The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 54

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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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54.

For quite a while after that, Wesley talked about his true feelings regarding dragons.

“Just think about it, I can see a dragon’s unique eyes not just in paintings but in real life. How beautiful and cunning they must be! I’ve been looking forward to this day so much, Rozelita knows my heart, right? And when it breathes fire—”

Ever since he became obsessed with the dragon in the fairy tale book I gave him as a child, he’d been like this whenever the topic came up, so I was used to it and mentally worked on revising the supply operation plan for the Flare Dragon subjugation battle.

Thus, his criticism of the shrine only came to an end after discussing the Flare Dragon’s historical facts, weaknesses, visually stunning aspects, scale fragments remaining in the shrine, techniques, and so on.

“Oh, of course I really, really wanted to see Rozelita too, don’t misunderstand!”

After saying everything, Wesley suddenly took on a well-behaved posture like someone who had come to his senses and blushed.

That habit of his remains the same too.

At that sudden thought, when I smiled softly without resistance, Wesley also smiled as if following my lead.

“I don’t like Prince Casian much, but I can see why people like him. Unlike the utterly incompetent priests, he really does his work well.”

“That’s right.”

I had only spoken matter-of-factly since it was true, but he somehow looked frustrated.

“I’ll do well too, Rozelita.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve gotten much stronger too, enough to protect Rozelita now!”

Wesley said while clenching both fists tightly.

“So please watch over me too, because I didn’t just grow taller during the time we couldn’t meet!”

Anyone could see it wasn’t just height that grew, right?

I was about to make such a frivolous retort, but seeing his serious eyes, I simply nodded.

Yes, if my younger sibling—Wesley was truly a year younger than me—had grown, that was admirable.

I decided to feel joy instead of bitterness about that growth.

*

For another three or four days like that, I steadily prepared for the dragon subjugation battle while recovering my body.

“It’s a big problem that Rose loves work too much.”

Although Casian complained a bit, I ignored him.

The longer the expedition, the more supplies needed, and if military preparations and my work don’t finish at the appropriate time, the schedule gets longer!

If that happened, the Empress would surely try to hold the Winter Palace responsible and even steal the budget, so I couldn’t just sit and watch!!

Despite such strong will, I couldn’t avoid being forced to become a child of a new country when Casian would take away all the documents at 9 PM every night.

Instead, he would say,

“There, this should be fine, right?”

He reduced his own sleep and arbitrarily did the work I was supposed to do.

“Fine, my foot!”

Every day I would smile like a sly snake and say mean things to Casian who stole my work.

“To steal away my precious overtime pay!”

“You’re not even serious.”

Casian laughed it off casually and lifted my body, leading me to the table.

“I know too well that my lovely advisor isn’t such a heartless person.”

Really, my boss’s understanding of interpreting my feelings was getting higher day by day.

“Why don’t you notice that I’m worried about Your Highness?”

It’s not even selective interpretation, how annoying.

Does it make sense for someone who’s about to go into battle to reduce their sleep?

When I looked at him with a sulky face, Casian sent word outside and tried to block my mouth again with breakfast.

“Do you think I’ll fall for something like this—”

“I know, that Rose is worried.”

Casian spoke while personally placing a spoon in my hand.

“But Rose doesn’t seem to know.”

“What don’t I know?”

At his low voice, I asked meekly, losing my momentum.

“How much I worry about Rose.”

“…I do know.”

“It doesn’t seem like you do.”

Only after confirming I was gripping the spoon firmly did he sit beside me and turn his gaze toward me.

“If you knew, Rose couldn’t do such things. Enduring all those side effects of potentially fracturing bones, having a fever over 40 degrees, and being unable to maintain body temperature.”

For a moment, anger mixed into his voice.

It wasn’t directed at me, but raw anger close to not knowing where it should be directed.

Casian brought his hands to my cheeks and forehead as if checking my temperature, which had now become a complete habit, and spoke.

“You couldn’t have made such a choice.”

“…Your Highness knows that was the best option.”

“The best option, you say.”

Casian spoke as if it was nonsensical.

“Rose suffering this much can’t be the best option.”

He slowly removed the hand he had placed on me.

“Especially if it’s to prevent the slim possibility of me getting injured.”

His violet eyes pierced into me deeply and intensely.

For a moment I wondered if he was angry at me, and on the other hand, if he was hurt.

At times like this, I regretted not having as delicate a nature as Casian.

If I had been more sensitive, I would have noticed his feelings more thoroughly.

But I wasn’t so dull as to not know how to soothe him.

“Next time I’ll definitely consult with Your Highness.”

And that was my best. I couldn’t promise definitively not to do it, since this world always treated us cruelly.

Casian sent me a slightly deeper gaze, then nodded while sighing shallowly and rubbing his face.

“It can’t be helped, I’ll have to take pride in cherishing you more and concede.”

How does that lead to such a conclusion?

Though I was puzzled, I decided to quietly admit defeat to Casian.

*

When all preparations for the subjugation were complete, the Snow Kingdom Army and Imperial Army also finished dealing with all remaining magical beasts and arrived at the base camp established near the peak with exquisitely perfect timing.

“Thanks to the Saint’s timely arrival, the damage didn’t expand further, I’m truly grateful!”

At the King of Seolkuk’s words, several ministers who had come along scowled fiercely.

‘It was good that I told the administrators to leak information to the King of Seolkuk’s side as soon as I heard about the Saint matter.’

It was very good that I had heard the King of Seolkuk’s personality in detail from the Second Consort.

‘Brother is so mean! So annoying! He loves it so much when others fail! And he likes it even more if it’s someone who can compete with him in strength!’

It was definitely less than ten years ago that the shrine denounced Seolkuk as a nation of barbarians.

They held a grudge because Seolkuk still wouldn’t grant permission to build a shrine in the Snow Kingdom capital due to following indigenous beliefs.

Therefore, I thought that if I just leaked information to Seolkuk, they would do plenty of things to make the ministers scowl.

“The sight of the barrier being restored was so magnificent that I felt some faith rising toward that god.”

Just like now, very appropriately.

At the King of Seolkuk’s forward-looking statement, the ministers’ faces became even more menacing.

In addition to that, Wesley said,

“The timely barrier restoration wasn’t just my achievement, but also thanks to Prince Casian and the Imperial Army blocking well, and Advisor Salice guiding us when we took the wrong path.”

He deflected credit to me and Casian, making the priests’ mood even more twisted.

Seeing him smile while pretending to be innocent, it was definitely 100% intentional behavior.

In this three-way battle between the shrine, Wesley, and the King of Seolkuk, naturally His Majesty the Emperor was quietly observing the situation.

‘He seems to be enjoying it a bit too?’

He also has some deep grudges with the shrine.

The Empress might not know, but one of the reasons the Emperor doesn’t give her the Empress position was also that.

The fairly close relationship between the shrine and the Empress.

“To what extent, if Your Holiness would visit Seolkuk once, I might consider building a shrine in the capital, to that degree?”

However, the King of Seolkuk was someone who knew moderation to a microgram degree, so he also knew how to dangle an appropriate carrot to the shrine.

At his words, the ministers’ gazes turned to the King of Seolkuk in unison, then to Wesley.

Desire was piled thickly above their eyes.

Since the establishment of the Temple, the feeling that I could achieve the unprecedented feat of establishing a temple foothold in the Snow Kingdom Capital, something no one had ever succeeded in doing.

Ignoring such gazes, Wesley looked at the King of Seolkuk and smiled brightly.

“How difficult could it be for me to go to Seolkuk, Your Majesty. However, may I ask one question?”

“Haha, ask away! This King of Seolkuk will answer everything I can, except for what I don’t know!”

“I understand that Seolkuk has often conducted dragon subjugations throughout its long history – do those records still exist?”

The eyes of the true dragon enthusiast sparkled.

What a sight, never forgetting his personal interests regardless of the situation – he’s truly grown into an admirable saint!

While I felt proud inside, the King of Seolkuk packaged it well and opened his mouth.

“As expected of a saint, you must be very interested in magical beast subjugation! Indeed, we have many such records in our royal palace. If Your Holiness desires, I’ll show them to you! Though they cannot be taken out.”

Wesley looked slightly disappointed at the mention that removal wasn’t allowed, but nodded as if he would consider it positively.

“Excellent! Once this subjugation ends, I’ll announce far and wide that His Holiness the Saint is coming to Seolkuk! Of course, assuming the Temple doesn’t object.”

At the King of Seolkuk’s words, the Ministers looked displeased at the emphasis on ‘Saint’ but reluctantly nodded their heads.

After Wesley’s saint title matter was settled according to my intentions, we began the meeting about the dragon subjugation in earnest.

And the King of Seolkuk, just as the Second Consort had informed me.

“We are deeply grateful for the Empire and Temple’s cooperation in reaching this place and maintaining the barrier. Therefore, for the Flare Dragon subjugation battle, the vanguard will be,”

Most shamefully-

“Led by this King of Seolkuk.”

He tried to make the first move himself.

However.

“Your Majesty the King of Seolkuk, while we appreciate your consideration, how could we put a nation’s monarch in the most dangerous position?”

We had no intention of letting it be taken either.

The unique ore sleeping in the Lair of the Flare Dragon – the adamant ore.

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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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