The silence in the ballroom wasn't empty; it was heavy, suffocating, as if Klaus's presence had sucked the oxygen right out of the room.
I looked at Julian. He was trembling, not with fear, but with the sheer humiliation of being silenced by a single gesture. His golden halo, once so blinding, was flickering like a dying bulb.
[Ding! Plunder Opportunity: Target Julian Cross is in a state of 'Mental Collapse'. Luck leakage continues: +50, +50...]
I didn't care about the small change. My entire focus was on the man in front of me. Klaus didn't have a golden halo. He had something darker—a deep, abyssal violet aura that seemed to swallow the light around him.
"The balcony," Klaus commanded. It wasn't a request.
He turned, his violet coat swirling like a cloak of shadows. I didn't hesitate. I followed him, leaving behind the whispers, the gasps, and Julian's frantic calls. As we stepped out into the cool night air, the heavy velvet curtains muffled the music of the gala, leaving only the sound of the wind and the frantic thumping of my own heart.
Klaus leaned against the stone railing, his eyes reflecting the distant city lights. "You have exactly sixty seconds to tell me why I shouldn't hand you back to that barking dog inside."
My mind raced. Sixty seconds. I knew who Klaus was. In my past life, he was the 'Calamity of the North'. Julian had spent years painting him as a monster to justify seizing his territories. But Julian was the monster; Klaus was simply a force of nature.
"Because the Stuart family owns the deep-water port licenses you need for your northern trade routes," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline. "And as of tonight, Julian Cross is no longer the proxy for those licenses. I am."
Klaus turned his head, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "A bold claim for a woman who was about to be sold off as a trophy wife five minutes ago."
"I was a 'Luck Battery' for them," I whispered, the psychological term slipping out, though he wouldn't understand the system. "I spent twelve years building Julian's empire with my family's blood. I know every secret account, every illegal bribe, and every crack in his foundation. I can give you the Stuart Conglomerate on a silver platter, Klaus. But I need protection."
Klaus stepped closer, his shadow engulfing me. He reached out, his gloved thumb tracing the line of my jaw. It wasn't a romantic gesture; it was the way a jeweler inspects a diamond for flaws.
"You're dying, little bird," he murmured, his violet eyes piercing through my soul. "I can smell the rot in your spirit. Twenty-four hours? Is that all you have?"
My breath hitched. How? The system screamed warnings, but I pushed them down.
"If I stay with them, yes. But if I plunder their destiny, I live." I looked him straight in the eye. "Help me ruin them, and I will be the bridge that connects your northern army to the heart of the capital."
Klaus let out a low, dark chuckle. He leaned down, his lips brushing against the edge of my masquerade mask.
"A trade, then," he whispered. "You help me complete my imperial conquest—help me dismantle the corrupt Council that exiled me. In exchange, within one year, I will make you the First Lady of the Empire. No one will dare to touch a hair on your head. Not Julian, not the Stuarts, not even God himself."
[Ding! Mission Updated: The Devil's Deal.]
[Reward for Acceptance: Life Force Stabilized for 7 Days. Access to 'Duke's Shadow' Intelligence.]
"One year," I repeated, my voice hardening. "By then, I want Julian Cross begging for the very heart he tried to steal from me."
"Then we have a pact," Klaus said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a signet ring—a black diamond engraved with a wolf's head. He pressed it into my palm, his skin unnervingly warm. "Wear this. It tells the world that you are under my shadow. And Sophia..."
He paused, his gaze lingering on the flickering grey fog above my head.
"Don't let your flame go out too soon. I hate investing in broken things."
He vanished into the darkness of the balcony before I could answer, leaving me alone with the weight of the black diamond and the sudden, surging power of the system.
[Ding! Contract Established! Luck Value increased to +200!]
[Life Force: 168 Hours remaining.]
I looked back at the ballroom through the glass doors. Julian was searching for me, his face twisted in a mask of desperation. He thought he was losing a fiancé. He had no idea he had just met his executioner.