episode_0054

The hero gazed at the girl’s smiling face, lost in thought for a moment.

As mentioned earlier, directly asking about a maiden’s status seemed impolite to Darin.

To be honest, discerning this through hypnosis wasn’t difficult, but…

‘I don’t want to tarnish my relationship with Darin.’

Though his character was far from perfect, the hero wanted to be a gentleman to Darin. Was their relationship akin to a castaway couple on a deserted island in this otherworldly realm?

Yes, much like Adam and Eve.

“Um, well… I’ve been thinking since we first met, Darin, aren’t you incredibly beautiful?”

Thus, he complimented her appearance, trying to win her favor.

“But being this beautiful, men must have never left you alone since you were young.”

He attempted to probe her worries.

“…Huh?”

Darin blinked her big eyes and maintained a blank expression. While she knew she was pretty, hearing such remarks even from strangers felt somewhat new.

“Hehe, what’s that supposed to mean?”

She then flashed a spotless smile. Was that all he was concerned about? Nonetheless, as fellow Koreans, she appreciated his concern.

“…”

However, hesitating to respond immediately, she remained silent.

Should she confess that she was a mother of two, that Kyle was her own son, and reveal the truth about her past struggles with her late husband protecting her and Kyle later joining in to shield her from all dangers?

Acknowledging that the lady from the capital was already known to have a “childhood friend” in her son Kyle, revealing this information without consulting Kyle or explaining why they maintained such a peculiar relationship in society would be problematic.

What should Darin confess about why Kyle, her own son, insisted on portraying an intimate relationship with her in public?

If Darin wanted to be honest, she had no choice but to disclose the sin of incest committed with her stepson.

‘Ugh.’

Darin felt a wave of nausea unexpectedly. While she had grown accustomed to her affair with her son recently, this disgraceful truth should never be revealed to anyone in the central capital.

Lucas, being from a similar background, faced a similar dilemma. Despite their great rapport, there were things they couldn’t discuss.

Therefore, Darin had to find another way to explain.

“Lucas, it wasn’t as popular as you think, and when I was young, Bayoren protected me, and as I grew up, Kyle took care of me, so it was fine.”

It wasn’t entirely inaccurate. However, in Lucas’s mind, Bayoren transitioned from a husband to a guardian, and Kyle transformed from a son to a childhood friend.

‘Sigh, so stressful…’

Unknowingly, Darin let out a sigh due to the rising emotional turmoil.

Due to the reality of having engaged in incest with her son, she was beginning to feel heartache at having to lie even to someone she had just met from the same background.

‘But what choice do I have?’

That’s true as well. It was an unavoidable decision to protect her precious son’s honor and maintain the dignity she had upheld as a noblewoman for over twenty years.

“I see…”.

On the other hand, Lucas merely mulled over the woman’s statement that would become his fiancée. Judging by Darin’s beauty and lovely personality, she must have received meticulous care as a fostered child until becoming an adult.

“Even this much should be reassuring, but…”

For noble men in general, if they hold a woman in high regard, no matter how much they like her, they do not casually touch her before the ‘marriage.’

In that case… even if Cael had a one-sided love for Darin, the likelihood was high that she was still a maiden.

“He valued ‘age difference’ and ‘etiquette’ more than anyone else…”

Considering Cael’s extreme courtesy towards elders, it was unlikely that he would recklessly steal the maidenhood of Darin, an elder in comparison.

“But still, something feels off?”

At this point, it should be fine to have the conviction that Darin is a maiden. Yet, despite this, Lucas was uneasy. As mentioned earlier, there was always the slim chance of an ‘if.’

I may not know everything about the figure known as Cael. While he may act like a scholar on the surface, inside, he could be a beast driven by lust. Although we traveled together for three years, I remained indifferent to matters like his relationships with women.

Therefore, it couldn’t be entirely ruled out that he might have already breached the laws of nobility by desiring Darin so desperately.

“It can’t be helped.”

To alleviate his impatience, Lucas decided to be honest. Unlike the seemingly composed woman, he was already eager to be connected with her.

“…But didn’t Darin mention that she and Cael were in a romantic relationship?”

“Yes.”

“But, from what I see, Darin doesn’t seem to like Cael that much?”

“From my perspective, after spending a long time together, it feels more like having a younger brother than a lover.”

“Well, then Darin doesn’t necessarily need to marry Cael, right?”

“Um, well…”

When Lucas suddenly changed the topic of conversation, Darin felt a bit awkward. However, answering wasn’t difficult in itself. She was far from being foolish.

“While I may have the same past life memories as you, I don’t have any special abilities like cheats or powers, right?”

“…Is that so?”

“So, for my survival, I had no choice but to rely on Bayoren’s body that showed me mercy. And inevitably, I ended up owing him a debt. Now that I’ve grown up, the moment has come to repay that favor.”

Nodding as if understanding, Lucas realized that repaying Bayoren’s kindness was probably the only way for the fallen heiress of Orangea. Offering herself, beautiful and pure, to Cael, the young heir of Bayoren.

“Pity.”

Unlike himself with transcendent power, Darin had to make countless compromises with reality. All while possessing a meager ability like not dying even after eating oranges.

“In that case, I understand. Even if you don’t love Cael, you must marry him if he desires it…”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…Sigh.”

Although he had somewhat anticipated the content, Lucas genuinely felt sorry for Darin. Coming from the same planet Earth, yet living a life where she had nothing and was at the mercy of others…

Of course, living under Bayoren’s protection meant a more comfortable life than a commoner’s. However, even this would entail facing numerous hardships that would be hard to accept from a modern perspective.

‘This “contract marriage” must be one of those hardships.’

Feeling both empathy and sympathy towards the woman named Darin, Lucas wanted to rescue her, a fellow being from Earth, with his own strength.

“Free me from the shackles of being a ‘medieval man,’ and let me live luxuriously as a hero’s wife.

Somehow, this man named me isn’t an easy man. Every minute and every second spent with her, my heart relentlessly crumbled. Lucas thought several times that he didn’t want to lose Darin, and eventually…

“Darin. It may seem a bit out of the blue to bring this up now, but I’ll be honest.”

I resolved to confess my feelings without reservation.

“You must have sensed it to some extent. I have romantic feelings for you, Darin.”

“…Oh.”

Darin was slightly taken aback.

“I see.”

Since she somewhat anticipated the content, she responded nonchalantly.

Given our shared similarities, it’s natural for Lucas to have such feelings. If I were in his shoes and met the only comrade in this world of a different gender who was even beautiful, I would have felt strong romantic attraction too.

“But, even though I understand, haven’t we only met twice?”

“Well, yes… but… there are ways to steal eternity in a moment.”

While his confession felt like a sudden rush, one thing left me speechless. Does he toy with women and create a harem with such eloquence?

“I get the gist, but I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to say.”

“Well… rather than being with a man I have no feelings for, wouldn’t it be better if I’m not okay?”

Upon hearing Lucas’ words, Darin raised an eyebrow in a sardonic expression. Besides liking me, his statement seemed a bit reckless.

She never intended to accept this confession, and the meeting was too brief to open up. And above all else…

“As far as I know, Lucas is building a harem, right?”

“…Yes.”

“So, are you suggesting I join that harem?”

“Well, using the term ‘join’ might be a bit much.”

“But becoming a harem member is what you mean, right…?”

“Well, yes, but if Darin were to become my partner, I promise her treatment different from other women.”

“Different treatment?”

“It’s… like a concept of respect, I suppose.”

Darin’s expression gradually hardened.

She was somewhat disappointed in Lucas.

Whether it’s respect or anything else, asking me to become one of his countless concubines is a difficult proposition for someone with a modern sensibility like me. To casually put forth his thoughts like that, despite knowing how hard it is for me to accept, was disappointing.

However, getting angry about it would be unbecoming of a lady. Even if someone is well-mannered, they might have one or two aspects they don’t like. Expressing disappointment seems almost comical.

Having been part of a wealthy family in a past life and a hero in this one, perhaps he feels entitled to have multiple women around him.

Should I be grateful for being appointed as a ‘concubine’ by such a remarkable man?

Unfortunately, Darin was a woman far removed from the typical concubine.

“I’ll pass. While I acknowledge Lucas is a capable man, I have no interest in men at all.”

Darin had long accepted herself as a woman, but that didn’t mean she had fallen in love with men in a romantic sense. Having sex with a husband, committing incest with a son—it was all just events that happened without her consent.

So, for Darin, ‘men as romantic partners’ are simply tiresome.”

The hero gazed at the girl with a longing expression, illuminating the golden aura around him. He didn’t seem particularly discouraged. Rather, seeing her as a woman worthy of admiration, he felt entitled to reject her.

“How could it not be possible? Of course, rejecting a fiancée might be difficult, but as I am encountering a ‘pure and innocent maiden’ like you for the first time, my heart refuses to comply.”

The cunning hero continued to court the girl while subtly probing her feelings.

‘Pure and innocent maiden’

Upon hearing these words, Darin immediately realized that Lucas was gravely mistaken. Darin herself knew well through her son that the hero had a severe case of virgin complex.

Her eyes widened upon hearing his statement.

“Why do you say that, Darin?”

Swiftly catching on, the hero seized upon this as a clue to determine whether she was his secret love.

“Is there any issue with what I said?”

The golden aura around him gleamed sharply.