together.’
The Archduke was different from the Emperor, but she had once been swayed simply by hearing that she was needed.
She had to stay rational.
Not all her questions had been answered yet.
“But unlike you, I haven’t awakened.”
“I’ve heard that you train diligently. But your older brother is hopeless.”
The Archduke’s insight into Macguire’s nature made Maya like him even more.
And more than that—
‘He knows I’ve been training.’
Just the thought of his words made her heart flutter.
Even the Emperor only approached her after she awakened.
Maya knew she would awaken—only she knew that future.
But a woman wielding a sword was still often ridiculed and envied.
Her talents had always been denied and doubted.
“I believe that you can awaken.”
Yet in those clear blue eyes, there wasn’t a trace of doubt.
This man was truly betting his future on Maya.
Even though he knew less about her than he didn’t.
“I’m used to losing hope.”
His eyes, so different from the ones she had seen before dying, still held traces of expectation.
‘I don’t want to let him down.’
Tristan had chosen her even though she hadn’t awakened and Macguire was still a viable option.
Maya was weak to those who truly needed her.
Still, something in his story bothered her.
“But… what do you mean by ‘both’ being cursed? Are you saying I’m cursed too?”
“Yes.”
Even after awakening, Maya had never felt cursed. She tried to recall her life before returning.
“That information was traditionally passed only to the head of the house, so it’s understandable that you don’t know…”
Nothing came to mind.
“You inherited the dragon’s soul along with your swordsmanship. You’ll need a contractor to keep your human reason intact.”
What came out of the Archduke’s mouth shocked her more than expected.
Because that was exactly what Maya had been planning to suggest to him.
“If the one who inherits Beiadin’s power does not have a contractor, you will slowly lose your human self.”
Maybe it hadn’t been the Emperor’s fault—maybe she had simply failed to find the right contractor.
Maya let out a dry laugh.
“For the next six months, I’ll help you maintain your human reason.”
Pendragon had grown complacent, lulled by generations of peace and comfort, having forgotten the prophecy entirely.
So when Maya—the true awakened one—finally appeared, all she had was an instinct that she needed to find a contractor.
‘Even in my last life, the one I needed was the Archduke.’
Realizing that he had always held the key left a bitter taste in her mouth.
…If she had been that essential, why didn’t he come to her directly?
Why hadn’t he come to meet her?
Why?
“Why didn’t you come yourself?”
Her words escaped before her thoughts caught up.
“Why didn’t you come to get me?”
What made Maya resent the Archduke was the thought of how things might have turned out had they properly formed a contract.
They hadn’t even gotten to the “contract” part yet, and yet he was agreeing to everything she said.
Forgiving her rudeness. Watching her with that handsome face. The perfect image of a ruler.
She knew he wasn’t to blame. He had sent a proposal and waited.
Even so, she couldn’t help but resent him.
What she truly resented was the version of herself that had never met Tristan.
‘It hurts.’
Did her life really have to be so twisted?
When would she finally get to be happy?
Suppressing the flood of emotions, Maya bit her lip.
“…I’m sorry.”
The more time she spent with the Archduke, the smaller she felt.
He was just too perfect.
“No need to apologize. I understand—it was a lot to take in.”
Thankfully, he didn’t seem bothered by her fluctuating emotions.
“I couldn’t come myself… because I can’t leave this place easily. That’s why I waited until dinner to meet with you today.”
Tristan raised a hand to indicate himself.
“Maya Pendragon. I’m under a curse that forces me to live part of each day as a young boy.”
Her guess had been right.
“I can only remain in my normal form for about three hours a day.”
There was no way to predict how long he’d stay human once transformed. It varied each time.
He had learned that once the curse triggered, he had about two hours, give or take.
It began on his twentieth birthday.
Naturally, he had disappeared from society after that.
Never knowing when he might revert into a boy, he had to live in constant vigilance.
Thankfully, House Beiadin had always taken the prophecy seriously.
They had a tradition of secretly raising heirs until they turned twenty, just in case a curse manifested.
As a result, far fewer people knew what Tristan actually looked like.
He had followed the prophecy and collected information about House Pendragon.
At first, he was disappointed.
The once-great house that had fought beside him in ancient times had nothing left.
Its heir, Macguire, was a gambling addict. Its parents, drowning in debt.
But when he finally met Maya Pendragon in person, she was shockingly consistent.
She spoke her mind clearly and didn’t hesitate to say things most people would avoid.
He had feared she wouldn’t believe his story about living half the day as a child.
But what stuck with him was how brutally she belittled herself and dismissed her worth.
She was so honest—it was impossible to ignore.
“Why didn’t you come to get me?”
There had been resentment in her voice when she asked.
There had been leftover emotion in her gaze that he hadn’t noticed before.
The rumors of her swordsmanship had been scarce, but the moment he heard about Maya, he knew.
She was the one who could break his curse.
Maya didn’t even question his words.
Instead, she nodded as if it were only natural.
No persuasion needed.
And it wasn’t as if she didn’t believe him, either.
She was honest, pitiful, and surprisingly reliable.
“So how exactly do I break your curse?”
Could someone really fit so many contrasting descriptions?
“After the contract marriage…”
Even he couldn’t keep his tone completely steady.
“…we have to share a bed.”
It was an unexpected variable.
