Chapter 13 - The Peaceful Solution

Laila didn’t really have any thoughts. She had to remain this way. It was just too bad that that was probably the last time she would have a conversation with him as one and half weeks had already passed.

She got out of bed calmly while thinking of the older brother who was still unkind to her. After staring at the painkillers the doctor prepared for her, she grabbed the bottle awkwardly.

Suddenly, pain seized the hand that was touching the paper pouch. She carefully took out a pill, then swallowed it. She waited for a little while, but the pain in the hand that was holding the paper pouch did not go away.

‘Does it take a while for good medicine to take effect?’

She propped herself up as she wondered about the medicine. After hesitating for a while, she took the memo the doctor left behind with her fingertips. Up until she held the memo, she was still hesitant. But eventually, she could no longer let go of it.

Her gray eyes quivered. The soft paper rustled in her slightly trembling fingertips. Startled by the rustling sound, she left the room as if she were escaping, still holding the paper in her hands.

* * *

Venio de Arsen. Whoever heard this name would immediately have sparkly eyes. Be it positive or negative, this was the sort of profound attention he received.

“So, that lady proposed to you?”

“No, she didn’t propose.”

“Oh gosh. My Veni! You are all grown up now!”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s a contract.”

“No way, are you talking about a contract marriage? Oh my gosh. She’s brilliant! Our Veni must have been flustered when she talked about the contract, right?”

Venio, who almost became an assassin for the emperor, smiled softly with both corners of his lips lifted. Of all people, the emperor knew that when he smiled softly like this, it meant that he was really annoyed.

The emperor, Verez Ram Karsian, immediately became quiet.

“I was wrong,” said the emperor .

“…”

Venio sighed deeply inwardly, held back his anger, and smiled. No matter how sarcastic the emperor was, it was better for Venio to endure it since he was the emperor. He said it properly again, with words that no one could misunderstand, “What I mean is that she offered a contractual relationship.”

“Oh, okay.”

At first, the emperor had reacted with excessive enthusiasm, but he seemed to be rather underwhelmed now. Venio scoffed, thinking that this reaction wasn’t something he hadn’t expected.

“That’s interesting. You probably got to have some fun after such a long time. So…? Why do you even need to consult me when once you kiss her in a secluded place, she will naturally fall?”

“I’m not consulting you.”

“You told me about it when I didn’t even ask, so it’s a consultation. Even though it’s not a big deal, it’s not like I had any intention to listen to this. Why are you being so picky?

“Anyway, it’s not a consultation. I’m just here because there’s a little something I want to know about.”

“All right, fine. What is it?”

The emperor smiled and looked at his younger brother.

In response to the emperor’s current serious attitude, Venio said exhaustedly, “She said that the contractual relationship would end after one month.”

“Huh? There’s an end date?”

“Yes. More precisely, she asked me to pretend to love her for one month.”

“Pretend?”

“Yes. She didn’t mention anything about what would happen after that. Also, I’m sure she doesn’t like me that much either.”

To be precise, it was better to describe her proposal as a careless one.

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence. The emperor tilted his head, and Venio said calmly, “So, I figured I’d come to you, as my loving brother is good at knowing women’s minds.”

“…”

The emperor’s face darkened all of sudden. There was a satisfied smile on Venio’s face. He knew the emperor wouldn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t there to consult him, he was just there to pass on his pain to his brother. Venio wasn’t the only competitive one.

A long time ago, it wasn’t just Venio who received high praise from teachers of the royal palace. They complimented Venio for being brilliant as he could live in this world by himself. His brother decided to be seen as a clumsy king figure when he actually had more potential to be an adventurer.

Certainly, there was one thing only he didn’t know…

‘He really doesn’t know about these types of things.’

Venio grew happier as he looked at the emperor, Verez, who had started biting his lip. Venio thought that bringing agony to the emperor by pretending he was asking for advice was the best thing. Venio, who had been messing with the emperor as he wished, stood up. Noticing the emperor’s distressed gaze, he hid his smile, put on a troubled look and shook his head. Just as he was about to leave the emperor’s office, he heard the emperor call out to him.

“Wait!” The emperor stopped him abruptly. “You still have not told me the most important thing. Who is that lady? Which family is she from?”