Chapter 280

Chapter 280

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 280: Something Money Can’t Buy (2)

“If I were to give you the opportunity to talk to your daughter?”

“...!”

“Then what can you give me in return?”

At Vikir’s words, Damian’s eyes widened. A daughter he never forgot, even in his dreams. If he could have another chance to talk to her, what price wouldn’t a father be willing to pay?

“Well, if my daughter wakes up. If, by any chance, that is possible, I will never be angry with her again. I will make sure she knows that I love her unconditionally. I will respect whatever choices she makes and offer forgiveness to her...”

“No. What can you give to me?”

Vikir cut off Damian’s heartfelt confession sharply. There was no obligation here to listen to the regrets of an incompetent father who was not even a devotee.

“...”

Damian’s expression momentarily froze, then returned. He had encountered countless relatives who pleaded with him to borrow money, whether for investments, offering interest, delaying debt repayment, or claiming family members were ill.

But each time, Damian thought, “What can I do about it?” It was their problem, not his. To make a deal, you had to convince the other party, and the essential requirement in that process was persuading them that the deal was mutually beneficial, not reciting a sob story on the weaker side.

Through numerous pragmatic deals, Damian finally regained his true stance.

“If you restore my daughter to her original state... I can give you anything within my reach.”

Damian said it without a hint of hesitation. It seemed like a resolve that had been forged a long time ago.

However, Vikir shook his head.

“I didn’t say I would return her to her original state.”

“...?”

“I said I would make it possible for you to talk to her.”

In an instant, an uneasy look crossed Damian’s face.

“Surely, you’re not suggesting something like killing me and my daughter so that our souls can converse, right?”

“That could be one way.”

“...Hey.”

“But it’s not a solution. Above all, if you’re dissatisfied with the result, there’s no refund, isn’t there?”

Vikir stood up from his seat and turned towards the fluttering curtains.

When Damian hesitated to rise, Vikir was already gone.

But he left behind a piece of advice.

“Dying is not atonement; it’s just escape. Face your responsibility until the end.”

Only a dull voice, resonating as if directly within the mind, echoed around the ears.

* * *

Exactly one month later, Vikir found Damian’s mansion. At the outer edges of strict defenses, there were subtle openings. Venturing through one of those gaps, Vikir saw Damian standing nervously in the depths of the mansion.

He was spinning in place, holding a pocket watch like a perplexed rabbit. Finally, Damian, upon spotting Vikir, spoke in a restrained voice, “You’re late.”

“This is as fast as it gets,” replied Vikir, in his Night Hound costume.

Brief greetings were exchanged. Vikir followed Damian’s guidance to the deep bedroom in the annex. Soon, a large and plush bed came into view. The room was filled with candles that regulated temperature, humidity, and emitted soothing scents, creating a serene atmosphere.

A woman lay there, her eyes closed. She had disheveled white hair that seemed ethereal. Clear skin, large eyes, and long eyelashes adorned her face. Juliet, Damian’s illegitimate daughter. Once considered the genius girl closest to becoming the next head of the family.

Vikir silently observed Juliet’s face. “I feel like I’ve seen this face somewhere,” he thought, momentarily pondering where he had encountered her.

“Is it necessary to stare so intently at the face of a sleeping lady, a crucial part of waking my daughter?” Damian asked anxiously from the side.

Vikir took his gaze away from Juliet’s face. “You can come out now.”

Gradually, Vikir lifted his coat, revealing someone inside. It was Pomeranian.

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Romeo and Juliet’s eyes.

[Thank you, Father. Thank you!]

“N-No... I am thankful. Thankful for you growing up so beautifully. For calling an unworthy father ‘Father.'”

Damian expressed regret and apology with a voice that seemed to break all his internal organs.

Juliet and Romeo nodded, tears streaming down.

The reunion and resolution between father and daughter, father-in-law and son-in-law, were quite emotional, but...

“No time. Quickly, finish your business,” Vikir summarily cut through all of this.

Damian turned his head with a puzzled expression. “W-what do you mean, no time? My daughter’s soul has just returned now!”

“Not her. Him.”

Damian and Juliet’s gaze turned towards Romeo.

[...]

Come to think of it, Romeo had been unable to say anything all this time.

Vikir briefly explained the information conveyed by Pomeranian.

“It seems that the man is completely dead, and the woman is in a position where only half of her is dead. They cannot stay together for a long time. Since she forcibly brought him here, it is now time for him to completely cross over to the afterlife.”

“W-what, what are you saying now! Why are you telling me this only now, when my son-in-law is about to go to the afterlife!”

“Our agreement was only for your daughter’s soul, It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Why does it not matter! My son-in-law is about to go to the afterlife!”

“Why are you complaining to me when you’re the one who killed him?”

Damian could only mumble in response to Vikir’s remark, unable to offer any counterargument. Pomeranian lowered her head.

“You have to go to the afterlife. That’s the way it is. It’s the law.”

As she said that, Romeo’s form was becoming more and more illusionary as time passed. This was different from Juliet, who still possessed a living body.

[...My love. Don’t leave me. Please! I can’t live in this world without you!]

Juliet embraced Romeo, crying bitterly. Damian, once again tearing at his hair, blamed himself.

“Oh, I’ve once again driven them apartt! How selfish and foolish am I!”

Now, Romeo was crossing the door of death to the realm of peace. And he would never be able to return.

However, Juliet, being a living entity, could not follow him.

Juliet and Romeo touched each other’s faces, shedding tears of longing. Meanwhile, Damian deeply regretted his decision which led to the second separation of the lovers.

“I vowed never... never to make my daughter cry again... I swore never to experience the same regret again... Oh, how can I be such a greedy pig.”

Thinking he had hit rock bottom, there was still a basement left. The layers of regret were so deep.

As Damian drowned in the swamp of endless self-blame...

*Thunk!*

A hand touched his shoulder.

Vikir.

He turned to face Damian and spoke.

“It’s time to let her go.”

The only places where a father would hear these words were just two— a wedding hall and a funeral hall.

In a situation where these two seemingly unrelated places were intricately entwined.

“... .... .... ....”

Damian’s pupils were shaking more violently than ever before.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]