Raising my Fiancè with Money - Chapter 73

Money Makes You Switch Sides

After the long crying session, Lilia and Heinley walked through the garden and talked. From memories they shared together to stories they couldn’t tell each other. The more they talked, Heinley, who before was very distant, felt closer

Lilia glanced at Heinley. He was her older brother who used to speak sternly with a cold face. Perhaps because all the misunderstandings were resolved, he seemed calm.

‘Even after I had apologized, I wasn’t completely at ease….’

No, Heinley, like her, was awkward and couldn’t come close. He stopped talking for a while, and tried to push up his spectacles like a habit. Realizing that nothing touched his fingers, he awkwardly swept the back of his neck.

“I would like to express my gratitude directly to Lord Evantheon.”

Lilia glanced at him. This was because she remembered that Heinley had previously turned the house upside down on the issue of Karhan. Everyone knew that Karhan stopped by the mansion every day, but he was disappointed, saying, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“…I’ll make time for you later.”

Karhan might be surprised if Heinley suddenly showed up. Lilia suddenly saw Heinley’s carriage and thought of Karhan, who had been hiding that day, and laughed.

“Your face looks good,”

At Heinley’s words, Lilia raised her head.

“You used to always look worried when you were with Richard Tersian…….”

Heinley recalled Lilia, whom he had seen in the past years. There was always a shadow on her face. She used to say she was happy, but her expression didn’t look like that at all.

“As long as you’re happy,”

At Heinley’s murmuring, Lilia quietly nodded her head. Heinley looked away for a moment. He hesitated a little, and then opened his mouth,

“The lord is more than I thought…… He seems like a good man.”

“I told you so,”

Nobody believed it, Lilia grumbled softly. At first, it was fortunate that her family, who opposed Karhan, gradually recognized him. She was disappointed that he had been misunderstood every time, but it was a good thing.

“Are you going to take a break from today, since the vacation is from today?”

“No, I’m going to be busy during my vacation.”

Heinley’s expression gradually subsided.

“I’m going to release the data related to corruption of the Marquis, which I was going to make public with my resignation. I’ll have them mistake it as the Duke of Evantheon. Now is the right time.”

(T/N: he means if he reveals the corruption right now, the Marquis will think that it was the Duke who revealed the corruption and not Heinley since he had helped Heinley in his promotion.)

“That’s a good idea. I had no intention to let it slide either.”

Thanks to Karhan, it was settled well, but their anger had not completely disappeared.

It was the Tersians who lit the fire first.

“I think you will be busy during your vacation, brother.”

Lilia’s purple eyes shone unusually coldly. Lilia parted her way with Heinley at the front door and headed for the annex. After knocking, she entered the room and saw Karhan sitting at the desk studying.

“Karhan,”

The pen which was moving diligently stopped. Karhan turned and stared at Lilia. Then he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Did you cry?”

“Well,”

Lilia rubbed her eyes reflexively. She had grabbed Heinley and cried her eyes out, and now her face looked like a mess. She came straight away and didn’t even think to look in the mirror.

Karhan sprang up from his seat. He who hardened his expression, looked at Lilia. He didn’t seem to know what kind of face he was making.

“Is it because of Richard Tersian?”

“No.”

Lilia shook her head in shock. She was ashamed to say that she cried because she was overwhelmed by her emotions while talking to Heinley.

When Lilia didn’t answer in detail, Karhan kept his mouth shut. His eyes seemed to be angry but full of concern.

Lilia’s expression grew more and more strange. Karhan thought that her emotions were not easily revealed on her face, but now they were clear enough for anyone to notice.

“Actually…”

Lilia hesitated and told him the reason.

“I didn’t get along with my brother very well. I took this opportunity to solve everything.”

Lilia, who recalled what had happened earlier, was embarrassed for no reason.

“By the way, the promotion of my brother has been successfully carried through. Karhan, you came forward, didn’t you?”

Karhan’s shoulders trembled. After relaxing his expression as much as he could, he nodded softly.

“Thank you,”

Karhan froze when he saw Lilia’s bright smile. He suddenly heard a resounding echo from deep within his body.

“By the way…..you’re not in any trouble because of that, are you?”

Lilia cautiously asked. She knew that Karhan was not on good terms with his family and was merely a temporary successor. Karhan tried to ignore the growing noise in his heart, and answered,

“Nothing happened,”

“Really?”

“I asked the duke without much expectation, but…… I didn’t expect him to solve it.”

A smooth lie came out. For the first time, Karhan realized that he could lie shamelessly.

(PR: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

—Go to the conflict zone after summer.

The Duke’s voice seemed to be heard again. More than half a year had passed since he returned to the capital, but he still had nightmares of wandering the battlefield. Blood gushed out like a fountain before his eyes, and the death of an unknown person echoed, begging for his life and screams that echoed he did not want to die.

After waking up from the nightmare, his whole body throbbed. The countless scars carved on his body roared as if reminding him of the past. The wounds were proof that Karhan had survived one more day.

The disputed area the Duke said was the most barren land in the Empire. He had to go there with only one sword, and it was very difficult to survive. Karhan faced Lilia, who was standing before him.

When he looked at her purple eyes, he felt as though he was purified. The terrible memories of wandering like white dust gradually faded away as if they were washed away by the rain. Karhan only wanted to see Lilia smiling and happy. It’s just a small sacrifice for that.

“…did I help you?”

“Of course.”

“That’s a relief. “

Karhan smiled faintly. Lilia looked at his face without even blinking. All her nerves were captured by his smile. Occasionally, her chest itched whenever he laughed. Lilia, who came to her senses belatedly, opened her mouth,

“My brother wants to say thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything…….”

Karhan shook his head saying it was okay. Lilia, who had been looking at Karhan for a moment, murmured,

“I thought you were avoiding me these days.”

Kahan paused.

“…How could that be?”

Contrary to his answer, Karhan cautiously slipped away from Lilia’s gaze.

Something is strange, Lilia thought.

***

On a sunny afternoon, Lilia wore a red dress with darker makeup than usual. Looking in the mirror, she stood up with a satisfied look. After getting into the carriage, she asked Malek, who was sitting across from her,

“What about the rumours that I will be attending the banquet?”

“I’ve spread the rumors.”

“Well done.”

While searching for many banquets, she deliberately chose a large one. Now that everything is planned, all she had to do was to wait for the bait.

In fact, she had planned to deal with Richard’s issue slowly. She was going to put her plan into action as soon as everything was ready. But the moment he touched Heinley, Lilia couldn’t stand it anymore.

After a long carriage ride, she arrived at a small mansion located at the edge of the capital. It didn’t even have a proper gatekeeper, so Lilia entered the mansion right away. As soon as she passed through the gate, she saw the front door. She had never seen a house with such a short garden.

Lilia stood at the front of the porch and saw the family crest on the pillar. It was the crest she saw at Richard’s house that day. Her expression, as she looked at the crest gradually, subsided. It’s already been months, but she could still see Richard rolling in bed with that strange woman.

Lilia stared at the tightly closed door. Today her meeting was with a woman who had an affair with Richard.

Malek knocked on the front door. After a while, a man who appeared to be an employee peeped out his head. The employee, who recognized Malek’s face, opened his eyes wide.

“You’re here. Please wait a minute.”

The employee left immediately. After a while, she heard someone coming down the stairs. Lilia stood in front of the main door which was wide open and stared at the woman coming downstairs.

The woman who had come down the stairs met Lilia’s eyes. She was Rose Baela, the daughter of the owner of the mansion.

“Hello? You know me, right?”

“Y-you……!”

Recognizing Lilia’s face, Rose stepped back in shock. When Lilia gave a dark smile, Rose shouted at her employee in a hurry,

“What are you doing! Get rid of her right now!”

However, the employee did not budge. Rose urged the employee.

“Hurry!”

“I’m quitting my job from now on.”

“What….”

The employee immediately turned around and left from the front door. Rose’s lips twitched at her employee’s sudden action. Lilia, who had been watching her silently, folded her arms.

“I guess you’ve been delaying their salary, right? He changed sides right away.”

She looked at Lilia without saying a word. When she saw the knights standing on either side of Lilia, her body shuddered. Rose hurriedly turned her head and shouted,

“Is anybody there?! Get her out of here!”

Her voice resounded like an echo. But she didn’t get an answer back. As the deep silence penetrated her skin, she looked around her house in disbelief.

“I think that employee was the last one.”

“What…?”

“I bought them with my money.” // “I provoked them with money.”