Favored by the Family That Will Become the Strongest! - Chapter 90

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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He clenched his own hand, then turned his gaze back and forth between Barcan and Diena.
“That’s remarkable…….”
The words escaped him unbidden.
“So it really was your power that purified me at the winter banquet, not the Magic Tower Side-Effect Suppressant?”
“The Suppressant did work. But yes, I infused my ability into it.”
The Magic Tower Suppressant itself was Diena’s Unique Ability. She did not stop there, continuing on.
“I can handle this matter of the necromancer for you. Would that be sufficient as payment?”
“I see. With an ability like that, you could save him without needing the Magic Tower Side-Effect Suppressant at all.”
As Ardin nodded, Diena spoke carefully.
“Your Highness, you must know his true identity. And why Duke Rothwell wishes to keep him in his grasp.”
At her words, Ardin ran his hand roughly through his hair.
“To think you’d know that much. Where exactly does your information come from?”
But asking would only yield the same answer, so Ardin held his tongue. Yet hope began to kindle slowly in his eyes.
‘What could it be? Does she possess another Unique Ability beyond her Purification Ability? How many powers is she hiding?’
Alongside fear came a surge of anticipation.
If Diena were with him, perhaps he could truly defeat Balthasar and the Temple.
‘It’s truly terrifying. Her face looks innocent enough, but I can’t predict what she’s thinking at all. I absolutely cannot afford to make her an enemy.’
The mere thought of turning Diena against him sent chills crawling down his spine. Ardin roughed away the goosebumps that had risen and swallowed hard.
Yet precisely because of this, her proposal became all the more attractive. He was the kind of man who would do anything to make Balthasar’s life difficult. Even if it meant shaking hands with the devil.
There was no way he could refuse her offer.
“Remarkably knowledgeable about information, and possessing abilities that defy reason.”
“…….”
“Lady Diena, by your own measure, Duke Rothwell is more than worth making an enemy.”
Ardin laughed, then asked.
“So, what do you want from me?”
* * *
‘I never thought it would come to this.’
Barcan stared down at the table laid out before him, his brow hardening.
They had arrived at a dilapidated pub outside the Southern Purification District. Inside, stale cigarette smoke mingled with an unidentifiable stench that assaulted the nose.
On the table sat nothing but a pale broth with barely any substance to speak of, and a few pieces of bread so desiccated they crumbled like sand.
The areas beyond the Purification District had always been environmentally desolate by nature.
He looked around. He could see people with harsh, menacing expressions eyeing them with suspicion. If Diena had been alone, they would have rushed her without hesitation.
‘How dare they.’
His expression turned savage as he glared at everyone in the pub. Immediately, they all averted their gaze.
‘Why does she keep putting herself in danger like this? I can’t leave her alone anymore.’
He simply wanted to keep her safe at his side.
He wouldn’t force her hand. But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed right. To make that happen, he would have to try harder.
Chewing through the hard bread, Barcan opened his mouth.
“What are you trying to do this time?”
“I came to find House Rothwell’s Family Seal.”
A Family Seal was a tool that represented the commands of the Household Head. But why would she be looking for House Rothwell’s seal in a place like this?
“You expect to find a seal here?”
“The Southern region is where my father went missing.”
Duke Theodor Rothwell, said to have vanished and died. Diena’s words meant she had come to find the Household Head’s Seal that he had taken with him when he disappeared.
“I see. If the seal exists, you could block the betrothal however you wish, just as you said.”
Barcan immediately grasped her meaning. Diena’s reason for seeking the seal was simple.
To receive his help in some way other than marrying Ardin.
When high-ranking nobles married, there was a law requiring members of the imperial family to serve as witnesses. Diena had asked Ardin to testify that she was already betrothed.
“I could give the testimony, but wouldn’t it be meaningless? You’ve never actually been betrothed. All authority over that would belong to Balthasar.”
“No. A document is all I need.”
“What sort of document?”
“A document proving I was already betrothed long ago. One made through my father, before my uncle became my guardian.”
“You were betrothed?”
“No.”
“…….”
“You know that our house’s seal disappeared when my father went missing.”
“That’s true.”
“I can find that seal. If I locate the seal and bring a Betrothal Document, all you need do is serve as its witness.”
In other words, she was asking him to forge a document. At her bold attitude, Ardin let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re asking me to forge it so that you were already betrothed to someone when Lord Theodor was alive?”
“Yes.”
“I was fourteen when he went missing. To have served as a witness to a betrothal at that age…….”
“It doesn’t make sense, does it.”
“……All the more reason for Balthasar to be furious.”
A lie that transparent would be infuriating enough for Balthasar. But as long as the Betrothal Document bearing the seal existed, he would have no recourse.
“In the end, you still need a fake fiancé, don’t you?”
It was Barcan, chin propped in his hand, who asked this in a thoughtful tone.
“That’s right.”
“Then. Who would your uncle hate most as that person.”
Barcan’s lips curved in a mischievous smile as he imagined Duke Rothwell’s enraged face. Diena looked up at him quietly.
In truth, there was only one person her uncle despised and guarded against more than anyone else besides Ardin.
‘Barcan.’
She had said she had no one in mind, but her true feelings were different.
If House Cardian were to align with the First Prince, they would be more than a match to stand against House Rothwell and the Temple. This was the calculation, and why she had requested Ardin’s cooperation.
But before that, she would need to ask Barcan for a betrothal, and the words would not come easily.
“How about we play a joke on that bastard? It’s good for you, it’s good for me. The longer you evade him, the more he’ll rage and lose his mind.”
In the past, Barcan had made her such a proposal.
‘I had taken Barcan’s hand.’
But in the end, Barcan had met his death. That was why.
She could not accept easily, fearing the events of the past would repeat.
‘When I eventually leave House Cardian, Barcan will even gain a Broken Betrothal on his record.’
She had wished that this time, Barcan would truly meet a good woman and live happily—
How could she dare use him as her betrothed?
‘It’s an unreasonable desire.’

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