Chapter 07
There Was Still One Thing to Gain
Originally, I was a loner with no ties except to the Guild.
“I guess saying I was an escaped slave wasn’t entirely a lie, huh?”
Just like an escaped slave, my identity had been erased.
So, without meaning to, I’d actually told Ian a lie that was surprisingly close to the truth.
But above all… the most important thing I found out:
“I can’t believe that voice belonged to Nine!”
Nine.
Out of all the shady guilds it could’ve been—why Nine?
In the original novel, Nine was the organization that tormented the female lead relentlessly.
They were a notorious assassination group that spread fear across the continent.
They didn’t hesitate to commit inhumane acts to get their hands on the heroine.
They were also the ones who cursed Ian with dark magic, turning him into a tyrant.
“Of all things… Why Nine?”
This was way bigger than I could handle.
“No matter where you go, you can’t escape us.”
That shadowy voice echoed in my head again. A chill ran down my spine.
“This is insane.”
I muttered under my breath, chewing on my lower lip.
Just then, I felt the burning pain in my thigh again.
“What the…?”
When I lifted the hem of my clothes to check, I gasped.
“Aaagh!”
There, engraved clearly on my thigh, was a number:
76.
“Miss Irene! Are you alright?!”
Someone burst through the door with a loud bang.
Startled, I quickly pulled my clothes back down.
A young girl ran up to me, her eyes wide with concern.
“Miss Irene! Are you okay?!”
“Wh-Who are you?”
“Ah! I’m Annette, and I’ll be serving as your assistant starting today. Pleased to meet you—wait, that’s not important! I heard you scream just now! Are you hurt?!”
Her big eyes were filled with worry.
I had to calm her down somehow.
“I’m fine. I… saw a bug.”
“A b-bug?!”
Annette looked like she was about to faint.
But then she clenched her fists, determined.
“Where is it?! I, Annette, will eliminate it immediately!”
“It already ran away, I think.”
“Oh… really?”
She looked very relieved, her earlier courage disappearing fast.
What a cute kid.
But I didn’t have time for a warm chat with her.
“Miss Annette. I’m sorry to ask this the moment we’ve met, but could you take me to Sir Ian?”
“Yes! I’ll take you to the commander’s office right away!”
As we walked, I organized my thoughts.
That number on my thigh—76—
It was probably proof of the curse.
“They said they placed a time-limit curse on me.”
In the original story, someone else had been cursed by Nine the same way.
That person failed their mission, and the curse tattoo began to burn—starting from the marked spot, their whole body was consumed by fire.
I broke out in a cold sweat, recalling that horrifying scene.
“They gave me one year to kill Ian, didn’t they?”
But Ian wasn’t someone you could take down easily.
Trying to kill him would almost certainly mean my own death.
“What a joke. Why don’t they do it themselves?”
Or at least give me some resources!
No support, and yet they expect me to complete this terrifying job?
Furious, I muttered without thinking,
“Ridiculous…”
“Hm? Miss Irene, did you say something?”
“Ah—no, it’s nothing.”
I gave Annette a gentle smile. She blinked rapidly, as if flustered.
“Seriously, what is this randomly adorable creature…”
In the middle of this nightmare, she was like the one comforting presence.
****
“Look, it’s her again…”
“That’s the commander’s lover, right?”
People whispered as I passed in the hallway.
It wasn’t a pleasant kind of whispering, but at least they cleared the way like parting seas.
Soon, we arrived at Ian’s office.
The knights standing guard announced my arrival.
“Commander, the lady has arrived.”
“The lady”?
What a weird way to refer to me—like I was sneaking in for a secret date or something.
The door creaked open.
Ian looked a little surprised to see me.
“You’ve already made up your mind? …What’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I stood there silently, just looking at him.
Ian. The commander of the Holy Knights. Rude to me and only me.
Despite being a priest, he clearly wasn’t very religious either—just look at how he talks about ghosts.
Still, Ian was undeniably the Empire’s strongest knight.
My gaze fell to the sword at his waist.
In the novel, Ian once wiped out an entire battalion with that ordinary-looking sword.
And if he ever equipped the real holy sword sleeping in subspace?
Then no one could even dream of defeating him.
In the end, even he had been caught in Nine’s evil scheme—but that was only after many, many things went wrong.
“Miss Irene.”
Ian called my name in his usual blunt tone.
Yet, right now, even his harsh face felt like a lifeline.
“Calm down. Stay cool, Lee Seoyeon.”
I mentally braced myself.
Let’s review my options:
First: Carry out Nine’s orders and kill Ian.
Impossible.
I didn’t have any special skills like the original No. 76. I couldn’t even hold a sword properly.
Plus, Ian was someone who could survive an entire army. That’s why he was the strongest.
Option one—out.
Second: Run away.
Also stupid.
Nine had connections all over the continent. If I ran, they’d catch me in no time.
Option two—also out.
That left one last option.
When I realized what it was, I let out a dry laugh.
That ridiculous option… looked like the best one right now.
Unbelievable.
“Commander.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
I clenched my fists tightly and said,
“Let’s do it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The engagement. Let’s do it.”
“…All of a sudden?”
Ian raised one eyebrow.
“You’re the one who offered. Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind already?”
“Of course not, but…”
He stepped closer.
Then, in a low voice, he asked:
“Are you sure about this? You’re saying you truly want to become my wife?”
A slow, icy shiver ran down my spine.
Maybe I was just trading one death trap for another.
Still, I managed to hide my fear.
My gut told me this was the only real option I had to survive.
“Yes. I mean it.”
Ian smiled, satisfied.
I quickly added:
“But.”
“But?”
He tilted his head.
“You need to guarantee my safety.”
His face shifted, surprised. I hurried to explain.
“Becoming the Holy Knight Commander’s fiancée will attract a lot of attention. And you probably have enemies, right? Some of them might try to hurt me instead, thinking I’m the weaker target.”
“Don’t worry. Now that you’ve boarded my ship, no one will dare lay a finger on you.”
That sounded reassuring, but honestly… Right now, Ian was only a step less scary than Nine.
I shook off the thought and continued.
“Also, I want a bodyguard. Someone strong enough to protect me at all times. If they have magic or divine power, even better.”
So I wouldn’t get caught off-guard again by shadow magic, like earlier.
Ian looked slightly surprised again. I added quickly,
“I’m very sensitive about safety.”
“…Understood. I was planning to assign you a bodyguard anyway. But more importantly…”
Ian leaned in closer.
His deep blue eyes—bright as jewels—locked onto mine. I froze.
“You’ll be breaking up with your lover, then?”
“Ah.”
Right. I’d lied about having a boyfriend.
But now, after recalling No. 76’s memories twice, I was sure.
She’d had no one. A complete loner.
No one besides Nine had even seen her real face.
“Which means… I don’t need to worry about old lovers showing up and yelling, ‘How could you do this to me!’”
I confidently told Ian:
“I’ll break up with him.”
“You said you were madly in love.”
I don’t think I said it that strongly…
I cleared my throat and replied,
“Well… my heart aches, but I must part ways. For the greater good.”
“Hmph…”
Ian gave me a long look.
Ugh. Can’t he just accept it and move on?
Then, he said something totally ridiculous:
“No cheating allowed.”
“…Excuse me? We’re fake-engaged, remember?”
“Still. Trust is everything in this kind of arrangement.”
Seriously?
Well, not like I planned to go flirting around anyway.
So I just nodded casually.
“If anything, he’s the one losing out. Not me.”
He’d have to keep that handsome face and perfect body all to himself. What a waste.
“Alright. Fine by me.”
At my easy agreement, Ian gave a satisfied smile and shrugged.
“Then let’s hear your demands.”
“Ah, right.”
Yes—this was the important part.
Ian looked at me carefully.
“It doesn’t seem like money was your only motivation. What convinced you to go through with this?”
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat.
“I’ll start listing my conditions now.”
A flicker of interest lit up in Ian’s eyes. Lucien also perked up, eavesdropping.
I took a breath and began.
“First, I accept the amount you offered.”
“Very well. 10 million Mars. Next?”
“I’ve already mentioned the personal guard…”
“And I’ll also give you top-tier defense artifacts, for my safety-conscious fiancée.”
“Thank you. Lastly—”
This was the big one.
Maybe even more important than the money.
“A year from now… help me disappear from the Empire.”
“…”
Ian’s eyes widened slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected that.
