Adrian stared at her for a long moment.

Yes.

There was no doubt he was shocked by how quickly she answered.

One could easily argue she was frightened, fully aware that she had no real alternative but to accept.

Which may very well have been the case.

Still, as an assassin, the ability to read a situation and act accordingly was no small thing. Whether it came from fear or calculation, the result was the same.

"Did you say yes?" he asked, giving her a sidelong look.

"Eh? Was that the wrong answer? Is this one of those tests?" Liora placed a finger against her cheek, humming softly as her gaze shifted back and forth.

As expected, not a single hint of fear showed on her face.

Though Adrian could tell she was working hard to keep it that way.

’This girl is a killer.’

He figured she likely did not understand how contracts worked, given her age.

And because of that, she probably assumed she would be able to dispose of him once they arrived at the mansion.

Doing it in front of the driver carried too much risk, especially when she had no way of knowing how capable the man was.

It all made sense.

And yet, Adrian found himself intrigued regardless.

Without saying more than necessary, he rose to his feet and closed the distance between them in a few unhurried steps.

"Very well. I will now form a contract with you. Do you accept?" he asked, meeting her eyes directly.

[Notice: The contract between yourself and the human is ready to be made active.]

Liora held his gaze, a flicker of hesitation crossing her expression.

Then she answered.

"Yes. I accept."

[Congratulations on forming your first contract.]

The very next second, a bright light erupted around the girl.

She began to glow, her knees buckling as the radiance swallowed her whole.

Adrian took a step back, watching as she grunted and doubled forward, her body trembling beneath the weight of something he could not see.

"W-what is happening?" she gasped, her vision going hazy as she struggled to lift her head.

But before her eyes could find his face, she collapsed onto her side.

"Is she alright?" Adrian muttered, a look of genuine shock settling over his features.

[Affirmative.]

[The contract has been successfully formed. Your new servant is undergoing the necessary changes to meet the requirements for evolution.]

Adrian pressed two fingers to his temple, exhaling slowly.

’Right. The contract was only the first step. She still needed to acquire the skills, the attributes, everything that came with it.’

He had known this.

And yet, watching it happen in front of him made it feel more real than any system notification could.

He paused.

Bringing a stranger home was a risk. He knew that too. But if he was being honest with himself, he had seen something in this girl that was difficult to ignore.

She had potential. The kind that did not come along often.

[The system concurs.]

He glanced toward the front of the carriage.

The driver sat perfectly rigid, eyes locked on the road, a single bead of sweat crawling down the side of his face.

Adrian sighed quietly.

He would need an excuse for his mother.

A good one.

She was not the sort of woman who would simply overlook a stranger turning up unconscious in her son’s carriage.

Before he could think of one, the carriage door swung open.

His mother stood in the frame, her expression carrying the early glow of anticipation from whatever the priest had told her.

But that look faded the moment her eyes dropped to the small, motionless girl on the floor, and then rose back to her son standing over her.

Her hand came up slowly to cover her mouth.

"Adrian, sweetheart," she said carefully. "What did you do?"

...

The very next day, in the Vane household.

Liora’s eyes opened slowly.

She was lying on a bed, buried beneath heavy blankets that smelled faintly of cedar.

For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling, letting the stillness settle around her.

Then the memories returned all at once, and she sat bolt upright.

The first thing she noticed was the maid standing beside the small table near the bed, quietly arranging a tray of food.

Liora’s hand dropped beneath the blanket instantly, fingers searching for her thigh. Her expression shifted.

"Uhn?"

She pulled the edge of the blanket aside just enough to look.

Her clothes were different.

Someone had changed them while she was unconscious.

"Where are my clothes?!" she demanded, the words coming out sharper than she intended.

The maid flinched.

"Ah, you’re awake." She composed herself quickly and dipped her head.

"Let me fetch the countess. Please wait here."

The door clicked shut behind her.

Liora sat in the silence that followed, trying to place herself.

The room was clean.

Well-furnished, but not excessively so. Nothing about it gave her an obvious answer.

Her gaze drifted to the tray.

Eggs. Bread. Sauce. Bacon, each portion laid out in its own small dish.

For a moment, the fact that she had no idea where she was ceased to matter entirely.

She had not seen food like this in a long time. Not real food.

Not food that came in dishes.

She checked the room once more. Still empty.

She reached for the tray and began eating with the kind of urgency that had nothing to do with manners and everything to do with survival.

Poisoned or not, she could not bring herself to care.

Then the door opened.

Adrian walked in with a book tucked under his arm, pausing in the doorway just long enough to take in the scene.

Liora reacted immediately.

She shoved back from the bed and landed on the far side, hand snapping to her thigh out of pure instinct, fingers closing around nothing.

Adrian stepped inside and let the door fall shut behind him.

"Looking for this, by any chance?"

He held up her small dagger, spinning it lazily around one finger as he moved further into the room.

Liora’s eyes narrowed.

"What did you do to me?" she asked.

He tossed the dagger onto the side table without much ceremony, then settled onto the edge of the bed, his back facing her.

Not even a breath passed before Liora’s gaze sharpened. Something shifted in her expression, quiet and cold, like a door sliding open.

She measured the distance. She measured him.

Then-

"Don’t be stupid. Sit down. You’d fail." Adrian said, and opened his book.

His voice was calm. The kind that made Liora rethink her choices.

It stopped her cold.

Liora stood on the other side of the bed, neither sitting nor fleeing, watching him turn to his page and begin reading with his legs crossed, as though she were not there at all.