Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 91

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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 91
The Papiope Family gathered in one place. A heavy silence hung over us.
Then, at some point.
Lucian’s crimson eyes blazed with fury, signaling the limit of his patience.
Bang—!
“This is absurd! Tania is only fourteen years old! How dare he send a marriage proposal to a child who hasn’t even reached adulthood?”
I watched Lucian’s indignation with quiet contemplation.
To be honest, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Among the nobility, it was not uncommon for marriages to be arranged in advance, even with significant age gaps, for political advantage.
But the people of the Duke’s Residence, whose loyalties bent inward, didn’t seem to share that view.
“Exactly! Lucian, well said! It’s absolutely ridiculous! That shameless scoundrel—I’ll—!”
Duke Tempus is four years older than me. And yet he has the audacity to propose to Tania without knowing his place. There’s nothing to consider—we must refuse.”
Duke Tempus was twenty-two, eight years my senior.
Since my mental age far exceeded twenty-two, I hadn’t truly felt the weight of that difference.
But hearing that he was older than Lucian made the gap feel suddenly vast.
Lucian had just turned eighteen a few weeks ago, becoming an adult.
Though he’d only recently crossed into adulthood, his development was so advanced that any trace of boyishness had already vanished.
So it must have felt even more absurd from his perspective.
I still bore the face of a child, after all. And in truth, I was one.
As everyone voiced their outrage.
The Duchess, alone in maintaining her composure, tilted her head with curiosity.
“Tania, have you ever met Duke Tempus separately? I was under the impression you’d had no prior contact.”
“I’ve met him twice. Once when I went with you to the Imperial Palace to receive the seal on my adoption documents, and recently when I visited the Imperial Palace to see the Princess.”
“Both times at the Imperial Palace, then. I was wondering how you’d managed to meet such a reclusive duke…”
“Twice?! He sends a marriage proposal after meeting Tania only twice?”
“Th-th-th-that shameless—!”
Lucian and Grandfather showed no sign of calming their anger.
The Duchess slowly crossed her legs and rested her chin in her hand before speaking.
“Well… proposals simply haven’t come before because Tania hasn’t participated in society. But now is the time they should.”
“What?! Now is the time? Tania won’t be ready for marriage for another hundred years!”
Grandfather, at a hundred years, I suspect you’d be nothing but dust.
The Duchess let out a soft laugh at Grandfather’s outburst.
“Father, you were displeased when I received proposals as the young lady of the house. Now that Tania receives one, you’re angry again.”
Haven’t you grown accustomed to it by now?
At her quiet remark, Grandfather’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Ha! When you received proposals, they came from men seeking marriage. But Duke Tempus sending one to Tania is an entirely different matter!”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. Now that I think about it, it is rather presumptuous. Did he perhaps think he could take our precious daughter to another house?”
The Duchess’s eyes narrowed slightly as she fixed her gaze upon me.
“Your mother won’t mind if you’re happy, regardless of status or age. But…”
“But?”
“You absolutely cannot undergo the Evanesco Ceremony. If someone would force you to undergo it, you shouldn’t marry them in the first place.”
The Evanesco Ceremony.
Evanesco meant “to disappear”—literally, a ceremony that made things vanish.
What disappeared, you ask?
The Ability of the person who underwent the ceremony.
Moreover, if someone lost their Ability through the ceremony, even if they bore children, their power wouldn’t be inherited.
Therefore, when a member of one family married into another family.
Most families forced the Evanesco Ceremony as a mandatory condition for marriage.
It strengthened family bonds through marriage while ensuring that one family’s Ability wouldn’t transfer to another.
Even those who hadn’t awakened an Ability had to undergo the ceremony before leaving their family to marry, since no one knew when an awakening might occur.
It was a horrific custom.
I nodded readily, affirming Duchess Papiope’s words.
“I have no intention of marrying while undergoing the Evanesco Ceremony either. Besides, I’m not particularly interested in Duke Tempus anyway.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Of course it should be.”
“Right?”
Only then did Grandfather and Lucian’s expressions, which had been endlessly furious, ease somewhat.
I glanced sideways at Aiden, whose face remained rigidly tense.
Unlike Grandfather and Lucian, who had been raging indignantly throughout, he had remained present from the beginning without uttering a single word.
Had the shock been that great?
I added another comment, somewhat conscious of Aiden.
“There’s really nothing to think about, after all.”
Even searching through every Ability User across the entire continent—no, throughout all of history—I could count on one hand those with Abilities more broken than mine.
Why would I destroy such a precious Ability with my own hands?
Unless I lost my mind, there was no reason to undergo the ceremony.
Even if I possessed a different Ability, I would rather flee than undergo it.
Because….
“I absolutely despise pain. Why would I do such a thing?”
The Evanesco Ceremony involved using magic to shatter the Core, the source of an Ability.
Therefore, it required multiple high-ranking mages capable of delicate work, cost enormous sums of money, and involved excruciating pain.
People often died in the process.
“Anyway, I have absolutely no intention of marrying Duke Tempus. Even if the sudden proposal was somewhat unpleasant, let’s end it here.”
I was about to dismiss it as a brief incident and move on.
“Your Grace, a moment please….”
The Butler approached quietly and whispered something into Duchess Papiope’s ear.
“…What? Duke Tempus has arrived?”
The flames reignited at Duchess Papiope’s words, her brow furrowing.
“What? How dare he come here! Why haven’t you thrown him out?”
“Ha! The audacity of this bastard. Everyone, stay seated. I’ll go give him a proper warning.”
I grabbed Lucian’s sleeve as he looked ready to charge out and curse Duke Tempus to his face.
With that, I shrugged and spoke to my family.
“Let’s hear what he has to say for himself.”
“Tania!”
“I have to reject the proposal anyway. Rather than meeting him alone later, it’s better to do it here with my dependable family present.”
There was no way I was meeting Duke Tempus alone—a man whose thoughts I couldn’t begin to fathom.
“Even if the Tempus Family doesn’t stand out in politics or high society… it’s still a Duke’s proposal. I need to make my refusal clear and unambiguous.”
As my explanation continued, Lucian, who had been seething with displeasure, finally settled back into his chair.
“Just imagine—sending a proposal for such a trivial reason.”
Duchess Papiope seemed to agree with my assessment, as she instructed the Butler to permit Duke Tempus’s visit.
“Bring him here at once.”

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“My, I hadn’t expected the entire Papiope Family to be gathered here.”
Duke Tempus, guided by the Butler to stand before us, showed no sign of surprise—his expression remained composed and at ease.
“We’ve exchanged pleasantries. Do sit.”
“Of course.”
Despite the obvious coldness of the reception, Duke Tempus maintained his smile and lowered himself into the offered seat with movements of flawless precision.
The grace of that entire sequence was remarkable.
Had an etiquette instructor witnessed it, they would have gasped in admiration and demanded it be preserved in crystal as a textbook example of perfect deportment.
A nobleman among noblemen.
Truly, he carried himself as befitted a family that had held its station steadfastly for generations.
Once seated, Duke Tempus fixed his gaze upon me, offered a serene smile, and asked:
“Miss Tania, I trust you received my bouquet and proposal letter? I selected the most beautiful flowers personally.”
“The flowers were truly lovely. However, I’m afraid I must respectfully decline the proposal.”
At that, Duke Tempus tilted his head slowly.
“I had thought we were quite well-suited to each other. Might I ask your reason?”
“First, I have no intention of undergoing the Evanesco Ceremony. I’m uncertain what the Tempus Family’s ability is, but there’s no merit substantial enough for me to surrender my own.”

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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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