‘Was she anxious because she thought there might be a hidden trap clause?’
Vigdis started agonizing over the one-page contract, reading it again and again.
Judging by her behavior, she seemed to be stuck there for a while.
Since I didn’t have anything to do, I decided to toss a question out to some hypothetical reader who might be reading my narration.
Dear web novel fans, have you ever read modern romance or romance fantasy genres?
If so, have you also read “contract marriage” or “contract engagement” stories?
If not, that’s fine. Just knowing such things exist is enough.
Now that I’ve thrown out the question, I’ll return to the informal narrative and continue the story.
“Did anyone guess what inspired the broken engagement contract I wrote?”
In most web novels, contract marriages or engagements are arranged with the understanding that after a certain period, the couple will divorce or break the engagement.
Those who enter into contract marriages often end up genuinely falling in love and continuing their married life.
Those who contract engagements usually end up holding a real wedding and becoming husband and wife, despite the initial arrangement being false.
Based on these clichés, I concluded that if I were to write a broken engagement contract, I could guarantee its success no matter what.
That’s why I deliberately included the word “Broken Engagement” in the title of the contract.
“Really… are you going to abide by everything written here…?”
“I brought the document precisely because you wouldn’t believe me if I just said it verbally. Are you doubting me? Or do you want to scrap the contract and have me obsess over you like before?”
Finally breaking her gaze away from the contract, Vigdis looked at me nervously and spoke.
I furrowed my brows, putting on an angry expression and replied in a tone full of irritation.
In response, Vigdis panicked and shouted, “N-No! I’ll believe you, so please refrain from obsessing over me…!”
“Then hurry up and sign it.”
Just by how long she stared at the broken engagement contract, it was clear Vigdis didn’t trust me at all.
It was understandable considering what the previous owner of this body had done.
True to form, even after saying she believed me, Vigdis read the contract again as if trying to memorize every detail, hesitating.
“No matter how many times you read it, there’s nothing to complain about, right?”
Just in case I made a mistake, I decided to check once more.
For the readers curious about the clauses in the broken engagement contract, here is its content listed below:
[1. Karvald Austri (hereafter referred to as ‘Party A’) and Vigdis (hereafter referred to as ‘Party B’) enter into this contract with the purpose of broken engagement.]
[2. The broken engagement will proceed when ‘Party B’ has established a foundation to become independent from her family. ‘Party A’ is obliged to maintain the engagement until then, but the two may break the engagement immediately if ‘Party B’ so desires.]
[3. ‘Party A’ acknowledges that ‘Party B’ is an individual, not his possession, and will no longer interfere directly or indirectly with ‘Party B’’s personal relationships.]
[4. Unless unavoidable, ‘Party A’ shall not initiate conversation with ‘Party B’ or summon her anywhere.
Even in unavoidable circumstances, ‘Party B’ may refuse any communication requests from ‘Party A’ at will.]
[5. This broken engagement contract can never be nullified.]
***
Even after reviewing it again, there was nothing that should make Vigdis hesitate.
In fact, every clause clearly favors her from start to finish.
“Is there anything you want to add or change?”
“Before I say that… may I ask why you drafted such a contract?”
Vigdis eyed me warily, clutching the contract tightly to her chest.
Her actions screamed that she was determined to protect this contract no matter what.
Well, it already had my signature on it.
That’s likely why Vigdis could dare ask that question with suspicion.
If I hadn’t signed it beforehand, no matter how suspicious the content, she probably wouldn’t have dared question me like this.
If I had refused to sign, it would only harm her.
“Think of it as compensation for all the torment I put you through last semester.”
“Compensation…? For broken engagement?”
Rather than clearing up her doubts, my answer only deepened the confusion in Vigdis’s eyes.
Regardless of how this possessed body was treated in its own family, from the Shalbrady Count’s perspective, forming an alliance through marriage with the Duke’s family was a tremendous honor.
It wasn’t just about prestige; significant wealth and power would come along with it.
So Vigdis’s reaction was understandable.
But instead of sympathizing, I curled one side of my lips and sneered.
The one who would benefit from marrying Karvald Austri wasn’t Vigdis, but rather her father, the current Count Shalbrady, and her younger brother, who was to inherit the family.
“Why that reaction? Surely you wanted to escape me. Have you never once thought that if you married me, you wouldn’t even get to use the swordsmanship you trained for, and you’d be locked up at home, living a life cut off from the outside world?”
“……!!”
“Anyway, accepting the engagement with me wasn’t your will, but your father’s. Even if your will was reflected, it was probably only because you wanted to enter the academy and learn swordsmanship. I doubt you ever wanted to marry me.”
“Th-That’s…”
Vigdis couldn’t refute my words and bit her lip tightly.
She even lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with me.
‘Getting the characters in someone else’s novel to say the lines I want isn’t as easy as I thought!’
I masked my frustration and leisurely sipped my coffee, pretending to be calm.
If Vigdis kept silent until I finished the coffee, I would just deliver the cutting line I had prepared first.
Even if the flow of conversation seemed awkward, it couldn’t be helped.
As I neared the halfway mark of my cup, Vigdis finally spoke.
“Yes. I accepted the engagement to break free from my family’s constraints and wield the sword freely. And… I dreamed of breaking the engagement so I could live free from your obsession.”
“Then why hesitate?”
“To be honest, I don’t trust you. I suspect you’re testing me. After all… Karvald, your obsession with me was not normal, was it?”
At last, the words I’d been waiting for came from Vigdis’s lips.
Thanks to that, I smoothly delivered the introduction of my prepared lines.
“That’s right. I thought that if I saved you, oppressed by your father and unable to pursue your dreams, you would naturally develop blind affection for me… and I had wanted that for a very long time.”
…”
I slammed the cup down loudly on the table.
At the same time, I gave Vigdis a cold, disappointed stare.
Apparently, my acting was decent because I saw her flinch.
“I-I suspected as much. I didn’t think I’d hear it directly from you, though.”
“I didn’t want to say it either. But I have to clarify why I wanted to be engaged to you, so I can explain why I no longer need you. I only brought it up because it was unavoidable. That way, you’ll accept the broken engagement proposal more willingly, won’t you?”
“You probably haven’t lost the desire to be loved… Could it be that during the break, you genuinely fell for someone else? If so, there’s no need to delay the broken engagement… But if that person is a commoner…”
Vigdis muttered to herself and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Before the misunderstanding snowballed, I hurried to finish my prepared speech.
“I was foolish. Romantic love is a fragile feeling that’s hard to win and easily lost. Expecting that from someone who won’t obey me easily was a mistake to begin with, yet I got engaged to her.”
“…Did you find someone who would love you?”
“I did. Someone who constantly shows unconditional love without my effort, always puts me first without me having to control her, and moves solely according to my wishes. That’s why I don’t have to waste mental energy obsessing and being pathetic.”
Vigdis’s expression shifted subtly at my words.
She wanted to ask where such a person existed but couldn’t bring herself to say it.
So I decided to show her instead of telling her.
***
At that moment, Yor was eating a donut with sugar powder and Bavarian cream smeared around his mouth.
I took out the handkerchief I hadn’t given to Vigdis earlier and wiped Yor’s mouth.
I smiled softly without trying too hard to fake it.
It was enough to just drop the possessed body act for a moment.
Yor was an incredibly lovable being, so it was only natural that my gaze held warmth.
Vigdis immediately realized how much I cherished Yor.
I saw the shock spread across her face.
She really wasn’t expecting to see such a gentle smile on Karvald Austri’s face.
“Just a little longer, and you could have met him. Why was I so impatient back then?”
“Meow, nyao, nyang nyaang~.”
Yor was cute as always, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
Yesterday, when I went to buy donuts, I also bought a portable whiteboard and markers, but since he didn’t take it out, it probably wasn’t anything important.
I ignored it and turned my head toward Vigdis, putting on my usual arrogant and cold mask again.
“As you can see, I have a new family now. Someone who is always with me, loves me instinctively, and follows me. So I don’t need someone like you who struggles to break free from me. Still, I promise to maintain this engagement until you have established your foundation. Be grateful.”
Reflecting Karvald Austri’s twisted personality, I let out an obnoxious remark.
Whether I mimicked the original owner’s tone properly or not, Vigdis erased the shock from her face and gave me a very familiar look.
But she didn’t immediately thank me.
“Since you’re so generous, could you add a clause to guarantee my enrollment at the Academy? I would be truly grateful if you did. As you know, my priority isn’t maintaining the engagement but attending the Academy.”
Vigdis’s face was tense and stiff, her shoulders still hunched tightly.
Her tightly clenched hands trembled slightly.
Despite that, she didn’t avoid my gaze or mumble her words indistinctly. She looked me in the eyes and clearly voiced her request.
Me?
I’m sure it was because she now fully understood that Karvald Austri would never obsess over her again.