chapter 42
With my lips slightly parted, I slowly placed my hand on Herace’s back. Feeling him flinch, I spoke seriously in a quiet voice.
“Herace… I can’t quite believe it myself, but when you came through the dust to save me…”
“Yeah, I’m listening. Go on.”
“I saw a light in you, Herace.”
It wasn’t an intense light, but a soft glow enveloped his entire body.
“Filena…”
Herace lifted his face and gently removed me from his embrace.
“Light… from me?”
He smiled playfully and lightly turned my shoulder. His hand, resting on my shoulder, reached forward toward the broken bricks.
“It’s because it’s morning.”
The reddish hue had faded, replaced by a gentle yellow glow. Like that warm light, Herace tapped my head lightly as he stroked it down.
His comforting touch continued, as if trying to console me. Still holding me loosely from behind, he fiddled with my injured hand.
“Morning came too late, huh? Sorry for being late. Next time, I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
“It’s not your fault, Herace.”
As I reminded him, Herace chuckled softly. Looking up at him, I saw him gazing at me with a wistful smile, as if taking responsibility that wasn’t his. Seeing that, a surge of intense emotion welled up inside me.
“…I said it’s not your fault, Herace.”
Herace touched his chin.
“Who said it’s my fault? Of course not. Who doesn’t know that? Girlfriend, don’t you know it’s just for show? It’s just a line.”
“I see.”
“Exactly. After all, we’re a couple succeeding in a Filena-writer scenario. We should be able to deliver lines like that.”
“And really, Herace… you shone. It wasn’t sunlight.”
“No, it was sunlight.”
Let’s just leave it at that, he muttered, and gently held my bleeding hand.
From the moment Herace appeared, I had only wanted to leave this place with him. It wasn’t literally sunlight, but I was too exhausted to argue.
In the end, I quietly followed behind him. But the truth of what I’d said didn’t change.
This time, it was Herace who was wrong. Herace was enveloped in a faint halo.
‘Science even proved it. If there’s a special bond, one person can immediately detect someone among hundreds.’
By now, Herace had become more than a partner in a contract—he was someone special.
Someone irreplaceable.
“Miss! Are you alright?!”
The same loud cry as when I was first discovered.
“I said that yesterday, the day before, today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow too—I’m fine.”
That day, Herace had taken me to Clara. Clara hadn’t seen him, but it seemed he knew she was looking for me.
Surrounded by guards, Clara burst into tears when she saw me. For a moment, I worried about causing a commotion on the Saint’s Prophecy Day, but I hugged her.
The next day, surprisingly, no bad news appeared in the papers. Apparently, the impact of the Saint’s Prophecy Day was far greater.
There was a small article, though—mentioning my disappearance and that Herace had found me. The reporter was the mustached journalist who had witnessed my meeting with Whistler.
Since that day, I had stayed within the mansion, resting comfortably. Though Herace was tracking the person who had imprisoned me, it was tricky.
There were no leads.
“Other than shouting that I was threatening Whistler, there’s nothing else.”
I had even asked him to leave first. Given the unusual circumstances, finding him seemed difficult, and I didn’t want to reveal the clue.
Through love, I only wanted to be entangled with Herace, not Whistler. Since we had started dating, creating a romantic situation was more important than a love triangle.
Also, it was likely Whistler had orchestrated this. Letting things flow as he wanted would be a problem.
Herace agreed.
And today was the day I would meet Herace.
“It’s about time.”
I settled in a corner of the garden, carefully scanning my surroundings. Since the meeting was secret, no one should see us except Clara.
This was Herace’s suggestion. He said it was better to be cautious after the tense atmosphere following the failed Prophecy Day.
As I craned my neck, Clara came into view. Unlike before, she was camouflaged in the bushes.
Behind her, Herace approached.
“You can sit here.”
Glancing at Clara, Herace brushed his mouth and sat opposite me.
“Miss, I’ll keep watch to prevent anyone from entering. If it seems dangerous, I’ll shout.”
“What exactly are you?”
Clara’s skill made her seem like a spy, and Herace asked, slightly darkened from his usual composure.
“I’m Herace’s maid, as you know. I may seem capable, but I’m not a knight or a spy.”
After Clara disappeared, Herace’s lips curved into a seasoned smile, as if the darkness I thought I saw was just an illusion.
Herace placed his clenched fists on the table and spoke.
“The love contract has disappeared.”
Even at those shocking words, I only narrowed my eyes.
I couldn’t tell if he was serious or testing me. That was how relaxed he was. Crossing his legs, he leaned toward me.
“I think Whistler took it.”
If my ex-boyfriend and social angel Whistler took it…
“That’s extremely dangerous.”
Not just dangerous—‘the worst,’ I thought.
“If he realizes our relationship, he’ll probably announce it publicly. We should act first.”
I calmly fetched paper and pen, thought for a moment, then suggested a solution.
“Hold a press conference and apologize.”
“Flashy. How do you plan to apologize?”
“We need a perfect apology. There are key elements that must be included. As long as we include them, it will work.”
Herace rested his chin on his hand, amused. Nodding slightly, he observed me like a child playing house.
“Interesting. I didn’t know there was a proper way to write an apology. Tell me what those elements are.”
Finally, today, I could use my knowledge from my past life to take the lead.
“First, we explain what our mistake was and how we made it. Never use words like ‘misunderstanding,’ ‘unintentional,’ or ‘unfair.’”
“That would definitely provoke backlash. People already feeling betrayed would be angered further.”
“Next, we explain the damage our mistake caused, how we are repenting, and how we will compensate the public. We write this sincerely.”
“From start to finish, you explain the situation and show your intentions. Asking for their forgiveness.”
“To regain the trust we lost.”
I opened our love contract, planning to analyze it and extract points for the apology.
Then Herace softly asked,
“What if there’s a way to minimize the damage without writing an apology?”
“Is there such a way?”
After much thought, the only way was this: write a perfect apology article and plan the next steps.
“Then.”
Herace smiled effortlessly—mischievous yet gentle, just like him.
“Let’s get engaged, Filena.”
At that moment, Herace’s past voice echoed in my mind:
-
Don’t you want to date me, Filena?
Always taking the initiative. I was about to nod when a sudden idea struck me—it was surprisingly clever. Perhaps this would be cleaner.
“If that’s your solution, I think there’s a better one.”
“What is it?”
Seeing Herace’s usual calm face made my heart race. I wondered how he would react to this provocative idea.
“Let’s get married.”
Silence followed.
“…Can you stop saying weird things, Filena? You never joke like this—why now?”
Herace adjusted himself slightly embarrassed. It was the first time I’d seen him like this.
Feeling a slight thrill, I rose with a determined expression. I wanted to push him just like he would do recklessly.
Mimicking what I had read in novels, I knelt on my left knee at 90 degrees and extended my hand. No ring yet, but I followed the example.
“I, Filena Wright, propose to Herace Gray today, August 29th.”
Herace’s eyes trembled. Worried, I lightly covered my open hand and added,
“The ring is a diamond, just to be delivered later.”
We had to continue this little performance. The audience was everyone—from commoners to nobles—and I liked my co-star very much.
Maybe this proposal wasn’t just for my reputation or the amusement of the empire’s citizens.
Perhaps this proposal had been planned subconsciously from the moment Herace saved me. That’s why it came out naturally.
Even in my 50+ years of life, including past lives, I’d never seen a halo phenomenon like this.
Above all, Herace had never disappointed me since the moment we met. That alone made him special and worthy of being my life partner.
“…What are you saying, Filena?”
Herace coughed lightly, accidentally knocking over a teacup. It spun lightly across the table.
“Marriage is with someone you love. Even in a contract relationship, marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“I understand the meaning of marriage.”
“What does marriage mean to you? Why marry someone like me, just a contract partner?”
Unlike me, Herace seemed to view contract relationships negatively. I extended my empty hand, where the ring should be, closer to him.
“Marriage is a contract binding two humans as a couple. It’s no different from our contract relationship.”
“Marriage is special, Filena. You should vow to someone who will be with you for life.”
His voice softened, as if comforting a child. He gently closed his hand over mine and met my gaze.
“So this should be with someone you love. Otherwise, my heart will break?”
Herace clutched his chest and pretended to collapse, holding my hand firmly.
“Let’s try it with an engagement.”
“Is that a firm refusal?”
It was a perfect plan—like the perfect surprise Herace had pulled off.
“Yes, a firm refusal.”
Before I could argue, Herace stood up. He lifted me from my kneeling position, brushing off the dust with care.
“Whistler won’t reveal it immediately. Two weeks. We have two weeks—let’s think it through.”
