Not A Regressor - Chapter 246

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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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I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 246
Celebration Party (2)
The engine hummed softly.
Through the streets of Seoul, where roads sprawled densely like a spider’s web.
A single luxury limousine—the kind you’d see in Hollywood—glided across the ash-gray asphalt.
“Mmm, hmm~♬”
A cheerful hum escaped unbidden.
The comfort and satisfaction that filled me surpassed even the premium leather seats of a limousine worth hundreds of billions of won, lifting my shoulders with elation.
“Oh, my apologies, Miss.”
Perhaps it was because I’d been swaying to my own humming.
The maid sitting beside me, who had been assisting with my makeup, corrected the smudged eyeliner with a flustered expression.
“No, it’s my fault for moving suddenly. I’m sorry.”
Isabella, who had been humming just moments before like an elementary school student excited for a field trip, flashed a warm smile at the maid.
“You seem to be in quite a good mood. You’ve been in poor condition these past few weeks.”
Roberto, the elderly man driving the limousine, glanced back at the rear seat with curiosity.
“Well, I’ve finally managed to handle some of the matters I’d been putting off.”
When Kwon O-jin barely escaped from the Demon Realm.
I felt the necessity to rebuild the power of the Colgrand Family, which I had temporarily neglected.
‘I need a force capable of supporting Kwon O-jin in critical situations.’
Despite his exceptional skills, Kwon O-jin lacked what could truly be called a faction of his own.
While having no affiliated organization granted him freedom of movement, it also meant he lacked a solid foundation to support him in emergencies.
Of course, there was the Association, but ultimately it was a state-affiliated organization, not a group solely dedicated to Kwon O-jin.
I returned to the Colgrand Family, which I had neglected for some time, to personally build a force that would become his arms and legs.
* * *
It took only a few weeks to gather the scattered forces of the family that had been dispersed by Demian Salvatore, the Heavenly Star.
This was the fruit of my focused efforts, even after hearing the news that Kwon O-jin would participate in the Seven Star Council without maintaining proper contact.
“Hmm. Is that truly the only reason for your good mood?”
A playful smile, unbecoming of the dignified elderly gentleman’s face, appeared.
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Haha, nothing. I was simply reminded of when I first met my wife.”
“Just focus on driving, Roberto.”
I cut short Roberto’s lengthy romantic reminiscence before it could begin with “Those were such innocent times.”
I gazed out the window, allowing my excited heart to settle slightly.
“By the way, Miss.”
Melissa, the maid sitting beside me who had been helping with my makeup, looked at me with an awkward expression.
Despite the relentless demanding work, my appearance was so beautiful and noble that even another woman’s breath would catch—yet.
“…Are you truly certain about wearing such an outfit?”
Clothing that didn’t match my noble appearance.
It was a classic-style maid dress that even the maids employed by the family rarely wore in this modern era.
“Hehe. This outfit received a good reaction last time.”
Isabella offered a faint smile and leisurely reclined against the back of her chair.
With an expression brimming with composure, she traced a finger along the hint of deep cleavage visible above her neckline.
“Kwon O-jin is utterly smitten with me, you see. It’s a sort of… service I provide to my loyal pet? Something like that.”
“Ah! So you were giving him a reward!”
“Precisely. Despite this outfit, in terms of our master-servant relationship, I’m the one closer to being the master, wouldn’t you say?”
Isabella lifted her chin with an air of arrogance.
In truth, it was Isabella, not Kwon O-jin, who was utterly smitten.
But she mixed in a touch of exaggeration (?) to maintain her dignity as a “queen” before her subordinates.
“As expected of you, Isabella!”
Melissa’s eyes sparkled brilliantly as she clenched both fists.
Under the gaze of admiration, Isabella’s chin rose even higher.
“Hehe. Do you understand, Melissa? In matters of love, nothing is more important than taking the initiative. Making the other person love you even more. Making them unable to survive a single day without you. That’s what we call taking the initiative in love.”
“Then the maid outfit you’re wearing is….”
“Men are creatures who enjoy the ‘illusion’ of having the upper hand. In reality, they’re merely playing in the palm of my hand.”
“Wow.”
Melissa let out a short exclamation and nodded repeatedly.
Indeed, among all outfits capable of creating the ‘illusion’ that the other person holds the upper hand, none was quite as effective as a maid outfit.
“Then what about Noe-rang….”
“Pargeonseong.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s Pargeonseong now, not Noe-rang. You’ve heard that Kwon O-jin became a member of the Seven Stars, haven’t you?”
Isabella spoke with an excited expression, like an overeager housewife bragging about her husband’s promotion at an apartment residents’ meeting for hours.
“Kwon O-jin was selected for the Seven Stars with confidence, surpassing all his formidable competitors—Namgoong Hui, the Wind God from the Namgung Family, China’s greatest clan; Jason Hardy from the United States; and Orlando Veil from the United Kingdom, known as the God of Archery. And all this without even becoming a high-tier Awakened User yet! Do you understand how extraordinary this is, Melissa?”
“Ah… yes. That is… quite remarkable.”
“And there’s even a rumor that the title Pargeonseong is given only to the strongest Awakened User among the Seven Stars. It means that many Constellations recognize Kwon O-jin’s abilities and talents to that extent.”
Bombarded by this barrage of husband-bragging (?), Melissa stepped back with a weary expression.
“By the way, Pargeonseong….”
“Melissa?”
“Yes?”
“You should add ‘sir’ to his title, shouldn’t you?”
Behind her pretty eye-smile lurked an eerie blue gaze.
Melissa flinched and nodded like a woodpecker building its nest.
Isabella smiled with satisfaction and patted the head of the nodding Melissa.
“What were you trying to say earlier?”
“So Pargeonseong and you are already in a romantic relationship?”
“….”
Isabella’s face stiffened for a moment.
She brushed back her hair and subtly averted her gaze.
“W-well, of course. We’ve already promised each other a future together, you could say? Though it was Kwon O-jin who begged me for that promise in the first place.”
She continued speaking, maintaining an air of composure as much as possible.
“You must be quite smitten with me, Kwon O-jin, if you came to me first asking me to drink your blood.”
Well, it was true that I had been the one to first ask her to drink my blood.
“My goodness, my goodness! You actually asked her to drink your blood first?”
Melissa, who bore the Leech stigma just like Isabella, understood perfectly what blood drinking meant to a Leech-marked Awakened User.
“Yes. Even knowing that one’s soul becomes enslaved by doing so.”
Hehe.
Isabella shrugged her shoulders while leisurely crossing her legs.
Melissa gazed at Isabella with eyes full of admiration.
“Do you think I could become a wonderful woman like you, Isabella, someone who can wrap men around her finger?”
“Oh my, of course you can. You’re absolutely adorable, Melissa.”
Isabella smiled brightly and gently caressed Melissa’s cheek.
With her shoulder-length chestnut hair and freckles, Melissa had the innocent appearance of a rural girl, yet she possessed quite a pretty face among Isabella’s attendants.
“…But being cute isn’t the same as being like you, Isabella.”
Melissa pouted, pushing out her lips in a sullen expression.
Isabella laughed lightly and turned her gaze toward the window.
In the distance, she could see the apartment where Kwon O-jin lived.
Thump, thump.
Her heart began to race wildly.
A different kind of urge—not the bloodlust—burned hot through her mind.
“Sigh.”
By the time the limousine cruising at 50 miles per hour felt as slow as a plodding turtle.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Roberto.”
Click.
Isabella stepped out through the door Roberto had opened.
The moment the dazzling beauty in a maid’s uniform descended from the luxury limousine, all eyes snapped toward her.
Isabella paid no mind to the stares of others and walked directly toward the apartment building.
“Allow me to escort you to the entrance.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll go up alone. Please return first.”
“Yes, Miss. I’ll wait at a nearby hotel.”
Roberto bowed deeply and returned to the car.
Isabella stepped into the elevator with an excited gait.
Before the foyer, Isabella took a deep breath to calm her trembling heart.
“Ahem.”
After clearing her throat briefly, she pulled out a compact mirror to check her makeup.
‘Perfect.’
Melissa’s handiwork was as flawless as ever.
After checking her makeup thoroughly, Isabella gazed into the mirror and offered herself a bewitching smile.
“It’s been a while, Kwon O-jin.”
“Why the maid’s uniform, you ask? Hehe, well, naturally because I’m your exclusive maid.”
“Or perhaps… is the master-servant relationship alone insufficient?”
Isabella practiced her lines alone in the middle of the hallway, imagining Kwon O-jin’s reaction in her mind.
If Melissa saw this, she would widen her eyes in shock.
‘Good. I’ll just keep going like this!’
Isabella clenched her fists and ignited her fighting spirit.
Click.
What appeared before her as she carefully opened the foyer door was.
“Why are you saying that! It’s not like it’s wearing out!”
“What nonsense are you spouting anyway!”
Two people clinging tightly to each other from early morning, flaunting their affection.
Of course, from Kwon O-jin’s perspective, he could protest that this wasn’t affection at all, but regardless, to Isabella’s eyes, the two of them in their scanty attire were nothing but rubbing salt in her wounds.
“….”
Her eyes grew cold.
A chilling murderous intent filled the house as if the very air had frozen.
“What are you two doing right now?”
“Uh….”
“W-well, you see…”
The two of them froze.
Isabella bit her lip with an aggrieved expression.
She had suppressed her desire to see Kwon O-jin and worked day and night to build a force to support him.
Yet Ha-eun had spent those days in blissful happiness with Kwon O-jin!
“That’s so unfair, Elder Sister…!”
Isabella forgot the lines she had practiced at the foyer and grabbed Ha-eun, who was clinging to Kwon O-jin, and dragged her away.
“I wanted to be with Kwon O-jin too!”
Isabella squealed like a child who had her toy taken away.
There was no trace left of the queen who had held men in the palm of her hand and manipulated them at will.
* * *
“Have you calmed down a bit?”
After a brief scuffle ended.
Kwon O-jin handed a warm cup of coffee to Isabella, who sat sulking on the living room sofa.
“…Hmph.”
Isabella sipped the coffee Kwon O-jin offered and opened her eyes slightly.
“It seems you didn’t miss me while I was away, Kwon O-jin.”
“That’s not true at all.”
Kwon O-jin shook his head and sat beside her.
For the first few days, he had been happy to spend time alone with Ha-eun after so long, but after more than a week, he found himself missing Isabella’s presence.
‘I feel like I’ve become some trash managing a love triangle.’
In fact, knowing that Isabella harbored affection for him yet being unable to push her away wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
If he made excuses, it was because Ha-eun had given him permission to stay close to Isabella.
‘But that’s not all there is to it.’
Kwon O-jin gazed down at his hand with a bitter expression.
As expected, he was grasping far too much. Excessively so.
“I don’t know.”
Isabella turned her head away sharply, clearly sulking.
But it didn’t last long.
She, who had been absently scraping the living room floor with her toes, carefully turned her head toward Kwon O-jin.
“…You really were thinking of me, weren’t you?”
“The place felt rather lonely without you.”
“Hehe. Even if it’s just flattery, I’m happy to hear you say it like that.”
A warm smile blossomed across Isabella’s lips.
Just moments ago she had been thoroughly angry, yet a few words had lifted her spirits so completely.
‘I can never tell Melissa about this.’
Isabella exhaled a sigh and rose to her feet.
Clap!
She clapped her hands together vigorously to shake off her melancholy, then spun around to face Kwon O-jin.
“By the way, Kwon O-jin!”
“Hmm?”
“What are you planning to do for a celebration party?”
“Huh?”
A celebration party? What was she talking about?
“Of course, a party to celebrate you becoming one of the Seven Stars!”
Isabella’s eyes gleamed with the unmistakable enthusiasm of a newlywed wife who had just heard of her husband’s promotion.

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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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