Chapter 108
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I Will Purchase Divine Power with Money
Chapter 108
From the moment Lute Sheary declared she would stay at Count's Residence with me, I foresaw this very instant.
An old, filthy corner room without windows—a place where sunlight barely penetrated the Attic Room.
Would the Count's family truly send me back there in front of Lute Sheary?
Especially when she made no effort to hide her favor toward me?
The answer unfolded before my eyes in the most fascinating way.
"...Count Kiris. Your family seems to find my words quite amusing. They haven't moved even after I've spoken twice."
At Lute Sheary's frigid tone, I glanced belatedly at the Count who had just arrived.
Ultimately, the choice was his to make.
Where would he send me?
"...My apologies. The truth is, the bedroom that the High Priestess used has been damaged due to our negligence, and we are currently undergoing repairs."
"Damaged?"
"Yes. We did not expect you to arrive so quickly, so we have not yet completed the work. It is our oversight."
"And?"
"...The other rooms are quite insufficient for hosting the High Priestess, so it would be best if you used Yoanna's room during your stay here."
It was a far more dramatic proposal than I had anticipated. I never expected him to surrender his daughter's room so readily.
"Fa, Father?!"
Yoanna, who had been sitting quietly before suddenly losing her room to me, let out a shriek, but no one paid her any attention.
"Merely the room of a Count's daughter.... It is somewhat lacking for the High Priestess to use, but it cannot be helped."
With a single word from Lute Sheary, Yoanna—reduced to nothing more than a Count's daughter—trembled violently.
"Show her the way at once."
At Lute Sheary's command, the Count sighed and nodded.
The man who appeared to be the Butler stepped forward immediately.
"This way, if you please."
"High Priestess. Will you be able to walk?"
Lute Sheary, who had been snapping at the Count's family with irritation and casual speech, suddenly transformed her expression as she looked at me.
The bewildered gazes pouring from the Count's family....
were truly exhilarating and refreshing.
The unpleasant sensation that had enveloped my entire body felt as though it was being washed away by the soda shower Lute Sheary had unleashed.
"Would you mind offering me some support?"
"Allow me to attend to you."
The moment I deliberately feigned weakness, Lute Sheary gently wrapped her arm around mine as if she had been waiting for this.
And she fixed the Butler with a frigid gaze.
"Why are you standing there doing nothing?"
"I, I apologize. This way, if you please."
The Butler flinched and quickly led the way ahead.
I surveyed the Count's family, their mouths agape.
The taste of power experienced indirectly was truly intoxicating.
"H, here it is."
The Butler led me to a door covered entirely with delicate white flowers.
In the corridor, maids with ashen faces stood in a neat line.
Most of them were likely Yoanna's servants. I committed each of their faces to memory with precision.
"Close the door and leave."
Lute Sheary, who had helped me settle onto the sofa, issued the command to the Butler.
The flustered Butler responded hastily.
"I shall bring in the maids to attend to the High Priestess...."
"Did you not hear me tell you to leave? How dare you contradict my words?"
Lute Sheary, who had been regarding me gently, glared at the Butler with blazing eyes.
It seemed her patience had been wearing thin since morning with people who couldn't follow a single instruction.
"I-I apologize sincerely. I shall depart at once."
The Butler, his face drained of color, scurried out in haste.
Lute Sheary clicked her tongue sharply.
"They don't even bother hiding their desire to monitor us. I really dislike this place."
I agreed entirely. If not for necessity, I would never have set foot here in my lifetime.
"And this room is absolutely dreadful."
At Lute Sheary's words, I surveyed Yoanna's chamber.
The entire room was crammed with expensive-looking furniture and garishly decorated trinkets encrusted with jewels.
I had assumed the extravagance burdened me because I was accustomed to modest living, but seeing Lute Sheary's reaction confirmed it was genuinely in poor taste.
"The High Priestess's room is supposedly under renovation—surely that's a lie?"
"I couldn't say for certain."
"Why not?"
"Because it certainly does need repairs."
The rotting wooden floorboards that creaked with every step, the desk gnawed by rats, the filthy bed infested with mold....
Ordel Kiris's room—a place I had witnessed for only one night, yet remained so vividly horrifying that months later I still could not forget it.
"They might be renovating it to use as storage."
Or perhaps a prison.
As I smiled and shrugged, Lute Sheary's expression hardened visibly.
"...You lived in such a room all this time?"
"Indeed. I wonder why myself."
Living in Ordel Kiris's body had been difficult in countless ways.
The High Priest who distrusted me, the people of the Temple of the Sun God who feared me, a reputation that could fall no further, finances nearly depleted by extravagance and embezzlement....
Yet I could not truly despise Ordel Kiris, precisely because I had seen that room with my own eyes.
Of course, the harm she caused others by claiming victimhood cannot be excused, but surely I, inhabiting her body in her stead, deserve at least some pity.
"What is family love?"
How could she endure such absurdity under the affection of a Count who regarded her merely as a tool?
Honestly, I could not comprehend it.
Even though I myself was an orphan, I had never harbored a desire to have a family.
My friend Ju Hyun-jin, who came from the same orphanage, was more than enough for me.
"...Do you still wish to receive a family's affection?"
"No, not at all."
Would you want affection from people like that?
"You really do look disgusted. I'm relieved."
Lute Sheary then laughed softly, spreading both hands wide and bringing them to rest beneath her chin.
"Besides, I'm already receiving plenty of affection from someone rich and handsome, so I don't need anything more, right?"
"...."
It was utterly absurd, but since she was indeed rich and handsome, I couldn't deny it.
"You're welcome to be happy. After all, you're the only one receiving my affection, High Priestess."
"Good grief. Yes, thank you."
When I let out a hollow laugh, Lute Sheary smiled brightly.
Now that I thought about it, that uncomfortable, unpleasant feeling that had been bothering me for some time was no longer there.
For some reason, that seemed strange to me, so I gently rubbed my stomach.
* * *
"Father! How could this happen? You're giving my room to that wretched creature!"
The moment Lute Sheary and Ordel Kiris disappeared from sight, Yoanna rushed to Count Kiris and protested.
"Then should I show the Duke that filthy Attic Room instead?"
"W-well, that's not it, but.... There's a Guest Room available! So why my room specifically...!"
"Silence! Can't you keep quiet!"
At Count Kiris's rebuke, Yoanna flinched and closed her mouth.
He had always been strict, but this was the first time he'd been angry to this extent.
"From now on, you must all watch your words. Not just you, but you as well, and you too."
Count Kiris pointed in turn at Yoanna, his son Lloyd, and his wife Sarah.
"The Duke currently maintains close ties with the Sun God's Temple. In particular, he's quite fond of Ordel Kiris. But what do you think will happen if the Duke learns that we've been tormenting her?"
"...Nothing good would come of it."
At Countess Kiris's composed response, Count Kiris nodded.
"The Duke must maintain his relationship with the Sun God's Temple. At the same time, we cannot afford to fall out with him."
"Then even if we dislike it, we must treat that girl like a true daughter whenever the Duke is here."
"That's not enough. House of Aria must revere Ordel Kiris as if she were the Saint and the Saint of the Sea God itself."
Countess Kiris's face twisted sharply.
The very thought was repugnant, yet she understood the necessity and offered no objection.
"Inform the servants as well. Anyone who dares mistreat Ordel Kiris in the Duke's presence will not escape death."
"I will do so."
"The same goes for you both. Should you fall out of the Duke's favor...."
At Count Kiris's piercing gaze, Lloyd and Yoanna swallowed hard.
"If you bring shame upon this house, I will show no mercy, even if you are my own children. Remember that."
Having finished speaking, Count Kiris turned sharply and left.
"Did you hear? Be careful for now. Cursed Ordel Kiris. How on earth did she manage to wrap that Duke around her finger?"
Sarah also shook her head and departed.
But Yoanna's face, left behind, was filled with unresolved resentment.
'How did that worthless creature ever seduce the Duke?'
I was so infuriated that even my room had been taken from me that I couldn't contain myself.
And to none other than Ordel Kiris, who was nothing but a tool for our family's purposes!
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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