Chapter 6

I Will Accept a Lifetime Contract (2)

Maybe I had read it wrong? I rubbed my eyes hard.

‘No way. This can’t be my salary, right? It’s impossible. Why would they offer such an outrageous amount just to hire me? Why? For what reason?’

Only one person could answer that question.

I licked my dry lips and carefully asked:

“Um, Your Grace… may I ask why you’re trying to hire me?”

When he finally replied, I froze.

“I heard you saved my sister’s life.”

“…Sorry? I did?”

What? Who did I save?

Eclipse only had one sister, which meant… wait.

“Do you mean… I saved Lady Lynette, the Saintess—your sister?”

At that moment, bells went off in my head.

Bells announcing the end of my dream of an easy life.

‘No way. Did I really save the very girl who’s supposed to destroy me?’

And now her brother—the final villain—was offering me a job?

That meant I had tried to scam the man who might soon become my employer!

‘No. That’s insane. This has to be a mistake. There’s no way I saved Lynette. I couldn’t have… ah.’

I stopped mid-denial as a memory flashed in my mind.

‘Those golden eyes…’

The cloaked girl I had rescued in the alley had golden eyes. I’d even thought at the time that they sparkled like coins.

‘Wait. The Lynette on the book’s cover had golden eyes too, didn’t she?’

Tall, slender, pale skin, deep navy hair, and golden eyes.

That was Lynette’s exact description in the novel.

And the girl I met had been taller than me, her hood hiding her hair—but I’d glimpsed something dark. Her skin had been pale too.

‘Oh no. It really was her.’

My body trembled as I clutched the contract.

‘So this is the “repayment” you meant, heroine…?’

While I was still reeling from the shocking truth, the office door burst open.

“How dare you steal away my guest. I didn’t know my brother could be so petty.”

That voice—I knew it.

Navy-blue hair like the night sky, golden eyes gleaming underneath.

No way.

‘It’s her! The real Lynette!’

She had appeared.

The girl destined to ruin me was standing right there, smiling at me.

* * *

Lynette d’Ledaire—the heroine of The Saint Doesn’t Want to Believe in God, and Eclipse’s younger sister.

She was a prodigy who possessed both holy power and magical power.

‘So that’s why he wants me to be her tutor, huh?’

That must have been it.

In the original story, Lynette really did have outstanding magical talent. But she never received proper training.

The reason was simple—her divine power far outshone her magical power, so no one ever thought magic lessons were necessary.

‘Seriously, it’s unfair. She’s the protagonist, and she really got everything.’

But Lynette had one fatal flaw.

Despite being the Saintess, she didn’t believe in God.

In fact, she worked so hard to avoid the role of Saintess that she eventually ended up inheriting the dukedom instead.

‘Of course, for now, the duke is Eclipse.’

But that was only temporary.

When Lynette came of age, Eclipse was bound to give up the dukedom to her.

‘Because Lynette was the rightful heir.’

Eclipse himself had originally been a commoner. But with no heir at the time, the late Duke of Ledaire adopted him into the family.

‘Then Lynette was born. And after a few years, the duke and duchess both passed away, leaving the older Eclipse to inherit the title.’

Before she died, the duchess, Lady Aileen, made Eclipse promise to honor a vow.

‘The vow was that when Lynette came of age, he would hand the dukedom to her. The problem was, that vow was actually a curse.’

Just as I remembered this detail, something poked sharply at my side.

“Wah!”

I nearly jumped out of my seat.

Lynette had sat beside me at some point and jabbed me with her finger.

When I stared at her wide-eyed, she giggled.

“What’s got you so deep in thought?”

“N-nothing!”

“Nothing? You look so tense though.”

Of course I was tense!

I thought I’d been caught sneaking in to scam her brother.

“Anyway, you don’t have to be so formal now, Elsie.”

“Y-yes, of course!”

What else could I say? I had to obey.

I nodded quickly, and Lynette laughed again. My stomach twisted with dread.

‘Why is she acting so friendly already? It’s scary! We’ve barely met!’

In the original story, I was supposed to be crushed by her long ago.

The only reason I was still alive was because the timeline had twisted somehow. But who knew how long that luck would last?

‘Someone, please save me!’

I sent Eclipse a desperate look, silently begging him for help.

‘Please, Your Grace! I know I tried to scam you, but just this once, please rescue me!’

Maybe my plea reached him, because Eclipse sighed faintly as he looked at his sister.

“Lynette. Don’t be rude to our guest.”

“Rude? That was me showing friendliness.”

Lynette twirled her finger through her hair where she had just poked me.

Could this really be the same sweet, gentle girl I had saved in the alley?

For a moment, I denied it. But it was no use.

‘Her cool, aloof looks hide a mischievous personality when she likes someone. That’s exactly how the novel described her…’

The girl in front of me could only be Lynette. There was no doubt.

‘And she’s good at acting too—able to pretend to be a saintly angel when it suits her, like when tricking people.’

Eclipse gave a low groan.

“You think pestering a nervous guest is friendliness? I need to question Ash Heart’s teaching methods.”

At the mention of that name, my ears perked up.

‘Ash Heart—that was Lynette’s etiquette tutor.’

He’d once been known as a scoundrel but supposedly turned into a perfect gentleman overnight.

Either way, I was just relieved Lynette’s attention had shifted away from me.

“If that’s what he taught you, then I’ll have to replace him immediately.”

Eclipse pulled a folder from a drawer and flipped through its documents.

No longer the center of their attention, I relaxed and simply watched their exchange.

“Geez, it was just a joke. Don’t worry, brother. Ash didn’t teach me that.”

Lynette smiled, but Eclipse never lifted his eyes from the papers.

“I was just happy to see Elsie, that’s all. She saved my life. She’s my benefactor.”

“….”

“And she’s cute too, isn’t she? Small and adorable. Of course I want to tease her.”

“Lynette.”

“Come on, admit it, brother. Don’t you think so too? Or is it just me?”

Wait. Did she just call me small?

My ears burned.

‘Excuse me? I’m not small—you two are just ridiculously tall!’

If I remembered correctly, Lynette was 170 centimeters and Eclipse 187.

‘Seriously? Giants. Both of them.’

Meanwhile, I barely scraped 160 on a good day. With my young-looking face and small build, people constantly underestimated me.

That was why I wore a big black robe and a wide-brimmed hat—to look bigger than I really was.

‘But standing next to these two, I really am just a tiny little stump.’

Like a little shrub surrounded by towering trees.