The Predator’s Contract Partner

Elisha rose from her bed. It was early morning.

Lucerne has been in a good mood these past few days since seeing Merha in prison. That’s why he didn’t let her leave the bed for several days.

Tearful and exhausted, she pleaded with him to stop. Eventually, when her legs began to tingle and her mounds started to swell red, Elisha was able to rest.

She would then fall into a feverish sleep. Sometimes she didn’t wake up until morning, and sometimes she only slept for an hour or two and woke up at dawn.

‘What time is it now?’

When she opened her eyes, Lucerne was reclining on the bed, looking at papers. In a dark room, he used a lamp powered by a manastone.

“Are you up?”

“… … Are you not sleeping?”

“I have some work left.”

She observed him with her chin propped up by her hand. She rubbed her eyes. Although terribly tired, Elisha couldn’t go back to sleep. After watching him for a while, Lucerne stroked her head with his big hand.

“Go back to sleep.”

“Lucerne.”

“Yes.”

Examining him, a question suddenly came to mind.

“You know a lot about Risralpho… your knowledge was very useful in our plans. Were you very close to that person?”

“Is it the time for rewards again?”

Between sleeping together for the past few days Elisha would raise questions and ask about his life. She didn’t want there to be secrets between them.

In particular she asked about his childhood or feelings. Although Lucerne was perplexed, he answered most of the time.

“I was just curious. You said Risralpho wasn’t a bad guy. I think it’s rare for you to say that about anyone.”

“… … .”

Lucerne seemed to recall the past for a moment.

“Merha looked down on him for having a humble and poor background. I didn’t know him very well, but he was, in my opinion, a pure man. During the times I was isolated in the temple because of Merha and Marco, Risralpho didn’t even care and was good to me.”

“… … .”

“One day, I was hiding alone because I wasn’t feeling well, and he took me in and cared for me.”

‘See Lucerne? Look at this gold coin. Don’t be fooled by the scratches. It’s a gold coin minted and issued from ancient times, so they are usually worth five times more than ordinary gold coins. Look, I will cast blessings on you that you will carry into adulthood. A genuine blessing.

‘This is very precious to me. There is only one gold coin from the year 566 of the ancient calendar. I’ll give you this. Later, when you grow up and have a girl you like, seduce them with this. If you give it as a present, any woman who has eyes to see will like it.’

Elisha’s eyes shook.

“What did the gold coin look like?”

“The year 566 is written on the surface, and there were three wings on it. In the middle was a sculpture of an angel with closed eyes.”

“… … was it? … a precious thing.”

“I don’t know if the blessing really worked. But since I was a boy, I had always carried it with me when I went to war.”

Elisha knew he had always survived any hellish war.

“If someone could survive on the battlefield because of blessed items, how easy it would be to live in this world. Instead, it’s due to your innate greatness,”

Elisha said frankly. Lucerne looked at her as if her words were surprising. But he didn’t look displeased in the slightest.

“Come to think of it, yesterday the butler was cleaning out my library and found the gold coin.”

“Could you show it to me?”

Unbothered, Lucerne found the gold coin.

“Is this it?”

She rolled the gold coin in her hand for a while. It was a familiar item. There were long scratches on the edges.

‘He gave me this gold coin in my previous life.’

The gold coin was given to her to pay for a carriage. The same one he gave her to escape Marco’s mansion. Elisha had no idea why he had given this to her.

“It’s an ancient gold coin with such important memories, but unfortunately, it’s a pity that you wasted it. It would have been nice to gift it to the girl you like,”

Elisha mumbled softly without realizing it.

“What?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Elisha shook her head.

“Nothing… … ..No, it’s a pretty gold coin.”

Lucerne said indifferently.

“Take it.”

“… … why?”

“I think I like you. Besides, I’m married now, how can I give it to a woman I like?”

Her heart started to throb again and her scalp tickled.

“You never know. You just keep it.”

Elisha watched his red eyes slowly cool.

“Right,”

Lucerne’s voice was low.

“Do that.”

“I will.”

And Elisha remembered that one night in her previous life.

To get rid of the affectionate feelings that sprouted within her. As she wept, she dug into the soil in the dead of the night and buried a locked box with pieces of the cloak and the gold coin in it.

‘There was a time like that.’

Lucerne’s hands held hers and approached. Closing her eyes, she felt his lips slowly overlapping hers.

She could block her heart, but she couldn’t help but open her lips to him unconsciously.

As expected, the body was more adaptable faster than her mind. As always, with heartfelt precision.

***