Chapter 57: Contract
"Let’s go."
Turning their backs, the newly announced couple began walking away.
Behind them, Reinhardt shook his head as he took a frantic step forward, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Aria! Wait! You cannot seriously be doing this—!"
Neither of them bothered to check as soon as they went out of line of sight, both Eren and Aria let out a soft, simultaneous chuckle.
But as they walked in beautiful hallways toward the dorms, Eren spotted a remarkably beautiful, blonde-haired young woman. She wore the standard academy uniform, yet she practically radiated an intense, almost blinding aura of pure innocence, warmth, and magical strength.
She was walking with a soft, gentle smile on her face, looking entirely at peace with the world.
He merely raised a casual hand, offering a passing greeting.
"Good afternoon, Miss Alice," Eren murmured, his gaze remaining fixed entirely on the path ahead.
"Good afternoon, Lord Er—" Alice automatically began, her polite, gentle nature causing her to return the greeting before her brain could even fully process the person’s face.
But the moment words left her lips, her footsteps came to a halt, her pink eyes widened to see the impossibility. She spun around, her jaw dropping as she stared at the rapidly retreating figures of the dark-haired menace and the notoriously bullying noble daughter walking side-by-side, holding hands.
"Eren...?" Alice whispered to herself. "Lady Aria...? Together...?"
***
They finally reached his dorm room, and Aria sat down at the polished wooden table.
She giggled softly before she completely burst into a hearty laugh.
"Did you see the absolute horror on his face?" she gasped, her blue hair swaying as she leaned back. "Everyone in that hallway was utterly paralyzed. I have never seen Reinhardt look like such a fool in my entire life. It was absolutely delicious."
Eren simply sat across from her, quietly observing the relaxed expression on her face. For a girl who spent every waking hour calculating political maneuvers and begging for attention, this was very likely the first genuine, unfiltered laughter she had experienced in years.
Aria caught her breath, smoothing down her uniform as she lifted a freshly poured cup of tea. Taking a slow sip, she locked her golden eyes onto him. "By the way... did you bring the contractual documentation from your side?"
Eren’s lips curved into a supremely confident, dangerous smirk—the exact facial expression of a high-tier merchant preparing to execute an absolute legendary-grade scam.
He walked over to his travel bag, retrieved a massive, tightly bound stack of documents, and dropped it onto the wooden table.
"Right here," Eren announced cheerfully. "A remarkably light read. Only fifty pages."
Aria stared at the mountain of paperwork before looking at him with a deadpan glare. "Lord Eren, I explicitly requested a mutual contract, not a historical encyclopedia."
"Just read through the clauses, Miss Aria."
Aria let out a skeptical sigh, turning over the first page. Within three minutes of scanning the text, her jaw began to tighten, every single paragraph delivering a literal mini-heart attack to her financial sensibilities.
"Eren Volsver, are you out of your mind?!" Aria hissed, slamming a page down. "I asked for a mutual agreement of a contracted partnership, not a one-sided extortion! What the hell is a ’Fiancée Monthly Accommodation Allowance’? And ’Fiancée Early Retirement Security Fee’?! My house is already supplying you with Astraeus stones!"
Eren leaned forward, resting his chin casually on his palm as his blue eyes flashed with pure amusement.
"Of course you are supplying the stones, my dear fake fiancé. But let’s look at the actual returns on investment here. I planned to maintain a completely peaceful, lazy lifestyle in the academy. Instead, I am now trapped in a high-profile fake engagement, getting attention from everyone.
After all, you are going to become the head of the Reedings family and a primary vassal to the future Ruler. Compared to that, a few gold coins for my early retirement are practically loose change."
Aria groaned audibly under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she realized her defenses were completely bypassed. She ruthlessly pulled out her own few pages of documents and slid them across the table toward him.
"Fine. Here is my contract," she muttered, annoyed. "My rules are remarkably simple. First, you will maintain a flawless performance as my dedicated partner in public. Second, you will utilize the political leverage of the Volsver house to assist me in family matters if strictly required.
And third—most importantly—there shall be absolutely zero romantic affection or love allowed between us. The exact second my political objectives are fulfilled, both parties will seamlessly go their separate ways. Sign it."
"A perfectly reasonable rule," Eren murmured. He picked up his pen, smoothly signing his name at the bottom of her sheet.
Aria’s eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the flawless legal framework of his papers. "Who in the heavens even drafted these documents for you? Clauses are so tightly written it leaves absolutely zero room for evasion."
"Someone very close to me," Eren answered with a proud smirk, his mind briefly flashing to a very busty red-headed maid who had spent the previous week completing this.
As Eren took his documents fromAria to sign, she idly swirled her tea, her voice dropping into a casual, conversational tone. "On a separate note... rumours are claiming your little sister has finally been cured. Is that true?"
Eren’s hand didn’t miss a beat as he signed his bracket in the twentieth page of his contract. "Of course it’s true. Though my father has locked down the estate and won’t allow a single outsider to visit her. Not after that highly inconvenient assassination attempt on his life."
Aria stiffened for a fraction of a second. Eren’s sharp blue eyes instantly caught the minute hesitation. He knew that she knew who was the reason behind it.
Aria recovered her composure, leaning back with arms crossed as her golden eyes gave him a slightly curious glint.
"Now that our formal contract is secure, I must satisfy a minor curiosity. Do you currently harbor any actual lovers? Like that pink-haired swordmaster lady I saw at your estate last time?"
Eren smoothly stacked the papers together, tapping them against the table to align them. He looked up at his new corporate fiancée with a shamelessly proud grin.
"Oh, absolutely," Eren admitted without a single shred of hesitation. "I currently have three beautiful girlfriends right now."
Aria just sat there, her breath catching in her throat as her brain thoroughly stalled at his complete lack of shame.