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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Spirit Contract Revealed
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"No!"
"Oh my god!"
The spirits screamed in agony, trembling violently before plopping onto the table one by one. Of course, it was a pathetic reaction visible only to my eyes.
Having thus protected Henry from the spirits, I smiled proudly, and the Grand Duchess asked,
"You met spirits?"
Her expression screamed you?, which made me feel a bit wronged, but her reaction wasn't incomprehensible.
These were spirits, after all. Beings so rare that no traces had been found since ancient times—it's no wonder she found it hard to believe.
"Oh, oh, my god."
Henry gazed at me with teary eyes, as if he might burst into tears at any moment while searching for his deity.
With his hand clamped over his mouth, he looked just like I did the first time I saw Akid.
They say true fans never hit the big time, but Henry wasn't just any fan. He had met me, a genuine spirit contractor.
The life of a fan who achieves their dreams is on a whole different level from an ordinary one.
Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. Congratulations! You're destined to become a superfan.
As I silently offered Henry a brief congratulation in my mind, the Grand Duchess spoke up.
"Does that mean you've actually contracted with spirits?"
To her blunt question, I nodded awkwardly.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. Things have been so hectic, and I needed time to think it over."
I played the part of an innocent child who knew nothing, mumbling vaguely. Her response softened considerably.
"That's fine. Tell me the details."
She seemed quite shocked, though—reaching for her teacup, her hand grasped at empty air.
She must be really stunned. Can't blame her.
I took her hand firmly in mine and began my story.
"When I entered the wormhole, the space suddenly twisted, sucking me somewhere. When I opened my eyes, I met the spirits."
I explained the situation step by step, and she nodded attentively, listening closely.
I gave a brief account of that day, omitting anything about my unique constitution.
No mentions of Delpi, my physiology, why the spirits had vanished, or the information they shared about spirit contractors.
Just revealing that I was a spirit contractor was shocking enough. Besides, there were no signs of the land's corruption yet, so no immediate need for one.
"After contracting with the spirits, my Delrus flower allergy vanished. I don't know why."
"I see."
The Grand Duchess replied curtly, pressing her temple.
Perhaps overwhelmed by the shocking news, she fell silent for a while.
She didn't even stop Henry from glancing around and muttering things like, "Are there spirits here right now?"
A moment later, she spoke.
"Does the Grand Duke know about this?"
"No, only you and Henry for now, Mother. I haven't had the right chance to tell him."
"I see. Must have been tough keeping it to yourself."
She patted my hand with a faint smile. Strangely, her complexion looked poor.
I'd thought she'd be thrilled to learn her daughter-in-law was a spirit contractor, but her reaction was unexpected. Wondering if something was wrong, I looked up at her intently, and she said,
"I'll have to discuss this with the Grand Duke first. Until I give you the word, don't tell anyone else."
"What about Akid?"
"Akid is fine. But not the maids."
I nodded, and the Grand Duchess rose from her seat. She was heading straight to the Grand Duke.
Once she left, only Henry and I remained in the drawing room. I crossed my arms and muttered lowly,
"I'm disappointed, Henry."
"Pardon?"
"You could have consulted me before telling Mother."
"I'm sorry. The Grand Duchess was so persistent in her questioning."
Henry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"As I explained the circumstances, it became unavoidable. Especially since she's in charge of the Evis Mine—it was even harder to hide."
He had a point. Even though Henry worked under me, he was conducting research at the Evis Mine.
He must have figured reporting to the Grand Duchess first made more sense than to a child like me. Suppressing my irritation, I emphasized again,
"Still, from now on, tell me first. I hired you, not Mother."
Next time, you'll get no mercy.
As I laid down the law, Henry straightened up rigidly and replied,
"I'll be careful, Duchess Consort."
Then, with pleading eyes, he looked at me.
I knew exactly what that meant, so I curled my lips into a smirk.
"No."
"Duchess Consort, pleeease."
"You startled me this time, so not right now."
"Pleeease."
Henry dragged out his words, rubbing his hands together desperately.
It was truly amazing. The spirits so clearly visible to me were invisible to everyone else.
The one Henry was dying to see was perched right on his head, yanking at his hair. He'd probably freak out if he knew.
I could almost feel Henry's frustration at having spirits right in front of him yet unable to see them.
Normally, as a fellow fan, I'd have shown him gladly, but his sneaky ambush fueled my spite.
"Henry, they say true fans never hit the big time."
"Pardon? True fans?"
Henry looked baffled by the unfamiliar term. Ignoring him, I rose to leave and said,
"Henry, don't you want to become a superfan?"
"Pardon?"
"If you wanted to be a superfan, you should've contacted me first."
"Duchess Consort, that's...!"
"Anyway, I need to go see Akid. Bye!"
I waved cheerfully and slipped out of the drawing room. Ignoring the sniffling sounds behind me, I headed straight to where Akid would be.
Akid was at the training grounds. It was about time for training to end—perfect for picking him up.
As I entered the grounds, I could still hear the shouts of exertion.
Training not over yet? I peeked inside curiously. Spotting Akid, my eyes sparkled.
Oh wow.
He was in the middle of a spar with Edan, swords crossed.
In his training uniform, he looked so dashing.
His form while wielding the sword was so graceful, it was hard to tell if he was fighting or dancing.
Forgetting my original purpose, I watched raptly.
Then Akid noticed me and faltered slightly. Edan seized the opening.
"Ah! Sir Edan!"
Edan turned at my urgent cry, muttering in surprise,
"Duchess Consort?"
In that moment, Akid regained his stance and counterattacked.
"Urk."
Edan's sword clattered to the ground. He shot me a look as if I'd cheated.
I averted my eyes slyly and shuffled over to Akid.
Akid flinched, sniffing at himself. It was my first time coming right into the training grounds, so he seemed flustered.
I'd always waited outside to avoid disturbing him.
But today, I couldn't wait—I had to tell him the news as soon as possible.
"Roena, what brings you here?"
"Came to pick you up! Waiting by the lobby every time was getting a bit boring, so I thought I'd check on your training!"
Truth is, I wanted to see you train live, but anyway.
I beamed, and Akid blushed, wiping sweat from his forehead. Then Edan approached and bowed.
"Greetings, Duchess Consort. I'm Edan Graves, vice-captain of the Hadellus First Knight Order."
Edan was Akid's steadfast ally in the original story too.
From swordsmanship instructor to aide—he was someone I owed gratitude to as well.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Edan. Sorry for interrupting your spar."
"We were just finishing the last exchange."
"I'll be off then, Master."
"Yes. Take care."
Edan saw us off with a hearty laugh. I trotted alongside Akid, who kept trying to put distance between us, and said,
"Want to take a short walk before heading inside?"
"Don't come too close. I'm sweaty..."
Akid half-answered, inching away evasively.
Ignoring him, I closed the gap and grabbed his hand firmly.
"You don't smell."
"Pardon?"
"Keep avoiding me, and I might get hurt."
I pouted, and Akid flinched before sticking close to my side. Staring at me intently, he murmured,
"Don't get hurt."
Ugh, my heart.
Akid's expression made me bite my lower lip and turn away.
Moments later, grinning at him as if nothing happened, he fiddled with his mouth and asked,
"Where to for the walk?"
"Just follow me."
I smiled brightly and tugged his hand. Akid followed hesitantly. I led him to a wide grassy field.
There was a swing under a massive old tree—one of my favorite spots in Hadellus Castle. Spotting it, Akid asked,
"Did you want to swing?"
"Yes!"
Beaming, I sat on the swing and patted the spot beside me invitingly.
It was big enough for two, not cramped. As he sat, he asked,
"If we're both sitting, who's going to push?"
"My friends."
"Pardon?"
As Akid blinked in confusion, the swing began to sway gently.
