(EP-242.1) Son-in-law? #2

242 – Live-in son-in-law? #2

Looking back now, my encounters with Stella Von Bellhawk were filled with unpleasant memories.

I was the type of person who usually got a good feeling like, ‘Oh, I think I can get along with this person,’ when I met them. But in my few interactions with Stella, there was nothing to be liked nor any goodwill.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

She barged into my room uninvited and made a scene.

She brought the main character’s party to Ark and caused incidents. Mentioning the numerous minor incidents would just make me angry, so I’d stop here.

The elf professor, looking flustered, asked, “Theo-kun, you don’t like it? What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. Why should I go along with Professor Stella’s little charade?”

“What…”

“I don’t want to have a fake marriage.”

“Y-you mean you actually want to marry me…?”

Stella was unable to keep her composure as she processed my words.

“Hearing that so suddenly, I’m really taken aback, Theo-kun. Well, back when I was a student myself, I did receive love letters and had some popularity— Um….”

She looked silly, fanning her face with her hand or wiping the sweat flowing down her face with her gloved hand. I added one more thing to her.

“I don’t know how you understood my words, but I want to nullify this entire contract of becoming a live-in son-in-law. I have no intention of being Stella-nim’s footstool. This contract needs to be voided.”

A slight threat. Let’s see how she reacted.

Panic started spreading like wildfire across Stella’s face.

“No…! If that happens, my plan will be ruined…! I’ve finally managed to grab another chance. If I can’t get married, I’ll be sent to a convent…!”

“That’s not my problem.”

“But if you nullify the contract, what about the Queen’s martial festival? How will you get the money?”

“Stella-nim doesn’t need to worry about that.”

“No, no. What will I tell those senile bunch? What will become of my face if I say I was jilted…!”

Warak-.

With that, she finally got up from her chair and clung to my feet. This scared me, I hadn’t expected her to go that far.

“No, what are you doing? Let go!”

Stella clung tightly to my pants, pulling them down to the point where they were almost off…

Due to the sudden commotion, people around us started looking our way, as if saying, “What’s going on? Is it a fight?”

But Stella was undeterred.

“Theo-kun, no, Sir Theo, Theo-nim! Please help me. Help me…! I don’t want to go to the convent…! There, you have to pray and read the scriptures 24/7…!”

Pride be damned.

This was the epitome of desperation.

Thanks to this, I had a clear understanding of how Stella Bellhawk operated. So, I decided to be harsher.

“Then show me your sincerity.”

“Sincerity?”

“Didn’t you make me kneel then? You need to do something similar.”

“……!”

Noble blood ran blue. Their lofty pride and dignity made it that way. For a noble to kneel to someone else was unthinkable.

If I had asked Elga, Mirna, or Aira to kneel, they would have ripped my hair out.

━How dare you…!

━Guaack…!

However, the dynamics between Stella and me were clear. I wanted to see her struggle, torn between her pride and survival.

“What, is that all…?”

“Yes?”

“Can we do this now?”

No pride whatsoever.

At this rate, she might actually kneel in front of me.

It was good, but there were too many eyes watching here.

“That’s enough.”

I said coldly, pretending not to care.

“Anyway, just sit down.”

“What? You told me to kneel.”

“Now that I think about it, it seems too easy.”

I barely managed to calm Stella down. If this conversation continued like this, I would end up exhausted. Should I change the subject?

I decided to bring up a word that suddenly came to mind.

“On a side note, Professor Stella. Do you know anything about ‘log’?”

“Log? If it’s logs, our family handle various types from oak to cedar, pine, paulownia, etc. Why? Are you planning to build a cabin?”

“No, I’m not talking about that kind of log. I think it refers to something related to magic or a human condition. That—”

“You mean a corpse. The one used as a material for witchcraft. It’s a slang for experimental subjects, often used by heretics from the Witch Forest or illegal necromancers.”

The flustered look she had moments ago was completely gone. Stella flicked her fingers, producing a spark to light her long pipe, then exhaled a puff of smoke.

“Why do you ask about ‘log’?”

Her expression was very calm.

No, ‘cold’ would be a better way to describe it. It reminded me more of the Headhunter than Stella.

I was about to say something but ended up muttering, “No, it’s nothing.”

* * *

“Necromancy or dark rituals mainly use humans. Mostly slaves or kidnapped boys and girls.”

This was at the Draco family’s mansion.

Mirna Draco was watering the flowers in the garden, explaining the things she knew.

“But living sacrifices might escape or cause unexpected problems. So they are given special drugs to put them in a suspended state. Thus, they become something that is neither alive nor dead.”

Edited by: faker