Chapter 8: A Small Request

Whoa, whoa. Calm down.

I swallowed hard and continued speaking.

“…If you agree to the contract, I’ll give you everything I’ve brought at half the price.”

“The Auguste family is wealthy enough to afford that.”

“Is that so? Well, similar-sized carriages have already arrived not only here at the First Division but also at the Second Division’s camp. It must have cost an astronomical amount to prepare all of this.”

“So, this is the Graham Trading Company we’re talking about.”

“As I said, an astronomical amount.”

I looked at the Duke with a confident smile.

‘Money is terrifying, isn’t it?’

He seemed taken aback, closing his mouth as his sharp eyes studied me intently. His presence was overwhelming, like a towering mountain.

‘Don’t falter. If I lose here, it’s all over.’

Mustering every ounce of strength I had, I met his gaze head-on. His mysterious teal-green eyes shimmered like sunlight on water.

‘Go ahead, devour me. I’m scared to death.’

His finely sculpted lips twitched slightly before he finally spoke.

“What do you really want from me?”

Ah, how long have I waited for this moment! I’ve been waiting and waiting for him to say those words.

In the novel, there’s a line that Crown Prince Arthur de Fabian says to Rosetta on their wedding night:

“Rosetta, if I hadn’t gone down to Pins that night a week before the victory banquet, I wouldn’t have met you.”

‘It’s currently April, and the victory banquet is held during the May festival. A week before the banquet would be one month and three days from now. That’s when Rosetta will appear.’

This was a matter of life and death, so I racked my brain to recall every detail.

What I really wanted to say was, ‘One month and three days from now, on the night of that day, the saintess will appear at the Pins Clock Tower Square. Go there, find her, fall in love, and get married. Then leave me, my parents, and Pins alone!’

—But, of course, things are never that simple. If I said that, I’d just come across as some crazy woman with flowers in her head.

More importantly, revealing that information now might ruin my plan to alter the original story. I needed to be extremely cautious.

“I came here, risking my life, to make a ‘small request’ of you.”

The Duke tilted his head slightly.

“A small request?”

“Yes, exactly one month and three days from now, I’ll come to the Duke’s residence in the morning. At that time, I’d like you to grant me just one request.”

His refined lips curled upward in a smirk.

“Are you joking with me? Do you not see that we’re in the middle of a war?”

“Of course not.”

Once again, the suffocating tension filled the air, pressing down like a heavy weight. His cold expression radiated an intimidating aura.

Gritting my teeth to stop them from chattering, I spoke as clearly as I could.

“If the war is still ongoing a month from now, then forget my request ever happened. Would that satisfy you?”

Xavier furrowed his brows deeply, looking at me as if I were some strange creature.

He probably thought I was insane. But what could I do? This was the best I could come up with.

“Think of your soldiers who are groaning in pain over there. Aren’t they your people? My request is nothing. It’s something so trivial that you could do it with your eyes closed. It’s easier than trimming your nails or wiping away sleep from your eyes. All you have to do is sign the contract, and everything will be resolved.”

“……”

“Don’t let your pride blind you to this situation.”

That was my final provocation.

Please, just let it go. Please, just go along with it.

But he remained motionless, staring at me without a word.

Thump, thump, thump.

At that moment, it felt like the only sound in the tent was the pounding of my heart, the tension reaching its peak.

Finally, he pressed his long fingers lightly against the space between his brows and looked at me.

“You say such outrageous things with a straight face.”

Your Grace, you’re the one who’s truly outrageous. I nearly died just talking to you.

“When speaking the truth, there’s no need for embellishment.”

“Fine. I’ll set aside my pride and accept the supplies and people you’ve brought.”

This Duke sure knows how to hold a grudge.

“To come here uninvited and force a deal on me—your audacity is impressive.”

“And my request…?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll grant your ‘small request’ as well.”

Without realizing it, I let out a dolphin-like squeal.

“Eeeek! Thank you, esteemed customer! You’ve made a wise decision. I even brought a simple contract with me… Oh.”

The Duke raised an eyebrow and repeated my words.

“Customer? Esteemed customer?”

Ah, a habit from my days selling insurance. Why did I have to bring that up now?

“Haha, I meant Your Grace. You’ll sign the contract, won’t you?”

He quickly reviewed the contract I handed him.

“There don’t seem to be any toxic clauses like forced marriage.”

The tension in his expression seemed to ease slightly. He must’ve been secretly worried that I’d try to trap him.

‘How unfair.’

As he picked up a pen to sign, he looked up and asked.

“What are you looking at?”

“Oh, nothing. Please, just finish signing.”

I pointed politely at the document with both hands, maintaining a professional smile.

‘Tch, does he have eyes on the back of his head? His sense of awareness is annoyingly sharp.’

While he signed the contract, I idly glanced around the tent. That’s when I noticed something familiar yet oddly out of place.

‘Huh? Is that a feathered fishing rod?’

A small fishing rod with feathers on it was neatly placed in a corner. It was tucked next to the tent support, making it hard to spot.

But thanks to countless YouTube videos, I immediately recognized what it was.

Why does the Duke have a cat toy in his tent?

‘Unexpected. Does he like cats?’

As someone who once dreamed of being a cat owner but gave up due to a busy work schedule, I suddenly felt a strange sense of kinship with the Duke. His infuriatingly perfect head even looked a bit endearing.

“Do you have a cat?”

“What are you talking about?”

The Duke responded as he placed the pen back into its holder.

“That thing over there…”

His gaze followed my pointed finger, landing on the toy. For a moment, his dignified, statue-like face cracked. He stiffened and replied in a curt tone.

“That is absolutely not mine.”

I just asked if he had a cat. Why does he look so defensive? And why are his pupils shaking?

“There are no cats on this battlefield.”

“Then it’s even stranger. Why is that here if there are no cats?”

Caught off guard, the Duke froze.

“So even the cold-hearted Duke is an animal lover. You must really like cats. I do too.”

“……”

“If your soldiers found out about this…”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Eek, his expression turned scary again. I must’ve been grinning without realizing it because I was having too much fun teasing him.

“I told you, I don’t have a cat, nor do I know anything about that.”

“Oh, yes. My apologies.”

“Take the contract and leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

I backed down at his cold dismissal. If I kept pestering him, he might cancel the contract out of spite. I couldn’t let that happen.

I bowed politely and spun around to leave. Crossing my arms, I patted myself on the shoulders.

‘Stage one complete! Good job.’

Securing the first step of my plan felt incredibly satisfying.

Just as I was about to leave the Duke’s tent, I suddenly remembered ‘that detail’.

‘Oh, right. The curse. In the original story, the Duke suffered because of a curse.’

He was tormented by an unwanted curse every night. But the unkind author left no details about it in the story.

Just a few lines.

Simply, “The Duke suffered because of the curse. But his burning desire for Rosetta brought him even greater pain.”

‘Should I ask him about it?’

Seeing a character from a book come to life, with blood coursing through his veins and warmth radiating from his flawless face, felt surreal.

Feeling a strange heaviness in my chest, I impulsively asked him a question I didn’t need to.

“Your Grace, are you in pain anywhere?”

“Why are you asking about my health all of a sudden?”

Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have.

“Well, Your Grace’s health is crucial for ending this dreadful war quickly, hehe.”

Even as I answered, I cringed internally. Why did my voice crack? And why did I add a ‘hehe’?

‘So embarrassing.’

What was I thinking? Why would I ask that? Now his gaze feels even more intimidating!

The Duke stared at me silently before finally speaking, his lips moving slowly.

“I’m fine.”

“Haha, that’s a relief. Well, I’ll be going now.”

The Duke gave a slight nod as a farewell. Honestly, if I were in his position, I wouldn’t want to spend another second with someone who I had a history of stalking.

As I stepped out of the tent, I saw Maya standing with a man. The moment she spotted me, she burst into tears.

“Miss!”

“Maya, didn’t you go to the lodging?”

“This gentleman offered to guide me, but I was too scared to go alone.”

I looked at the brown-haired man beside her. He seemed quite angry for some reason. Was everyone here collectively suffering from stress?

“The tent where you’ll be staying is under that large tree. I’ll take my leave now.”

The brown-haired man approached me, delivered his message bluntly, and turned to leave.

“Thank you. May I ask your name?”

He hesitated briefly, as if my question caught him off guard, before reluctantly answering.

“I am Rexton Shaw, His Grace’s aide.”

“Rexton? That Rexton?”

Rexton! The Duke’s closest aide who only appeared in a few lines of the original story! Excited to see a side character on my level, I accidentally pointed at him.

“Why are you shouting my name like that? And what’s with the finger?”

“Oh, it’s just that I know someone with the same name. It’s nice to meet you.”

Lowering my hand quickly, I awkwardly tried to cover up my excitement. Rexton gave me a strange look.

“If you’re planning to cause trouble for His Grace, I suggest you stop.”

With that, Rexton turned on his heel and left.

Like master, like servant. His attitude was just as prickly. Pretending to punch his retreating back made me feel a little better.

‘Doesn’t matter. I secured the contract!’

Meanwhile, poor Maya was still sniffling and crying.

“Maya, are you okay?”

“Ugh, no. The smell of blood here is overwhelming.”

“Where’s all that bravado about protecting me?”

“…I’m sorry, Miss.”

I hugged the trembling Maya and comforted her until her tears subsided.

“Miss, are we going home now? I saw that the supplies have been unloaded, and the volunteers and healers have been assigned…”

Her brown eyes looked up at me with desperate hope.

Sorry, Maya.

“No, we’ll be staying a bit longer.”

“W-What?”

Maya’s face crumpled as if she were about to cry again.

“I need to show His Grace my sincerity.”

That way, that ultimate villain of a Duke won’t get any funny ideas.