CH 132

Walking down the wide, empty corridor, Cass went up to the top room of the tower.

When he opened the door, he saw his father lying on a sick bed in a dark room and a maid beside him taking care of him.

Seeing Cass, the maid hurriedly bowed her head in greeting, and she left the room.

“You’re here?”

A hoarse voice came from the senile father’s mouth.

Ruthos Lloyd. He was the owner of Lloyd Merchant and Cass’ father. And now, the light of his life was gradually fading due to the manifestation of the curse that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Lloyd family.

“How are you feeling?”

“Nothing special. It feels like I can see Salerium now. There’s no fear because it’s the path that our ancestors followed.”

Cass nodded his head.

It was the path that all the men of the Lloyd family had to go.

At some point, an absolute disease on which either holy or divine power doesn’t work manifests itself. It was the price of sin inherited from distant ancestors.

His father became ill when the time came, and Cass, the heir owner of the merchant, had been leading everything in the business for a long time.

“When it’s time to die, all sorts of random thoughts run through my head.”

“…”

“The kid who just left. I asked her to say anything because I was lonely, and she told me about a boy she has a crush on.”

She was a young maid, about sixteen years of age.

“Did she say that her heart was pounding and she was flustered, I wonder. Perhaps your mother felt the same way about me.”

Cass didn’t have very fond memories of his mother. But he didn’t resent her for leaving his father.

“It feels like I haven’t fully seen the world because I’ve been living like a fool. Now only when I’m about to die do I feel this, such an unfair suffering.”

Another curse passed down in Lloyd’s blood was their inability to feel the emotions that normal people feel. It’s the essential human emotion that goes into a layer such as love, consideration, and sympathy.

Lloyd only pursued profit and was able to maintain their position as one of the wealthiest families in the Empire.

But Lloyd’s wives were thirsty for affection. Because they had no use other than to carry on the family line.

The atmosphere in the Lloyd family, where only those with ability were recognized and held real power, was cold and stiff.

“Father is complaining unlike yourself.”

“Fufu. It seems that as this body weakens, my mind weakens as well. You will know when you’re old.”

Cass’ mother loved his father and even conceived him, yet she never married his father and chose the Duke of Rockford. It was a bad thing for Cass, but a reasonable choice for his mother.

“Father.”

Cass looked at his father, he said.

“The curse.”

This couldn’t be, he thought. His heart thumped at the moment when the useless and mercilessly abandoned bird returned, and at the sight of the beautiful woman who looked at him with her cold reproachful eyes.

It was purely coincidental. That’s what he thought.

“Can it be released?”

Cass didn’t believe in the Gods.

Probably all the Lloyds who had enrolled in the temple don’t believe in the Gods. ‘Piety’ is also one of the things the Lloyds lack.

Perhaps because of his mother, who was a saintess, his divine power was manifested, yet he wasn’t happy about that either. His power to heal others wasn’t suitable for Lloyd.

That’s why, he thought, he would never have to use his divine power for the rest of his life. However, he used his divine power several times. in the mine, and to protect her, and even to heal a rat.

Looking at the rat making a strange sound like ‘kyuu’, he felt that his essence was twisted and was bewildered. His identity as Lloyd was changing.

“If I really like someone, that curse… will it come loose?”

After a deep silence, his father smiled bitterly.

“Well. A miracle like that could happen.”

***

It was after dinner.

[The Golden Kingdom]

The title was interesting, hence the reason I borrowed it and opened the book I hadn’t read. It seemed to be an old tale with insufficient evidence.

‘Let’s see.’

There was a great kingdom that was chosen by a certain god. A rich kingdom where gold overflowed from its barns and wine and honey flowed through its waterways.

However, as I read the article, I frowned when I saw the illustration under the article.

‘It’s cruel and barbaric.’

People wearing all kinds of precious jewels were persecuting those who seemed to be slaves.

The phrase that the royal family began to brutally kill people for fun when wealth and affluence reached its peak was seen under the illustration.

The Golden Kingdom conquered, plundered, and killed people around it. In a very cruel way.

‘Somehow it reminds me of the Aztec civilization.’

In the end, it was destroyed by buying the wrath of the Gods, and the last thing written was that the royal family was cursed from generation to generation.

‘Is this the encouraging good and punishing evil ending?’

Just then, a knock was heard from the window. As I got closer to the window, I saw the Blue Wing.

“Huh?”

Then I looked down and saw Cass.

‘What is this! When did he come?’

I turned around and held my hand on my chest for a while.

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, is delighted.]

[The God of Benevolence, Oman, tells you to lower the rope and lead him into your room.]

“…”

I put on a robe over the saintess dress that I was wearing and looked at myself in the mirror. Then I quickly left the room.

My heart was beating fast all the way down the stairs.

When I passed by some of the priestesses and ran to where Cass was standing earlier, he was nowhere to be seen and I stood there.

‘He was here, though…’

As I turned my head and looked around, a hand touched my shoulder.

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and turned around to find Cass.

“…”

I stared blankly at him for a while before opening my mouth.

“…Hello.”

Why did I say hello, I was kind of stupid.

‘I was talking so easily in front of people earlier, but why the hell am I like this in front of Cass?’

It’s difficult to say a single word, and there are many thoughts after saying it.

Cass looked at me and opened his mouth.

“I came to hear what you were going to say earlier.”

“…Ah.”

“Starting from the reason you’re avoiding me.”

A cool wind blew between us.

I parted my lips for the time for us two alone that no one can disturb.

“Oracle terminated.”

[The Gods run amok…]

Cass twitched his eyebrows.

“So I…”

I said, looking at him.

“When I see the Marquis…”

Why is this word so difficult?

I stopped breathing again and waited for a while before speaking.

“My heart pounds.”

I could see his dark blue eyes twinkling at my words.

‘Ah. I told you.’

In the prophecy that was called the original story, Cass Lloyd was literally a sociopath. He is a man who can’t sympathize with the feelings and pain of others and uses everything only for practical purposes.

No matter what expectations I had of him, I thought he would be disappointed without getting his money back. So I tried to put a line with him, and it seems that I doubted everything in his favor.

‘No, he’s Lloyd. He couldn’t be like that,’ I said over and over again.

I hate being interested in a guy who has no feelings for me. And I’m sure I’ll get hurt.

However, all his actions confused me terribly.

He poked at my heart. When I look into his eyes, my heart races without my knowledge, yet when I’m left alone, my head goes cold.

It repeatedly happened every time I had contact with him. And on the day I met Lady Rie, I realized a feeling I had denied.

‘Jealousy.’

Seeing his cold treatment for the woman he once used in his plan, I was afraid that if I gave my heart to him, he would do the same.

And on the other hand… I grumbled as I was very bitter and annoyed to see his ex.

‘If it was enough for him to say without hesitation that he put the clothes on me in the morning that day, in some way they would have been close friends, right?’

‘Seeing that he leads the dance well, he must have danced with women a lot, right? Maybe with Lady Rie…’

To be honest, it was also a bit embarrassing.

As he looked at me under the lights, I pushed his chest out.

He didn’t want to be like the women before me.

I didn’t even want to be his lover, as if it flowed naturally. I wanted to endure it until his heart, or mine, became clearer.

But now even those defensive thoughts were blurring. After that night’s kiss, just thinking about him made my heart race and my cheeks heat up.

After a while I turned my head. I looked into the distance.

Regret rushed right in, but the words that had already come out of my mouth couldn’t be picked up.

‘But I still told the truth. Although I feel like dying of shame… It was a good life.’

At that time. I heard his voice.

“Saintess.”

Unlike the usual Cass, it was a rough tone that sounded a little cracked.

My shoulders shuddered at the sound of his voice calling me, but I couldn’t look up at him.

‘Ah, I want to run away.’

“Would you please look at me?”

Yet again his voice was heard.

I barely lifted my head with a feeling that I was going to cry. And I met eyes with Cass, who was staring at me.

‘…Did Cass originally have the tips of her ears so red?’

“So I…”

Deep and heavy emotions were contained in ultramarine blue eyes that contained an intelligent light.

I felt my heart beat and looked at his lips.

“Ha…”

He was about to say more, yet for a moment, he turned his head and put his hand over half of his face.

“I thought you were disgusted. For the kiss was below your expectations.”

It seemed that his ears were more red than before.

He seemed nervous for a moment, then stared back at me.

“What do you mean below expectations… It far exceeded my expectations… Nothing.”

I blocked my spout as I spewed out words on my own.

It far exceeded my expectations… What the hell was I talking about!

The heat on my face grew hotter and my heartbeat grew louder.

A voice escaped from his lips, which had been closed for a long time.

“I’m going crazy.”

What does it mean? It was difficult to understand.

After a while he put his hand up and took my hand. He said in a low voice to me looking up at him.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

His hand touched my shoulder. A hard tree hit my back, and my giddy gaze flicked forward.

Cass said to me, who looked at him, surprised.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

His hand gently wrapped my cheek, which flinched at that dangerous voice. And his lips engulfed mine.