The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 126

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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126.

When I opened my eyes in the morning.

‘I did it again…’

It was the all too sadly familiar inn bed.

I squinted my eyes as I gazed at the dim light of early morning through the window.

This was the consequence of not listening to Casian and spending time reading the diary.

“Did you sleep well?”

As I was feeling the bitterness of reality, Casian, who had been flipping through documents on the sofa, noticed I had woken up and slowly approached.

Though I felt slightly embarrassed about yesterday’s events—honestly speaking, I couldn’t judge which was worse, falling asleep again or his confession—I naturally nodded my head.

I was the one who said I would think about it, so well…

I didn’t want to act stiffly and torment him unnecessarily.

The more I was conscious of it, the more he would inevitably recall that incident too.

At times like this, indeed.

‘Work it is.’

At my resolute gaze, Casian smiled as if he had habitually read my mind completely and handed me tea.

“The coffee was a type Rose would dislike.”

“Thank you.”

“I received the correspondence from the manager yesterday and reviewed it.”

“Did you get some sleep?”

“Of course.”

Casian nodded with gentle eyes.

And meeting his gaze directly, I couldn’t help but feel my heart stirring.

Because I now knew.

How much Casian Artez had been suppressing his feelings toward me all this time.

Why I couldn’t help but be confused.

While his actions were as he pleased—I was gradually losing confidence in this too—why did he hide his gaze, making only me seem oblivious.

“…Should I go back to being well-behaved?”

And then he acted as if he would be considerate again.

“Please don’t do that.”

“I don’t like it when Rose has a hard time.”

“I hate running away more.”

At some point, I was more afraid that I might complacently seek only my own comfort.

Since I’m human too, I felt like I might think, couldn’t we just stay in this state a little longer.

So I didn’t want to take away Casian’s freedom of expression.

After all, even if he expressed himself freely, I would be the only one feeling troubled and embarrassed.

Since we were officially engaged, no matter how openly Casian showed his feelings, there wouldn’t be anyone who would think it strange.

“…It might be more troublesome than you think.”

Nevertheless, Casian spoke as if trying to dissuade me.

While his true feelings were completely different.

Reading his heart, I lightly pinched Casian’s cheek and said.

“I’ll consider that as well.”

How much more troublesome it would become, and whether that was within my manageable range.

At my words, he looked sheepish.

Though he seemed a bit troubled, I could feel that he was happy, making my fingertips that touched him grow a little warmer.

*

We spent the remaining time in Liarden Domain going in and out of the manor vault and organizing various documents.

Thanks to Parker Manager thoroughly keeping his word, our identities were never discovered until the end.

Having left the capital city, we were now heading to Clupea Border Barony to conclude this journey.

“It would have been nice if we could have seen Lady Maribel a bit more.”

While we were going in and out of the vault, we exchanged various opinions, but there were no visits to the past.

Though I knew it was because we had obtained all the information we needed from Riedern County, I felt secretly disappointed.

“She was someone we couldn’t have seen in the first place, Rose.”

At my grumbling, Casian rather maturely consoled me.

“Still.”

But I still felt wronged.

If they’re going to assign work like this, shouldn’t they give that much of a bonus?

Should I hope for it after clearing everything for the calculation to be right?

Perhaps my face looked silly from such frivolous thoughts, as Casian chuckled softly.

Since it’s Casian who looks at me too much, he might have just noticed.

“But Rose, more than that.”

“Yes?”

“If you’re curious about anything, you can just ask.”

At his words spoken with a slightly flushed face, I firmly suppressed the question that had risen to my throat.

That seemed a bit unfair.

‘Like when did you start liking me that much, or what you liked about me…’

Without giving a proper answer, I would only ask what I was curious about?

I wasn’t that shameless.

“It could be an appeal to you.”

“That’s why I won’t do it even more. If I ask now, I feel like Ian won’t answer honestly.”

This was another reason.

I told him not to feel sorry, but it seemed he still couldn’t completely set aside that feeling.

Whether it’s heavy or troublesome, if I, the person involved, am okay with it, shouldn’t that be fine.

After all, he should know that if I disliked it, I would reject it regardless of Casian’s circumstances, given my personality.

“…If I’m happy about something like this, will Rose look at me strangely again.”

At his casually uttered words, I really looked at him as if he were a strange person.

He could just not say anything.

The way he did this because he wanted to tease me was truly wicked.

Casian Artez really had a bad personality.

Regardless of whether he had confessed or not.

*

Though the fortune of returning to the past wasn’t granted, another guess I had made proved correct.

That the vault had similar properties to a lair.

When I opened the lair scroll, one sentence was added as if it had been waiting, then disappeared.

Moreover, a seal was engraved on the vault key we received from Parker Manager.

It was the seal that had appeared when I received a gift from Gaia.

‘Has ownership of the vault perhaps transferred?’

If it was similar to a lair, wouldn’t that be the case, I asked Casian, but he shook his head.

‘I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do feel like the purity of the aura has increased somewhat.’

As someone without aura or magic, I couldn’t understand what kind of feeling that was.

Anyway, I was confident that Gaia wouldn’t have given us anything bad.

Even though she said that would be the last time we could talk with her, I could see she tried her best to resolve our curiosity somehow.

‘This is probably really the last interference…’

Thanks to Gaia’s gift, I could naturally understand.

That her power could no longer affect this world.

Still, it was reassuring that it didn’t feel like our connection was completely severed.

They say children must become independent when they grow to a certain extent, but it’s still reassuring to be watched over.

So after obtaining what we could from the vault and Parker Manager’s materials, we moved toward the Clupea region without regret.

The ‘young child’ Gaia mentioned was probably referring to the Flare Dragon.

‘Though he seemed to have left without regret.’

Perhaps it was because he didn’t receive a barrage of questions from me.

Unlike Gaia, I could feel his power.

It was also clear that he could interfere with this world.

In fact, after receiving the scroll sent by Soljeoginoye and having all sorts of incidents pile up, I had somewhat regretted not asking the Flare Dragon various questions.

‘Now I think it was actually for the best.’

I wouldn’t have been able to ask proper questions back then.

I vaguely knew that I had to undergo seven trials, but I didn’t know about worlds merging or the complex situations involving the Imperial Court and various aristocratic families.

Of course, I had some suspicions about how the Emperor had given us time to look after the Riedern and Clupea regions with almost too perfect timing.

‘He must have known Riedern’s secret.’

Both the speculation about dragons and the characteristics of the Riorden Family.

Probably more than what Parker Manager knew.

That’s why I was even more determined to thoroughly take advantage of this opportunity the Emperor had casually thrown our way.

Before we knew it, the scenery outside our carriage was turning pure white.

“It’s midsummer, yet this scenery is truly fascinating.”

“It’s not even that far north compared to Riorden Estate, is it?”

About 10 months ago, the place we had come to with the army was showing off its pure white and magnificent appearance, unchanged from that time.

*

After receiving my title, this was the first time I was visiting my estate.

So naturally, proper inspection was needed, but since it was a small place compared to the vast Riorden Estate, there wasn’t much need to spend time on it.

At most, it was a region with the size of a large barony, barely reaching the extent of a marquisate.

“Were there two villages formed in the Clupea Border Barony?”

“There are three now. After full-scale transportation from the lair began, people came looking for work.”

Since it was mostly uninhabited land, there weren’t many places to visit.

The size of each village was similar to the smallest villages in Riedern County.

So even though we traveled while conducting inspections, it didn’t take very long to reach the village near the lair.

“Greetings, Marquis!”

“We’ve been waiting for you. The ledgers you requested in advance are here.”

Even after arriving, the review didn’t take long.

Although I hadn’t had the chance to visit the border barony directly, I had diligently arranged for people to act as my representatives.

“Rose, come here quickly.”

“Hey, how long do you think it takes to get from here to Terodima Barony?!”

My mother and the diligent worker of the Terodima County, my childhood friend Paul.

And on the shoulder of Paul, who had faithfully run out clutching a bundle of ledgers, sat a red lizard peacefully.

Flapping what looked like adorably small horned wings.

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