Chapter 16 - You Should’ve Read The Contract Carefully (1/2)

Chapter 16 – You Should’ve Read The Contract Carefully

Ashia was silent for a long time; Kalligo also didn’t rush her.

“Save me…”

Those were words that could not easily come out of his mouth, what with his high self-esteem and pride. Maybe it was because she firsthand experienced his seizures that for some reason, she couldn’t refuse his request bluntly.

“…”

While Ashia fiddled with the milk cup on the table, Kalligo was staring at her quietly.

After a little time passed, Ashia’s red lips opened, “Your Grace, I…”

“I’m not saying that you should live with me in the Grand Duke’s residence.”

Ashia was unable to continue speaking when she heard Kalligo’s voice.

“…”

It stung her. She actually was worried if he would ask her to do that.

Kalligo quietly smiled as he stared at her as if he knew what she was thinking. “I’ve never been so sober after waking up from a seizure. No medication was able to do that before.”

“That’s…”

“It’s not a potion, it’s the water magic that you use.”

“…”

“I felt like I was walking through a thick fog every day, but now… I can see a ray of light.”

She could even see the sense of relief on his face as he said that his mind had cleared. On the contrary, Ashia’s eyes under the hood were trembling slightly.

“You can use your hand to heal me at the right moment, like in the cases where I have my seizures at the Grand Duke’s residence. Of course, I will pay the corresponding cost.”

“…”

Ashia still kept quiet while crumbs fell from the piece of bread she held.

‘It’s a simple task if I think of the gold as a commission…’

The problem was that it wasn’t like she could finish it by just giving him a potion; she had to move her body and use her magic. She inevitably had to face him over and over again, so she couldn’t come up with an answer easily.

“…I heard you were taking care of the people,” Kalligo’s cautious voice continued.

“…”

Ashia turned to him. He was talking about the survivors of the village Ashia set on fire.

“Did you do a background check on me?”

“Because I can’t just leave the health of the Grand Duke to anyone.”

“You must have thought of my weakness just in case.”

“…”

Her red lips exposed under the hood twitched with discomfort

“I will bear all the expenses that go into them.”

“…”

“If you stay by my side until I am fully healed, I will spare no effort to support you so that they can make a living doing what they want to do.”

Kalligo seemed to know that Ashia was taking care of the survivors with her own earnings.

“I don’t need help.”

“…That is what you want to say, but those people can live a better life than they are now if you only let go of your pride

“I will.”

Ashia had been providing gold for the survivors to settle down in the capital of the Karhan Empire for the past seven years, but they were labeled as ‘cursed people from the cursed land’. They weren’t welcomed, suffering both discrimination and contempt wherever they went.

Terros was also not different from them. The prejudice was still there though he was already recognized for his exceptional ability and there was no end to those who wanted to recruit him. He still had to remain in the same position of a common knight though he already made countless achievements and been recognized for his talents.

If that still happened to Terros, then those without skills couldn’t even find a decent job because they were thought of as cursed.

Ashia couldn’t help them settle down despite the amount of gold she had accumulated over the past seven years. It was impossible to predict how many years she still needed so she could accomplish it.

‘Receive support… from the Grand Duke’s residence…’

It would be a different story if it was the Grand Duke of Etous. Whether it was because he was her ex-husband, the male protagonist, or of her own shallow pride… It was just a matter of closing her eyes just this once.

“You can think of it as a fair deal. It’s not like I’m giving away gold for no reason.”

“…”

“Your ability – I will buy it with gold.”

Once again, Kalligo shook her hesitating heart.

“Do you know exactly how much gold I need?”

“I haven’t looked into things that far.”

“How do you know if you can give me that much?”

“…It seems like you’re looking down on the Grand Duke’s properties.”

“…”

After taking a deep breath, Kalligo calmly suggested something even more outrageous, “Miss Ashia Bliss, I will also erase the perception surrounding them.”

Her jaw dropped.

“…”

In fact, the biggest problem was perception. Not only would they be able to find a job, but they would also live a life without being swayed by other people’s opinions if that perception disappeared.

“Are you going to change the long-held perception of them?”

“Have you given up, Miss Ashia Bliss?”

“…”

“If you do not give up, I will not give up until the end.”