Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 14
“Yes.”
She had never felt cursed after her awakening. Reflecting on her past life, she found no clues.
“It’s knowledge passed down only to the head of the family, so you might not be aware…” Maya started.
But the Grand Duke was the one who continued.
“With the swordsmanship, you inherit the Dragon’s consciousness, requiring a contractor to maintain human reason.”
The words that the Grand Duke uttered were more shocking than she expected.
The position of contractor was what she intended to propose to Tristan.
“If a Pendragon with the lineage’s power fails to find a contractor, they will increasingly deviate from their humanity.”
The fault lay not only with choosing the Emperor, but the wrong choice of contractor.
Maya chuckled bitterly.
“For half a year, I will help you retain your humanity,” the Grand Duke concluded.
The Pendragon family had become complacent over centuries without an awakener and a peaceful world.
They lost their essence, drowned in honor and wealth.
So, when the true awakener, Maya, appeared, all she knew was the instinct to find a contractor.
‘In my past life, was the person I needed the Grand Duke?’
Realizing he always held the key made her feel bitter.
…If I was that crucial, why didn’t he come to me directly?
Why didn’t he come to meet me?
Why?
“Why didn’t you come to me directly?”
The words outpaced her thoughts.
“Why didn’t you come to get me yourself?”
Her resentment towards Tristan stemmed from envisioning a scenario where they had met and formed a full contract.
She hadn’t even brought out the ‘contractor’ part of her prepared contract yet, but he was already agreeing to everything she said. He forgave her impudence, and continued to gaze kindly at her with that handsome face.
A perfect monarch in making.
She knew it wasn’t Tristan’s fault. He had sent the proposal and waited. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel resentment, as the more she thought, the more she regretted not meeting Tristan earlier.
‘It’s heartbreaking.’
Did life have to be so twisted?
When could she find happiness?
Overwhelmed by sudden emotions, Maya bit her lip.
“…I’m sorry.”
The more she was in the presence of the Grand Duke, the smaller she felt.
His perfection made her feel out of place.
“No, it’s understandable. It’s quite a surprising story.”
Fortunately, he seemed unfazed by Maya’s fluctuating demeanor.
“I couldn’t leave… because I cannot easily leave this place. That’s why I waited until this evening to meet you.”
Tristan gestured towards himself.
“Maya Pendragon. I am cursed to live part of each day as a boy.”
Her suspicions were correct.
“My time as my true self is erratic, roughly about three hours a day.”
The curse’s transformation times varied daily, and he realized he could only maintain his true form for a couple of hours after each change.
The curse manifested on his twentieth birthday, naturally making him reclusive.
He was always vigilant, knowing he could revert to a boy at any moment.
Thankfully, the Bayardens properly kept records of their prophecies and kept their heirs hidden until their twenties, sparing Tristan from public scrutiny.
Tristan diligently gathered information about the Pendragons as well, initially underwhelmed.
The once glorious Pendragon house, which shared history with the Bayardens, was left with nothing.
Maguire, the so-called heir, was a gambling addict, and his parents were pathetic debt-ridden figures.
Meeting Maya Pendragon was a revelation—she was remarkably consistent, openly voicing her thoughts and showing no reluctance to continue conversations others would shy away from.
He expected disbelief when mentioning living as a boy for over half a day. Yet, her brutal objectification and self-deprecation were starkly imprinted in his mind.
“Why didn’t you come to me directly?”
The frustration in her voice when she asked that question, and the lingering emotions in her gaze, touched him deeply.
Her exceptional swordsmanship was barely known, but Tristan sensed that Maya Pendragon was the awakener to break his curse.
She didn’t argue, nor did she seem to doubt his words.
She was honest, pitiful, and surprisingly reliable.
“So how can I help you break your curse?”
Could such contradicting descriptors coexist?
“After entering the contract marriage…”
Even Tristan found his emotions tangled in his words.
“Just being in close contact with me would be enough.”
An unexpected twist.
