After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 25

Ayla clenched her hands tightly on her lap.
Sitting in silence across from Leo felt unbearably awkward.
Her eyes kept darting around nervously, and she struggled to open her mouth to speak.

But she couldn’t run away from this moment. As she tried to appear composed, Leo’s sharp voice broke through the stillness.

“So, this is why you told me to hurry? Were you planning to run away if I said no?”

“Yes.”

“Running away must be a habit of yours. You don’t even seem scared.”

“Thank you very much for saving me.”

Ayla bowed her head respectfully.

Leo let out a sigh, brushing a hand over his furrowed brow, clearly displeased.

“Do you even realize how serious the situation almost became?”

“I do. That’s why I’m even more grateful.”

He shook his head in frustration.

“Unbelievable. Anyway, why don’t you explain what you were thinking? What made you get into that carriage by yourself?”

“I was planning to go to the Port of Flambour and board a ship.”

“You were planning to sail away?”

“That seemed like the only way my father wouldn’t be able to find me.”

He gave her a hard look.

“I can’t tell if that was brave or just completely reckless.”

“I know it was a dangerous decision. I never believed it would work out perfectly. In the end, I failed. But if I hadn’t tried, I would never have known what might have been possible.”

The word failure felt bitter in her mouth, like chewing on sand.

In the face of reality, her mind filled with countless thoughts, only to let each one slip away.
Should she swallow her pride and ask this man for a place to hide?
Or ask him to write a letter of recommendation, so she could find simple work in the North?

Whatever she chose, one thing was clear. She needed his help.

After a long pause, Leo finally responded.

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“You never know unless you try.”

His red eyes stared directly into hers, filled with a clear sense of resolve.
Caught off guard by the strength in his gaze, Ayla met his eyes.
She could hardly believe what he said next.

“With that in mind, maybe we should give it a try. I’m talking about marriage.”

“What?”

“Let’s get married.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am. But there is one condition.”

She swallowed nervously.
Whether this was a dream or reality, she wasn’t sure, but one thing felt certain.
If she accepted his condition, a path forward would open.

“I’ll listen. What is the condition?”

“You were the one who said it first. That you would carry out your role and responsibilities perfectly.”

“I did.”

“You must have known what that meant. I’m not just some ordinary man. I intend to become the ruler of Eisenfelt. Can you fulfill your duties and responsibilities as my wife?”

“Yes, I can. Is that the condition?”

“Not quite. The real condition is this. Divorce is not an option.”

Leo’s voice was firm and final.
Ayla said nothing for a moment.

She had proposed a contract marriage under the condition that divorce would be allowed.
But now he was telling her that it wouldn’t be.

Then what reason did she have left to go through with this marriage?

Her face slowly grew pale as the weight of his words sank in.

“In return, I’ll give you freedom.”

That word caught her off guard.
Freedom?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. As long as you fulfill the role and responsibilities we agreed upon, you can live as you please. Freely. I won’t interfere with whatever you choose to do.”

“You’re saying I can live however I want?”

“Yes. And if you need to, you can even use me in the process. Just like you did that night when you used me for your own purposes.”

There was a slight trace of amusement in Leo’s tone.
Ayla found it incredibly irritating and blurted out her response.

“Please give me some time to think about it.”

“You were the one in a hurry, and now you suddenly need time?”

“Just one day. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”

“Fine. Then let’s draft the marriage contract tomorrow.”

“A marriage contract?”

Noticing the hesitation on her face, Leo let out a quiet chuckle.

“I’m not talking about listing dowry amounts or anything like that. I mean a proper agreement. You were the one who said a written contract was acceptable.”

“Oh. I misunderstood.”

“It’s understandable. With that pathetic excuse of a fiancé you had, I’m sure all the terms were about dowries and nothing more.”

“You really do have a gift for saying things in the most irritating way possible.”

“Do I? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Leo gave a small shrug, then gently tugged on the bell pull before adding with a grin,

“You’ve got a lot to think about, so let’s end it here for today. Go and figure out what conditions you want written into the contract. Once your name is on it, there’s no turning back.”

He smiled in a way that made it feel like he was deliberately laying a trap, then turned to the butler who had just entered the room and gave a command while gesturing toward Ayla.

“Take her to rest. Her hands were injured, so tend to her wounds first. Make sure she eats something, too.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And one more thing.”

Leo’s gaze lingered briefly on Ayla before shifting away.

“Tell Dex to have the marriage contract ready by ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”

Dex climbed the stairs with long, hurried strides.
It had been exactly three minutes since he returned to the estate after handing over the human traffickers to the guards.

As soon as he dismounted his horse, the head butler, pale and frantic, rushed out to meet him.
Without warning, the man grabbed him by the collar and shouted,

“Dex, you scoundrel! Why are you only arriving now?”

“Whoa, sir, what’s going on? Let go and talk to me calmly…”

“Do you even understand what’s happening?”

“Well, how would I know unless you tell me? Wait, why do you look so pale?”

“His Highness… His Highness is getting married!”

“Married? What do you mean? Wait, don’t tell me… to Lady Everett?”

The butler groaned as if he were about to faint.

“If you don’t want to see me, drop dead right here, go to him immediately.”

“Alright, alright! I’m on my way!”

Without another word, Dex dashed into the mansion.
Behind him, he could hear the startled gasps of the knights and the butler collapsing in disbelief, but his own thoughts were spinning.

“So, he pushed her away without hesitation, and now he suddenly wants to marry her? There’s definitely something about that noble lady.”

Last night, Leo had stormed out without warning and later sent his familiar.
A crow had flown in through the window, and the moment Dex and the members of the Gray Wolf unit saw it, they mounted their horses and followed its lead without question.

When Ayla Everett stepped out of the secluded mansion behind Leo, after that long, exhausting ride, Dex was utterly stunned.
He never expected to see her there. And now, marriage, all of a sudden?

He wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea, but that didn’t mean it was something to take lightly either.
Fuming, Dex burst through the door.

“You damned idiot. You made this decision without even talking to me about it…”

He stormed into the office, but his voice quickly died as he saw the scene before him.
Leo was slouched back in his chair, his eyes closed, looking completely worn out.

Meanwhile, Ayla had just finished her bath and changed into a fresh dress in the guest room she’d been shown to.
Her body and mind were both exhausted from the harrowing experience, but the sky outside the window was too clear and bright for her to feel at ease.

Given the time and circumstances, lying down to rest didn’t feel like an option.

“Live however I want, he said…”

It was hard to imagine what that really meant.
What kind of life could she lead? How much would she be allowed to do? And how much would she be expected to endure?

Although she had asked for the evening to think it over, the moment she heard him say the word “freedom,” any desire to reject Leo’s offer had already disappeared.

His command to have the marriage contract prepared by ten o’clock the next morning had irritated her, as if he had known she would accept.

But even so, she whispered to herself, “It’s not a bad option for me.”

She had already made her last attempt at escape, her final resort.
It had ended in a crushing failure.
But because she tried, this opportunity was now in her hands.

Closing her eyes, she let herself imagine what life might be like in Eisenfelt.
She had never been there, so the images in her mind were vague at best.
Still, because it would be a life she chose for herself, she believed it might be better than what she had endured so far.

There was only one thing that troubled her.

“I’ll probably be hated…”

She knew the people of the North respected and admired the First Prince.
It made perfect sense.
He was the one who had fought tirelessly against the monstrous beasts that constantly invaded, bringing stability to the region.

And yet, the reason Leo had been exiled to the North was because of her family.

“I’m used to being hated anyway…”

Maybe, if she quietly worked hard, it would be enough.
It might take time, but if she could help make Eisenfelt a better place to live,
maybe then the people there would come to accept her.
Maybe they would even come to like her, just a little.

As those thoughts drifted through her mind, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside her room.

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