Yejoo took away her first love, Chapter 37
"Shall we hand him over to the Capital Guard right away?"
In response to the knight's question, I shook my head.
"No, miss. He is no different from an ordinary human now."
As if more explanation was needed, the knight slightly bowed and whispered in my ear.
"It seems... Sir Raymond hit the barrier set up by the Master of the Magic Tower and his magic power was sealed."
"So that's why he's tied up like that."
The thought of the proud Raymond being unable to use his magic power was quite a sight.
No matter how great a protagonist he might be, without power, he was no different from an ordinary human.
"Move aside. I have something to say to him."
"Are you sure it's safe?"
The knights looked at each other with troubled expressions.
Even without his magic power, Raymond was still Raymond, and I understood their unease.
"Would you feel better if I had the knights stand outside?"
The knights, as if reluctantly, checked the ropes binding Raymond one last time before leaving the room.
I had expected Raymond to start his usual insolent chatter, but he remained silent.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"What brings you to our family at such a late hour?"
At my question, he lifted his head.
His usually confident face was now distorted.
Though he was trying to laugh it off, Raymond's smooth smile was different from before.
Seeing his face, which openly showed his displeasure, was surprisingly satisfying.
Of course, my mood was quite different from his.
"I didn't know the Pioneers' family treated guests like this."
"There's no such thing as a guest who shows up unannounced at this hour. No one would call such a person a guest."
"I was in a hurry because I was invited by the Lady herself."
As he spoke, he wriggled his body, trying to loosen the ropes, but to no avail.
These ropes were specially ordered by my father due to the frequent visits from strange people.
They could only be cut by a Sword Master's sword energy or the swords we brought together.
Raymond, whose magic power was sealed, had no chance of freeing himself easily.
Finally, Raymond, breaking his pride, asked me.
"No. Why should I trust you, Sir Raymond?"
"Are you still holding a grudge about that? I already said I was sorry."
Even if he was close to a transcendent being beyond human understanding, his face was incredibly thick-skinned.
"Well, you are sorry, I guess."
"You even took a hit for that woman back then..."
A hint of anger seeped into Raymond's voice.
For someone who had never bowed his head to anyone in his life, the current situation must have been unbearable.
"That's a separate issue. I never said I would forgive you."
At my words, Raymond bit his lower lip.
He must have been struggling to come up with a solution, but someone who had never bowed his head or sincerely apologized to anyone would find this an impossible problem to solve.
Inside that pretty pink head, there was probably nothing but schemes to crush others and threats.
I sat down calmly and waited for Raymond to say what I wanted to hear.
"What do you want from me?"
His tone was filled with barely contained anger.
But since it was what I wanted to hear, I decided to overlook it.
Standing up, I met Raymond's eyes.
His usually composed golden eyes widened in shock.
Raymond's face turned bright red in an instant, mistaking my meaning.
Finding it amusing, I couldn't help but laugh. Realizing my joke, Raymond roared.
"Are you playing with me?"
"Ah, don't misunderstand. I really do want you. Specifically, I want you as a knight."
The red-faced Raymond tried to compose himself and averted his gaze.
I decided to press him harder.
"Think about it, Raymond. I might become the next Empress, and I am also the daughter of the Master of the Magic Tower. If our family were to accuse you here, do you think the Magic Tower people would accept you as the Master without hesitation?"
The only reason Raymond couldn't become the Master of the Magic Tower was his broken character.
His mental state, which was almost like giving up on being human, made many mages hesitate to sign his succession agreement.
"You've grown. You're even threatening me now."
"Is this a threat? I think I'm being quite lenient."
"Since you're being lenient, how about just pretending you didn't see me?"
He tried to give me a rather seductive smile, but it was out of the question.
I smiled at Raymond and said,
"Don't expect that. I learned from you that to make someone submit, you have to crush them thoroughly."
It was amusing to see his expression change rapidly.
Perhaps it was more amusing because he had always treated me this way.
How much time had passed?
Finally, realizing there was no room for compromise, Raymond asked in a lowered voice.
"So what do you want from me?"
"Haha. You don't deserve it. My admiration and loyalty are for Tatiana alone."
"I'm not asking for a lifetime of devotion or anything grand like that."
I also didn't want that kind of fanatical admiration and loyalty.
"Be specific. No word games."
"It's difficult. I was just trying to treat you the way you usually treat me."
The sound of grinding teeth was heard.
If I pushed him any further, it might end badly.
"At the upcoming hunting festival, give me a hunting prize as a gift."
Originally, giving one's hunting prize at the hunting festival was a way to show affection and loyalty to the recipient.
The male protagonists attending the festival would likely give hunting prizes to Tatiana to prove their unwavering hearts.
"Then you should take responsibility and give up the position of Master of the Magic Tower. Perhaps even His Majesty might testify."
He had two choices: either give up the position of Master of the Magic Tower or humble himself and give me a hunting prize.
I opened the door and called for someone.
The knights came with a special dagger designed to cut the ropes and untied Raymond.
Then, I had the butler bring me the contract I had prepared in advance.
"Don't you recognize it? It's a contract."
"I'll keep my promise without a contract."
In this world, a promise to me was no different from a casual greeting, like saying we should have tea sometime.
"I'm sorry, but I don't trust verbal promises."
He tried to stand up, but the knights behind him pressed his shoulders down.
Forced back into his seat, Raymond picked up the pen and examined the contract.
He pointed at an item in the contract and glared at me.
"Putting my magic power on the line? Isn't that too much?"
"Considering Sir Raymond's usual reputation, you should be grateful that I'm only asking for this much."
He was famous for his playful image and completely unserious behavior.
Beautiful and dangerous, but loving his freedom, Raymond.
His words were always light and lacked credibility.
In short, he was reaping what he had sown.
"I won't put my magic power on the line."
He muttered in a low, threatening voice.
"As I said, you have only two choices: sign or be reported."
Seeing Raymond cornered was quite enjoyable.
He gritted his teeth and muttered,
"You're really annoying."
Raymond signed the contract roughly, without reading it further.
I took the contract from him, checked it carefully, and handed it to the butler.
"Then you can leave now."
The unexpected good fortune made me feel quite happy.
It was enough to forget the disappointment I felt after hearing Daniel's story earlier.
But the truth that with every gain comes a loss remained.
For some reason, Raymond didn't move. When he was cursing and saying he didn't want to be with me, where was he now?
I tilted my head and asked,
"Why aren't you leaving?"
He also seemed paler than usual.
It would have been a pitiful situation for others, but not for me.
"Aren't you going to leave now?"
What is this man talking about now?