An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#69

I soon shook my head.

This was merely borrowing money from Gert.

Of course, even that was helpful. It was much better to have just one creditor rather than several. I could pay the instrument merchant immediately too.

The instrument merchant kept trying to give me the golden strings for free, but I forcibly pushed the money onto him.

The instrument merchant looked troubled, but he obediently accepted the payment Berta had offered. Even after that, he bowed repeatedly in gratitude several times.

Exercising transcendent patience to see off the instrument merchant, I rushed toward the gleaming golden strings as soon as he left. Just looking at the golden strings made me smile naturally.

“Hehe.”

‘Golden strings definitely have a majestic quality… Playing Gert’s heroic poetry with golden strings will be quite magnificent.’

Just thinking about performing with these strings already made me feel excited.

The fact that I had fallen asleep sobbing yesterday, and that I still had a debt of 2000 gold remaining, had long been forgotten.

***

Eurich’s heart pounded.

Though the scheme he had devised was pathetically torn apart, his interest in it had long since cooled. A new plan had come to mind.

‘This time it’s perfect.’

“…That’s why we must eliminate Orphea as soon as possible.”

Excitement that he couldn’t quite hide leaked from Eurich as he bowed his head before the king.

King Philias of Petalien stroked his chin and muttered.

“Not love, but the possibility of breaking Alkides’ curse…”

Unlike before, Eurich realized that this time his argument had gotten through to the king.

But the king was an utterly fickle being. Since there was no telling when he might change his attitude like flipping his palm, Eurich bowed his head even deeper and continued speaking.

“Right now he pretends to mind the Royal Family while playing hero by hunting monsters because of his curse, but once the curse is broken, there will be nothing left for him to worry about. Then he’ll truly act like his father… So we absolutely cannot let his curse be broken.”

Gert had never clashed with the Royal Family until now, and had rather cooperated with them.

That was quite an exceptional thing.

The Duchy of Lübenherts was a household with power rivaling the Royal Palace, and all the previous Lübenhartz Archdukes had been utterly arrogant enough to pay no heed to the Royal Family.

But Gert was different. It was precisely because of his curse.

To alleviate his madness, he needed the blood of sacrifices with strong power. No matter how many ordinary humans he killed, his madness wouldn’t be relieved.

In such a situation, if he clashed with the Royal Family beyond a certain point and war broke out, though the Royal Family might be pushed back initially, in the long run his madness that couldn’t be suppressed would eventually turn toward his own allies.

In the end, only a future of mutual destruction existed.

Because of this, Gert was in no position to seriously oppose the Royal Family. The Royal Family also knew this fact through information Eurich had provided, and had somewhat exploited that point.

But what if Orphea broke Gert’s curse?

The leash restraining Gert would disappear. For the king who regarded the time when Gert’s father Odrich was alive as a nightmare, this would absolutely not be a welcome development.

Eurich naturally thought the king would accept his proposal to assassinate Orphea. But the king’s heavy silence pressed down on Eurich’s head.

How much time passed like that?

The king suddenly spoke.

“So you dared to use Lairinne to steal the Royal Family’s treasure for your schemes?”

At the king’s chilling words that fell like a blade suddenly placed at his throat, cold sweat ran down Eurich’s nape.

Soon the sound of the king rising from his throne could be heard. Rustle, rustle. Along with the sound of clothes brushing, the tips of the king’s shoes appeared before Eurich’s eyes.

Eurich desperately suppressed his trembling body while sharpening his senses to gauge the king’s mood even slightly.

While Eurich remained perfectly still, the king continued speaking from above his head.

“Sometimes you do such insolent things. Even after being cast out by your household and family, becoming no different from a vagrant with nothing to your name.”

The king clicked his tongue. Soon a rough touch like stroking Eurich’s hair could be felt. The king stroked Eurich’s hair like petting a dog, then suddenly grabbed his head roughly and made him lift his face.

“But do you know why I still keep you by my side despite all that?”

“…Isn’t it because I’m the only one who wants to oppose Alkides?”

Eurich answered calmly while suppressing the urge to grimace from the pain of his scalp being pulled.

Just as no human dares to challenge a god, there was no one willing to confront Alkides. Even the king couldn’t readily show hostility and was just swallowing his anger behind the scenes like this.

“That’s also one of the reasons, but it’s a bit different.”

The king relaxed his grip on Eurich’s head as if praising him for not showing signs of resistance.

Though Eurich was freed, he still kept his head raised as if still held by the king, gazing at him.

“I use you because you’re as obsessed with Lübenhartz and Alkides as I am, and you hate them. Sometimes you move even more fiercely and actively than what I order. Like this incident.”

Eurich’s desire to trip up Gert wasn’t a matter of just a day or two.

He hoped Gert would quickly succumb to his curse and collapse. For that purpose, he had stepped forward early on to handle the king’s dirty work in order to receive the king’s help, and had brought much information that could be Gert’s weakness to the king.

But it wasn’t solely for that reason that the king kept Eurich by his side.

The king gazed down at Eurich’s face intently. Perhaps because he was Odrich’s nephew, though not as much as Gerhardt, his shadow lingered faintly there.

To the king, Eurich was a dog.

A useful hunting dog, and at the same time, a dog that would only whimper and wag its tail to its master no matter how much it was kicked and tormented.

One on whom he could completely pour out his resentment toward Odrich that he never dared to direct at Gerhardt.

Eurich also knew well that the king regarded him as a target for venting anger. But what could he do even knowing that? Eurich desperately needed the king’s help.

The king looked with satisfaction at Eurich’s face that seemed to be suppressing humiliation, then slowly turned toward the throne.

Until now, the information Eurich had brought hadn’t been particularly useful, but this time he had to acknowledge it was definitely worthwhile.

‘Being able to break the curse… I can’t let that happen.’

After weighing the risks and benefits in his mind, the king quickly reached a conclusion. Sitting back on his throne, the king continued speaking calmly.

“So I won’t particularly hold you accountable for acting on your own this time. Well… even if it’s the Royal Family’s treasure, it’s just something that could be used for theft at best.”

Eurich’s eyes sparkled as he caught the hidden intention in the king’s words. With undisguised anticipation evident in his voice, Eurich carefully began to speak.

“…Then.”

“Yes.”

Unlike Eurich’s excited attitude, the king replied indifferently while looking at his neatly trimmed fingernails.

“Set up the stage. A stage where that bastard Gert’s face can be horribly twisted.”

***

Having heard the answer he desired from the king, Eurich’s steps were light.

Just as Eurich was walking down the corridor humming, someone suddenly appeared and blocked his path.

“Brother Eurich.”

“Princess Lairinne.”

Eurich pretended to be surprised and greeted Lairinne with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“I made good use of the net you lent me then. I had a servant return it to your room – did you receive it properly?”

“Of course. I knew you had come to the Royal Palace when I received that net.”

Lairinne snapped at Eurich with an unusually sharp voice. Eurich glanced around. As if Lairinne had arranged it, the corridor was silent without a single person passing by.

But Eurich replied brazenly as if he had expected this to happen.

“How surprising that you’d seek me out like this. Do you have something you want to tell me? Or perhaps something you want to hear? Since you’ve always sought me out only to satisfy your own curiosity, I suppose it would be the latter?”

Eurich asked with a slight smile. His expression looked no different than usual, but there was sarcasm at the end of his words.

An attitude full of mockery that was unbelievable from Eurich, who had always been gentle and kind to Lairinne.

Speechless at this unfamiliar response from Eurich, Lairinne could only blink in confusion before contorting her face. Lairinne barely managed to exhale and asked.

“…You’ve been deceiving me all this time, haven’t you?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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