I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 29

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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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Episode 29.
I had Flack open the window. A fresh breeze swept through.
At least Casion discovered the secret passage was blocked—thank goodness for that.
Otherwise, he’d have thought I’d changed my mind.
And then those lovely lips would’ve unleashed a torrent of cutting remarks.
‘Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it.’
I was wincing at the very thought of his biting tongue when Casion spoke.
“We need to find a proper way to come and go, don’t we?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m here. I’ll move with Straw a few more times first.”
Before I could establish legitimate access, there were matters to discuss with Casion. First, I needed to report on the task he’d asked of me.
“The acquisition of Twilight Manor is proceeding smoothly.”
“Good.”
“Is there anything you’d like to know?”
“Isn’t that what the Report is for?”
Casion gestured toward the Report tucked under my arm.
“Right. That should tell you everything.”
I placed the Report near Casion. He reached for it, then stopped.
“Julia hasn’t been causing trouble?”
“No. Besides blocking the secret passage, nothing much. And she’s probably busy right now.”
Looking into matters at Phoenix Bank.
“More importantly—how is the King? Julia’s people haven’t been bothering him?”
“One of Julia’s agents came by once, but nothing else. Dayson hasn’t even shown up yet.”
I’d known in advance that Julia would send someone to spy on Casion’s quarters. So I’d gone to considerable effort restoring his rooms to their original state.
His chambers were filled again with shabby bedding, threadbare clothes, and crumbling books of poor quality.
“It was good I didn’t come, wasn’t it?”
“Exactly. That’s why I didn’t send word.”
It was deliberate on my part, but that wasn’t the only reason I’d kept silent. It was more accurate to say I hadn’t been able to.
Getting caught exchanging letters would have been problematic.
‘Though it does seem he missed me quite a bit.’
“Don’t look sorry. It wasn’t because of Julia’s surveillance. Your coming here now—does it mean we can respond even if Julia finds out? Or have you found a way to come and go without being detected?”
Casion asked a remarkably sharp question. But he’d missed the mark on both counts.
“Neither. I’m going to make it so she can find out.”
Casion’s eyebrows rose, as if asking what I meant.
“There’s a way?”
“Yes. Just one, though.”
Wind rushed through the open window, tousling Casion’s limp hair. Annoyed by it, he raked his fingers through carelessly, sweeping the strands back.
“Your expression looks strange.”
Casion pointed at my furrowed brow. My face must have twisted from thinking so hard. His mockery of my expression was rather amusing.
To keep from laughing, I pressed my cheeks together as I spoke.
“Your Majesty, I need you to hear this seriously.”
“Suddenly so formal.”
There was reason for my sudden tension. What I was about to ask could cause him pain.
I wanted to give Casion only good things. I’d always hoped that while we were bound together by this marriage, our days would be filled with joy.
But the path we had to walk was no silk road—it was one strewn with thorns.
‘I’ll keep you from being hurt as much as I can.’
But there were burdens that could only be borne together.
‘This is one of those things.’
I took a deep breath. The words wouldn’t come easily. I knew the pain he’d already endured.
And somewhere along the way, he’d become someone important to me.
“Diana, that’s unlike you—why are you dragging this out? Don’t tell me you’re about to call off the marriage? What, you’ve had second thoughts? You realize I’ll be dead soon, so marrying me and seizing the throne won’t work out, and—oof.”
While I was choosing my words, Casion spilled bitter remarks. In moments like this, it’s better to silence him than to coax him.
Beneath my palm, I felt his lips twitch—he was still working up more poison to spit.
“Call off the marriage? What nonsense. Stop talking rubbish. What I was trying to say is that I need you to meet the King.”
Casion’s demeanor shifted noticeably. His eyes changed, becoming different from before.
At last he seemed ready for a serious conversation. I withdrew my hand and wiped the saliva from my palm with a Handkerchief.
“……Your father?”
His voice had gone hollow. The change in Casion’s eyes wasn’t from a willingness to talk—it was from hiding a wound.
A thin veil had drawn across his gaze, obscuring his feelings.
I offered him water. Drink, and calm yourself.
“Yes. You need to meet with him.”
“Why on earth His Majesty all of a sudden?”
“Well, we need to meet with His Majesty and ask permission for our marriage.”
“Pfft.”
Casion spat out the water he’d been drinking. Messily. I winced slightly and handed him a handkerchief, patting his back.
“That’s enough. Move your hand away.”
Casion coughed and pushed my hand aside.
“Your appetite has improved, hasn’t it?”
Flack said Casion’s condition had gotten much better.
‘Though he doesn’t look particularly well. Still, it’s better than before.’
That Casion had even gone for a walk would be a miracle if Dallas heard of it.
“Yes.”
“Don’t lie. Flack reports that you leave food uneaten at every meal.”
“Why ask if you already know?”
“The food doesn’t suit your palate?”
Casion closed his mouth. It seemed I’d hit the mark.
‘Being picky about food—he really is just a child.’
“Flack isn’t much of a cook. I’ll find you a proper chef soon. But first, I need to see His Majesty.”
Casion’s expression grew serious. I couldn’t leave him alone indefinitely. He needed someone to care for him properly, with genuine devotion.
I could provide the funds myself, but to bring someone into the palace, the king’s approval was essential.
Even if I couldn’t obtain his consent for marriage, I had to see Karman for the sake of bringing in a proper chef.
“Father won’t want to meet me.”
“What are you saying?”
“Father doesn’t like me.”
Are there parents who don’t love their children?
I don’t think so. Even hedgehogs find their own young adorable, though hedgehogs truly are cute.
Casion’s father, Karman, is a cold man. During my long stay at the palace as Dayson’s fiancée, I could count on one hand the times I’d seen Karman smile warmly.
He never offered a single kind greeting to Dayson or to me.
Yet I’d never thought of him as a twisted man who hated his own child.
He was simply taciturn—a typical kingdom father.
Karman hadn’t protected Casion, but he hadn’t cast him out either. Neglect is a form of violence, but one cannot judge his feelings toward Casion solely on that basis.
Still, there must be a reason Casion felt Karman disliked him, so I asked him.
“Why do you feel that way?”
“He never replied to my letters.”
“What? You sent him letters?”
“Yes, while you were away.”
“Do you usually write to him often?”
Casion waved his hand dismissively, telling me not to talk nonsense.
“Why did you suddenly write to him?”
“……Because of our marriage……”
Casion hesitated for a long while before answering.
Did I hear that correctly?
Casion had written to Karman about marrying me?
I stared blankly at him in disbelief, and Casion cleared his throat several times.
“I can’t leave everything to you.”
How admirable.
Without thinking, I reached out and stroked his fine hair gently. Casion glared at me.
“Stop that.”
I withdrew my hand, feeling flustered.
“So what happened?”
“There was no reply.”
Karman certainly had his circumstances, but my heart leaning toward Casion meant I found myself resenting Karman without meaning to.
Still, I couldn’t afford to let emotion cloud my judgment.
“There must be a reason.”
I tried to view the situation objectively.
“What reason could possibly be so important that he can’t even reply to his own son’s letter? And it was the first one I ever sent him.”
Casion’s lower lip jutted out.
At moments like this, he was unmistakably a child.
He must have been disappointed—he’d steeled himself to send that letter, and it had been ignored.
Still, I couldn’t let Casion turn completely against Karman.
At the very least, until I secured permission for the marriage and Casion reached adulthood safely, Karman was not someone I could afford to make an enemy of.
‘If there’s something I’ve done wrong, I’ll answer for it. But first, I need to know whether there’s a mistake at all.’
“You came by last time, didn’t you?”
When I prompted him to remember, Casion’s mouth fell silent.
“You came and said something.”
When the King had come and Casion collapsed, there had been chaos. At the time, I’d been too focused on saving Casion to ask what had happened.
Since the subject had come up, I needed to hear this.
I straightened my posture and stared at him intently, and Casion’s lips trembled slightly.
“He told me not to live pathetically.”
“What?”
“He said not to come up until I can stand straight on both legs.”
Of all things to say to a son who was nearly dying!
When I clenched my fists, Casion let out a quiet laugh.
“I suppose it’s something that he didn’t cast me out.”
Casion’s resignation only fanned my anger further.
Was King Karman such a harsh man?
I rifled through the past. He was cynical, extremely busy, but he wasn’t the sort of man to flog a sick son. At least, not in my memory.
He was someone capable of human sympathy.
Karman had even reduced the sentences of criminals who had young children—more than once.
Dayson had disapproved of Karman’s merciful judgments, but I had always admired that side of him.
‘I thought he might be moved to help.’
Honestly, I had hoped to appeal to Karman’s compassion and give Casion strength.
At least I’d hoped he would remain neutral. But judging by what he’d said to his ailing son, even neutrality seemed unlikely.
Don’t come up until you can stand straight—that couldn’t be what he meant literally. He’d never answered Casion’s letters, and then he suddenly appeared and told him to rise up… wait.
A light suddenly flashed in my mind.
Karman is known for his taciturn nature. Moreover, with the burden of his duties, he practically had no personal time.
Was it truly Karman, busy as he is, who suddenly appeared before Casion and spoke so harshly?
It didn’t make sense.
I pondered. Why had Karman come here? Why would he make time and travel this far just to tell him to “come up”? Where was Casion supposed to come up to?
“Ah!”
I’d found the answer, and the exclamation burst out before I could stop it. Casion tilted his head in confusion.
“What?”
I leaned in close to Casion. He drew his upper body back, and I spoke as I watched him withdraw.
“Your Highness, we were wrong.”
Casion’s eyes showed complete bewilderment at what I was saying.
“He said to come up. The King didn’t come to cast you out—he came to give you strength!”
I Bought Off the Villains with Money (Serialized)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ JPlus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 1101, 11 Digitaro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11th Floor)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
ⓒ Lee In-hye 2021
※This work is published by JPlus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and the content may not be used in any form or manner without the permission of the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal responsibility.

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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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