Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 10
Before leaving, Maya sent a missive to Kendrick Arkisia through the magic communication device at the Mage Tower.
To check on him and explain her situation.
He was the only person who stayed by her side and her only friend before her regression.
She couldn’t ask Kendric to be her contractor because he was soon to enter the secluded Mage Tower.
A contractor couldn’t be far from her for a certain period.
She couldn’t ask him to give up the Mage Tower, his space to grow stronger as a mage.
For the future, it was essential to create an environment where Kendrick could become as powerful as possible.
‘…Kendrick.’
Maya’s face darkened as she thought of him.
‘I won’t let you die this time.’
Kendric Arkisia.
In the past, he fell victim to a phantom monster, and his body was never found.
While she was busy following the Emperor’s orders, fighting monsters, she lost her only friend.
How much she regretted sending Kendrick away.
‘I won’t let that happen again.’
She wouldn’t create any regrets this time.
Resolute, Maya clenched her fist.
“The North is harsh for outsiders. Please wear this.”
A servant following Maya handed her a bearskin coat. The fur-laden hide looked warm at first glance.
Maya hesitated as she reached for it.
‘…An outsider.’
The atendant’s choice of words lingered in her mind.
For six months, she would have to stay in the North.
It was better to score points not only with the Grand Duke but also with those around him.
‘How cold was it?’
She recalled her past. When hunting monsters, the cold was bearable.
“No need.”
Maya pushed the bearskin back to the servant, shaking her head.
“…Pardon me?”
Seeing the servant’s bewildered look, Maya smiled.
“I’m no longer an outsider, but someone from inside. I can surely endure this much cold.”
If the person sent by Tristan was monitoring her every move, what she said to the servant was as good as speaking to the Grand Duke.
“…But it’s very cold in the North.”
“It’s alright.”
Maya bravely responded.
And then immediately regretted it.
‘I should’ve just taken it.’
As the attendant mentioned, the North was cold—even colder than Maya remembered, chilling to the bone.
“The North is experiencing one of its coldest years on record.”
…She was unaware it was a historically cold year in the North, a mistake of ignorance.
***
Shivering, Maya arrived at the castle and met with the head butler, Robert, instead of Tristan.
Robert, with his distinguished gray hair, continuously bowed in greeting.
“I apologize, but His Highness the Grand Duke is out on urgent business. You will be able to meet him after dinner.”
The official reason was that, but Maya quickly surmised the truth.
‘It must be due to the curse that he can’t immediately meet me.’
Just as Maya tested Tristan with her bold letter, he was testing her back.
‘Let’s show I’m trustworthy.’
Maya graciously accepted the situation.
“It’s alright.”
“You will have to dine alone, is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Actually, wasn’t this better?
Maya comfortably headed to the dining room, needing no pretense.
The meal was delicious, enhancing her admiration for the Grand Duke.
He even had impeccable taste in food.
It was a stark contrast to the dreadful meals she was given at the Pendragon residence.
‘He seems like a genuinely good person.’
Maya’s internal approval rating of him increased.
Everything went smoothly.
Well, until the evening came.
***
After a satisfying dinner, scraping clean even the dessert, Maya followed Robert to the Grand Duke’s study.
‘He really intends to meet me in person.’
The study, adorned with black dragon motifs and artwork depicting the North, felt authentically Northern.
“The Grand Duke is waiting inside.”
Robert opened the door, bowing respectfully.
The dim room was lit only by a small fire. Maya followed the light.
The vast study, large enough to fit three of the Pendragon manor’s rooms, was lined with books from floor to ceiling.
Further in, a large window took up one wall.
A man stood with his back to the window, shadowed by the dim light and obscured moon.
Taking a deep breath, Maya spoke firmly.
“Grand Duke. I am Maya of House Pendragon, here to convey my greetings to you.”
The man slowly stepped out of the shadows.
As the clouds cleared, revealing the moon, his features became clear in the blue moonlight.
‘…Huh?’
Maya, pursing her lips, was speechless, staring blankly at the man.
Her mind went blank.
“Welcome, Maya Pendragon.”
The man, introducing himself as the Grand Duke, was…
“I am Tristan Bayarden.”
…a perfect ‘adult,’ unlike the boyish figure in her memories.
