"Then… I have a proposition for you," Hailey said, her eyes fixed on Adger, who sat across from her.
Adger looked up at her, puzzled. "A proposition? What is it?"
There was a short pause. Hailey hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Can you marry me?"
Adger blinked, completely caught off guard.
"What?"
"Wait, wait, let me explain first…" Hailey added quickly, sensing his shock.
"What I mean is… just a marriage of convenience. Not a real marriage…"
Adger narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure where she was going with this.
"So… a contract marriage? Why?"
"It's for mutual benefit," Hailey said, steadying her voice.
"I've been planning to take over the Sinclair estate. I'm the legitimate daughter of the late Count, and I've already graduated from the Academy. But there's one problem. As a woman, I can't inherit the estate unless I'm married."
Adger leaned back slowly, folding his arms.
"So you want to marry me so you can take over the Sinclair estate after your brother gives up his position as heir. What do I get out of this?"
Hailey lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked back up to meet his eyes.
"I can help you escape your fate… I can help you leave this kingdom."
Adger was confused by her words.
"Leave the kingdom?"
Hailey gave a quiet nod.
"Yes. As long as you stay here, they'll find you. You're the true heir to the throne. Cedric is only the son of a concubine. The moment they find out about you, they'll take you back to the royal family… whether you want it or not. Your only real option is to disappear, far away from this kingdom."
Adger's expression turned serious. His memories of the novel came rushing back.
It never explained how someone discovered who he was . It only mentioned that someone found his identity, and he was taken to the palace. That was it.
Across from him, Hailey had begun eating again, quietly giving him space to think.
He glanced at her. There was no way he would allow himself to be pulled into that hell. He had read what happened to Adger in the story. He would never accept that as his fate.
"You can eat while you think," Hailey said softly, eyes on her plate. "We can talk more once we're done."
Adger gave a slight nod and picked up his fork. The rest of the meal passed in silence.
Later, Hailey gently wiped her hands and looked up at him.
"So… what do you think?"
Adger let out a breath, leaning forward slightly.
"Tell me… are you only marrying me to become head of the Sinclair estate?"
Hailey shook her head slowly.
"No. I have other reasons too."
"Other reasons?" he asked, brows knitting together. "Can I know these other reasons?"
"Yes. The main reason is to become head of the Sinclair estate. But the other reason…" she paused, lowering her eyes to her hands, "I want to make sure that my story doesn't go back down the same path as my past life."
Adger frowned. "But you already changed things, right? You're not engaged to Cedric anymore."
Hailey nodded.
"That's true. But what if… things go back somehow? I don't want to go back to that hell again. So… if I get married and divorced, then there's no way any member of the royal family would marry a divorced woman."
Adger replied carefully. "You do know there's almost no chance of going back to that path."
"I know," Hailey said quietly. "But… just to make sure."
Her voice was soft, but her hand clenched slightly. Somewhere deep inside, she was still scared.
Scared that something would drag her back into that nightmare. Scared of going through the same pain again.
Adger understood. She had loved Cedric wholeheartedly, only to be discarded without a second thought.
Now, all she wanted was peace and a future that belonged to her alone.
He leaned back in his chair, considering everything.
It was a fair deal.
A contract marriage.
And in exchange, she would help him disappear, far from the kingdom.
"Fine then," Adger said at last, his eyes meeting hers. "I'll agree to this contract marriage. But… I want your help with something too."
Hailey looked at him.
"If it's a reasonable request, I'll help you."
Adger nodded slowly.
"My friend Theo… he was killed. The knights ignored the case because he was a commoner and an orphan. And I couldn't do anything back then. I want you to help me find out who killed him."
Hailey's expression softened.
She nodded. "I will."
Then, something occurred to her. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him.
"One more thing… you said this world is a novel, right? So do you know anything else that might be useful to me?"
Adger leaned back, thinking hard.
"It's been over six years, so most of it is hazy… but I'll try to remember—"
Then, something clicked in his mind.
He froze.
"Wait, Hailey… I do remember something. Your father's carriage accident… it wasn't an accident."
Hailey blinked.
Her father had died when she was only three years old.
Her memories of him were vague. All she ever knew was that it was called an accident.
Adger continued. "So was your mother's death. It wasn't natural. Both your parents were killed."
Hailey sat in stunned silence.
After her father's death, her mother had taken care of the estate.
But when Hailey was just eight years old, her mother suddenly fell ill, and it only worsened.
She died when Hailey was ten.
"You're saying…?" Hailey couldn't finish. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
Adger's voice lowered.
"Yes. Your parents were both killed. That was what was written in the novel. It came up in a conversation your aunt had when she tried to blackmail your uncle. He wanted to divorce her, but she threatened him, said she would reveal the truth if he dared to leave her."
Hailey sat frozen.
In her past life, her uncle Edward had wanted to leave Margaret a few months after inheriting the Sinclair estate.
He had been having an affair with another woman. But then, suddenly, he gave up on that woman and stayed with Margaret.
"Tell me more," Hailey said quietly, trying to hold back her tears.
"I don't know the full details. It wasn't explained in depth. But your aunt and uncle were behind your parents' deaths. Margaret said she had proof. Proof she would use if your uncle ever tried to divorce her."
Hailey sat still. The room around her seemed to blur.
Even though she had lived through this once before, there were still many things she didn't know.
"So their deaths…" Now, the tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Adger wanted to comfort her but didn't know how.
She wiped her tears, her eyes slowly filling with fury.
Even though her uncle and his family had made her life difficult, she had never imagined they were behind her parents' deaths.
"If Aunt Margaret claimed to have evidence… do you have any idea what it is or where it might be?"
Adger shook his head.
Hailey sighed. "No problem… I'm sure if there is evidence, Aunt Margaret would have hidden it somewhere in the Sinclair estate."