Chapter 5

I Will Accept a Lifetime Contract (1)

The moment certainty struck me, my heart dropped.

Why did I ever believe I hadn’t been caught?

Now that I thought about it, there had been a lot of suspicious things.

‘They never even told me the destination. I couldn’t use magic in the carriage. And now look—they drag me in front of this man but don’t even untie the ropes! That’s not how you treat a guest!’

I’d followed along like a fool, thinking this was my chance to turn my life around… Could it be I was about to die?

‘Wait… the rope on my wrists… isn’t this basically prisoner’s rope?’

I twisted and squirmed, trying desperately to undo the knots.

But it was useless. Just like Silberne said, all I managed to do was scrape my skin raw until tears welled up.

‘No! I worked so hard to escape this kind of fate!’

My whole body trembled as the fear sank in.

‘I should’ve just ignored that girl. Why did I even stop to help her…’

Was this what they called “justice always prevails”?
No way. That would mean me dying was the “just outcome.”
I couldn’t accept that. I refused!

“Cough—hack, hack!”

Lost in my silent panic, I suddenly choked.

“Hack, hack…”

I clamped both hands over my mouth, but—

“Ugh—”

Once a cough started, it wouldn’t stop.

Eclipse, who had been silently watching me, gestured to Silberne. Soon, a glass of water was placed in my hands.

“…Thank you.”

I bowed my head, eyes brimming with tears.

‘If not for this water, I probably would’ve choked myself to death before anything else.’

As I lifted my head, the tears finally spilled down my cheeks.

Eclipse frowned slightly at the sight.

“…Silberne. You were too rough.”

“My apologies. There were… complications during transport.”

I glanced sideways at Silberne.

‘Complications? Please. The real problem is those fake guards at your front gate. You have no idea how dangerous they are!’

Not that anyone would believe me. To them, I was just as bad as those thugs.

Slumping into the sofa, I sighed in defeat.

Eclipse’s gaze fell to my wrists. He set down his papers with a quiet sigh.

“She needs treatment.”

Soon, a maid appeared with ointment and bandages.

“Please, may I see your wrist?”

“Ah, yes.”

I held out my tied wrists. The rope burns stood out red and raw.

The maid examined them with a troubled look.

“The rope is too tight. I’ll need to remove it before I can treat you.”

“Of course, that makes sense.”

I gave a weak laugh. But in my head, I was sure—no way would they untie ropes enchanted to seal magic from a suspected con artist.

Or so I thought.

“…Excuse me for a moment.”

Eclipse suddenly approached, holding a plain but sharp dagger.

“Don’t move. You’ll get hurt.”

“…!”

He lightly gripped my wrist and sliced through the knot with practiced ease.

The cut rope fell to the carpet with a soft thud.

“Now you can treat her properly.”

I barely noticed the maid tending to me.

‘Wait… did he just untie me?’

Why would he free me? To him, I was nothing but a criminal.

…Did he really untie me just because my wrists were hurt?

‘Oh, right… in the original story, Eclipse wasn’t heartless at all. He doted on his younger sister—even though they weren’t blood-related. He was the model of a caring older brother.’

Cool on the outside, but always making sure to take care of everything. That was the real Eclipse.

‘He only became the final villain after falling into darkness…’

Looking at him now, though, I couldn’t imagine it.

How could this man possibly become the great villain later on?

I found myself staring at his retreating back as he returned to his desk.

Then—

“This may sting. Here we go.”

“Ow!”

The maid dabbed ointment on my burns. The sting snapped me out of my daze.

The treatment was quick, and soon my wrists were wrapped in neat bandages.

I fiddled with them absently, sneaking glances at Eclipse.

“Elsie Bloomhire.”

“Yes!”

I snapped to attention the instant my name was called.

“Nineteen years old. Witch. Resident of Wendelton, 7th Avenue. No parents, no siblings, no relatives. Correct?”

“Yes.”

It felt like I was being interrogated by the police.

‘Strange… the real villain here is supposed to be him, not me.’

Eclipse never looked up from the document in his hand—most likely a report on me.

“You run a street stall near your home to make a living. Main items sold…”

He read out my personal info with no filter. Normally, I’d snap back about privacy, but—

“…Magical tools, Your Grace.”

What attitude could I show here?
None.

‘Stay calm. Stay obedient.’

This wasn’t the place to make a scene. The best chance I had was to behave, to maybe earn a little leniency.

“I see.”

“Yes.”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell. I dared not break it.

‘In times like this, silence is golden.’

One wrong word could make things worse.

But then, my eyes caught something.

‘Wait—what the?! That’s…!’

On his desk sat a small, familiar glass bottle.

Inside, shimmering purple powder.

My Dreaming Butterfly Powder.

‘You’re alive! My precious baby!’

Relief and joy surged. I thought I’d lost it forever, but here it was, safe and sound.

And yet… of all places, why here?

‘Why’d you have to end up in this man’s hands?’

How was I supposed to get it back now?

I was still scheming when Eclipse suddenly spoke.

“I’ll be direct.”

I didn’t know then… but those words marked the start of a storm that would change my life completely.

He looked straight at me.

“Elsie Bloomhire, I want you to teach my younger sister, Lynette, magic.”

“…What?”

Did I hear that right?

‘Wait—what? You want me to do what for who?’

I froze like a broken machine.

‘Hold on. Did he just say he wants me to tutor the heroine? The Lynette?’

But… why? Based on what?

‘I’m just an extra who failed at one scam when my past-life memories came back!’

While I panicked, Eclipse remained perfectly calm.

“Silberne. Give her this.”

Silberne handed me a sheet of paper—the very one Eclipse had been reviewing.

“A… contract?”

I blinked and read through it several times.

‘Is this some kind of trick?’

I checked carefully, even looking for hidden magic, but no—it was genuine.

A legitimate contract.

‘No way. The Ledaire Dukedom is offering me a job?’

I couldn’t believe it.

Yesterday I was practically a failed scammer, and today I was being recruited by the most powerful family in the empire?

‘Did the world turn upside down overnight?’

My hands trembled as I gripped the paper.

Not just my hands—my eyes, my empty stomach, my whole body shook.

‘Calm down. White is the paper, black is the ink… or wait, is it the other way around?’

Muttering nonsense, I forced myself to focus.

But then—

‘What… what is this number?!’

My vision blurred.

The contract listed a monthly salary so outrageously high, it couldn’t possibly be real.

I stammered helplessly, words tangling in my throat.

“Uh… th-this… what is… um…”

It was far too much money for a single month’s pay.