Translator: Jis...o...b..>Proofreader: Arie Bee

Chapter 6

That mana was something she had called upon whenever she felt lonely in the Attic. He opened his eyes after reading Ariel's eyes.

"It is."

He came to a conclusion as if he didn't need a response and lowered his chin in Ariel's direction to look at her.

"What's someone like a young wizard like you doing in here?"

Ariel flinched and shrunk at the word 'wizard'. His voice was cold and scary as he said it. In the past, magic had ruined her life.

It made her father and her brother abandon her, and her magic was used in the hands of someone who acted like the devil.

Ariel asked in a frightened tone.

"……Where is this place?"

"You don't even know where you came to?"

The man replied coldly and flicked his finger to close the window. The room became quiet and the dancing curtains calmed down when the window closed. Ariel couldn't see how the window had closed and rolled her eyes around.

The man told her.

"This is the Grand Duke La Carte's house."

La Carte!

Ariel widened her eyes.

Her round, strawberry red eyes blinked as they became huge. She must've come to the right place despite nearly losing her mind in pain. Returning to her senses, Ariel quickly replied.

"Then, I've come to the right place."

The man laughed as if it was funny.

"But I don't know you."

The question 'Who are you though?' was stuck in Ariel's throat. The man spoke in a cold and arrogant tone.

"I didn't know they were guests that didn't know the Duke's son existed?"

The Duke's son.

Ariel remembered what those words meant. The only heir to the La Carte family, Lucian Desmond La Carte. 

'It's the person I was trying desperately to meet!'

More accurately it was the person she wanted to marry. But he seemed to be offended at Ariel's presence.

"What's a child, a wizard at that, doing in front of the Grand Duke's house?"

She was fl.u.s.tered that he had taken a disliking to her already when she needed to marry him. Ariel mustered up courage to basically squeeze out her voice.

"I came to meet you."

The Duke's son spoke in an interested tone.

"Me?"

Ariel struggled to crawl out of the bed and onto the carpet. Then she spoke as she stepped closer to the shadow of the man.

"I have something to ask of you."

The Duke's son, whose face could not be seen, nodded his head as if he was telling her to continue. She breathed heavily and looked up to the duke's son with her round eyes.

"Please marry me."

* * *

"……."

After a long silence the Duke's son jumped from the window side lightly. It was like the movement of a fast predator. He walked towards Ariel and reached his hand towards her face, grabbing her by the chin and lifting her face.

Although he was a boy, it was the first time she had been grabbed by the chin by a male. Ariel couldn't meet his gaze and looked away.

"I'm not desperate enough to marry a baby beast."

Wh, what does he mean, baby beast?

Ariel's white cheeks burned, turning red.

"I'm a person. And I'm not a baby either."

"A human girl must be ten years old to get married. Lady of the Marquis Lucilleon family."

He had already known that she was from the Marquis family. 

Then he should also know that he has never been exposed to the public and that he is the secret of the Grand Duke family.

"Why is a young child like you who should be in a cradle proposing to me?"

Ariel wanted to release her face from his grip but could not beat his strength. She whispered in an unclear p.r.o.nunciation because her chin was trapped.

"Yesterday…. I turned 10 years old. Since my birthday already pa.s.sed."

The Grand Duke's son's tone became slightly brutal.

"You're ten? I can't see you as anything older than seven."

He seemed to have a.s.sumed that she was young and did not look quite her age. Ariel also knew she was smaller and had a slow growth rate compared to kids her age. 

Her height was that of a seven or an eight year old child and her skinny body made her look even younger. But even so, she was still ten years old. Ariel stopped avoiding his gaze and looked up at him.

"I'm saying the truth. I was born during the Aurellic year 801, and I turned ten years old this year. I can prove it."

"……."

She couldn't see his expression due to the fact that his face was covered by the light. She couldn't even see his facial features, but Ariel was somehow afraid to see his face. She was more comfortable not being able to see his face because of the moonlight.

Ariel wet her lips with her small tongue and looked at him directly. She had to say it. The start of the change in her life.

"Please let me live as your wife until I become 17 years old."

She also added on in clear p.r.o.nunciation.

"I need someone to protect me. This is the only way for me to escape from my home. Since you can revoke a marriage you did as a child once you become an adult, please protect me from my father just till then."

After hearing such a daring statement from a child, the Grand Duke's son opened his mouth in a relaxed manner.

"……A marriage with a time limit."

Hm, he made a low noise and brushed up Ariel's chin. It was something you would do to a cat.

"So, if I do that, what can you do for me?"

He pushed his face up close to Ariel's after asking. Ariel flinched and shut her eyes at their close proximity. The Grand Duke's son let out a coy laugh at her reaction.

"You don't have anything I want."

He let go of Ariel's chin after saying this. Ariel, somewhat indignant, clenched her tiny fists.

"F, first of all, I'll carry out my duties like a proper wife. And……."

She stopped talking and bit her lower lip. Ariel's lifted eyes sparkled.

"I'll become your wizard."

It was this.

The only thing Ariel could suggest as a condition for this contracted marriage. She didn't have money, power, or beauty, but she was confident in her magic skills. She could be useful to the other person with this method.

Since magic can become money and power. The Grand Duke's son leaned his head back as if he was interested.

"My wizard, you say?"

Ariel started chirping with all her might after her only card had been revealed.

"I look strange and I don't know how to do anything. But magic, I'm powerful in that area. Before…… no, I'm good at attacking magic."

She remembered how she had killed all the people in the La Carte household in the past. The Grand Duke's son could have even been one of the people she killed. Which meant her alliance would be very beneficial to him.

"I'll protect you."

The Duke's son responded in a strangely unclear tone.

"You mean you want to propose a deal with me?"

His question made it seem like they were about to make a devil's contract or something. But Ariel nodded with no hesitation.

"Yes. If you want I can show you magic right here."

"……There's no need."

His hand closed in on Ariel's soft cheek and grabbed it painfully.

"Ow!"

Ariel, whose cheek was pinched, looked up at him with teary eyes. The Duke's son spoke in a relaxed tone.

"I don't want to see any more blood from that tiny body."

He let go of her cheek and walked towards the window, and released the b.u.t.terfly he had trapped in the gla.s.s cup.

Ariel watched as the b.u.t.terfly shaped mana flew across the room towards her.

The b.u.t.terfly landed in her hand and tickled her a little when she reached her hand out to it.

It seemed to be whining that it suffered from the Grand Duke's son. Ariel couldn't help but let out a laugh.

The Duke's son, who was leaning on the wall and was watching her, spoke.

"Okay. I accept your proposal."

Ariel widened her eyes.

"You're…… really going to accept it?"

"Yes. But I also have one condition."

"What condition…….?"

He cut her words off roughly.

"You'll know when the time comes."

Wuuuuh. He really only does stuff his way.

Ariel puffed up her cheeks in secret in the dark. Did he seriously just turned fourteen? Although she had lived to be seventeen previously, he didn't feel younger than her at all.

Ariel nodded as she hoped that his request wouldn't be too unreasonable.

"I understand."

"Then, now we must earn permission from Marquis Lucilleon."

Frightened at the mention of her father, Ariel spoke in a small voice.

"Father will disapprove for sure. And the Grand Duke……."

"I'll take care of that part. You just need to stick next to me."

The Grand Duke's son smirked at Ariel's nearly crying expression as he spoke arrogantly without a single bit of doubt.

"Anything I decide to do comes true. There's no need for you to worry about that."

"……Yes."

"Let's talk in more detail tomorrow, Ariella."

She blushed at unexpectedly hearing her name. How long has it been since someone called her by her full name?

The Duke's son opened the window he had entered through. He seemed to be leaving through the window, just as he entered.

Ariel tossed him a question that was crossing her mind as she watched him, dazed.

"By the way, what floor is this?"

The Grand Duke's son turned his head stiffly and brushed his bangs up from where he was holding onto the window frame with half of his body out the window.

It looked like his face was reflected in the moonlight. Ariel was about to pay attention to his face when his reply took a hold of it. The Grand Duke's son jumped out the window after casually replying.

"4th floor."

Ariel contemplated if she should scream for a second.

* * *

There weren't many people working at the secret La Carte family's house.

This meant people who were worth a hundred people in the work area were the ones who could last a long time in the Grand Duke's house.

Dalton, who was the treasurer, solicitor, and administrative processor of the Grand Duke's household, sighed after seeing Lucian, who had crashed in late at night.

"Y, you scared me, sir. ……Could you lower your threatening presence?"

Lucian frowned as if he was annoyed, and the threatening presence that had filled the room disappeared.

The Grand duke's son held his hand out to Dalton after cras.h.i.+ng in at such a late time.

"Give it to me."

"Wh…… what do you mean?"

" A marriage contract."

"What?!"

Dalton asked, so surprised to the point he could faint. He already knew it was impossible to understand the La Carte males' actions with normal values, but there was no way for him to not be shocked at that time.

"Why a marriage contract so suddenly? Are you getting married?"

END OF CHAPTER 6.

I was supposed to release this on July 16 but time moved fast… and I didn't notice it was already the 17th…. I could only humbly apologize to the readers and to the staff… I ruined our daily streak ?