Raising my Fiancè with Money

Invitation

Karhan, who belatedly came to his senses, looked at Lilia.

Compared to the morning, a cooler wind blew.

Lilia lowered her gaze and stared at the rippling waters of the pond.

In the past, the pond she fell in was full of lotus flowers.

She could still vividly recall the roots of the lotus flower entangled in her feet as she floundered in the water.

“…Richard Tersian saved me from drowning.”

If there was only one thing she was grateful to Richard for, it was that he saved  her life.

If he hadn’t helped, she wouldn’t exist.
.

“I thought that person was my destiny.”

With that incident, she became terribly ensnared with him.
Without Richard, her life these past few years would have been incomprehensible.

She loved him with all her heart, so she felt deeply betrayed by his infidelity.

“But he wasn’t.”

A low-pitched voice came out.

Lilia believed that Richard was in love with her, too.

What he liked was not Lilia, but Lilia’s money.

Since they wanted different things, it was destined to go wrong.

From the beginning, it was a precarious relationship like a castle built on sand.

In the first place, If the purpose was money, I’d rather openly ask for a higher reward.

Why did you play with my heart…..

She was angry with herself for wasting so much time devoted to him.

“If it wasn’t Richard who saved me… would I have come to like him?”

It wasn’t a question she was hoping for an answer.

It was just a meaningless question to herself.

It was useless to assume now..

Lilia raised one corner of her mouth.

“Anyway, he’s like an enemy now.”

She tried to speak harshly to relieve the heavy atmosphere, but Karhan only looked at Lilia silently.

And after hesitating for a long time, he asked.

“….Do you still like him?”

When he asked the question, Karhan seemed surprised with himself.

It definitely went without saying.

“No!”

Lilia answered firmly.

After she found out about what he was truly like, she completely cleared her mind with thoughts of Richard.

All that remained was hatred, not love.

If Richard fell into the water and reached to her for help, she would kick him.

Lilia turned and headed for the simple stairs on the side.

Water overflowed at the end of the stairs leading down the pond.

Lilia sat on the stairs and took off her shoes.

To prevent the dress from getting wet, she tied the end slightly.

She was not acting like an aristocrat, but there was no need to pay any mind  to it as it was her personal space anyway.

Barefoot she slipped into the water.

She had only dipped her feet, but it felt like it was her head that was cooling down.

“Come here.”

When Lilia beckoned, Karhan, who was standing at a distance, also approached slowly.

Following Lilia, he took off his shoes, too.

After rolling up his pants, he carefully dipped his feet.

He was surprised because the water was colder than he thought it would be, but he soon adapted.

With a cool breeze blowing, it couldn’t be better than this.

“I do this often in the summer.”

In fact, this was a space exclusively for Lilia, Richard had never been brought in.

Every summer, she used to come here alone and read with her feet in the water

“Isn’t something like this a date too?”

Lilia muttered as if talking to herself.

Lilia, influenced by Richard, thought it was only a date if she spent money.

But being like this side by side, it felt like she was on a normal date.

Karhan turned his head and looked at Lilia and asked the same question.

“…Is it a date?”

“Actually, I’m not sure.”

Lilia spoke frankly.

She never had such a small date with Richard.

“I wonder what other people do on dates.”

Lilia laughed, saying she should read a book.

Karhan’s eyes met Lilia’s curved ones.

Purple eyes sparkled like stars in the dark.

When the wind blew, bright blonde hair scattered.

She was as dazzling as the pouring sunlight.

Karhan finally noticed the lips that complimented him.

Naturally, he remembered what Lilia had told him so far.

His tightly closed mouth gradually loosened without realizing it.

“It really feels like I’m in a relationship.”

At Lilia’s words, Karhan’s mouth hardened again.

The inside of his chest stung as if it contained  a thorn.

He felt like he had been in a good dream for a while.

Lilia and Karhan were in a contractual relationship, not really in a relationship.

A one-year limited relationship.

He realized again that all of this was just a play to deceive others.

“It’s already been this long.”

The surroundings were dim and beginning to darken.

Lilia and Karhan got up.

It was late, so it was better to depart at this point.

Lilia deliberately did not inform her family that Karhan was going back.

It was obvious that Karhan would be uncomfortable.

They went back the way they came.

As she returned to the building and was walking down the hallway, an employee approached her quickly.

“Lady, the lord is calling you for a moment.”

“Can you let him know I am seeing off the little duke? I think it’ll take a while.”

Karhan, who heard Lilia next to him, quietly intervened.

“I’ll go back on my own.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

She couldn’t even treat him properly, so the least she could do was send him off.

Then Tession, who was standing behind them, added, “It’s because we have to go back quickly, too.
I’ve memorized all the directions, so don’t worry.”

Lilia hesitated for a moment.

She wondered what was so urgent that they had to be in a rush, so she eventually nodded.

“I’m sorry I can’t see you off.”

“No, it’s okay…I’ll see you next time.”

After a short greeting, Lilia turned around first.

When Lilia disappeared, Karhan and Tesion quickly moved.

Considering the size of the garden of the Blodon mansion, it seemed that he would arrive at his home in the middle of the night even if he left now.

There was no end to the hallway.

As they walked without hesitation, he could sense someone’s presence at the end of the long hallway.

As they got closer, the figure of the opponent standing in the dark was revealed.

It was Lilia’s father, Cliff Bloden.

“Evantheon’s little duke.”

When Cliff pretended to notice them first, Karhan and Tession stopped side by side.

“Are you going back home?”

“Yes.”

Karhan clenched his fist slightly so as not to tremble.

Upon hearing a harsh answer, Cliff pondered for a while and asked,

“……Is your injury okay?”

Cliff’s gaze touched Karhan’s arm.

“I was treated by a doctor.”

“That’s a relief… And thank you so much.”

The first impression was that Karhan was a benefactor to Cliff.

“Let me know if you need anything.
I’ll do anything for you.”

“There’s nothing.
I have received the remaining medicine to be applied later…”

Karhan, who answered slowly, continued to stare at Cliff.

Upon receiving a cold look, Cliff seemed a little nervous.

It was much better than the first time, but he was not slowing his vigilance.

There was a moment of silence between the two.

Karhan, who is not good at talking to others, hesitated because he didn’t know what to talk about.

Then he opened his mouth thinking he should at least compliment him.

“The pictures are beautiful.”

After letting out a compliment, Karhan turned his head toward the wall.

And when he checked the picture on the wall, he was deeply perplexed.

Where had the numerous famous paintings he saw before go, there were only two solid lines drawn on this one.

“It seems that the little duke is also interested in art.”

Cliff showed a little regard.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your review of the painting.”

Karhan’s eyes shook briefly.
The white and black lines on the canvas…

No matter how much he looked at it, there were only two parallel lines.

It was a very difficult question for Karhan, who was illiterate in art as he had wandered the battlefield for a long time.

His face turned white.

Suddenly,  Karhan recalled the most intense scene he saw today.

It was Violet sitting under the great sword.

“……I think it shows two blades of a knife.”

“Oh, that’s a fresh approach.”

Cliff heard an interesting answer.
Both his eyes shone.

“Actually, this painting expresses that good and evil are inextricably parallel to each other, but ultimately coexist in one space.”

‘Such a profound meaning…’

Karhan looked at the painting once again.

No matter how he looked at it, it was just two solid lines.

Cliff was slightly excited and forgot that his opponent was his daughter’s boyfriend, and took a step toward another picture.

He stopped in front of the painting and asked a question.

“You definitely know this drawing, right?”

Of course he didn’t know.

When Karhan licked his lips, Tession, who was standing behind, whispered so that only he could hear it.

“It’s Evenov’s ‘Mysterious Bedroom’.”

“…Isn’t it Evenov’s ‘Mysterious Bedroom’?”

When Karhan answered as he heard, Cliff rejoiced.

“As expected, you know it!”

Karhan was very nervous because he was afraid that he would ask his opinion again.

However, this time, Cliff explained it on his own.

After the explanation, Cliff introduced other paintings.

Every time, Tession, who was interested in art, secretly gave Karhan information.

Eventually, when he was appreciating the fifth painting, Cliff belatedly coughed.

Somehow, he realized that he had gotten too close to Karhan.

“Hmm, I didn’t know that you were so good at art.”

“It’s sad that young people these days aren’t interested in art”, he murmured.

“Anyway, I don’t think people who like art are bad.”

He recognized Karhan as Lilia’s boyfriend because of the incident earlier, but that didn’t mean he had to be welcoming to him.

However, Cliff thought he seemed to be a better person than expected.

Cliff, who had been agonizing for a while, looked around.

He checked to see if Violet or Heinley would suddenly appear.

Then he said with a very low voice.

“Maybe next time… Will you come to an exhibition? I want to have a deeper discussion.”

“…Yes.”

Karhan, who had not yet learned to say no, accepted the offer.

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