They stared at .
Faye stared at harder.
"I’ll pay it," I added, scratching the back of my neck. "Gradually, or imdiately. Whichever your association prefers."
The first rchant snapped out of it first.
"Imdiate paynt would be... I an... of course, gradual is perfectly acceptable! Entirely acceptable!" he said quickly, nodding far too much.
The second rchant followed suit. "W-We can draft the revised contract today!"
The third one looked like he was on the verge of tears. Not only were they granted rcy for kicking down a door that led to the duke, but they were even able to get a new contract!
I nodded. "Good. Do that."
Then, after a pause, I added, "And next ti, knock."
They flinched as if struck.
"O-Of course! Deepest apologies, Your Grace!"
All three stood, bowed so deeply I was half-afraid they’d hit the floor, and scrambled toward the exit. They were quite flexible, they could probably beco gymnasts in another life...
The door shut behind them with far more care than it had been opened.
Silence returned to the room.
Slowly, I turned around.
Faye was staring at .
"...You didn’t have to do that," she said finally, voice barely steady.
"I know," I replied. "But it seed like the simplest solution."
"S-Simplest!?" she sputtered. "That was eight thousand gold!"
"I could earn that back in a month." I tilted my head, I’m a novel’s main villain for gods’ sake, there was no way I’m going to go broke from that.
"Don’t fret about it."
She stared at like she was reassessing reality itself.
"You... you barely even hesitated."
I shrugged. "If I let it drag on, they’d keep bothering you. And I don’t like the thought of having debt collectors visit my fiancée’s estate."
Her hands trembled slightly.
Then, very suddenly, she bowed.
Deeply.
"Thank you," she said. "Truly. I... I don’t know how to repay you."
Ah.
That was a dangerous sentence. I’d rather not have a woman say that to while I’m living inside this body.
I don’t want to be filled with yesn who only like because they owe after all, best to keep my circle full of people who actually like .
I imdiately raised my hands. "You don’t have to. This wasn’t a loan with expectations attached. I’m not—" I paused, choosing my words carefully. "—I’m not trying to buy anything."
She looked up, startled.
"I just thought," I continued, "that if we’re going to figure this engagent thing out, it’d be better if you weren’t constantly worried about debts."
Her expression softened.
And without warning, suddenly jumped at and hugging while I was still sitting on the chair.
"Thank you so much!"
She cried dramatically, not in a sad, emotional way, but more like an overwheld, codic main heroine kind of way.
Then she caught herself, imdiately stopped crying, and stood up, as if she just rembered sothing important she should do.
"R-Right! I should tell my parents about this!"
She went to a nearby desk, grabbed a piece of paper, and began writing on it, and of course, I was curious.
I leaned over her shoulder just enough to peek.
Her handwriting was neat, a little rounded, careful in a way that made it obvious she rewrote things often. The letter itself was... very Faye. Polite. Gentle. Almost apologetic for existing.
Mother, Father,I hope this letter reaches you safely...
She explained the engagent first. Carefully. As if softening the blow with every sentence. Then the debt part, how House Noctierre had taken responsibility for it, how it was resolved, how there was no need for them to worry anymore.
She hesitated before the last line, pen hovering.
"...You can read it later," she said suddenly, turning just enough to block my view.
"What’s wrong?"
She shot a look, cheeks faintly pink, then folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope with practiced motions.
"I-It’s nothing!"
"I’ll have a courier send it imdiately," she said. "They’ll... they’ll be relieved."
"I’m sure."
She rang the bell again, this ti with more confidence than before. When another maid arrived, Faye handed over the letter with instructions, her voice steady despite the lingering excitent.
Once the maid left, the room felt... different.
Lighter, sohow.
Faye exhaled, long and slow, then leaned back against the desk as if her legs had finally rembered they were allowed to relax.
Then, once again tensed, her face turning red as she realized how frenzied and hyper she acted. First, hugging and crying, then imdiately writing a letter like nothing happened?
Showing sothing like that to a duke, especially her fiancé, was disgraceful to say the least.
"I-I’m sorry! I don’t know what ca over !"
She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassnt and relief.
"I-It’s like... it’s like I’ve just had years of stress lifted, y’know? In the blink of an eye, no less." She whispered softly, as if embarrassed to voice her thoughts.
I don’t bla her. I wouldn’t expect anyone—especially her—to react cleanly after I just fixed what I vaguely rember taking a hundred Chapters to resolve in the original novel.
I smiled faintly.
"Yeah," I said. "I get that."
She peeked at through her fingers, clearly not expecting agreent.
"Really?"
"Really." I returned to the chair again. "If soone told a problem I’d been losing sleep over for years was suddenly gone, I’d probably act worse than you did."
"E-Even you, Duke—I an... Cassian?" she muttered.
"What kind of question is that?" I replied. "I’m still a human."
That earned a small laugh, short, surprised, but real. She lowered her hands, though her cheeks were still red.
"I still shouldn’t have jumped on you like that," she said, bowing her head slightly. "That was improper."
"I’ll survive," I said dryly. "No lasting injuries."
She hesitated, then added, "...You didn’t mind?"
I shrugged. "I’ve been hugged before."
That was a lie. Well, half a lie. I’ve been hugged in my previous life, but for my current life? I don’t even think I was hugged as a baby...
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