126 – Huh??? (2)
Undoubtedly, Adria was enduring painful days.
Of course, those painful days hadn’t been going on for too long.
Maybe around 5 days in total?
However, for the merchants who roamed the streets, those mere 5 days might not have seemed like a long time at all. Yet, during those few days, Adria experienced hell.
More precisely, it all started when the rumor spread that “The Lord of Lartania is getting married.”
From that moment on, Adria had to endure Salong’s murmurs cursing the person who would marry the Lord of Lartania, almost non-stop for 24 hours a day, making the phrase “a day feels like a year” seem ironically trivial.
Not only that, but Salong’s occasional screams and incessant whining while clinging to her had swiftly broken even Adria’s strong will.
In the end, Adria had come to the Lartania territory to confirm the truth behind this rumor.
And then.
“Exactly, right? You’re not getting married!?”
“…I kept telling you, I had to buy the engagement ring because I had to purchase it due to some urgent matter.”
While Adria seemed to express relief in her following words, Kim Hyunwoo looked at her with a very peculiar expression.
Understandably, from Kim Hyunwoo’s perspective, being clueless about the circumstances, Adria’s question in her current distressed state created conditions for him to imagine various scenarios.
Therefore, as Kim Hyunwoo watched the genuinely relieved Adria, he cautiously asked, “But, why are you curious about that…?”
“Huh? Oh…”
As Adria’s expression shifted from relief to bewilderment upon that question, she seemed to realize how she appeared to Kim Hyunwoo, and awkwardly changed the subject, “No, I mean- Oh, by the way, if you’re not going to use the engagement ring, does that mean you won’t use it in the end?”
She seemed to struggle to find the right words, eventually deflecting the conversation.
An obviously awkward change of topic.
However, seeing the evident discomfort in Adria’s eyes, Kim Hyunwoo decided to go along with her rhythm.
“Well, I don’t plan on using it right away. There’s no one around to- especially, no one to give it to.”
“I see…”
“But I do plan to use it within the next six months.”
“Oh?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, didn’t you say there was no one around a while ago?”
“Did I?”
“…But why is there a limit of six months?”
In response to Adria’s question, Kim Hyunwoo thought about having heard a similar story somewhere before and answered, “Probably because it would be a waste if it’s not used. Besides, this ring is quite expensive.”
“Uh… um…”
Seeing Kim Hyunwoo’s expression suddenly darken, Adria quickly said, “Should I sell that ring? It seems like it would fetch a high price, as you mentioned.”
“…”
Did I ever mention the ring’s performance? Kim Hyunwoo seemed to wonder, but then he shook his head.
“No, I don’t think it’s necessary to go to that extent.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t really have the desire to sell the ring.”
Although the ring was currently of no use, selling it would be a truly unreasonable thing to do.
If selling the ring could get him a red stone, he would gladly do so, but at this point, selling the ring would only bring him gold coins.
In other words, entrusting Adria with the ring for sale at this point would have been a loss unless it could bring in several million gold coins.
“If it doesn’t work out there, I have a place for it.”
Thinking so, Kim Hyunwoo politely declined Adria’s offer.
Adria, with a deeply contemplative expression mixed with a hint of resentment in her eyes, glanced at Kim Hyunwoo once and said, “…I see. Well then, I’ll – I’m too tired today, so I’ll rest a bit and come back.”
After saying that, without looking back, she walked away.
Kim Hyunwoo, silently watching her leave the study, found himself lost in strange thoughts.
“…Do I like her?”
Of course, Kim Hyunwoo was not a person prone to self-admiration.
However, based on Adria’s recent actions, Kim Hyunwoo was convinced that any man would have such thoughts.
The image Adria had shown him was enough to make Kim Hyunwoo misunderstand her intentions.
Yet, despite Adria’s actions, Kim Hyunwoo was in a strange state of mind.
“…Is something a bit off?”
Of course, everyone has hidden aspects, but Kim Hyunwoo considered himself to know himself quite well.
And the original Kim Hyunwoo he knew should have had a heart rate exceeding 200 beats per minute at this point.
Given his nature as a loner until he reached his mid-twenties, the mere gesture of a woman reaching out to him should have made his heart race.
Moreover, objectively or subjectively, Adria’s face, as the superior being, was undeniably beautiful.
If Adria had been born in the original world with that face, she would have undoubtedly become a celebrity.
Yet, despite Adria displaying such a level of beauty, whether it was a misconception or not, there was no ripple in Kim Hyunwoo’s heart.
Not even a ripple, but a profound calmness, like a still lake.
“…What is this?”
Therefore, Kim Hyun-woo felt something strange.
####
Adria was in despair.
No, actually, when she first heard the story from Kim Hyun-woo, the situation wasn’t desperate.
But from the moment Kim Hyun-woo mentioned using the proposal ring within half a year, her despair started all over again.
[As expected, the master must have someone like that. He probably has no interest in someone like me from the start, and everything about me must have already been erased from his memory. Not even a fragment of memory remains. Still, this is…]
Adria felt like her mind was going numb from the relentless sound of Salrong’s voice echoing in her head.
Before, that is, when they had a one-sided contract, if Salrong acted a little strange, Adria could discreetly cut off the connection from her side. But now that the contract was mutual, she couldn’t do that anymore.
So Adria, who was suffering, endured.
“I can’t take this anymore…!”
Eventually, her patience ran out.
Of course, even though her patience ran out, it didn’t mean her respect for Salrong had diminished.
No matter how much Salrong cruelly tormented her and caused her mental anguish, he was the benefactor who saved her life.
That’s why, instead of hating Salrong, Adria decided to put an end to the root of this situation.
“Master, pull yourself together and listen to me carefully.”
[Anyway, I…]
“Start redecorating the house like last time, right now.”
[…Why?]
Salrong asked.
However, without answering her question, Adria took out a scroll from the desk in the study.
It was a teleportation scroll she had prepared in advance to refill the one that had been consumed during the incident with Merilda and Lyn.
Taking out the scroll, Adria’s eyes blazed with a fiery determination.
“Master, please use some magic.”
[What kind of magic?]
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot com“Any magic that can conceal my presence, please cast it.”
Adria stated firmly.
“I will bring Lord Yeongju in front of you by today.”
With that, without hesitation, Adria opened the door at the top.
####
Late at night in Yeongju Castle, there were only a few guards and Elena and Rani living in the castle.
Most of the guards were stationed on the first floor, and Elena and Rani also used the rooms on the second floor, so practically, Kim Hyun-woo was the only one using the third floor where the study was located.
Originally, that is.
“Phew…”
Merilda entered the room with a tense expression and looked at Kim Hyun-woo.
Deeply asleep.
Looking at him, Merilda rolled her eyes around with a slightly nervous feeling, but…
“Chief, remember. This is not just a waste of time; it’s a very important process. Depending on how well this process goes, the duration of the plan will change. Really.”
Recalling Liyu’s words, Merilda let out a heavy sigh several times, then began to cautiously wake up Kim Hyun-woo.
And then.
“Hmm… Huh?”
He blinked at the sensation of being shaken and opened his eyes.
“…Huh?”
With a notification window announcing the arrival of an unidentified hero, Kim Hyun-woo found himself looking at Merilda, who had somehow appeared on the bed.
Silver hair strands shimmered in the moonlight.
Contrasting with that, ruby-like red eyes sparkled beneath furrowed brows.
“What… is this?”
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Kim Hyun-woo seemed bewildered, but Merilda, with a slight intake of breath, silently drew a line with her finger and then drew a curve with her lips, as if silently signaling.
She clenched one fist tightly.
And then.
“Meow-“
At that moment when the line Merilda had been practicing for days was about to come out.
“Hiss-!?”
Merilda’s head jerked back.
As if caught by an invisible force, her hair strands floated unnaturally.
And then.
“What are you doing, you unsatisfied beast…!?”
From behind Merilda, the owner of the hand holding her hair began to appear.
**