Chapter 41
After asking for Respan and Deneb’s understanding, the two women slowly strolled along the outer edge of the rose garden.
Arin, sensing Melodian trailing behind her, debated whether or not to reveal her true identity.
According to the book’s narrative, after Melodian became possessed, she felt an intense sense of loneliness and depression. It made sense—she had been a high school senior raised with love in a normal environment. Knowing this, Arin felt guilty trying to deny the truth.
“Sir Arin, you’re Korean, right?”
With bright eyes and hands clasped together, she looked so cute.
“Well…”
“I saw you at Lily’s Diner the other day. I wanted to ask immediately when I saw the ramen and chocolate wrappers, but the duke beside you scared me off. Anyway, what I want to say is—!”
She had already been certain Arin was from Earth. Arin’s eyes widened. What was she about to say?
“Can I keep in touch with you often?”
Melodian’s shoulders drooped at Arin’s ambiguous reaction. It seemed Arin wasn’t as pleased by her presence as she had hoped.
Seeing Melodian fidgeting with her fingers, Arin scratched her head. She had thought of Melodian as someone who could drag her and Deneb into ruin, but now, she just looked like a regular nineteen-year-old girl. Arin began to lower the walls around her heart.
“Can I speak casually with you?”
“Yes! Please do, I’d love that!”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Arin Yan.”
“I’m Melodian Rigel. You can call me Meldy! I just came up with that nickname. I want to be someone special to you, Sir Arin.”
It sounded suspiciously like a proposal.
“Pfft, alright. Nice to meet you, Meldy.”
With teary eyes, Melodian took Arin’s hand and shook it. In a world where she had no one to lean on, Arin felt like the comforting tree she had been longing for. She smiled brightly and sincerely.
Meanwhile, two people watched the two women from afar: Deneb and Respan.
The two men sat silently drinking tea, pretending the other didn’t exist. Their full attention was on the distant conversation happening in the garden.
Though the women were too far away for their voices to carry, their figures were visible. When Melodian suddenly laughed brightly, Respan felt dazzled.
‘Wait… she could smile like that?’
Time seemed to slow around him. Her face appeared more vivid than the rest of the world.
Ad, sensing Respan’s attention drifting toward Melodian, pouted and jumped down from his seat, approaching Respan. With determined effort, he climbed onto Respan’s lap.
Feeling the warm and heavy presence on his legs, Respan looked down. Ad, puffing his cheeks, was clearly upset. He studied Ad’s face closely as the child exaggerated his sulking.
In Ad’s face, he saw the resemblance to someone he missed dearly. With a softened heart, Respan fed him a cookie.
“Eat up, Ad.”
Ad chewed it enthusiastically, continuing his wild little cookie feast.
Crunch. Crunch-crunch!
The sharp sound of the crumbling cookie grated on Deneb’s nerves, and he turned to see Ad stuffing his cheeks like a chipmunk. The sight of Respan feeding Ad so gently stirred a strange irritation in him.
Then, spotting Arin and Melodian walking back toward them, Deneb rose from his seat to retrieve Ad.
Respan smirked slyly, clutching Ad tightly in his arms. Oblivious and cheerful, Ad snuggled into him.
Deneb’s teeth ground so hard it sounded like a beast’s growl. His eyes gleamed with threat, like a noble wolf protecting its territory.
“Grrrr. Hand him over.”
“What are you talking about?”
Feigning ignorance, Respan tried to play dumb. Deneb seethed, trying to decide how best to make him pay.
Respan enjoyed seeing Deneb—usually indifferent—react so strongly. It gave him a thrill. He felt like stirring the pot even more.
Every time Respan smiled brightly, the atmosphere in the garden chilled.
Melodian, now closer, rubbed her arm, goosebumps rising along her skin.
“It must be autumn already. The air feels chilly.”
Arin barely stopped herself from saying, “That’s not it.” Melodian, not being an aura user, couldn’t sense what Arin did.
Golden mana clashed violently with black mana in the air. Arin sighed.
“Sigh…”
Montblanc, a famous café open only to women.
Arin and Melodian sat in a private “Secret Room,” sipping tea and sharing their circumstances.
“So you’ve been here for more than three years now, huh? Not even a possession, but actual dimensional travel? That’s hardcore.”
Melodian dropped her aristocratic tone and spoke comfortably, like chatting with a friend from back home.
“Right. But… how did you bring the cup noodles and chocolate? I’ve been dying to know since last time.”
“Oh, that? It’s my ability.”
“Your ability? That’s amazing—I’m so jealous! I don’t have even a speck of ability. Like I said, my situation’s a total disaster. I feel like my half-sister is going to steal my entire estate.”
Arin, knowing Melodian’s future, wasn’t too worried.
According to the original story, Melodian would soon discover a magic-stone cave while trying to develop a tourist attraction on land left to her by her mother—and make a fortune.
If she recalled correctly, that would happen next year…
“Sir Arin, would you be interested in going into business with me?”
“Huh?”
“I inherited a lake, and I want to turn it into a tourist spot. But I need money and manpower to do it. I might sound like a joke, but I was actually preparing to major in business at a top university in Seoul. How about it?”
Calling herself a fake smart person instead of a real one was oddly honest—and a bit of a red flag. Arin burst into laughter at her candidness.
“Pfft! Alright, let’s hear your plan.”
You’d think she’d keep business plans secret, but maybe because of their shared identity as modern people, they talked without pretense.
Even without the magic-stone cave, Melodian’s plan sounded solid—assuming they had capital.
Her property included a large lake and a small mountain. The reason it had never been developed was because an odd smell drifted from the mountain to the lake. Plus, unlike other lakes, the water was lukewarm.
Putting all that together, there was one obvious conclusion.
“It’s a sulfur hot spring. You want to make it into a hot spring resort?”
“Exactly! You got the vibe right away. A sulfur hot spring not far from the capital—how is that not a jackpot? Even if it doesn’t go viral, it’ll still be a big hit. But my family just doesn’t see the potential. They’re totally against it.”
“Really?”
As Arin agreed, Melodian pouted and let out her frustration.
“They’re like, ‘How good can smelly water be for you?’ or ‘Who would go to a place that stinks?’ Ugh, I swear I’ll prove them wrong.”
It was a guaranteed future. Arin decided to invest without hesitation.
She had a conscience—so she wouldn’t touch the magic-stone cave directly. But she did plan to drop a hint to help Melodian find it. She was smart; a small clue would be enough.
This was a win-win.
The clock in the secret room struck one. A soft chime rang through the room.
Deneb was supposed to depart for the Altair Duchy tomorrow morning. Arin needed to go back to the estate now to pack if she wanted to be ready in time.
“We’ll have to keep talking business by magic video or letter.”
“Oh right, you said you needed to leave by 1. Time flew! I’m so bummed.”
“Meldy, let’s meet again soon.”
Before they left, Melodian clumsily straightened her clothes after watching Arin do the same and asked,
“By the way, don’t you have any intention of freeing yourself from the duke? I mean, you’ve got a title and money now. Isn’t there no reason to stay with him?”
“…Hmm. If you put it that way, no, I guess there’s no reason. But I made a promise.”
“A promise?”
“That I’d stay by his side… in exchange for protecting him.”
Melodian’s jaw dropped. Her brows furrowed deeply.
Come to think of it… didn’t the duke go out of his way to block me from getting close to Arin…?
The story Arin just told and Melodian’s own experiences blended together chaotically in her head. A thousand questions swirled at once.
The duke said to stay with him?
Isn’t that a confession? Does he like her?
Wait—what is even going on between them?!
While she was panicking, Arin delivered the sweet, borderline romantic story in a calm tone. Melodian composed herself.
Thank god. It didn’t sound like things had gone that far yet.
There was no way she could give kind, angelic Arin to that violent, cruel duke. Shaking her head, Melodian decided to bury her questions forever—and made a vow to protect Arin, even if it cost her life.
Sir Arin, run away now! I can hold him off for… maybe five seconds!
Five seconds. A brutally honest self-assessment.
