Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage - Chapter 2-1

After about three months, she got used to her life in the monastery.

Rubiana continued her peaceful and quiet monastic life for the next two years.

She slept moderately and went through the letters that her younger sister sent her while the other monks were busy copying the Bible. She was fast asleep while others prayed, and she was lying on her bed while the others worked.

But there were still visible calluses on her hands because deep in the night when everybody was fast asleep, she would pick up her bows and arrows, and go to a secluded spot in the backyard of the monastery.

In the letter that Callena sent, it was written that the relationship between the kingdom and its people was getting worse with each passing day.

The present king said he would grow old so he bathed in the blood of countless children while sleeping with ten beauties everyday.

Taxes have risen to the point where both ordinary people and nobles have gone bankrupt and run away, but They (The officials and the King) still aren’t satisfied and are busy making new taxes.

“Can the country still be maintained after all of this?’

The contents were so nonsensical that one could only shake their heads, but Rubiana read each letter carefully every time.

Whenever she sent a reply, she won’t mention anything about what was written about the letter. She was just worried about her younger sister’s health depending on the season.

Even if the same day repeats itself, the years have changed and the years have passed.

One day in the fourth year of coming to the monastery, when Rubiana turned 24.

The mailman who came to visit once a month did not come to the monastery. Instead, a knight armed with silver armor and wearing an old long sword that did not fit the armor came.

She had shiny blonde hair and green eyes.

It was the time of prayer in the monastery. Rubiana confidently entered the wine cellar and was sleeping on an empty oak barrel.

Rubiana went out alone, led by a monk who had come to find her. There was no time to tidy up her tangled red hair.

Callena was sitting on a stone chair on the platform where the abbot was sitting. The five colors of light pouring from the colorful stained glass were shining brightly on her.

Rubiana looked up blankly at the podium. The younger sister she saw four years ago was still beautiful.

“Everything is ready now. I’m going to take out that bastard and kill him. I don’t care if I killed him first before bringing everyone down.”

Callena smiled brightly and held out her hand.

“Sister, help me.”

She still knew very well how to pamper her sister.

＊ ＊ ＊

She passed on the family title and the family to her smart younger sister because she thought it was the only way to protect her, the title, and their family in this chaotic world of tyranny.

However, her young sister was just too smart and wasn’t satisfied with merely protecting their family and territory, but she decided to defeat the tyrant instead. She said that the preparations have already been completed.

Rubiana had only one option in that situation – to help her younger sister.

Rubiana took off her monastic uniform that did not fit her body. She wiped the dust off the leather armor that was stuck in the temple warehouse, and put the stained bow and arrows over her shoulder.

When she went to find Callena, she was standing under multitudes of light.

The stained glass on the ceiling depicted a scene from the Bible that records when God sent a human king to this earth. A scene in which angels offer their crowns and horns to a man kneeling on the ground. Callena stood in the light that passed through the five-colored glass.

Rubiana knelt before her sister.

“Ruby unnie?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Can’t you call me Sir Rubiana or Sir Kristel? Of course, before that, you should appoint me as your knight first.”

“What?”

Callena had an expression as if it was absurd. Rubiana found an old, youthful look on her face.

Come to think of it, all she had to say when she came this far was, ‘Sister, help me.’

It was the only spell that could move Rubiana, but it was light enough to remain as the words of a new king who stood up to face the tyrant.

She can’t pick up the words that have already been said and put them back. What should I do? I’m her older sister so I should come out and help her. 

Rubiana glanced at the painter playing the pen next to Callena. When their eyes met, she squinted her eyes.

‘It will be beneficial to your life to draw the scene after this as best as possible.’

After threatening the painter like that, she looked up at Callena again.

“My given name is Rubiana, and my new name is Kristen. A former heir of the Count Luxen dares to swear – I will follow Callena, the Count Luxen, until the end of this life. My sword and arrows will point at your enemies, and my shield will defend your castle. I will eat the bread and salt you give me, and I will love and respect you and swear my loyalty to you with all my heart until the end of this life. Please accept me.”

Callena, who was panicking, soon regained her composure.

She looked down at Rubiana with a stiff face, and when Rubiana’s oath was over, she pulled out the sword she was wearing from her waist.

It was his father’s memento, and it was a treasured sword handed down from generation to generation by Count Luxen. Callena tapped Rubiana’s shoulders with the sword.

“Believing in your oath, I give you my bread and salt; do not forsake my faith. Loyalty will be rewarded sweet, and the fruit of treachery will be poisonous. Both you in the world and you dedicated to God, belong to me. I want to give you a new castle so that both names belong to you. Rubiana Kristel von Ashillean, lift your sword and follow me.”

The solemn oath of the lord poured over Rubiana’s head. Thus, Rubiana von Luxen became Rubiana Kristel von Ashillean.

(T/N: This is it for now. My nose is bleeding from their oaths only T_T )
(ED: Why the hell is your nose bleeding…the  male MC hasn’t even come yet…)