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Chapter 13
It felt as though her heart was being pulled down by the gravity of the earth.
“……What?”
“It seems I gave you false hope for no reason. I wasted my time as well.”
The Count’s expressionless face scratched at her nerves with its flat tone.
His face was so blank that she almost wondered if he was nothing more than a beautifully carved statue.
Once again, it felt as though the Count had seen right through her thoughts.
As if to kindly prove that he was indeed a living human being, he stood up from his seat.
“This is a place very popular among ladies. I reserved it for plenty of time, so if you’d like, feel free to stay and enjoy yourself.”
Count Kirchhoff spoke as though he were generously doing her a favor.
But even that generosity sounded mocking to Miti.
“So he’s telling me to leisurely drink tea and act elegant while I still can? Right now?”
Miti glared at the Count’s lips that seemed to spit sarcasm as naturally as breathing.
The Count coldly walked past her as though he no longer had any reason to stay.
She tightly shut her eyes.
“I can’t let him leave now.”
Her pride was hurt, but she was the desperate one here.
The Count would definitely strangle her with pressure long before even a month passed.
Miti recalled the original story.
“The moment the investment money disappears, problems start appearing in the Sestol family’s other businesses.”
Baron Sestol would think it was simply fate and pour all the investment money into his failing business.
But the business would eventually collapse, and the Sestol family would drown in debt.
To make things worse, even drought would strike their tiny territory, and disaster would fall one after another like dominoes.
But if they could preserve the investment money, perhaps they could avoid the destined crisis.
“The original story has already changed. I have no idea where or how things can recover now.”
Miti had no room to gamble recklessly.
And her pride was wounded too.
The answer she had believed with absolute confidence was apparently not good enough for that arrogant man.
Miti grabbed Count Kirchhoff’s wrist as he headed for the stairs.
A slight crack appeared in his brow at the sudden touch.
“Do you still have something to say?”
“What exactly didn’t you like about it?”
“Like?”
One of the Count’s eyebrows crooked upward.
“If your goal in bringing daylight is exterminating magical beasts, then instead of interfering with a forbidden law and increasing the danger, there are indirect methods you could use instead.”
“That wasn’t what I requested.”
“You know perfectly well that interfering with time belongs to the domain of gods!”
Miti’s face twisted at the Count’s mocking tone.
The Count looked down at her expressionlessly before the corner of his lips curled crookedly upward.
“The domain of gods.”
He let out a short laugh.
“Have you been under the impression that I’m a devout believer?”
“I don’t care whether you believe in gods or worship demons.”
She glared at him while grinding her teeth together.
“Is your goal really to forcefully go against truth itself just for your own desires?”
Miti threw away the wrist she had been gripping.
The Count did not even show the slightest displeasure. Instead, he simply looked at her as though telling her to continue if she had more to say.
That only angered Miti more.
“Why don’t you do reckless things like that by yourself?”
“……”
“You said the Magic Tower has already told you over and over that it’s impossible!”
“……”
The Count merely looked down at her raging without any emotion at all.
Like he was watching an excited monkey.
That humiliating gaze made fury explode inside her. It felt like screaming at an empty wall.
Miti felt blood rushing to her head and her vision turning dark.
“Then why don’t you learn magic yourself and research it personally if my proposal isn’t good enough!”
The Count said nothing and simply stared at her.
His calm attitude only made her anger boil hotter.
“Don’t yell thoughtlessly.”
But her judgment had already become dangerously clouded.
“Say something, you bastard!”
“You’re the first person who’s ever cursed at me like that. You truly are brave.”
Once again, he laughed lightly.
It felt as though he was deliberately trying to make her look stupid.
“Don’t lose control!”
The last fragment of her reason screamed at her.
“Fine! Sue me then!”
But that fragile reason crumbled far too easily before her anger.
Miti pointed at the Count while glaring furiously.
“But listen carefully.”
This was the end.
“After my family collapses, you won’t escape safely either. No matter what I have to do, I’ll drag you down into hell with me. I’ll step on your shadow like a stalker every single day and make sure you never sleep peacefully again. Got it?”
Now this story was over.
Because of her terrible temper and the thin thread of reason she had lost, this world would now collapse.
After exploding in anger, her head cooled rapidly.
Following a long silence, the corner of the Count’s lips slowly curved upward.
“A stalker, huh.”
Miti tightly shut her eyes, instinctively feeling this would be her final meeting with Count Kirchhoff.
“Has the world already started breaking apart?”
The ground beneath her feet felt as though it was spinning.
“As expected.”
“……”
“I think I made the right choice choosing you.”
Miti’s eyes snapped wide open.
Count Kirchhoff stood before her wearing that same irritating expression he always used whenever he provoked her.
“……?”
“I was joking a little. I wanted to see how you would react.”
Count Kirchhoff spoke casually.
As though what he had just done was nothing at all.
Only someone completely unaware that she had just walked through hell itself could react that lightly.
“……What?”
“If you had begged me to forgive you and pleaded pitifully, I would have proceeded with the lawsuit exactly as planned……”
The Count trailed off before moving again.
He calmly returned to the chair he had been sitting in earlier and pointed toward the seat across from him with his palm.
As if telling her to sit down again.
Her head throbbed painfully. Even getting hit in the back of the head with a club would not hurt this much.
“I’m glad you didn’t act that way.”
The Count smoothly scratched at her nerves again.
Miti tightly shut her eyes and clenched her trembling fists.
Otherwise, she felt like she might punch that handsome face without thinking.
“Haa……”
“And I’m also glad you didn’t hit me with those adorable fists strong enough to beat up bears.”
The Count glanced at Miti’s fists, clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
“To be honest, I also liked your proposed method. No one has ever given me that kind of answer before.”
His smile deepened.
“If I keep swearing at him here, will he finally send the lawsuit?”
Miti seriously considered it.
“Sit down. Let’s continue our discussion.”
The Count rang a small bell sitting at the edge of the table.
“Bring a glass of water. Very cold water.”
A short while later, Count Kirchhoff handed her a glass of ice water.
“Drink it. You seem very agitated.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“Are you always this fiery?”
When she glared at him, the Count merely smiled smoothly and shrugged as though it had nothing to do with him.
Miti immediately drank the water in one gulp.
As the cold water cooled the burning heat inside her, she finally calmed down a little.
“Then shall we continue?”
His attractive lips curved upward evenly.
Miti swore to herself that no matter how many women he had manipulated with that smile, she would never fall for it.
“Handsome my ass.”
A man like that was poisonous no matter how good-looking he was.
Miti silently repeated every curse word she knew while waiting for the Count to continue speaking.
But instead of talking, the Count simply stared at her with widened eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
“……”
“If you’re going to say something, then continue.”
“……Blood.”
“What?”
Miti frowned deeply.
Slowly, the Count pointed toward her nose with his long finger.
“What? Is he bragging that even his nose looks handsome?”
Unable to understand his intention, Miti puffed out her lips irritably.
Then suddenly, something warm trickled down to her lips.
It tasted faintly metallic.
At the same time, the Count hurriedly stood and reached toward her face.
Instinctively, Miti tried to grab his hand and stop him, but the Count was faster.
“Stay still. Your nose is bleeding.”
The Count quietly spoke while pressing a handkerchief against her nose.
His other hand was already supporting the back of her head, leaving her nowhere to escape.
“Hold this for a moment.”
The Count placed the handkerchief into Miti’s hand before moving to sit beside her.
“I’m going to press a little. Tell me if it hurts.”
The Count looked directly into her eyes as though asking if she understood.
When Miti gave a faint nod, the Count gently pressed along the bridge of her nose and the back of her neck.
At such a close distance, his expression looked surprisingly serious.
The teasing attitude from before had completely vanished.
The distance between them suddenly felt far too close.
Without realizing it, Miti leaned her upper body backward.
But the Count’s firm hand prevented her from moving away.
A slight crease appeared between his brows as he looked into her eyes and asked,
“Does it hurt?”
