Slowly, he began to reassure me—his words calm, unwavering—that he had both the power and the means to kill the Count. The way he spoke, without hesitation or fear, told me everything I needed to know: this was not a man of empty threats. Only someone of high status or deep influence could speak so casually about murdering a Count. And then, as if reading my worries, he promised not to touch me without my consent.
It should have scared me. But instead, a strange calm settled in. He wasn't threatening me. He was offering me a way out. And no matter how much I might have wished otherwise, I knew I couldn't escape this life without consequences. Killing the Count with my own hands would only invite chains from others. They would all try to bind me again.
So, I thought, maybe... just maybe, this man was the answer.
But before I agreed to anything, I needed to see the face behind the words. And when he removed his mask, something shifted inside me.
I had seen him before.
"I... I think I know you from somewhere," I said, searching his face.
He chuckled, brushing off my curiosity. "You don't have to drop such cheesy lines. You're already mine."
A strange flutter tickled my chest at his confidence. But I pushed it aside and turned to the papers he'd handed me. The writing was ancient and formal—standard for magical contracts—but the magic humming beneath the surface was anything but ordinary. I read each clause carefully. And when I signed, a golden light bloomed between us, sealing the deal.
The light was too bright, too warm. No amateur mage could have crafted this. Whoever had created the contract was immensely powerful. And if this man had such connections, then he... he was no ordinary player in this game.
Curiosity pricked me.
"What would you have done," I asked him slowly, "if I hadn't agreed to your offer?"
He looked at me, expression blank. "I would have exposed your secret."
My breath caught. He said it so simply, like it was just another option on the table.
"You didn't need to tell me that," I said, more confused than angry. "Now that I'm on your side, you could've sweet-talked me instead."
He met my eyes evenly. "Exactly because you're on my side, I must never lie to you. That's the foundation of this... arrangement."
I didn't say anything, but a small, unfamiliar warmth crept through me. First, his promise never to harm me. Now, this—his commitment to honesty. These were the first things about him that made me feel... something.
Then he pulled out a small velvet pouch.
Inside were seeds. Sharp, dark, and radiating a faint magical pulse. The moment I saw them, my instincts screamed: dangerous.
He explained their use—what they could do, where they came from, what they meant. I listened carefully, trying not to show the awe I felt.
"How do you know so much about all this?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He stepped forward, suddenly closing the space between us. One hand slid to my waist, the other caught my wrist, holding me in place.
My breath hitched.
No one had ever been this close to me before. The heat of his body, the way he held me—it was too much. Too sudden.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice low, trying to suppress the panic. "Didn't you promise not to touch me?"
His smile was infuriatingly calm. "I did no such thing."
And when I thought back... he was right. He hadn't said it. I'd assumed.
"And I'll keep coming closer, Adriana," he murmured, "until you decide you want me to stay."
Somewhere deep inside, something stirred. A fragile, dangerous thought: If he falls in love with me, I can use him.
If I could keep him under my control, he would never abandon me. He would never hurt me.
But then came the moment that shattered that illusion.
"I don't like others around you," he said suddenly. "Especially that slave of yours. Casin."
My heart jumped.
He knew.
He knew about Casin. He saw through it all.
I had long known of Casin's feelings. I kept my distance to deepen his desperation, to keep him loyal. If things had gone according to plan, I would have used that desperation to make him kill the Count for me. But now...
Now I realized I couldn't lie to this man.
Not because I didn't want to. But because it would be dangerous.
He was too perceptive.
Too sharp.
If I betrayed him, he wouldn't hesitate. He would destroy me without blinking.
"I'll never betray you," I said quietly. "You have my word."
He nodded, satisfied. And I left.
But my mind was spinning.
If I wanted to survive, I had to make myself indispensable to him. He had to see me as more than a pretty face or a pawn.
I had to prove my value.
The first step? The trading company.
END OF POV