Salvation Through Delusion C48

Chapter 48

As I cursed with a mouth that apparently “opened well,” fury burning through me, I suddenly remembered what I had written—and realized, belatedly, that emphasizing my mouth might have led to a very wrong impression.

Gods, no. Sure, maybe my phrasing was a little questionable, but still—had he lost his mind completely? Was his brain nothing but filth now?

Of course, instead of admitting any fault on my part, I decided this was all Tyroc’s doing and set about composing a new reply—this time, carefully. I planned to send it through normal mail, but Solongo had other ideas. After reading it, he immediately called in the magicians again, insisting Tyroc must see it immediately.

“Shall I test how well my mouth opens again—on your thigh this time, Grand Duke?”

Thank the heavens, there was no reply this time. Solongo seemed strangely disappointed, but I, at least, was relieved this ridiculous correspondence had ended. Whatever it was between us, I had no intention of letting it turn into that.

Still, when I heard the word letter again after several quiet days, my pulse jumped on instinct. But the envelope I received was far too flashy—gaudy, even. Who in their right mind would—

From Ma Hoiga.

Ah. Of course.

Seeing the name printed in ridiculous gold script, I wasn’t even surprised anymore—just mildly disappointed. Honestly, I’d expected at least some rhinestones glued to the thing.

To my dearest Rue,

Rue, I have absolutely thrilling news!! But then I heard you nearly died again, and I thought—should I tell him? What if he faints from excitement and dies for real this time? But then again, it’s such joyous news that it would be cruel not to share! Still, if your health is poor, maybe this will worsen it and—

The first sentence alone was long enough to kill a man. Was this an assassination attempt by boredom? Solongo was right—Hoiga truly was no easy man.

Half the letter was just rambling nonsense, so I skimmed to the end for the point.

The 13th Month Club has invited you to its annual open day! Can you believe it? You—actually invited!

I think everyone’s deeply moved that you proved the legend of the pond true. Sure, you probably fell in by accident and got lucky, but hey, results matter!

Anyway, Rue, are you okay? You didn’t fall over and break your leg from excitement, did you? You have to attend the Club, remember! Even if your neck breaks, I know you’d crawl there—after all, it’s the invitation you’ve wanted your entire life! Even if your d**k breaks, you still have to come—

Utter nonsense. The gist was that a members-only club, open to non-members for only a single day each year, had invited me.

Just then, the door burst open and Solongo came running in.

“Has a letter arrived from Grand Duke Tyroc?!”

Her face was practically glowing with excitement. I squinted at her suspiciously.

“Why are you so eager for a letter from him?”

“Well, to confirm whether the Duke’s still favorable toward the Adeye family, of course. Certainly not because he’s—ehm—still misunderstanding something.”

“Doesn’t seem likely he’d be feeling anything favorable. This one’s from Ma Hoiga.”

I handed it over, watching her expression fall. She blinked, then raised an eyebrow.

“The 13th Month Club invited you? Surprising. The old Rue would’ve been over the moon, but given the recent temple incident… it’s odd they’d invite you at all.”

Before I could ask what she meant, Mo helpfully supplied an explanation from Rue’s memories.

[The 13th Month Club is a gathering of elite alphas—Rue’s greatest lifelong desire was to join. He spent absurd amounts of money trying to get invited, but was scammed nine times. After his family head, Lantua Adeye, threatened to cut off his allowance, Rue attempted to personally charm the members for entry—by stalking them. He succeeded in approaching several but ruined it when he publicly grabbed their crotches without warning. Consequently, he was permanently banned from the club.]

I pressed my hand over my face, drowning in shame. Even if it wasn’t technically me, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself.

Gods, what a lunatic crotch-grabber.

How had someone with such a frail body managed to live so vigorously? Rue might’ve been a disaster, but he sure didn’t lack commitment.

Sighing, I muttered weakly, “Come on, they banned him just for a little crotch grabbing?”

“Because it resulted in a ruptured penis,” Solongo replied evenly.

I stared down at my hand in horror. So… the man had built finger strength in all the wrong ways.

“And Lantua didn’t stop him?”

“The family head tried. That was after the damage was done.”

Well. No wonder the Adeye name was infamous.

“Still,” Solongo continued, “if they lifted the ban and sent an invitation now, the pond incident must have caused quite the stir. The event is tomorrow—you should start choosing an outfit.”

“I’m not going.”

That made her pause.

“Rue, declining the 13th Month Club’s invitation will raise suspicions. People will start to whisper that you’re not the real Adeye Rue. Why the grimace?”

“Because last time I went to a gathering like that, every pervert in the room latched onto me like iron filings to a magnet.”

“Well, you did surround yourself exclusively with perverts.”

Damn it.

“And before you ask,” she added dryly, “no, you may not purge them this time.”

“…How did you know I was thinking that?”

“Because you always are.”

I grumbled under my breath. “But I almost died—”

“Yes, you almost died. Not reincarnated as the Perv Hunter.”

She crossed her arms. “Even if you dislike it, attending is wiser. The traitor may show up, and we can’t risk drawing suspicion.”

The traitor. Right.

Remembering my real goal helped quell my irritation. I stared off into space for a moment before another face came to mind—someone who’d been bothering me for no clear reason.

“The High Priest Chegi’s disciple. Ariona, right? What do you know about him?”

“I looked into it,” she said. “Other than being Chegi’s protégé, nothing stands out. No notable family, no fortune. He attended school on a scholarship—one sponsored by Chegi, actually. Don’t you remember? He attended the same academy as you.”

“What?”

I quickly asked Mo to confirm.

[There are zero memories of Ariona in Rue’s past.]

“I’ve got nothing,” I said flatly.

Solongo only nodded, unsurprised. “You only remembered men you slept with.”

“True. He’s definitely not Rue’s type.”

But maybe mine.

I sighed, and Solongo’s brows furrowed. “Is something bothering you?”

“Just a feeling,” I admitted. “Don’t you think it’s strange? He seemed to know the fake ‘Tear of the Demon King’ would be auctioned. It’s almost as if he knew the future.”

“That seems unlikely,” Solongo said dismissively. “It’s more probable the information leaked from inside the temple. The clergy there are thoroughly corrupt.”

He said it so casually that I wondered if he’d personally lost money to them.

“Still, check anyway,” I said quietly. “Especially…”

I paused, my voice lowering.

“…whether he’s ever died and come back.”

“Chegi’s disciple?”

Kim Park’s eyes gleamed sharply when Solongo reported this later.

“You said he’s got no background? Then what connects him to the traitor we’re searching for?”

“Only his age,” Solongo admitted. “He’s of the right marriageable range. Otherwise, no match.”

“Then look for what doesn’t match,” Kim Park said. “If the High Priest protects him that fiercely, there’s something to it—whether it’s power, bloodline, or looks.”

Solongo nodded. “Also, the gifts we sent to House Koon were returned.”

“What about the letter? Did Tyroc send Rue a reply?”

Kim Park’s question came like lightning, but Solongo only shook his head.

“No. Not this time.”

“What? After sending such a passionate love letter?”

“Apparently he’s playing hard to get,” Solongo said, deadpan.