The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 130

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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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130.

I wanted to think it was an absurd statement.

But the words that Soljeoginoye, no, Maribel and Gaia used to refer to me came to mind.

That broken word ‘#@’ whose meaning I couldn’t deduce.

It was a term that clearly referred to me, distinctly different from the original Rozelita.

If they had examined my memories from the beginning, they couldn’t have failed to know that the original story’s content was the true future.

Moreover, they even followed an unfamiliar email format and clearly guided me, saying the worlds were mixing.

As my head became complicated and I unconsciously clenched my fist with force, Casian covered my hand soothingly.

Thanks to that, I relaxed the tension in my hand for a moment and continued my thoughts.

Casian rarely interrupted me during times like this.

Instead, he simply covered my knees with a blanket, held me tightly, and rested his face on my shoulder as if telling me not to forget his presence.

I raised my free hand to stroke his hair while turning my thoughts over again.

‘Then when did the divergence point begin…’

It bothered me that Maribel was aware that the original and present had clearly changed.

Of course, as she thought, it was true that reality had changed due to my various actions.

Most notably, even the Temple’s status was completely different from the original.

My raising Wesley Morel into an excellent dragon enthusiast and sending him to the Temple probably played a part.

Since his entry into the Temple was delayed and the brainwashing didn’t work properly, he grew into a fine adult with a strong sense of self.

Not only that, but after becoming Casian’s advisor, he constantly interfered with Scaletti Zamotti’s affairs.

Like when she could have increased funds by 100, he would feign ignorance and make it so she could only increase them by about 70.

There were also several occasions when he guided other families to take on work that the Zamotti family would have originally handled.

‘Yes, I did invite resentment.’

In addition, unlike the righteous Casian in the original, this Casian was incredibly cunning.

Due to the influence of my early education.

He even voluntarily spied on the Salice Barony.

‘I should have noticed as soon as I got the advisor job.’

I thought that since he was the Second Prince who had struggled to survive, his work capabilities had naturally become excellent.

I never dreamed that he had grown to resemble me by watching how I worked.

I hadn’t particularly intended to influence things to this extent, but I had to admit that I had played a part in this world’s efficient work processing.

However, all those behavioral changes happened after I recalled at least some of my past life memories.

In other words, from the point when I realized the ‘original story.’

But Maribel seemed to have anticipated it from before then.

No matter how I thought about it, I kept feeling it wasn’t prophecy.

‘Then from where exactly.’

Even just the events so far had far exceeded what a human could handle.

‘Because the world split.’

That’s why she’s saying the two worlds are mixing.

Wasn’t the very fact that she noticed this and told me already close to divine territory?

‘If she can do that much, I suppose there’s nothing to say about calling her a Saint…’

She had mentioned several times that she was the healthiest among the Reardon daughters, but—

‘…No way.’

I stopped stroking Casian’s hair out of habit and stared at him intently.

“…Why?”

He looked at me obediently as if he had no intention of interfering.

“…Your cunning seems to resemble Lady Maribel.”

“To suddenly give such supreme praise, what else have you figured out about our mother?”

“I thought she simply left the split orb because it would be helpful.”

Maribel had left a hint about the fact that the world had split.

Something close to divine territory, the Reardon treasure that was only half remaining that I had thought might be a dragon orb, and Maribel’s emails from the past that seemed to know the current situation…

‘She split it intentionally, risking her own life.’

Probably from the moment Casian was born.

And she needed to choose that timing.

She might have originally foreseen death and decided to take a gamble.

But more than anything else…

“…Lady Maribel wanted to say that you were more precious to her than anything else.”

To her only son, proof of love.

And to me, a confession about her deception.

She had wanted me to believe this world was the original and act accordingly.

Though I really didn’t want to admit it, it was because I could prevent what she was worried about.

‘Since the Dragon noticed the world was collapsing, it must be something like destruction…?’

It seemed like too big a task for a small citizen who just wanted to work hard and earn a daily living, but if it was a fact I needed to realize, I had to accept it.

That’s why Maribel would have peeked at my old memories, confirmed which parts were soft spots, and made her gamble.

Unlike my somewhat organized thoughts, Casian’s expression was filled only with confusion.

“…Why?”

His voice sank as if choking.

“I’m not certain, but.”

Casian’s gaze trembled finely.

When I raised my hand again to stroke his hair reassuringly, his eyes slowly closed and opened repeatedly like he was taking deep breaths.

“I think this was the best expression of love Lady Maribel could leave for you.”

After uttering such emotional words, I escaped from Casian’s embrace, straightened my body, and gathered my scattered thoughts together.

It was time for another confession.

*

I organized my speculations and explained them to Casian in chronological order.

One. Maribel Reardon was born with powerful magic and noticed the anomaly in this world that even the Temple couldn’t detect.

Two. After long deliberation, she accepted Emperor Ernest Artez’s proposal to stop it and also to reclaim Reardon’s rightful status.

Three. In that process, Maribel Reardon learned of ‘my’ existence and planned something.

The incident she experienced while visiting the Capital for the Debutante Ball seemed to be the starting point, but this part was difficult to speculate clearly.

Four. And as planned, she gave birth to Casian while risking her life to use Reardon’s treasure to split the world and summon me.

“…You’re saying she acted that way for me?”

“It probably wasn’t only for Ian, but I think you were the biggest reason.”

Casian’s eyes darkened.

“Are you thinking ‘because of someone like me’ right now?”

Seeing those eyes, when I asked, Casian raised his head as if someone had pricked the back of his neck with a needle.

“If we’re talking like that, I think I should be the one apologizing to Ian.”

“Why?”

“Because Lady Maribel must have noticed by peeking at my memories.”

Even before I was born in this place, she must have noticed my existence and made all her plans.

I raised my hands to cup both of Casian’s cheeks.

“Your very existence.”

“…That’s not Rose’s fault.”

“So it’s not your fault either, because the choice was made by Lady Maribel, not Ian.”

I couldn’t know in detail what she saw, how far, and what she thought.

But I knew that the present was the decision Maribel made after considering all those aspects.

“So you can just accept it, you can even resent it a little.”

“Resent, you say?”

Casian let out a hollow laugh.

The emotion of ‘how dare I, toward a mother who risked her life for me’ was clearly visible.

“Of course, Lady Maribel didn’t choose the option of staying by your side.”

“Even though she must have chosen what she thought was best?”

“That was Lady Maribel’s best choice, but it wasn’t your best choice.”

Casian’s eyes widened at my words.

“And I got completely swept up in all of this.”

To me, someone who best fits the description of a common citizen who finds happiness in a simple life, they dumped this massive and heavy burden about the end of the world and whatnot.

And they even left behind such a lovely bonus.

“If you say you’re sorry, I’ll dump you right away.”

I playfully tugged at Casian’s forehead as his eyebrows drooped, giving him a smile.

“I know you just did your best. Lady Maribel probably did too.”

“Rose…”

“So.”

I burrowed into his embrace and hugged his waist tightly.

Though I was complaining with my words, I didn’t harbor only resentment toward Maribel.

There were quite a few bothersome and heavy things hanging around, but I knew well that life was never easy to begin with.

And I had no inclination whatsoever to embrace only negative emotions and fill my path ahead with dark things.

‘I might be too understanding, but Lady Maribel must have had a hard time too.’

Having to choose between the option of staying by Casian’s side even if it meant destruction in the end, and the option of leaving him alone to face all kinds of loneliness, trials, and pain before achieving a complete future.

So I decided to understand her with some softness.

No matter how difficult things became in the future, there would be ways to solve them, and it would be enough to just get through them.

Since they said I had that kind of power.

Gathering all those thoughts, I leaned against Casian’s shoulder with my cheek pressed against it and spoke.

“Don’t act intimidated or show weakness when it doesn’t suit you. So I can continue to ruthlessly use you as my shield.”

A beast should act like a beast.

Even at my words, Casian remained silent for a moment, then soon pulled me into a greedy embrace and let out a low laugh.

At the same time, the scroll vibrated and unfurled with a flutter.

Along with content shorter than ever before.

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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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