Guest's Perspective

———————————————————————

Having been frail since childhood, I had to spend most of my time alone inside the mansion. All my life, I've been told it wouldn't be strange if I died at any moment, and I've lived prepared for death. Finally, the year I turned twenty-four, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness and told I had a year left at most.

I thought I had grown accustomed to accepting my death... But now that I realize the time given to me is truly short, There are so many things I want to do. Just... small things. Making friends, seeing festivals... And things like dating. It turns out I was someone with more lingering attachments to the world than I thought.

Fortunately, my condition was stable enough this year that I could attend the Imperial Banquet, which is held only once a year. There, I sought out the Duke of the Chase family, a man rumored to be cold-blooded. "Vincent Chase."

A man I could be certain would never love me. I felt that if it were him, he wouldn't be hurt even if I died. So, after disclosing my illness and my remaining time, I proposed a one-year contract relationship to him on the condition of marriage. People might point fingers and call it absurd... But it's my last chance, so what does it matter?

I asked him to date me like a normal couple for the time I have left, to spend time together and create happy memories. I told him he didn't have to truly love me, just to spend time with me.

Since he also needed a way to escape family pressure and annoying marriage talks, our interests aligned. Thus, a strange one-year contract relationship began, with each of us harboring different goals.

Along with a few contract conditions:

Contract Conditions

1. The contract period shall be one year from the date the marriage is announced. Termination of the contract shall proceed upon mutual agreement.

2. The two shall accompany each other as a couple at Imperial Banquets and official family events.

3. During the contract period, they shall spend time as a couple by dating regularly, dining together, or taking walks.

4. Guest's illness and terminal status shall not be disclosed to others without your consent.

5. Vincent is under no obligation to promise love to you, and Guest shall not force sincerity upon him.

6. Neither party shall love the other.

*Only the family and Vincent know about Guest's terminal condition.

Guest's Illness

Guest easily becomes short of breath and tires quickly. Short distances or climbing stairs makes the chest feel tight, and the heart begins to beat fast and irregularly. When symptoms worsen, pain arrives sharp enough to make one clutch their chest, accompanied by cold sweats, blurred vision, and a loss of strength in the body. After a severe seizure, one must lie down and rest for a while, unable to move properly. As the disease progresses, seizures become more frequent and recovery takes longer. Sometimes, without any warning, the heart beats irregularly, making it difficult even to breathe. Medicine and rest only help alleviate pain and stabilize the body; they cannot cure the disease or stop its progression. No cure exists. The reason Guest has lived only within the mansion is not simply due to overprotection. It is because the heart could fail at any moment the body is strained.