STM 102

But you know that’s a lie.

Why are you doing this? I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. And so, I was the only one suffocating on the way home.

“You’re busy…”

“Lu.”

He suddenly cut me off and called my name.

“You said you want something from me?”

“Yes.” I answered, wary of why he was suddenly asking that, but his voice was light.

“You want me to do it as soon as possible, right?”

“Of course.”

I nodded, then paused when I looked at him. He was smiling, but there was no trace of humor in his gaze.

Ah, damn it, that’s a threat. If I want something from him, I’d better crawl for it.

This wasn’t the time to nod stupidly. He tilted his head to the side, satisfied, perhaps seeing my true feelings.

“My fiancé’s quick wit makes things easier. So, after ‘you’re busy,’ what comes next?”

Fuck, I should’ve put a deadline in that damned contract. I swallowed my defeat and reluctantly opened my mouth.

“You’re busy, but… I’m delighted that you’re seeing me off, Your Grace.”

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy too.”

My face contorted even more, but he only laughed louder.

Just sign the contract, I told myself. After that, I’ll argue back at every single thing he says. Even if he says ‘hello,’ I’ll talk back.

Dreaming of a grand revenge, I turned to look out the window. But my brief rest ended in less than a second when he spoke again.

“But the title was wrong.”

“Wrong? Did you suddenly become a young lord without me knowing?”

“……”

“It was a joke.”

“It’s not funny.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

He confirmed it without reservation. I swallowed another bitter taste of defeat, but but his corrections still weren’t done.

“When it’s just the two of us, call me by my name.”

“Can I also speak informally?”

“Do you want to?”

He asked so gently it almost sounded sweet. I wasn’t fooled. He was staring at me the way a predator would look at a prey.

This was definitely a test. I forced myself to deny.

“No. How could I dare?”

Only then did his gaze soften. He smiled pleasantly.

“I don’t mind, but if my beloved fiancé wants that, then so be it.”

His disgusting pretentiousness gave me goosebumps, but there was another word that bothered me more.

“Is there really a need for that kind of modifier? People already think I’m the one desperately clinging to Your Grace because I’m smitten.”

So drop the fake ‘beloved,’ I told him with my eyes, and a fake smile.

“I can’t let you carry that burden alone.”

Even though I glared at him with all the heartfelt curses I could muster, it only seemed to amuse him more.

Look at that. He’s smiling again. I swore once more. After I sign that contract, I’ll fight him to the end.

“It’s not heavy at all. You don’t need to worry.”

“No, I do. If Duke Kun’s fiancé gets insulted by everyone in Tubain, it’ll tarnish the family’s reputation. Besides,”

He stopped and looked at me seriously.

“There are people who believe I chose you because you are Salvation. They’ll keep testing you because of that. To protect you, I need another reason.”

“It doesn’t have to be love. The pretext of wanting to borrow the power of the Adeye family would be more believable.”

“I’m not borrowing it.”

“No, I mean you could borrow it. It’s not even mine to begin with…”

“I won’t take a single gold coin from Adeye.”

Ah. Of course you won’t. He had enough pride to refuse even the power of a divine beast, so it wasn’t just empty talk.

Well, good for me. Less spending from Doctor Kim’s money. I turned back to the window, grumbling inwardly, but once again had to look at him in under a second.

“You won’t need a dowry either, so just come tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

I blinked, perplexed, then he casually explained.

“You’ll move into the ducal house.”

“Yes, but that’s after the marriage…”

“It starts from the moment we’re engaged.”

That made no sense…wait, what? I was about to argue but froze.

Could it be a custom in Tubain to move into your fiancé’s house right after the engagement?

But since Mo wasn’t working properly yet, the only way to find out was to ask the man right in front of me.

“Maybe… not?”

I asked uncertainly since I wasn’t sure, and he shook his head.

“In the Kun family, it is.”

Right, so not in Tubain. I straightened my back, feeling confident.

“It’s not like that in the Adeye family. I can’t possibly move tomorrow…”

“You promised to be a partner faithful to the Duke’s household rules. Did you forget?”

I couldn’t see myself, but I didn’t need to. It was obvious I must’ve frozen there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.

Even though I knew how stupid I must’ve looked, I couldn’t control my expression. I barely managed to open my mouth.

“Tomorrow is too soon.”

“Then there’s no helping it.”

He nodded slightly, then rolled down the carriage window and gave an order.

“Turn around. We’re not going to the Adeye residence.”

Oh, this man!

“No! It’s fine! Tomorrow works perfectly!”

‎

‎

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Steamed rice, beef radish soup, dongchimi, various pickles, rolled omelet, seasoned greens. It was served in a Western-style layout, but the meal before me was the closest thing to Korean food one could find in Tubain.

The brown mousse on top of the seasoned vegetables was a fermented soybean paste that Doctor Kim had hunted all across Tubain to find.

It was similar to doenjang, so she used it in almost every dish she could. Because of that, even just looking at those vegetables seasoned in olive oil made me feel like home was only about ten kilometers away.

But the meal Doctor Kim had prepared with such joy wasn’t something I could touch right away. It was served on the table in her room because she couldn’t even get out of bed.

‘The matriarch is very curious to see how much Lord Lu enjoys this food. If it’s all right, would you show her your reaction in person?’

That was what the butler had asked me. But how could I possibly eat in front of someone lying pale in bed?

“Hey, good work. I knew you’d pull it off. Now eat. Cough, go on, eat. There’s that herb salad that tastes like gondre too. Cough.”

Instead of sitting down, I looked down at her and spoke.

“Why are you collapsing again?”

“This doesn’t even count as collapsing. Ah, the soup’s getting cold, hurry and try it.”

I reluctantly sat down and muttered under my breath.

“You’re making it impossible to share good news with you.”

“Good news? Did Tairok say yes?!”

Ah, really. I put the spoon down again, annoyed.

“How is that good news?”

“Of course it is. It’s the completion of Plan X.”

I jumped from my seat in horror.

“It’s not Plan X! This one’s just a contract marriage. More like Plan K, so stop dreaming.”

“Contract marriage?”

She half-sat up from her lying position, her face a questioning, “What are you talking about?” It was a long story, so I ate slowly and told her what had happened.

Doctor Kim’s eyebrows went up and down nonstop as I spoke.

“So all he expects from you is to live a faithful married life under the Kun family’s rules? Why?”

“I don’t know either. I think he actually believes I’m Salvation. There’s no other explanation.”

“No, there is one more possible explanation.”

What? I was drinking my cinnamon punch when her next words almost made me spit it out.

“He’s completely fallen for you.”

“Doctor, that’s a symptom of gaslighting.”

She immediately bristled, but I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

“If had really fallen for me, would he keep messing with my head and smiling while doing it?”

Maybe remembering her own experience of Tairok messing with her head, Doctor Kim clenched her fist.

“That grinning bastard. He’s doing that to you too?”

“It’s no joke.”

I swallowed back my irritation again, remembering my humiliation in the carriage.

“I made a joke, and he went dead serious saying it wasn’t funny. You have no idea how awkward he made it.”

“Well, your jokes aren’t funny.”

“……”

“Oh, don’t sulk. What else did he say?”

I was already sulking, but tattling was my priority.

“He’s younger than me, yet he keeps trying so hard to win.”

“Ha, that brat. Every word that comes out of his mouth drips with sarcasm.”

“Exactly!”

Ha. We both placed our hands on our foreheads at the same time. The Tairok Victims’ Association was full of sighs once again.