STM 98

Clunk, clunk.

The carriage shook her body, but Solongo, accustomed to it, picked up her pen and diligently scribbled down the list. It was somehow annoying. I was the one who caused the accident, but she could at least offer a word of comfort.

“Solongo, do you really have to do that now?”

“The moment we get back to the mansion, the matriarch will tell us to prepare the dowry. With Adeye’s reputation, you can’t just do anything carelessly.”

You’re doing that in advance? Was her surname Park? Her overly Korean attitude wasn’t exactly welcome this time.

“You already told the matriarch?”

Tak, as if she’d been waiting, she put down her pen.

“She was very pleased.”

… Yes, I’m glad that even Doctor Kim is pleased. No, but…

“Aren’t you worried? I still don’t fully understand why Tairok accepted my proposal. Solongo, would you really believe it if I said I’m Salvation?”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

No. She averted her gaze.

“I just thought, if what matters most to Lord Lu is saving his original world, it must be troubling for him to suddenly become Tubain’s true Salvation.”

“There’s nothing troubling about it. Because I’m not.”

Salvation can predict the future, ride clouds, and do all sorts of things.

“But you can communicate with the divine beasts, right?”

“That’s because of Lu’s power.”

“That’s true. The real Lord Lu rejected that power, so it was useless.”

“I was lucky.”

She stared at me again without replying, then turned her gaze away.

“Lord Lu is the one who transformed that useless power into something extraordinary. Grand Duke Kun had experienced Lu’s power firsthand, which is why he decided to take your hand. But…”

She trailed off and nodded cautiously.

“That’s right. There are definitely aspects of him that aren’t typical of Grand Duke Kun. There was no need for him to accept the proposal.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Perhaps.”

Perhaps? The moment I leaned closer, she said nonsense.

“What if he accepted the proposal because he likes Lord Lu?”

I looked at her sadly. Yes, another victim of gaslighting.

“No. It’s Solongo’s delusion.”

“But he held your hand first…”

“That guy just likes holding hands.”

I sighed and offered her some advice.

“Solongo, think about it the other way around. You’ve been fighting Tairok for so long, so do you think you can suddenly fall for him overnight just because your relationship has changed?”

“Well, he’s not bad-looking…”

“You can make eye contact and confess ‘I love you’?”

“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

Solongo finally shook her head, shuddering. As expected, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes was the best way to bring you to your senses.

“See, it must be terrible for Tairok. Aside from the fact that he’d hated Adeye for so long, he’d already witnessed Lu’s perversions. It wouldn’t make sense for him to suddenly fall in love with him.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Solongo tilted her head, she still haven’t recovered from the gaslighting, but quickly returned to reality.

“Then there’s only one thing that matters.”

Solongo stopped talking, her eyes shining with a serious spark.

“You need to get married quickly before Grand Duke Kun gets suspicious.”

Ah, the oath. That’s why I’d caused all this trouble. Suddenly, my fighting spirit was rekindled.

I’d flattened the traitor’s nose, but I couldn’t rest until Tairok and I had made an oath. Hadn’t the traitor used it to bind Tairok and stop him from closing the Eye of Hell?

“You’re right. He could easily back out later and say he won’t go through with it.”

“That’s right.”

Solongo nodded, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation.

“When you meet him, you must make it clear that Lord Lu is Salvation. It would be even better if you could demonstrate your abilities.”

Abilities. Speaking of which, Ma Hoiga’s ability was the interpretation of ancient texts, right? He must have done that with the help of nanobots. So, what can’t I do?

Clang.

Just then, with a loud noise, the carriage pulled into the entrance of the Grand Duke Kun’s mansion. It was a long drive to the mansion, but I straightened my posture.

When I first got into the carriage, I felt like I was being dragged to hell, but now I felt like I had arrived at the entrance to heaven.

Perhaps the reason he’d invited me to his house was as a test, to see if I could interpret the ancient texts.

But whether it’s an ancient document, a webtoon, anything, bring it on!

I shouted inwardly, but I couldn’t get out of the carriage right away. A message from Mo appeared in red letters before my eyes.

[The system is switching to sleep mode due to accumulated processing overload.]

… Are you kidding me?

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‎

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After buttoning up his white shirt, the owner of the hand quickly put on a vest. The vest was dark, but decorated with gold thread, giving it a luxurious yet elegant look.

Moreover, it matched the owner of the hand’s golden eyes perfectly. Knowing this better than anyone, he didn’t wear it often.

According to him, he hated it because it felt too fancy. Yet, as soon as he arrived at the mansion, he had already changed into it.

He’d even dismissed the attendants , putting it on himself, as if he was in a hurry. He then looked in the mirror and smoothed his hair with his hand.

Rick couldn’t believe this. Looking at Tairok now, didn’t he seem to be concerned about his appearance just to impress someone?

Rick couldn’t believe that someone was Adeye Lu. So, just in case, he asked.

“Why are you suddenly changing your clothes?”

Tairok replied, still staring at the mirror.

“Guests are coming.”

You usually don’t even properly entertain guests! Barely holding back the urge to yell, he asked again.

“Are you perhaps referring to Adeye Lu?”

Tairok quickly turned his head at the question. Rick flinched at the cold gaze. Did he do something wrong? Then, a stern warning sounded.

“He is the one who will become my Grand Duchess. Address him with proper respect.”

Rick froze, he gapped, unable to answer. So you’re really going to marry him?

“Grand Duke, do you really believe that Adeye Lu… is the real Salvation? That he can even lift the curse?”

Tairok slowly ran a hand through his flowing bangs and looked at Rick with a blank expression.

“Salvation isn’t someone who lifts curses.”

“Yes, but Ma Hoiga said he could.”

“I’ll lift the curse myself.”

If he could, he would have done it long ago! Rick almost shouted, forgetting that he was his superior. Instead, he calmed himself by recalling Tairok’s countless efforts and accomplishments in saving the Kun family.

Yes, this man can achieve even the most impossible.

“Have you considered this?”

“Hoiga said he identified a clue to the curse in an ancient text. We need to obtain it.”

“Didn’t he say he received it from the Sarne family?”

There’s no way the Sarne family would give it to Tairok.

Rick suppressed another sigh. But Tairok wasn’t wrong. If they could obtain that text, they will be able to lift the curse. Deciphering it, though, would be another matter.

To obtain the text, they’d need to recruit someone from Sarne…

In an instant, someone came to Rick’s mind. A family close to Sarne. Adeye.

Oh, could it be the Grand Duke is trying to exploit Adeye’s power?

Honestly, in terms of influence on the continent, Adeye was far greater than the Ma family. If they were allies, there couldn’t be a better one. It’s just that it feels unpleasant.

But who is his Grand Duke? He’d easily put aside personal feelings to destroy his enemies.

Besides, judging from the White Branch meeting, didn’t the Ma family already seem to have completely fallen for Montaine? The only rival to the Ma family was Adeye.

Rick’s gaze shifted instantly as he looked at Tairok. Yes, this was a pragmatic decision. He couldn’t have blindly accepted a marriage proposal because he was so in love with Adeye Lu.

“The Duke must have a plan.”

Rick nodded, assuming he understood, but Tairok couldn’t hear properly because he was too focused on looking out the window.

“When will the carriage carrying Lu arrive?”

“It left later than us, so it should arrive soon.”

“From now on, we’ll have our soldiers escort him.”

“Huh? The wealthy Adeye will take care of it… Ah, yes.”

Rick bowed his head again under Tairok’s gaze, but his eyes widened again at the subsequent order.

“What are you doing? Go greet him.”

“Um, me? …Of course I should go. Of course.”

Right, to gain Adeye’s cooperation, they’ll have to at least offer a little courtesy. After all, it’s a marriage Lu has eagerly proposed… Huh?

Rick, pondering this, suddenly had a question. Now that he thinks about it, when did Adeye Lu start liking the Grand Duke?