The reason I hadn’t broken up until now was simple. It was because I was afraid of going back to the mansion.

Estelle was a dangerous woman. Why leave her unattended in a villa? What if she gambled or set fire to it? There must be someone watching me.

I assumed it was Diet.

He was often in the tower, but lived in Estelle’s villa. Naturally, it would be easier to keep an eye on me there. Since we’re engaged, we would often come across each other.

Besides, he was the only person she knew. He was an excellent spy.

Do I really want to break up with Diet?

Would he leave her like an unbridled colt, dragged back to the manor or locked in a room?

It’s a terrible thing for a woman who wants to be free.

It’s just a hypothetical, of course, but I simply couldn’t think of it in a positive light. So, I tried to resolve it within my own boundaries.

Even that will come to an end today.

My patience was at an end. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Diet, let’s break off our engagement.”

I had no regrets about this choice, so I could say it with confidence. Even if it means being locked in a room, I’m done with this asshole.

I lifted my teacup to show I was relaxed and stared at Diet in front of me, pretending to lower my eyes.

He smiled suspiciously and remained as nonchalant as ever.

I thought I’d be a little surprised, though……. Well, at this rate, breaking up with him should be easy.

I sipped my black tea and waited for the acceptance to come out of his mouth.

“I don’t think so.”

But he betrayed my expectations miserably. I barely swallowed the tea that almost spilled out.

“What?”
“I don’t think breaking off the engagement is an option.”

As if to prove I hadn’t misheard him, he repeated himself.

……The man who wants to kill me refuses to break off the engagement.

How the hell am I supposed to take this?

It shouldn’t have been like this. He hated Estelle enough to kill her.

But he refuses to break up with me? He doesn’t just accept it?

“It’s a break up?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then why are you refusing?”
“Isn’t that the answer you want?”
“I want to break up! That’s what I want!”

You can’t be making fun of me, can you?

The blood rushed to my head. My chest tightened. This was not going to be easy.

I glared at Diet, then spoke calmly.

“I really want to break up with you.”
“Yeah, but you can’t.”
“You said you’d do anything I wanted…….”
“I can’t do that this time.”

He threw up his hands, as if he wanted to grant my request, but there was a reason behind it.

I did something stupid, and a contract appeared out of thin air in a flash of white light.

Magic.

As I stared at the strange phenomenon, Diet held out the contract to me.

He gestured for me to read it. I obeyed and read it. It said something about an engagement.

It was due in about three months.

About the same time I was going to die, right?

I read the rest, hiding my suspicions, but there wasn’t much to it.

All it said was that we were engaged by the deadline. I looked away from the contract and asked.

“You can just destroy it.”
“One of us has to die to break it?”

What, all these contracts?

I pressed my face close to the contract I was about to put down.

And there it was.

Unless the contractor dies, it can’t be cancelled before the deadline.

A terrible sentence that pushed me into a pit of despair.

Apparently this was a magical contract that was rarely used except in very unusual circumstances.

It required the death of one person to break it, so it was useless.

But why would he use it, I wondered, and I began to suspect him.

Noticing this, the corners of his eyes folded. It was an innocent smile, as if nothing was at stake.

“For your information, this is what you wanted.”

……There must have been a reason behind his laughter.

Anyway, Estelle has never been helpful. There were times when she could have been of assistance, at least once. A disappointed sigh escaped from me.

“Why the hell did you get engaged to me?”
“Because you wanted it.”
“What?”
“I only accepted because you wanted it so badly.”

Not because she’s the Duke’s daughter?

I braced myself for the unexpected answer.

It’s hard to believe. If he were to accept that request, it wouldn’t be Diet.

It would be someone else in his skin.

There was no way he was possessed……. I looked him up and down.

However, when I saw the iron-clad smile, I realized that I had gone too far.

Possession. I must have been quite exhausted lately. I lightly brushed aside the hypothesis and shifted my focus towards the reasons for our engagement.

After ten seconds, I gave up on the idea because my mind was blank, but oh well. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.

It was weird that they said yes and I couldn’t say anything. Besides, I’m not in the mood to sweat the small stuff right now.

“Breaking up is not an option?”
“Not under the current circumstances.”
“Isn’t the contract too risky?”
“That’s why I voted against it.”

…… Ha, really. I’m going to make my objections a little more vigorous.

It was obvious. Pretending to oppose while deep down it didn’t matter.

There really is no way out. I’m just going to have to wait to die. I grabbed my throbbing head. Maybe I should take painkillers or something.

My head ached day after day.

“I’ll do whatever you want for three months.”
“I don’t need that.”

That’s a lot of comfort for someone who’s going to die in three months.

* * *

I stared at the sunlight in the room and muttered.

“I’m going to die of sleeplessness.”

When I looked in the mirror, my eyes glazed over. My once bright blue eyes had sunk into a sullen hollow.

I don’t think I ever looked this bad, even when I was working three part-time jobs.

This was all because of Diet.

He wasn’t lying when he said he’d do what I wanted, . When I asked her to answer my letters, he did.

That was the only problem.

He wouldn’t do anything unless I asked him to. It was the same when I collapsed the other day.

I didn’t ask him why, but I didn’t ask him to help me, so I guess that’s why he left me.

“You’re so twisted.”

Indeed, it wasn’t normal from the start to have someone trying to kill their own fiancée. Even after rejecting the breakup, Diet continued with the attempts on my life.

She was too damn devoted for this sort of thing.

However, despite all the sneaking into my room, he had achieved nothing substantial. It was because he kept giving up whenever there was even a slight obstacle.

Even then, I was terrified, which is not a word I can use lightly.

It’s hard to pretend to be asleep when you have someone trying to kill you right in front of you.

Now, every night is a survival.

I thought about telling him outright, but then I realised that…….

So far, he’s only done me favours because I haven’t crossed the line.

But if I told him that I knew he was trying to kill me, I didn’t know what he would do.

So I had to hold back. Luckily, it hadn’t gotten to the point where I couldn’t control myself yet.

Maybe it’s because I’m distracted by the seizures. The doctor said I wouldn’t experience any for a while, but it seems the doctor’s abilities were worth nothing.

Since the initial seizure, I seem fine, but…….

“It’s just anxiety.”

I didn’t want to go through that pain again. The feeling of being torn apart… I don’t even want to think about it.

I needed to investigate this unexplained illness further.

“Priest, are you sure my body is still intact?”

That’s what I went to see Noel for.

Just seeing him brings a sense of calm to my mind. His bright yellow eyes sparkled with vibrancy. His gentle smile was an added bonus.

“Yes, this is the first time I have had such a clean body.”

“Is it possible that the priest was mistaken–”

It’s not an answer I can easily believe, knowing what lies ahead.

But he smiled, confident that he can make no mistake, and I shut up.

“I guess not… yeah.”

This was the man who was supposed to be the next High Priest, so if he was so sure, it couldn’t be a mistake.

If that’s the case, then it means my illness cannot be detected through physical strength alone. Is that even possible?

……I’m not sure I believe it, but I’ll have to visit the doctor.

I recognised something in my body that even Noel didn’t recognise.

If he can give a precise timeframe of three months, he’s got something to back it up.

I don’t have the confidence to withstand the rumors if I were to visit another physician. If it reaches the ears of the Duke, I’ll be locked up immediately.

Although it feels a bit uneasy, visiting that physician would bring me peace of mind. I popped a crisp into my mouth to collect my thoughts.

The sweet treat cheered me up a bit, even in the midst of this shitty situation.

“Do you feel sick anywhere?”
“That, um. It’s nothing.”

Noel looked at me with concern. I hurriedly held out my hand.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk, but…….

I wouldn’t be believed, not without being suspected of being weird.

I have enough on my plate as it is. I didn’t want to create any more complications or tasks.

I’m sick, I’m getting death threats from my fiancé, and Estelle’s karma is coming back to haunt me.

The stakes are high, and I don’t have anyone on my side.

“……ha.”

I’d rather go crazy.

I thought I’d enjoy the rich life for a while, but I’m not going to die cleaning up after myself, am I?

Then at least I hope there’s a God. Kick his ass and sue for damages.

Should I ask Noel once? It might be okay to die quickly if there is an answer―

“…….”

I snapped out of my thoughts. I feel like I’ve been doused in cold water.

I’ve been doing this shit for three months just to live comfortably.

I’m about to give that up.

“Priest, I think I’m sick.”

Yeah, I was definitely sick.

“Really? What’s wrong with you? I’ll have to get you some medical attention–”
“The spirit.”
“What?”

I could see Noel panicking, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

As far as I was concerned, I was definitely in danger. A ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

To calm such an anxious mental state…

“In that case, it seems like seeking care and support would be necessary.”

Indeed, recuperation is the solution.

With a cheerful tone, I addressed Noel, who blinked absentmindedly.

It’s like X, I can’t live like this.