I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 72

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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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Chapter 72.
Guardian and Casion were together in the room.
“It’s been ages. I was just worrying that Irenberga, acting as family head, might be pushing you too hard—and here you are, gracing me with your presence.”
Guardian’s words, offered as a joke, pricked my conscience. The truth was, I was the one pushing myself relentlessly.
‘I need to be kinder to my younger self.’
Jennis was worried too that I was driving myself into the ground, so I’d take a few days to rest once the Betrothal Ceremony was over.
“Well, they could be soulmates for all we know. Casion, put that stone down.”
Casion, who hadn’t even greeted me until now, frowned at Guardian’s words and lowered the stone in his hand. The moment he released the glowing red stone, Casion lurched forward violently.
“Tsk, I told you not to overextend yourself.”
Guardian swept his arm, and a chair slid toward them. It positioned itself precisely in the path of Casion’s fall, saving him from striking the ground hard.
“Your Highness!”
I gasped and rushed forward, but Casion raised his hand to stop me.
“Don’t come closer.”
His voice was barely forced out.
“Aren’t you hurt?”
I turned to Guardian, who shook his head.
“He’s in training. He’s learning to create the sensation of full Mana Control with minimal mana—a kind of illusion, you might say.”
I didn’t understand a word of it, but I nodded along as if I did and moved toward Casion. He muttered ‘I told you not to come closer’ under his breath and closed his eyes.
Now that I was near, I could see that Casion’s presence had shifted noticeably over these past few days.
Though his cheeks remained soft, there was a far greater strength to his bearing now than before.
“You seem to be studying awfully hard, Your Highness. You should take it easier.”
“Easier? Take it easier? Since when do you say things like that?”
Casion suddenly opened his eyes wide and snapped at me irritably.
“Well, I only agreed to teach you Magic, so I can’t very well strike you for your lack of courtesy toward a lady. How vexing.”
Those words alone were as good as a scolding. I smiled toward Guardian, then began peeling away Casion’s damp bangs one by one.
When my fingers touched his forehead, Casion flinched slightly, though he didn’t stop me.
“What happened? Did something occur while I was away?”
I needed to hear what had been happening, so I looked around for a seat.
Guardian waved his arm again.
“Whoa.”
The chair carrying Casion went sliding smoothly toward the reception sofa. Casion’s head tilted back, then dropped forward with a thud as the chair came to a stop.
“Master, couldn’t you have warned me first?”
Casion protested with a tone full of complaint, but Guardian pretended not to hear and gestured to me.
“You can sit here. Now this old man shall make his exit—there seem to be some headache-inducing matters about to be discussed.”
Guardian gestured between Casion and me, then left before I’d even straightened from my bow.
And then Liam approached.
“Shall I bring tea?”
“Do you have Peach Pie prepared?”
It was the first time Casion had ever asked for a specific food by name. I looked at him with curious eyes. Liam smiled warmly and answered.
“Of course, Your Highness. I shall bring Peach Pie and a tea that pairs well with it.”
Casion nodded, and Liam left with the attendants.
“Your Highness, do you like Peach Pie?”
“No.”
“Then why Peach Pie?”
“Because you like it.”
Casion murmured softly and turned his head away.
I was trying to recall whether I even liked Peach Pie.
“You wrote it in your letter. That you’d eaten Peach Pie and it was sweet and delicious.”
I did write something like that……
I’d exchanged quite a few letters and forgotten what I’d written in them, but Casion had remembered.
“That’s right! I do like Peach Pie!”
Though truthfully, I don’t enjoy just any Peach Pie—what I like is the Peach Pie that Cooker makes.
‘Is that what he meant?’
It’s not as though I’m constantly eating it either.
“I’ll enjoy it, Your Highness. Thank you.”
Either way, it seemed Casion had prepared it with me in mind, so I offered my thanks. Casion’s cheeks flushed.
“If you want to eat it, you can ask anytime. That much… I can do for you.”
I could see pride welling up in Casion’s flushed cheeks. He, who had only ever been on the receiving end with me, was glad to discover he could offer me something in return.
‘It’s fine to just receive.’
Casion was the one who’d given me back my life, after all.
I can’t say all of it, but I’ve decided to gladly accept any small gifts Casion gives me from now on.
We shared stories from the time we’d been apart while we waited for the Peach Pie to arrive—things I hadn’t been able to convey through letters alone.
“You made another contract with a mage? People just keep gathering around you.”
Casion, who knew Jennis, Cho, and Lebert, gave me a thumbs up and said I was impressive.
Casion had changed a great deal. As his health improved, he’d gained composure of mind, and now he praised others with genuine sincerity.
Even earlier, when he heard that Liam had prepared the Peach Pie, he’d definitely smiled.
Speaking gratitude aloud is the best way to express it, but a smile in his eyes was enough.
Especially for someone like Casion—a boy as prickly and sharp as a cactus—it was enormous progress.
“How about you? Did anything happen while I was away?”
Casion bit his lower lip, then released it. His expression darkened abruptly.
“Let’s talk while we eat. I’ll choke if I eat when I’m upset.”
The door opened, and Flack took the tray from Liam’s hands. He set the gleaming Peach Pie and a clean tea that would neutralize the sweetness down on the reception table.
“What a lovely dish.”
I picked up my fork and remarked on it almost as an afterthought. I was pleased to see such a beautiful Porcelain Dish—something I’d never seen in Casion’s castle before.
‘How treatment changes even these small things.’
The white Porcelain Dish, without a speck of dust, bore flowers embossed in relief along its rim.
Ceramics decorated with painted images or ink drawings could be beautiful too, but I preferred this kind—simple yet subtly elegant.
“Do you like it? You can take it when you leave, if you’d like. Should I have them wrap it?”
“No, that’s not necessary, Your Highness. I can just buy one myself.”
Casion pushed out his lower lip. His face looked ready to pour out some complaint, but he quietly cut into the Peach Pie.
The moment the Peach Pie entered my mouth, a sweet aroma stimulated my nose.
“Mmm.”
An involuntary hum escaped me at the taste.
Knowing that Casion had prepared this for me made it taste even better. I ate half of the Peach Pie so he wouldn’t be disappointed.
While Casion ate his Peach Pie, he kept glancing at my reaction, so I couldn’t put my fork down.
But half was my limit.
I set down my fork.
“Now tell me the truth. What exactly happened?”
Casion set down his fork as well. Even though he’d been holding it for the same amount of time, his slice had barely diminished by a third.
‘He should eat more heartily.’
Good nutrition helps him grow properly.
I was struck by surprise at that thought. It was the same thing Jennis would think.
“Did you hear that Julia is preparing our Betrothal Ceremony?”
“What? The Queen is? But there’s a Ceremony Administrator for that, isn’t there?”
“Right. I heard about it from Liam.”
Casion had a high level of basic knowledge, but he lacked a great deal of understanding about royal matters.
When I was with him, I taught him, but it seemed Liam had been teaching him in my absence.
“That’s right. Usually the Ceremony Administrator oversees most of the arrangements, and the Queen and His Majesty just do a final check. Royal ceremonies aren’t like ordinary celebrations—there are many rules to follow. Even the colors are fixed, and the dimensions of the chairs are predetermined.”
Because the scope for personal decision-making is so narrow, it’s become customary to simply follow what the Ceremony Administrator prepares.
“I heard about that too. But Julia stepped up and said she’d take it on. She said she’d collaborate with the Ceremony Administrator.”
“Does she want to play the role of a mother?”
Casion’s expression turned fierce.
“That was a slip of my tongue just now. Of course that’s not it.”
“I have a bad feeling that the Betrothal Ceremony won’t go smoothly. What should I do, Diana?”
Casion, who had seemed quite mature just moments before, reverted to being a child again.
He hated Julia, yet harbored fear of her beneath the surface.
Perhaps this fear was born from me. Now that he’d developed attachment to life, there were things he didn’t want to lose.
“I’ll look into it.”
“And there’s one more thing.”
Casion spoke to me.
“What is it?”
“Julia is recommending Imperial Studies teachers. I heard about it from my Master. Apparently the Master was also asked to teach a section on Understanding Kingdom and Mages. He quoted quite a large sum for it.”
“Did the Master refuse?”
“No, he accepted.”
It was a shock. Guardian was someone I brought here! And now Dayson would also attend Guardian’s classes.
‘I’ve made soup and given it to the dog.’
Though Dayson is worse than any dog.
“Apart from the classes I give him, the Master agreed to take on the Understanding Kingdom and Mages course as well.”
When I couldn’t hide my anger, Casion came to Guardian’s defense.
“I wish Guardian would focus solely on you, Your Highness.”
“I feel the same way. I need to heal quickly—or at least become useful again as soon as possible. Not like this.”
Casion opened both palms and stared down at them, then slowly closed his fists.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
The self-deprecating addendum hung heavy in the air.
How painful it must be to want to do something, only to be held back by your own failing body.
‘Wealth is all well and good, but health really is everything.’
I found myself thinking like an elder as I asked my question.
“Do you happen to know the names of the professors Julia contacted?”
Casion pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. It was worn and creased from being taken out and put back so many times.
“You’ve been keeping that all this time?”
“I didn’t know when you’d come. This sort of thing can’t be sent in letters.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll visit more often from now on.”
Hearing what sounded like a rebuke for my infrequent visits, Casion pouted, clearly displeased.
“I’ll look into these people. You’re worried they might harm Your Highness, aren’t you? That they’ll give favorable evaluations to Dayson.”
“That too. But you’re here as well.”
Casion pointed at me with one finger. Feeling the genuine concern in his gaze, my eyes began to sting.
“Don’t worry about me at all! I’m healthy and older than Your Highness!”
“Ah… that’s right. Now that I think about it, in a royal betrothal, you’re the first woman to be the older one…”
I’d already been feeling guilty about whisking away an eleven-year-old child while my mind was in my twenties, and now his comment sent my blood boiling.
Before I could stop myself, I took the peach pie from my fork and shoved it straight into his open mouth.
As he reflexively closed his lips around it, I withdrew the fork with a smug expression.
“I know perfectly well I’m your senior. How about a date with your older sister?”
With his mouth full of something sweet, Casion’s face twisted as if he’d swallowed bitter medicine.
I Bought Out the Villains (Serialized)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 1101, 33-gil Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul. (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th Building, 11th Floor)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
ⓒ Lee In-hye 2021
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this will result in civil and criminal legal liability.

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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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