"Is there any other way?"
[That's the only way, prospective contractor.]
A soft voice spoke firmly.
In Isabella's last memory, the cruel hand strangling her neck came to mind.
Did the moment of death that she experienced give me reckless courage?
'Besides, I owe her.'
Even if it was a favor given to Isabella impulsively as a result of memories of the past, it would not have changed anything.
Whatever the reason, the hand she extended was salvation to me.
The oath that I would definitely pay back no matter what was not a lie.
"I will. By God's law, I swear."
To take her place and bring the most terrible despair to the other person.
As I answered, the smile on the face of the being that looked like Oliver deepened.
[I, Sanael, declare that with your 'oath' we have entered into a temporary contractual relationship according to the laws of the forgotten God.]
Sanael.
That was the 'real' name of the being that looked like Oliver.
The pattern clearly engraved in the air seeped into the back of my hand.
I couldn't bear the searing pain and screamed before losing consciousness again.
***
[Open your eyes. Temporary contractor.]
As I slowly opened my eyes, the dark surroundings came into view. The man who had been threatening my life just a moment ago lying dead.
I looked down at my pale, lifeless face and asked cautiously.
"Dead, is he?"
[This is my small sincerity for you.]
Sanael, with a faint smile, raised his hand and pointed at Hugh, who was still frozen.
[And the knight too.]
As the small hand slowly clenched into a fist as if grasping something, Hugh's neck became red as if his eyes were wide and stiff.
"Wait a minute. That person..."
[The knight witnessed the death of the woman whom you will be representing. He is even a person who is hostile towards you. Didn't you tell me you wanted to survive?]
Certainly, Hugh was not a friendly person to me.
When I thought of his eyes full of disgust and contempt, my body automatically cringed.
However, he was different from those who tried to kill people and steal things at random costs.
He just did his best in his job of protecting Isabella. Would that alone justify taking his life?
When I hesitated and couldn't answer, Sanael, who was looking at me, lightly snapped his fingers. It was that moment.
"Wow! Cough, Cough."
Hugh, who had been frozen in place, woke up with a violent coughing sound.
He was looking around, and as soon as he saw me, he came over to me and asked.
"Young lady, are you okay?"
Lady?
Embarrassed, I turned my head and checked my reflection in the window.
Maroon-colored hair flowing like waves. Slender body. Gentle eyes.
There was Isabella Brium, alive and well.
As I was taking a step back in embarrassment, something cool touched my feet.
When I looked down, I saw a skinny body covered in dirt and stiff gray hair.
The cold body was familiar yet unfamiliar.
Under the dim moonlight, the face of a woman wearing shabby clothes was revealed.
Very light freckles on the cheeks.
Hands that are rough and full of scars.
That was me.
The desperately poor and ugly Rebecca Taylor.
"W-that's ridiculous..."
As I started to turn away as if I couldn't believe it, Hugh grabbed me as if he was surprised.
"Young lady, what on earth is going on?"
"I, I mean..."
Hugh's eyes widened as he saw me trembling and cowering.
"I just thought, oh, Oliver. So, Lady Isabella......."
Could anyone come to their senses with a corpse in my image in front of them?
His eyes widened as if he sensed something strange in my gibberish.
"Wait a minute, you..."
He was looking through his memories with a look of confusion on his face and gave a shocked look as if he remembered something.
"When I opened the door a little while ago, the thing that was obviously dying..."
I instinctively took a step back to get away from Hugh, tripping over the bodies of dead men.
"No way... Really?"
The moment he was about to reach out to me with his face Frozen, Sanael appeared again.
"Who are you?"
[It would be easy to just kill him.]
"What?"
[Why would you bother to go back so far when you have an easy path right in front of you? You are truly interesting.]
Sanael, smiling slightly, reached out and placed his finger on Hugh's forehead.
A faint shadow was drawn into his mind like smoke.
[Ego. According to the ban I have placed, from now on you will not able to reveal your identity to others.]
As soon as Sanael finished speaking, Hugh started rolling around as if in pain, clutching his head.
"Thank you."
[Perhaps it is because it has been a long time since I set foot on the land of Middle-earth, so I am being treated with kindness that is unusual for me.]
Sanael shrugged his shoulders and smiled softly at me.
[You will live in place of that noble woman for one year from now on.]
I lowered my head from the tingling pain.
A pitch-black pattern on the back of my hand caught my eye.
[I give you a small gift for those who are trying to go down a difficult path.]
Translucent shapes appeared out of thin air and slowly landed towards me.
[These are the ones who will help you.]
"With the eagle... A wolf?"
A blue eagle screamed at me.
The majestic wolf next to him quietly bowed down in front of me.
[These are the spirits of nature. They each have the powers of wind and water. It will definitely be a little help when you are in danger or in need.]
Instead of feeling the soft fur of the blue wolf that came up to me and nuzzled my face, I felt cool and damp.
[I'm already curious. Will you be able to complete your sacred revenge and safely make a contract with me?]
Sanael's form gradually began to blur.
[Then. Temporary contractor. I hope the day will come when we can see each other again.]
I stared at the empty seat of Sanael, who had disappeared everywhere, and then turned my head.
Hugh, who was holding his head in pain, came towards me with a distorted face.
"You!"
"..."
"Holy shit. You..."
The knight, who was speaking harsh words through gritted teeth, glared at me.
"Are you going to avenge the Lady? What a contract? What kind of contract did you sign?"
"..."
"Are you sane right now? How dare you pretend to be a noblewoman? Do you think you can become a noble lady overnight just by changing your appearance? Do you believe you can replace her?"
Harsh words poured over my head.
Instead of refuting him, I lowered my head and laid Rebecca's body down neatly.
I closed her eyes, tidied up her tangled hair, and placed both hands on her stomach.
Lastly, I was in the middle of wiping the dirt off my cheek..
"This is all because of your dying brother!"
The moment his mouth mentioned Oliver, I stopped touching the body and stood up.
Hugh's eyes were burning with anger, frustration, and disgust.
I already know that I owe Isabella an indescribable debt.
If there's anything I feel sorry for her. It's that I tried to 'survive even at the moment she passed away.
"But not to you."
I straightened my back and opened my mouth.
"Why are you so proud?"
"What?"
"The dead men came here after Isabella, not me. You and Isabella have been being followed for a long time."
"..."
"I didn't know that suspicious people had been chasing Isabella all along, and I couldn't do anything even when Isabella died behind a wall. It's not my fault."
"You!"
"It's your fault for not noticing it sooner."
Hugh's face turned pale at my harsh words.
"Although I accepted the deal to survive, it was also Isabella's last wish."
The father who killed her mother and abandoned her.
Making sure that the person who deceived her pays a fair price.
"Isabella died not because she met me, but because you failed to fulfill your role as an escort."
Hugh looked at me with a blank face.
As if he didn't know that I could push him away like this.
"I don't owe you anything. The same goes for Oliver."
If there was anyone I should feel sorry for and be grateful to, it was only Isabella.
"So shut up, Hugh Blake."
Before I regret saving your life by stopping Sanael.
When I recited his full name, which I read from Isabella's memory, Hugh closed his mouth and looked at me with blank eyes.
There was a heavy silence.
Every time we made eye contact, he would shrink, avoid my gaze, or change her words. Didn't he know that I would show such a strong attitude?
Hugh, who had kept his mouth shut, asked quietly.
"How do you get revenge?"
Try this series too:
- To Help You Understand [Ongoing]
- The Cup Of Revenge Is In Your Hand [Ongoing]
- I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband [Ongoing]
- The Crown I Will Take From You [ New!]
- The Terminally Ill Princess Hold The Least Of A Mad Dog [Ongoing]
- The Fake Daughter of the Brium Family [New!]
- The Princess Imprints The Traitor [Ongoing]
- If Regrets Keeps Us Alive [New!]
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