I bit my lip as I stared into those calm eyes.
“Isn’t there any other way?”
[That is the only way, prospective contractor.]
The soft voice spoke with unyielding certainty.
Memories of Isabella’s last moment—her neck gripped by a brutal hand—flashed vividly before me.
Was it the moment of death she experienced that gave me reckless courage?
‘Besides, I owe her.’
Even if her gesture had been a sudden act of kindness triggered by memories from her past, it didn’t change anything.
For whatever reason, the hand she offered became my salvation.
The vow I made—to repay it by any means—was no lie.
“I’ll do it. I swear, according to the law of the gods.”
I vowed to deliver the most terrible despair to the other party in her stead.
As I answered, a smile deepened on the face of the being in Oliver’s form.
[Sanael. By your ‘vow,’ we hereby declare that a temporary contract is established under the forgotten law of the gods.]
Sanael.
That was the true name of the being in Oliver’s guise.
The symbol engraved in midair seeped into the back of my hand.
Unable to endure the burning pain, I screamed and lost consciousness once more.
[Open your eyes, temporary contractor.]
I slowly opened my eyes, and the dim surroundings came into view.
Looking back, the men who had just threatened my life lay sprawled on the ground.
I cautiously asked as I looked down at their pale, lifeless faces,
“Are… they dead?”
[A small courtesy for you.]
Sanael, with a faint smile, lifted a hand and pointed at Hugh, still stiff on the ground.
[And the author as well.]
A small hand clenched as if gripping something, and Hugh’s neck, frozen with wide eyes, turned crimson.
“Wait… that person is—”
[The author witnessed the death of the woman you will now replace. He is even an adversary of yours. Didn’t you tell me you wanted to survive?]
Indeed, Hugh was not a friendly figure toward me.
Remembering the disdain and hatred in his eyes made me instinctively shrink.
But he was different from those who attacked people and stole things without warning.
He had simply done his best to protect Isabella.
Was it just to take his life for that reason?
As I hesitated without answering, Sanael, who had been silently observing, snapped his fingers lightly.
It was at that moment.
“Cough! Hrk! Hrk!”
Hugh, frozen like a statue, coughed violently and woke.
Looking around in confusion, he immediately approached me and asked,
“My lady, are you all right?”
“My lady?”
Startled, I turned to see my reflection in the window.
Wavy, auburn hair. Slender figure. Gentle eyes.
There stood Isabella Brium, very much alive.
As I stumbled backward in shock, something cold touched my foot.
Looking down, I saw a gaunt, dirt-covered body with stiff, ash-colored hair.
The lifeless body was familiar yet strange.
Under the pale moonlight, dressed in ragged clothes, the face of the woman was revealed.
Faint freckles on her cheek. Rough, scarred hands.
It was me.
Rebecca Taylor, destitute and wretched.
“N-No… this can’t be…”
As I recoiled in disbelief, Hugh caught me, clearly shocked.
“My lady, what on earth happened?”
“I-I mean…”
Trembling and shrinking, I could only stammer.
“My mind… when Oliver—no, when Lady Isabella—was—”
Who could remain sane seeing the corpse that mirrored one’s own self?
Detecting something off in my rambling, his eyes widened.
“Wait… you—”
Tracing his memory with a confused expression, he seemed to realize something and stared in horror.
“When I opened the door earlier, the one who was dying was clearly—”
Instinctively, I stepped back to escape Hugh, only to trip over the corpses of the men.
“Could it be… really?”
Just as he reached toward me with a stiffened expression, Sanael appeared again.
“Who are you!”
[It would have been easy to just kill them.]
“What did you say?”
[Yet you insist on taking the longer path instead of the easy one. Truly fascinating.]
Sanael smiled faintly, reaching a hand toward Hugh’s forehead.
A faint shadow seemed to be sucked into his mind like smoke.
[By the law I’ve set, this person can no longer reveal your identity to anyone.]
No sooner had Sanael spoken than Hugh clutched his head, writhing in agony.
“Thank you.”
[It seems that stepping onto the Middle-Earth after so long has prompted me to show an unusual kindness.]
Sanael shrugged and gave me a gentle smile.
[From now on, for one year, you will live in place of that noble lady.]
I lowered my head, wincing at the stinging pain.
The black symbol on the back of my hand caught my eye.
[To aid you on the arduous path, I offer you a small gift.]
Translucent figures appeared from the air and slowly descended toward me.
[These are beings who will help you.]
“An eagle… and a wolf?”
A blue eagle let out a sharp cry, facing me.
Beside it, a dignified wolf quietly lay in front of me.
[They are spirits of nature, possessing the powers of wind and water. They will surely lend small help when you are in danger or need it.]
The blue wolf nuzzled my face, but instead of soft fur, I felt a cold, damp chill.
[I am curious whether you will successfully carry out sacred revenge and survive to finalize the contract.]
Sanael’s form gradually grew faint.
[Then, temporary contractor, may the day come when we meet again.]
I stared at the empty space where Sanael had vanished, then turned my gaze.
Hugh approached, his face twisted in pain, clutching his head.
“You!”
“…”
“Damn it. You…”
The gruff words of the guard, gritting his teeth, were aimed at me.
“Revenge? You say you’ll take revenge for her? A contract? What contract?”
“…”
“Are you in your right mind? You dare pose as a noble? Just because your appearance changes doesn’t mean you can become a noble lady overnight. You really believe you can take her place?”
Instead of arguing, I bowed my head and gently arranged Rebecca’s corpse.
Closing her eyes, tidying her tangled hair, folding her hands neatly on her chest.
Finally, I brushed the dirt from her cheeks.
“All this is because of that dying little brother of yours!”
As he mentioned Oliver, I stopped touching the corpse and stood up.
Hugh’s eyes blazed with anger, frustration, and disgust.
I already knew I owed no one but Isabella.
If there was anyone to feel sorry or thankful toward, it was only her.
‘But not you.’
Standing straight, I spoke.
“What gives you the right to be so proud?”
“What?”
“The men who died came here chasing Isabella, not me. You and Isabella were being followed from the start.”
“…”
“You didn’t even notice that suspicious people were tracking Isabella all this time. You did nothing even when she died right behind a wall. That’s not my fault.”
“You!”
“It’s your fault for not noticing sooner.”
Hugh’s face went pale at my sharp words.
“I may have accepted the deal to survive, but this was also Isabella’s final wish.”
Her father had killed her mother and abandoned her.
Those who deceived her must pay a just price.
“Isabella didn’t die because she met me. She died because you, as her guard, failed in your duty.”
Hugh stared at me blankly.
He must not have realized I could confront him like this.
“I owe you nothing. Neither does Oliver.”
The only person I owed was Isabella.
“So shut your mouth, Hugh Blake.”
Before I regret having stopped Sanael and saved him.
When I spoke the full name of Hugh, read from Isabella’s memory, he finally shut his mouth and stared at me in stunned silence.
A heavy quiet filled the air.
Each time our eyes met, I had shrunk or averted my gaze, but now he saw a resolute side he never expected.
Quietly, he asked,
“How do you intend to take revenge?”
