Chapter 108: Engagement Ceremony (3)
ynZReWhen I woke up the next morning, the first thing I saw was Hua Ran staring outside the window.PAxy
AWZ0Oc“Ran… no, it’s Hua huh. What are you doing?”gSsXwzQ
HYJ“…Not coming.”pPfRm
yf2NS“What is?”nwD5
dt2yMcL“The stork… isn’t coming.”jXKKNHH
9pOrBPVHua Ran mumbled about some things that didn’t make much sense to me. Maybe there was a legend in the east about storks flying around in the morning or something.QFe
lYv8“Stop looking outside the window. Wash yourself and let’s go grab some food. There’s something I need to tell you as well.”02DSHd
D9Qa“…”xAf
SFEtjI wasn’t sure what was going through her head, but in any case, I stood up from the bed to head to the large bathroom.OQY
VMd2q“Are you not going?”cDC
bewk“…Maybe it got eaten.”rCKPU
QGGFzB“Which one; you mean the stork?”IHaeSg4
YhdpL1i“…Nn.”LZHh1i
ZX05d“You are not going to see any storks near this place. They come out more north of here. I think I heard about there being some habitats of storks near the North Kingdom.”b6Gnck
hsPl5Dz“…!!”tvm
Ql2N8RHua Ran looked greatly shocked as if that was something she hadn’t been expecting. I wonder why she wanted to see them in the first place.PO0
Hv7dA“Whatever. Let’s go have some food.”CbNm58
gOWtFDLI dragged the disappointed Hua Ran and took her to the bathroom.FF6hf
UJygur………MWvc5e
Lea……d2k
bvJR…CDIGsHS
h4M“Fake engagement?”ZvHKLSn
GLCEQ“Shh. It’s a secret so make sure you don’t tell anyone.”EOu
fEFW6w3“…Okay.”thrUB
KY7fbThat morning, I explained the situation to Hua Ran after she was done washing herself.jpy3
aZmvACO“It was just for a little tease but that was very inconsiderate of me. Can you say that to Ran?”sZuPpUX
ZRwb6“…”iGe0
yQ5V“I should have been more considerate of her feelings. I’m sorry for making you guys sad.”KFZp
fb3IEWithout saying anything, Hua Ran looked at me and raised a fist.9RpDkkN
1aXqrP– Bam!PT4I
LNnq“Ugyak…! That hurts!”wPE5
Q63Z“…”BJe28
bHKwdI, I did do something that deserved a beating but that didn’t feel like the only reason there!2rXveqX
D39trsg“Eat.”nPWJn
LNoShAfter saying one word, she started staring at the chopsticks that were placed next to the fried mackerel. She then looked back and forth at the fried mackerel and me.iwWdz
7mJcc“…”lGpk
KREMSW3“…”WG1K4H
yW0z5p“………”UQ9X
Bfc“………Alright, I’ll get rid of the bones for you.”dE7Bp
ds1IKAfter a long silence, I began to debone the fish for her.aCM1
gQUb2– Nom nom.vNVT98
3m9O0gOLike a cat munching on fish, Hua Ran indulged herself in her meal. Around the time she was done with the food, she opened her mouth.ssfT9
Fve“You… You’re always busy.”RgEWp
F76ntVS“Hnn? Oh, yeah I am.”diZV
vbj“If something like this happens again… go with me.”RIDqb
n9Z“Huh? Sure. That would be awesome.”kU49o
1AndKL“…Awesome?”UhMr
7YqJOIOf course it was. Considering her strength, that was an offer I would welcome with wide open arms.YDnyT
MWXFJ1“Yeah. Thanks.”GN5bGO
VtpaI stroked her head. From the faint change in her expression, I could tell that she was in a better mood.KJHHyPB
ftgx****pxK7T
2zdMlI had to find Marie.mP4
7KfUEven though I tried asking the maids and butlers of the Arden Family, they didn’t have any clue either so the next one I had to rely on was…oKoDjRe
jiZPlhi“Woof!”qR5f
zA43He was in the backyard of the Arden headquarters.dpIQl
Sd6egLWearing a Montijo t-shirt that was worth 2 gold coins and pants that cost 5 gold coins, Doggo was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses with his legs crossed as he arrogantly greeted me.iKu
6dhINF“Woof woof!”G746
p7y“Yeah… I get that you’re busy but…”OWXg
wgPDkHe, the fruit of Marie and my blood, had called all the female dogs of the area and were making them lay down on top of a discarded couch and his knees.vrdO
jCuRcWhy the heck was this guy so popular?aoyAm7C
qYB“Do you know where mommy has gone off to?”vOTX
aT6XJL“Woof!”P1iGXS
q7Ppo“Huh? You little brat! Who told you to use such language to your daddy?”reSzOQP
LO4LGP9“Woof woof!”P9K8bag
BEW“But I… I wasn’t intending… on making mommy cry but… N, no. That would just be another excuse. Sorry. It is your daddy’s fault.”U1b1cE
DiH9yfI sat down next to him on the couch. The desperate eyes of the female dogs staring at Doggo were extremely burdensome but I somehow made them go down.RHiyJ
joLB– Nghhh nghhh (Mr. Doggo… Do you have no need for me anymore?)PkwlWdX
Uv0uO……4uEKtmQ
0sZWas there something wrong with my ears? Why did I get a feeling that I could hear what these moaning dogs were trying to say?I3pcmKH
n8Kq“Anyway, Doggo. Your daddy has something to talk about with mommy. Can you tell me where she is?”E9d0NR1
B0xrn“Woof!”yva
EUwDamn it, it wasn’t working.S9l2JWP
xT681RUThis guy… he was going to swear at me when he’s grown up at this rate! No wonder they say raising a child gives you nothing in return! He’s only standing on mom’s side!!nR6
SxAGVdv“One cow.”JWE7E9
ROK“…Woof?”EyW
FeLeFim“When we go back… I will get you one of the top-notch black cows of the south, delivered straight to you raw.”TWZYZbl
tkFtS6a“Woof woof woof…!!”GjWm
3sxkThe guy suddenly started to laugh. What was going on? The black cows of the south were his favorite type of meat. There was no way he would—4e7xf
If6YW『Storage Statement: Doggo (Guaranteed by Dunareff)』
Remaining Money: 2,956 gold.6xjW
nnLv78kThank you very much for using the gold coin storage of the Grand Chapel of Zeon.5MzeA
izjeV4u…The gold coin storage of the New Faith was like the bank of this world. There was nothing wrong with that but…GWkY
z2mWhy was this kid more loaded than me?vmJBTB
eljzWait a second. How did Doggo have enough money to laugh at the building fees of the hotel that I tried my ass off to protect last year?Lv8a5
KPgZ“S, son…? Can you give your daddy some pocket money…?”c4oE
bw2J3“Kukwekwekwekwek…!”VxLye2
l4cijN****NAwS4Ne
giUxzUwDespite being mocked and looked down on a whole lot, in the end, Doggo told me where Marie was.O7G
CugYn5“Senior.”NKL6P
Qo05“…”T29
Du6She was in one of the guest rooms located in a corner of the Arden household. Because it was supposed to be inhabited, even the windows were closed and the only source of light inside the room where Marie was was the light coming in from the door I slid open.PfopCcu
C8pBK“You’re here,” she said.gx3oU7k
rynY“What are you doing here?”kYU
d0Ez5Uw“Nothing much.”63Dt
0uSkmWJ“Like, about the thing yesterday…”eKK7vVI
KhWqvkpIt was then. Marie took large steps towards me before lifting her head.s6bAf
6YYo“Senior?”7Tr
zLjMHer red eyes had a sharp glimmer. Just from looking at her eyes, I could tell that she was thirsty and she pounced at me before I could even do anything.B9NC3rm
kZZFPakk! Her fangs dug deep into my collarbone. She had been doing this so much that it wouldn’t have been strange for me to have gotten a scar there, but there were no problems thanks to my regeneration ability.6TqJ
KGH1S– Gulp…!Xsxwo
8Owod5pIn times like this, Marie was almost like a baby. Desperately, she would cling onto my neck refusing to let her lips fall apart. Although I was supporting her by the back so that she wouldn’t fall back, she was so indulged in sucking my blood that she didn’t even need that extra support.Y1CE
cT6o“Haa… Haa…”8koBE
kAkuyAfter drinking my blood without any rest, she started gasping for breath. She tended to be overly excited in times like this so I settled her down while tapping her on her back.skj
SOqlOe“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”ucl9JlR
De3R“…Un.”i80
G2wK0nI stepped back and laid myself down on the bed behind me as Marie started pressing down on me from above. It was a similar posture to what happened with Ran yesterday but… the density and stickiness of the air inside the room were incomparably different.cdAe
FJetd“Delicious.”uAZejZ
HT10tShe dug deeper and deeper into me. Our hearts aligned as the sound of her thumping heartbeat reached all the way to my ears.g682o
mejAfter craving blood for who knows how long, she parted her fangs and licked my neck to clean up the blood before raising her head back up.pG7
5POHer hair slid down and tickled my lips.nxALT3
XZAyzqE“Korin. Can I have a bit more? I was… hungry for a long time.”jH63B
IZ47It had been about a month. Ever since we parted, Marie must have been relying only on blood packs, and because it was rare to see her being this dependent, I couldn’t turn her down.zF3RTna
Zq8RrConsidering all the help she had given me, turning her down wasn’t an option.OJ0r
El9“Sure.”zgYJr
QOmLike a baby, she once again dug into my chest. Her sharp fangs pierced through my skin once again, not allowing them the time to regenerate back up.26QVTku
PWg………gnyN9Qs
S0fFTV……dzg5
5NNt9to…xTvXEtf
XsFdOBecause of her long starvation, she ended up sucking his blood too much. There were a myriad of emotions on her face as she gazed down at Korin who was sleeping on the bed due to nausea.9ami
nqdd3aHis blood that she finally got to taste after a long separation was sweet and captivating.rrU3jf
exR3His wide shoulders and resilient muscles; tall collarbones, tough traps, and chest muscles. The tasteful blood flowing down her throat past her tongue as well as the remainder next to his collarbones…MIHaCh
hY4cEverything. Everything; every single one of them is mine. Those are mine and mine alone and no one else will be able to reach them.Bpcfw
uEHThe mere thought of having these stolen by someone else made her furious. The Dunareff princess, who was kinder and nicer than anyone else, couldn’t stop her killing intent from rising up.PSvWzD
SOhThe fact that Korin didn’t choose her was a very depressing and sad event, but she still had to wish for their happiness.RgS4
iEbAfter all, she wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to have a happy ending after living a joyous life with his loved ones.SAYSh
93hKli“You see, Korin… I can wait.”DM4
Krl7H40100 years.R7IM
V2EThat wasn’t going to be that long for her anymore. As long as she could obtain everything that belonged to him after waiting for that long…4Rc1Ria
EVWz‘It’ll be my win.’r4ygpy6
uYOX36oSo what if her precious treasure would get touched by someone else? After a short time, it would be sent back to her, never leaving the treasury ever again.6kjup
lAHb5cJThat was why everything was fine. She could wait, but… And yet…qevkUT
oJj5W1“Uhk… Huhuk…!”ETTy
wxIPXEven so, she didn’t like it. She hated the idea of having him stolen away for even a second. She became greedy, hoping he would stay with her from the start to the end.cNh3f
TVl“He’s mine… he’s mine…”Qry
QWNeWhy did I have to watch him form a bond with someone else? How was I supposed to wait 100 years by myself?a0egm
D9YJO8The girl turned teary. She couldn’t stop her tears from falling down her cheeks.ClbswNw
HfZVEFRThe first loss of her life was extremely bitter and spicy.7Pbwir
32Kw3“…Senior?”yUNaolb
SsQmThat was when some thick fingers went past her eyes.ffDrU3c
Hvd“Why… are you crying?”FyNM2i
JYTYbAs if he was still half-sleepy, Korin couldn’t continue his words properly but Marie could still tell that he was greatly concerned about her.V3aPZF0
NW8Z“Come here and lie down.”EtB
lTHrTTap tap.8lp
pV92IuKorin invited her down while tapping on the bed. His actions had a magic charm to them or something; as if being absorbed into the bed, she laid herself down and rested her head on his arm.FEkHjtD
vDomS“Are you okay now?”B00xt
nIHB“Un… Sorry.”Jxkvnm
ZVSO“Who made my little Senior cry?”F1GV
3wBwR3It’s because of you; you’re hurting me like this – Marie couldn’t say that to his face.XR0V
gTVAEShe found it disgraceful to rely so much on someone who was about to be engaged very soon.kuC5B8n
aqXviQsKorin had a troubled look on his face, seeing that Marie was still looking extremely dejected, and decided to share his honest thoughts despite them being slightly embarrassing to talk about.Wgf
mYW“I told you, didn’t I. You are a nice person, Senior. And I want you to be happy.”j2gbavZ
bJAANv“…Why?”qI3
6gPjZB“My arms are short and I can only reach the ones in front of my eyes but… at the very least, I want everyone within my reach to be happy. Because they all have the right to be so.”jlAv
1xwjep“Everyone…”Tv8e
4xuVZhnThat was a repeat of what she heard when she asked him why he had saved her, but it sounded slightly different this time.3eVa
Ey0wt0HShe noticed that she… was just one person among ‘everyone’ for the hero, Korin Lork.YIC8hLp
PmH78O“I…”L241vQ
i47PI want to be your one and only special person, and not just a part of everyone though…KUZMkI
v7lBecause he was a kind-hearted person who could empathize, be considerate, protect, and help others, Marie Dunareff liked him.Dxwui
8N5JDlHShe liked him, adored and loved him, and will continue to even if that love remained going in one direction.acSr075
0FWHowever, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling down. Her sorrow and dejection constantly tried to pour out of her.YZdnC7J
mM7“Korinnn…”HUbet
0OSCCIn the end, a wave of sorrow left through her neck and started to swirl.MlUg
FbAzgy“Ehew… Don’t cry. You’re ruining your beauty.”yJ3
2MEE“Huguk…! Stop… treating me… like a kid…”r0o8G
htIZrz“I’m not. Seriously though… if you’re like this, how are you going to congratulate me during my engagement ceremony?”Akat
3VVWhy should I!? Why would I even do that!? I’ll never do it!v0qx
UQmLAgIt was when Marie was about to pour out her emotions at this clueless boy.0XPG
hWUp“Well, it’s a fake engagement though.”4BsG0MM
WAwM“Hunng?”chRH
mf6Her tears came to a sudden stop as she then asked with doubt in her eyes.UiSgys
c27“Fake… engagement?”8GFF7
rEbcyYh“Yes. I made a deal with Miss Lunia.”qlDa6cQ
PiNj2FKAs if she had been struck by a 100-meter-long chunk of ice, her face went through a rapid change.Yo5Wt
5ntLAA“Aiya~. But seriously, as soon as she saw me in the east, she suddenly asked if I wanted to get married. Some family circumstances I guess.”w6h
mnhNow that she finally seemed to be in the mood for a conversation, Korin started rambling on and on.qGp8HzF
jVPkmjAnd the more she listened to his words, the redder her ears turned. Her cheeks which were wet from her tears turned red and steamy.204U
7t6qo3Everything had been fake, and everything was a prank.3elru3H
ndT1“I, I see! So that’s how it was…!”1Y6rn
QxUiELooking back, it really was strange. It had only been one month since Korin had come to the east. How could they fall in love and talk about engagement in just a month?hAHbX1
L5tXEven if that was possible, Korin was a very busy person. He had talked to Marie about his enemies who were plotting schemes all around the world regardless of the time.NlES
ozW1dKxMarie had personally even volunteered to join his guild of guardians to be his partner, did she not?QeVhFH
y8hBSo how could such a busy person like Korin Lork volitionally tie himself down to the eastern side of the continent? Just a little bit of thought would have allowed her to notice all the contradictions.OMyaJe5
3O2pdgf“U, uiikk… Uuiik…!”gsh6fO
udDkLHer fists shivered as her mind brought back up all the delusions and vile plans that she had been going through.4dzykJ
9cC7i9Wait for 100 years? Don’t want to get him stolen?a3cdbd
DHN9bQf“UGIYAAAKK…!”603Rgc
FdjMarie flapped her legs and arms on the bed.MOvWd
XTz3Dy“Here’s a blanket. Take a nap; you must be full.”0F0D
oe9“Eeek… Eeeeek…!!”p7h
ruGgSDGShe flailed around while panting for breath while Korin watched over her like an adult looking at an adorable child. After about 10 to 20 minutes, she finally settled back down so he asked her while giving her a tap on the back.Fm6rZAo
ZwZYI“So… Why was it that you were so sad?”O0pE
Jb8k26F“It’s… nothing!”gZFxKw
vzcPEzJ“Well… alright. Let’s just say that then.”8xgj
Fymd49With a mixture of embarrassment and anger, Marie pinched his cheeks while still lying down sideways on the bed.LTbSiH
jS6vUCr“Ayayaya…”poR
emy5“Korin,” she said.6hdmqDh
mums“Yes?”fXfFk7
QbCuZ6S“Please… don’t lie to me.”i5GkW
7EAFmUK“…”w8ZVK0
ahyKorin returned her a serious gaze that contained a bit of guilt, apology and… a firm resolve.jFM69y
L7Cu“Alright. I won’t.”Dg6m8ej
xeYc33“I… believe everything that you say, Korin. I don’t doubt anything. Even if you say you will multiply gold coins by threefold, I will trust you and I won’t doubt it even if you tell me there will be a meteor strike tomorrow. So…”1BEE
cMC4Revealing a tip of her complicated emotions, Marie said with teary eyes.45A5j
dwtuTmN“So please don’t ever lie to me, Korin.”nHCMemp
xblF3“Okay. I won’t lie to you even as a joke.”KynHdqW
Wi6“Nn. I trust you.”ttl
W1O56piAfter wiping off the beads of moisture from her eyes, the girl smiled like a fully-bloomed flower, as if she gained a never-lying lover that will stay with her for the rest of her life.bBe
W4A7s“No matter what happens… everything will be mine after 100 years.”YkPBV4b
GxR6“And what do you mean by that?”cImtLi
0UjE“It’s a secret…!”SQIXy
0yhUBahThat was most certainly going to be kept a secret from him for the next 100 years.X7iTgpq
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