CH 142

It was the time when darkness crept into the red sunset. The softly shining sculptures were making the mansion look more profound.

As the carriage stopped, Cass opened the door and our eyes met. Seeing me in the blue dress Daisy had chosen for me, Cass looked at me blankly for a moment, then raised his hand to mine and kissed the back of my hand.

“You make my heart pound again today.”

My heart skipped a beat at his voice, which was a little cheesy but friendly.

Rumbleㅡ!

At that moment, a thunderbolt was heard from somewhere.

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, struck Cass’ love guidebook with a thunderbolt.]

[The God of Love, Odyssey, applauds Hessed.]

“The sound just now…”

“Ah, haha. The Marquis is also wonderful. You always have been.”

Not wanting to let him know that his book was charred, I hastily praised him.

“Thank you.”

I meant it. Dressed in a well-made black shirt and tight-fitting dark trousers, he looked like a model.

His physique is cool enough for him to stand on the runway or stage in Korea right away. The style with the bangs turned over with pomade was neat, and his handsome features were shining today.

Escorted, I reached his mansion. Looking at it again, it was a magnificent scenery that could be considered a palace.

The servants lined up and greeted me politely. I nodded at them, took Cass’ hand and headed into the mansion.

“The blessings of the Eight Gods to the Saintess!”

Upon entering the mansion, the servants stood in two lines and greeted me while making a path.

“May the Gods bless you too.”

As expected of a conglomerate family, the number of servants and maids was enormous.

[The God of Art, Mond, licks his lips while looking at the art pieces in Cass’ mansion again.]

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, raises his head and boasts of Cass’ wealth.]

I whispered to Cass.

“How many employees are there?”

“Excluding the mercenaries, there are about 300 of them. Some even belong to the merchant.”

‘As expected, the conglomerate class…’

I hid my surprise and followed him into the banquet room. There was a lot of food on the huge table that seemed to seat at least 20 people, and several servants were waiting for the course.

[The God of Love, Odyssey, sighs while alternately looking at the corn snacks he’s holding and the meal.]

Cass’ father, Ruthos Lloyd, stood up to greet me. He was a middle-aged man who made everyone wonder, who does Cass resemble that he’s this handsome.

“Father, she’s the Saintess.”

“Nice to see you. Blessings from the Eight Gods to the Saintess.”

Looking at Ruthos, I greeted him according to the manner.

“I’m Saintess Ariel. I’m greeting the Lord of the Merchant. Glory and blessings from the Eight Gods to Lloyd.”

The original title of marquis belonged to Ruthos. However, when his muscles were loosened by the curse, he appealed to the Emperor and said that he resigned from the front line. He passed on his title and everything to Cass.

However, as Cass said, his condition seemed to be improving when I saw him today. I bowed my head before Cass pulled out a chair and sat down next to me.

“Thank you for being so welcoming.”

“What do you mean welcoming. Such an obvious thing. Come on, take a seat. By the way…”

Ruthos said while looking at Cass, who was diligently pouring lemon juice on my food.

“I didn’t expect this guy to be like this.”

[The God of Justice, Hetuse, agrees with Ruthos.]

“Father.”

I smiled for no reason at the sight of Cass immediately rebelling.

“I’m not kidding… Phew.”

Ruthos shook his head.

“Lloyd has been building a relationship with Elium over the past hundred years and has become our biggest customer, but… I never thought this guy would destroy it all at once.”

Ruthos’ words made me humbled as well.

[The God of Destruction, Ciel, waits for ‘father’s opposition’.]

[The God of Art, Mond, is looking for a ray of hope.]

Because it made me feel again the meaning of what Cass gave up for me.

“I’ve told you. Please don’t bring up uncomfortable stories.”

Cass hardened his face and that was the moment I was about to nudge him in the side saying it was okay.

“So I sincerely thank the Saintess.”

Unexpectedly, I looked at Ruthos. Cass also looked at him in surprise.

“For Cass to give up our colossal value for the woman he loves means that our curse has truly been lifted.”

[The God of Destruction, Ciel, hangs his tail in disappointment.]

[The God of Art, Mond, considers Ruthos as an enemy.]

Curse, it was.

“Father.”

A bitter, yet deep smile crept across Cass’ lips.

Thinking of the story of the Golden Kingdom, I smiled as well. With the thought that I’m glad that the curse has been lifted.

After a while, I asked Ruthos.

“Has the curse been completely lifted… even with the Merchant Lord?”

He took a sip of the wine from the glass and opened his mouth with a lonely expression.

“I’m not sure.”

Then his eyes turned to Cass.

“Seeing how proud I am that my son abandoned the privileges of the merchant in order to do well with the Saintess… Maybe so.”

At that, Cass lifted the bottle and filled his father’s empty glass.

“Seeing you talk about such useless things, I feel the same way.”

At that, Ruthos laughed.

“Boy. It’s embarrassing.”

Cass’ ears were slightly red. Uncharacteristically cute, I swallowed the smile on my lips.

After a while, I took out the present I had brought and handed it to him.

“This is a gift I prepared for today. Please accept it as a gift to commemorate the Lord of Merchant’s recovery.”

Reaching the highest level of the oracle, I was able to freely buy items from the relic shop. Usually, holy relics have many items with special functions or blessings, but this was also the case.

“This…”

Ruthos took the pocket watch and looked at it carefully.

“It’s a holy relic.”

I smiled and nodded.

“It’s the Monk’s Pocket Watch. It’s a watch that protects one against bad luck or injury.”

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed explains to the other gods the origin, efficacy, and history of the pocket watch.]

[All the Gods roughly ignored Hessed’s explanation.]

As expected of Lloyd’s owner, he was well aware of valuable items. He looked at the pocket watch for a while, then looked at me and said.

“I couldn’t have imagined it. I never thought I would receive such a precious thing. How should I repay you?”

I smiled and said it was okay.

“I would be happy if you just use it well.”

“Still… in any case, thank you.”

After a while, I asked Ruthos what I was curious about.

“More than that, what do you think you plan to do in the future? You seem to have a plan since you’ve recovered well.”

At those words, Ruthos furrowed his eyebrows and put on a serious expression.

“Ah… First of all, I’ll have to look back to see if my son has managed the merchant well up until now… I should also check the trade network. In line with the changing times, we’re thinking that we should also try our hand at recruiting talent.”

Hearing his words, I suddenly opened my mouth.

“How about leaving?”

At my words, Ruthos hesitated. Cass also felt a little bewildered. Ruthos looked at me for a moment, then he gave me a slightly displeased expression and cautiously spoke to me.

“Even if Cass has been in charge of the company up until now, this is an internal Lloyd affair.”

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, yells at Ruthos, saying that excuses are useless and that the merchant is yours now.]

[The God of Justice, Hetuse, sticks out his tongue at Hessed’s blade robber mind.]

I’ve been invited here as Cass’ lover, so he might think I’m presumptuous. Thus I added the words clearly.

“I’m talking about travel.”

And at my words, Ruthos’ eyebrows twitched.

“You’ve been living without feeling many emotions until now. I think it must have been difficult in its own way.”

I could feel Cass’ gaze on me.

“Even though there are so many different and precious foods prepared, how painful it would be if you couldn’t taste them. That’s why… I’m telling you that it’s an opportunity to enjoy the many things you gave up because of the curse.”

Ruthos’ eyes widened.

“That watch was also given as a gift to the Lord of Merchant to bless your precious time ahead.”

[The God of Love, Odyssey, applauds your warm heart.]