The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 165
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
165.
Casian opened his mouth with a sigh.
“That the futures Mother told His Majesty about were true.”
“…Bel didn’t warn me about this!”
Casian truly found him pathetic.
He hadn’t even said much yet, but the Emperor was already shocked.
That his own mother had betrayed him.
That she had put him in a predicament through her silence.
‘Mother isn’t a prophet.’
Rozelita had taught him that she had only glimpsed the predetermined flow of this world and informed the Emperor about it.
So it was natural that she wouldn’t know what came after Rozelita, who could disrupt that flow, was born.
His father truly received far too much undeserved love.
Even in this situation, seeing him feel betrayal rather than gratitude, shocked that the truth he knew had crumbled.
There was no need to say more.
If he had been in the Emperor’s position, before feeling displeased and angry, he would have asked desperately.
To obtain even one more fragment of his beloved’s image.
But the Emperor’s love was built entirely upon his own well-being.
Nothing was more important than himself.
So Casian had only one thing left to say.
“In the distant future.”
He deliberately began with a slow, warm voice.
“If His Majesty resolves everything and calls me back.”
“…Then what?”
At that voice, Casian had to suppress the bitter laugh that threatened to burst out.
Because he could feel the expectation even in this situation.
“I will gladly give my thanks.”
Casian looked into the Emperor’s blue eyes and spoke in a clear voice.
“To Mother.”
“—Not to me?”
At the Emperor’s words, Casian this time revealed his smile without hiding it.
It didn’t matter if he was insolent. He wanted that man to escape from the swamp of delusion.
“Everything is thanks to Mother saving His Majesty’s life and sacrificing herself to arrange so many things.”
“I also…”
“What have you done for me other than throwing me into the line of death, Your Majesty?”
“…Casian.”
“If Rose were here, she would gladly recite what all the newspaper articles and the words nobles used to describe me have been until now.”
Miraculous survival, risking one’s life, terrible, harsh, tenacious.
They were all words that showed the hardship of his life.
“Is there anything left that should disappoint me more?”
At Casian’s words, the Emperor stared blankly into space.
“…Bel wouldn’t not help me. She’s someone who can’t do that.”
Looking at such an Emperor, Casian decided to keep one truth hidden in his heart.
Mother couldn’t have not known.
That even now, if he truly repented to him and Rozelita and honestly asked for help, she would have extended her hand.
Of course, she probably thought this outcome was more likely, but she would have held onto hope.
‘Mother wanted His Majesty not to be lonely.’
She wanted him to repent everything, abandon his nature of not properly trusting others, and truly live a peaceful life.
Because she believed in such a future, Mother, who was the ‘Riedern Priestess,’ could plan such a thing.
But His Majesty willingly turned that great love into hellfire.
Because of that excessive suspicion.
If he had realized they had met in the past and apologized, Casian might have softly forgiven the Emperor a little.
‘When I was young, the reason I could save you in that cottage was because of the magic healing tool His Majesty secretly placed there.’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Don’t worry about me and it’s okay for Ian to do as his heart desires. It’s fine to come to the capital for just a month a year, and I can torment His Majesty plenty on my own.’
Rozelita had also drawn out all her tenderness for his sake and said such things.
But the Emperor kicked away even the opening that could have given him breathing room.
‘Well, I know that putting the healing tool there wasn’t consideration or anything.’
From the Emperor’s perspective, it would have been troublesome if he really died.
He needed to stay alive so he could be used as a check against the Zamoti Concubine, so that’s the only reason he received such treatment.
Even though he must have realized this, he had no intention of denying Rozelita, who had tried to tell him that his childhood wouldn’t have been entirely harsh.
Casian bowed his head to the Emperor and turned his back.
He truly had no lingering attachment or affection left to give to the Emperor.
The promise he left that he might return later was simply because he thought it was his duty.
*
The Emperor was truly a pain until the very last day.
He was exactly like that hopeless superior who makes you work overtime and handle tasks until your last day of work even after you’ve announced your resignation date.
“Sorry, Rose.”
“Why are you apologizing? It’s the fault of that person whose hands slowed down because he was slightly shocked.”
Casian had willingly told me about his private meeting with the Emperor that day.
The thought that the Emperor’s mental state would have crumbled made me feel refreshed first.
Then I worried that Casian’s heart might be lonely.
But since Casian himself said he felt relieved, it seemed to be fine.
Having a bit more work until the very end wasn’t a big deal.
We had really only met the minimum standards, so it didn’t seem like the remaining people’s hardships would be particularly reduced.
Besides, since this was really our last day leaving work, I felt more joy.
“We said we’d leave the capital gates today, but we couldn’t do that.”
Nevertheless, Casian looked apologetic.
He seemed sorry for not being able to keep my resignation plan.
“Instead, we can properly spend our last night, and here at that.”
I smiled looking at the living room that was compact and decorated entirely to my taste.
Today Casian didn’t return to the Winter Palace bedroom.
That was also a declaration to the Emperor.
That today was truly the last day living as Second Prince Casian, and the Winter Palace would also fall into deep sleep.
From tomorrow, he would live as Riedern Count, the son of Maribel Reardon.
So we returned to my town house together.
“…I tried really hard not to come in here if possible.”
“Why?”
“Because there are too many traces of Rose here, I thought I wouldn’t want to leave.”
Casian said this and leaned his head against my shoulder affectionately.
“The day you fell asleep, if Joan hadn’t called me, I would have quietly watched you until dawn.”
At those words, I smiled and gently stroked his hair.
The soft texture wrapping around my fingers was familiar and pleasant.
“Then do you hesitate to leave tomorrow too?”
“Not at all. Now I know that with your love, I don’t need to be bound by things with form.”
Contradicting those words, he fiddled with the ring on my ring finger.
I had said the ring he gave me when we made our contract was fine, but Casian insisted that he wanted a proper ring rather than a contract one and made a new ring to put on me.
Unlike the previous ring that seemed like showing off, the current ring had a simple design.
So that it was obviously a set with the ring I put on Casian’s ring finger.
I really thought this person liked being together with me.
I spoke to Casian in a gentle voice.
“…I sent the final letter to Lady Maribel.”
Only the dragon scroll remained on my wrist, while the other scroll that had been hanging there withered was gone.
There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed that.
“Yeah.”
Casian didn’t even ask about it, answering as if he already knew.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Didn’t Mother say back then that men who are curious about women’s secret conversations aren’t loved?”
Rather, when I asked out of my own curiosity, Casian lifted his head and pulled me close around the waist, kissing my cheek and the tip of my chin.
“You wouldn’t have said anything bad about me to Mother, and besides, not being loved by you would be a bigger problem for me.”
It was truly a statement befitting a fire-attribute filial son.
Well, he was probably acting like this because he roughly knew how I would have sent it.
When Pea said I could send one final letter, though it would be the last time, I pondered what content to write.
Maribel, who would receive this letter, would be contemplating her own end around that time.
So I spent several days pondering and wrote the best sentence I could send to her.
And naturally, I couldn’t receive a reply to that.
But….
“Pea told me that Lady Maribel smiled at the end.”
“…Yeah.”
Casian tightened his arms around me.
I could feel relief and happiness from him too.
One more thing, regarding the world that Lady Maribel had split apart.
-It will be as you wish. What do you want to do?
Thanks to the completed Gaia’s jewel, Pea said it would be fine whatever choice I made.
She even said that the world, which had been unstable since I decided to take root in this land, had also stabilized.
Well, I still couldn’t help but feel resistant to being such a great existence, but I decided to accept it.
And regarding the remaining ‘original’ world, I decided to follow the natural course.
‘They can live their own lives completely separated without mixing.’
I didn’t like that side’s Casian, and it seemed like Casian also thought that Rozelita wasn’t his type, so this was the right answer.
As long as the terrible thing of worlds mixing didn’t happen, I had no intention of interfering.
Pea said it was a very me-like decision, absorbed the jewel as it was, used her power several times, then said it was all done.
Then she said she was starting to miss Paul Terodima’s stupid face and went off to Clupea Territory first.
She was truly a heartless lizard.
I was the one who wrote the contract as the owner, after all.
“What are you thinking about, Rose?”
While I was lost in thought, Casian, who had been behaving quietly, asked me a question.
Instead of talking about Pea or this world in a way that would ruin the mood, I brought up a very us-like topic.
“-I’m thinking about how to collect the debt you owe.”
Casian chuckled softly at my words.
I had arranged for the Clupea Border Barony to provide support for Riedern Estate, which had lacked proper management for a long time.
Well, it wasn’t a large sum, so Casian could pay it back all at once.
“Would you accept me if I said I wanted to be employed by Rose?”
But true to Casian Artez’s nature, he said something strange.
“For a small salary, please.”
“…For a small salary?”
The words that followed were even more peculiar.
When I looked at him with squinted eyes, Casian burst into laughter and gave me a short kiss on the lips with a “chu” sound.
“That way I can be worked to the bone by you for a long, long time.”
“…You know your tastes are really weird, right?”
“You love me despite that.”
It was such a confident tone.
How could he be so shameless?
I looked seriously into his beautiful violet eyes, then burst into laughter just the same.
‘Yeah, so what if he’s a bit strange.’
I still find this person cute and lovable.
“That’s right.”
And I didn’t do something like hide my answer to make him anxious.
He was a ghost-like person who could read all my emotions just by looking at my eyes.
“I love you.”
That’s why I wanted to convey my feelings to him even more directly.
“So much that I want to keep you with me for life.”
So that he would only be happy while he was by my side.
Casian answered me with a bright smile.
“Please do just that.”
Then he kissed me with a bit more heat than before.
“Because I will love you even after death parts us.”
At that whisper that made my heart swell yet felt somehow familiar, I hugged Casian tightly.
I was certain that, just as I had assured Lady Maribel, we would be able to live happily for a long, long time.
Working to our heart’s content, enjoying ourselves, and building day by day that would be special because each ordinary day was modest yet shared between the two of us.
Because wherever we are, as long as we’re together, we’ll be happy.
-【The Male Lead Trains Me with Money】 End-
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————