Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 1
Maya Pendragon was the second daughter of the esteemed Pendragon Count’s family, descendants of the mighty White Dragon.
However, the once-great and soaring honor of the Pendragons had long been in decline.
Until Maya’s birth, for several generations, the Pendragon family had failed to produce even a single Sword Master.
Furthermore, the Count of Pendragon had recklessly squandered the remaining wealth.
“The honorable Pendragon family must wear only the finest clothes, live in expensive homes, and eat the best food! If money is tight, then we’ll simply marry you off!”
Blinded by their house’s past glory and now faced with increasing debts, her family sought to sell Maya off. Just then, a shocking opportunity arose.
Tristan Bayarden—the supreme ruler of the North, a man shrouded in complete and utter mystery except for his name—proposed to her.
Despite his title suggesting dominion over the North, he was a mysterious figure who never appeared at any social events.
In fact, he had never once shown his face. His position as Grand Duke meant he was the talk of high society without needing to show himself, a fact known even to the uninformed Maya.
Rumors circulated that he hid his monstrous appearance or suffered from an incurable disease, but the Duke never addressed these whispers.
What could make such a reclusive person propose to her?
‘Why me?’
Maya couldn’t fathom the Grand Duke’s choice.
‘What could have possibly compelled the Grand Duke to propose to me?’
Before she could even read the personally written letter from the Grand Duke, it was snatched away, leaving her aware of only the proposal.
Maya did not wish to marry. It wasn’t because her suitor was the Grand Duke.
It was apparent to anyone this marriage would lead to the man’s misery.
The parasites— No, Maya’s family excitedly increased their debts as soon as they confirmed the proposal.
“The Grand Duke will surely pay it off. He doesn’t indulge in luxuries, so how much money must he have saved? We should spend some of it too!”
Their boastful words were as foolish as if their brains had been boiled.
‘Am I really of this family’s blood?’
She couldn’t accept them as family, yet, regrettably, her extraordinary swordsmanship was proof she inherited the Pendragon blood.
‘What should I do?’
In such a depraved family, marriage was out of the question.
Moreover, it was to a man she had never even met.
She once harbored dreams of marriage, but those were based on strict criteria.
Handsome, with a pleasant voice, strong character, and eyes that faithfully looked only at her…
Her ideal person was someone so perfect they likely didn’t exist in this world.
Regardless, rejecting the Grand Duke’s proposal required a solid reason.
Isn’t there always a way out even when the sky falls?
At that moment, Maya awakened as a Sword Master.
With the power of the White Dragon, Maya became one of the most formidable figures in the empire’s history.
Naturally, the Emperor summoned her, the sword prodigy, to offer her the position of knight captain of the Imperial Guard.
‘Knight captain or marriage.’
Faced with a life-altering dilemma, she pondered.
Her choice was swift.
‘Of course, the position of knight captain.’
As a captain, she could fully utilize her swordsmanship skills.
Maya gladly sought an audience with the Emperor to accept the position of captain of the knights.
“I have awaited a loyal subject like you.”
Her choice was not mistaken.
“Are you not the comrade and friend to lead this empire alongside me?”
Her life had been one of suspicion and belittlement from her family.
But the Emperor, a stranger not of her blood, willingly trusted her.
Receiving such trust for the first time, Maya’s heart trembled.
A girl who couldn’t even properly debut was thirsty for attention amidst the harsh reality she faced.
Touched by the Emperor’s faith, Maya swore her loyalty.
“Your Majesty, I have something to offer you.”
Thus, she willingly revealed Pendragon’s weakness.
“Please be my contractor for six months.”
A Pendragon awakener is someone who can wield the power of the family’s progenitor, the White Dragon.
Originally, dragons are solitary creatures, distant from affection or altruism. Each time a Pendragon awakener uses the White Dragon’s power, they lose their humanity.
In the first six months of awakening, a contractor is needed to reaffirm their humanity, someone to restore their human emotions and rationality.
So, for six months, the contractor becomes so assimilated with the awakener’s humanity that they are virtually the same.
After awakening, Maya needed to find a contractor, and meeting the Emperor was the perfect opportunity.
“I will gladly accept.”
The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with excitement at her explanation and readily agreed to become her contractor.
She thought him to be a magnanimous ruler.
‘The person I serve is such a man.’
She believed her future would be filled with nothing but a flowery path.
She had forgotten that flowers grow in the rough, earthen ground.
“I dislike them. Kill them all.”
Once Maya was in his grasp, the Emperor turned into a tyrant.
