Salvation Through Delusion C107

Chapter 107

Indecent?

Rick quickly turned his gaze toward the affectionate pair of siblings. Lantua was still speaking animatedly, as though delivering a lecture, while Rue continued nodding diligently.

Lantua’s eyes did seem unusually fervent, but there was nothing that felt particularly indecent about it.

“Well… she looks excited, maybe, but beyond that, I’m not sure,” Rick answered cautiously.

“She’s holding his hand way too tightly.”

His hand? Rick narrowed his eyes and looked more closely, but once again, he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

They just looked like close siblings. Maybe His Grace disliked Lantua so much that everything she did irritated him?

As Rick was thinking this, Lantua began stroking Rue’s arm. At that very moment, a low murmur thick with killing intent drifted from beside him.

“That woman is really getting on my nerves.”

Solongo, who had come out to see Rue off, was taut with tension. It wasn’t because Rue was leaving alone.

For some reason, Solongo felt an unfounded confidence that Rue would survive anywhere. Her greatest concern was the head of the household. She worried that at the moment of parting, Lantua might collapse.

But contrary to her fears, Lantua’s lips were curved in an unbroken smile, as if she had been waiting precisely for Rue’s departure.

That wasn’t all.

Tyroc had arrived with such an overwhelming number of escorts that the guard corps had been mobilized in full, filling the front of the estate with soldiers. The air was tense, like the eve of battle.

Even Rue, the one at the center of it all, looked displeased.

“I can’t tell if they’re here to pick me up or to raid the place.”

At that, Lantua let out a soft chuckle and gently clasped both of Rue’s hands.

“He probably wanted to establish dominance first. Try to understand.”

Solongo stared at Lantua in shock. When had her lady ever placed Tyroc within the realm of “understandable,” even once?

Even after acknowledging him as something other than an outright enemy, she’d been itching to curse him out whenever possible. And now she was siding with Tyroc, wearing such a mild expression?

But Lantua’s indulgence didn’t end there.

“No, but still—if you come to someone else’s house, shouldn’t you greet the host first? Why is he glaring like that?”

Rue voiced another complaint, and Solongo barely restrained herself from agreeing aloud. Tyroc had insisted he didn’t need to go inside and was standing stubbornly outside, casting a cold, oppressive stare.

What an unpleasant man.

Yet Lantua’s impression was entirely different.

“He must be in a hurry. He is a duke, after all—probably very busy.”

Whoosh!

Solongo snapped her head around so fast it nearly made a sound. Had something gone wrong with her lady’s head?!

But it seemed Solongo was the only one worried about Lantua’s condition. Rue, meanwhile, was focused solely on Tyroc’s gaze.

“Still, isn’t that rude? He’s younger than you, yet he’s staring at Dr. Kim like that.”

Strictly speaking, Lantua did look the youngest. But regardless of appearances, Tyroc was clearly directing an openly hostile glare at her—something anyone could see.

Once again, she merely laughed it off.

“Leave him be. It’s not like he hates you.”

Has she eaten something strange? Solongo’s anxiety spiked. Lantua occasionally shared odd foods with Count Ewik while searching for peppers—had there been some lethal poison mixed in?

Yet Lantua only offered her advice in a tone that suggested she could forgive the entire world.

“So you understand, right? You need to do well.”

At her words, Rue nodded vigorously, like a soldier burning with resolve.

“Just trust me.”

The two exchanged a moment of intense eye contact. Solongo felt deeply moved by the camaraderie between them—stronger than that of real siblings.

They must be sharing a powerful resolve to save their world.

Just then, Lantua gently stroked Rue’s arm and murmured something that sounded like a coded message.

“Centered on the Acorn Forest.”

“Yes. We’ll focus on the Acorn Forest.”

As the siblings locked eyes once more, Solongo’s chest swelled with emotion. So that was it—they would use the Acorn Forest as their forward base and carry out their plan to save their world.

But her inspiration shattered when she caught sight of someone glaring fiercely from the corner of her vision.

No—why was he glaring again? And why was he heading this way…?

Solongo didn’t bother hiding her displeasure as she warned her lady.

“My Lady, the Duke of Koon is approaching.”

To avoid Tyroc overhearing anything unflattering, the siblings had chosen a spot some distance away for their farewell. Yet before they were even finished, he strode over and barked coldly,

“Hurry it up.”

To a family parting ways, his words were rude and arrogant beyond measure.

But to these two siblings, they sounded perfectly reasonable.

The Acorn Forest.

The reason Dr. Kim and I had been so excited wasn’t just because it was unexplored territory.

“I’d completely forgotten about it out of sheer hatred for Koon. The Acorn Forest is a vast stretch of rolling hills spread out behind Koon’s main castle. The surrounding mountains are far away, which makes it strange that the forest is so fertile. I’ve heard an astonishing variety of plant species grow along those hills. In short—it’s a natural treasure trove.”

A treasure trove.

My ears practically perked up at that word. Before leaving the Adeye estate, my serious discussion with Dr. Kim had revolved entirely around finding peppers—but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten my real objective.

Since I didn’t have anything urgent to do upon arriving at Koon anyway, it seemed perfect to wander around under the pretense of a stroll and search for peppers.

Excitement bubbled up, but I forced myself to calm down, remembering Dr. Kim’s advice.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. I’ve gotten excited like that and been disappointed more times than I can count over the last ten years.”

“Your mouth is stretched open like the Joker’s right now.”

“That’s just how I talk.”

Right. I couldn’t afford to repeat the cycle of hope and disappointment like Dr. Kim had. Even so, the corners of my mouth kept twitching upward, and I had to consciously tense my face.

After all, I wasn’t alone in the carriage.

And my companion took issue with my expression immediately.

“Are you that sad about parting from your sibling?”

“What?”

“You’re trying hard not to cry.”

It was the complete opposite, but I couldn’t exactly explain the truth. I simply shrugged.

“I’m not trying.”

“……”

“I don’t plan on crying, so don’t worry.”

I was telling him I wouldn’t be an eyesore, but he tilted his head slightly and curved his lips into a slow smile.

“I wouldn’t mind if you cried.”

He liked the idea of me suffering? Truly a man I couldn’t let my guard down around for even a second.

“I absolutely won’t cry.”

“You shouldn’t say ‘absolutely.’”

Without warning, he grabbed my hand and yanked me closer. I tried to resist, but my shock at his words made it impossible to pull free in time.

“Making my beloved fiancé cry is going to be my job from now on.”

This lunatic. Forget the skin-crawling “beloved fiancé” title—my job?!

That was nothing short of a declaration of war. Was he planning to put my room next to a pigsty or something?

Fine. Do your worst. If I ended up befriending pigs and becoming a pig master, that’d be killing two birds with one stone.

I glared at him, determined not to lose.

“That’s unfortunate. I’ve never cried once in my life. Not even when yawning.”

I countered nonsense with nonsense, but it didn’t faze him in the slightest. He continued to toy with my hand, his smile widening.

“Then I’ll be the first one to make you cry.”

Damn it—he looked even more pleased. Just how far did he plan to torment me?

Wait. Don’t tell me—

A horrifying thought struck me, and my eyes went rigid.

He’s not planning to starve me, is he?!

I tried to pull my hand free, shaking my head coolly.

“No. Your Grace is merely one of many would-be challengers—ugh!”

He suddenly tightened his grip, and a cry escaped me mid-sentence. I swallowed it back, but the pain was sharp enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Cruel bastard. Since I said I’d never cried, he was testing it by trying to break my hand.

I couldn’t bring myself to curse him, only shooting him a fierce glare—but his gaze grew even more intense. Then he reached toward my face.

I turned my head to avoid him, but his fingers brushed the corner of my eye first. He brought the tear caught on his thumb to his lips and licked it away.

“So I really am the first.”

…Should I headbutt him?

I swallowed the surge of rage and glared at him like I wanted him dead. His eyes were still gleaming with enjoyment, which only made me angrier.

“Yes, yes. Would you like a prize? My teeth are still quite sturdy.”

“A prize? No need. Taking my beloved fiancé’s first time is only natural.”

He dropped yet another outrageous phrase and finally released my hand. I deliberately rubbed my eye hard, as if to erase the lingering sensation.

Whether his gaze turned cold or not, I focused on wiping away the contact—when a dry command cut in.

“As soon as we get home, make a list.”

A list? He twisted his mouth again, his eyes devoid of humor.

“A list of everyone who’s ever tried to make you cry. Don’t leave a single one out.”