Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 230

☆ Chapter 230 ☆

* * *

Throb.

Zeon couldn’t understand.

His heart ached, and strength drained from his body as he watched the girl sobbing, large tears streaming down her face.

‘Why?’

He hadn’t been attacked, nor was he injured.

Even if he had suffered a life-threatening wound, Zeon had never felt this way before.

But why?

Because that girl was crying—.

“…….”

The surging mana subsided.

It was the moment Zeon unconsciously reached out to Ruatisha.

“You little punk, has your brain finally gone haywire?”

“Get lost. We don’t need a bastard who makes my sister cry.”

Zeon paused at the sight of Ixion and Ares baring their teeth and growling.

He looked down at his empty hand.

‘……Why?’

Why was he trying to reach out to that girl?

Contact with anyone was supposed to be abhorrent.

Everything was incomprehensible.

Zeon stared at Ruatisha for a moment before turning away.

Ixion and Ares frowned as they watched his retreating figure.

“Strange.”

They had been happy these past few days because, for some reason, he hadn’t been clinging to Ruatisha.

But seeing Zeon Phaeton’s attitude now, it was clear that something was wrong.

They shouldn’t have been simply rejoicing that they had more time to monopolize their youngest sister.

“What on earth happened?”

“Don’t cry, fluffball. You look even uglier when you cry.”

“You have me, your brother, after all.”

“……Yeah.”

Ruatisha nodded, wiping away her tears.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry.”

Seeing her trying to smile, Ares and Ixion’s expressions twisted.

Her nose was red, and her eyes were wet.

“……No matter how much I think about it, we don’t need that kind of guy, but if my sister is sad, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring him back to normal.”

“Yeah, I’ll beat him up to make him come to his senses.”

“But he’s still our brother, you can’t just beat him up.”

A K-Confucian girl couldn’t allow it [referring to Ruatisha’s strong adherence to Confucian values, particularly filial piety].

Ruatisha, who had been smiling and raising her hand, suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Ouch!”

The wrist that Zeon had struck earlier was swollen.

“……I still think we should just go and kill him now—.”

Ixion turned around, then flinched.

The Duke of Phaeton was staring at his daughter with a rigid expression.

“……I came because the mana suddenly exploded.”

He moved his long legs quickly, approaching his daughter.

“Dad…….”

The Duke of Phaeton carefully examined his daughter’s face.

“You cried.”

He took off one of his gloves and cupped his daughter’s cheek. His long fingers gently brushed her eyes.

Then, he turned his head and asked.

“Where is the bastard who made my daughter cry?”

A chilling and oppressive aura emanated from him.

It felt like blood would be spilled at any moment.

The employees in the lounge didn’t dare to lift their heads and cowered.

‘That bastard is your son, though.’

Ruatisha couldn’t say that and grabbed her dad’s arm.

The moment she said it, something terrible would happen, son or not.

* * *

‘Phew, that was tough.’

I sighed deeply.

I was exhausted from stopping Dad, who was raging about giving Zeon mental and physical education right away.

‘Even Grandpa joined in late.’

“Why are you trying to catch the kid? I can’t stand seeing my grandson hurt. I was a lousy grandpa, but I have to protect my grandson now, even if it’s late.”

When he said that and joined in, I was happy because I thought he was trying to stop them.

‘As soon as he found out I got hit on the wrist and cried—.’

“What?! Where is that guy! Of all people to make cry, he makes his younger sister cry!”

He joined Dad and raged even harder, making it five times more difficult.

I asked Ixion and Ares for help, but it would have been better not to.

“Oh, the fluffball said he seemed to be under a curse. Then it can’t be helped……no, it can. How could he not recognize the fluffball?”

“That’s right. If it were me, I would have recognized my sister right away, even if I was cursed. Right, Lulu?”

“Anyway, that bastard has no grit, no grit! He should have fried his brain with grit and overcome the curse!”

What do you mean, fry his brain!

Why is grit coming out here!

Ares is smiling so proudly! As if he hasn’t been cursed!

“Phaeton’s name is wasted on him. I would have recognized my daughter at a glance.”

I was dumbfounded to see Dad bragging so proudly.

But it was worth stopping them, so it ended with a warning to Zeon.

The problem was that the warning was—.

“If you ever make my daughter shed tears again, I will remove you from the Phaeton family tree.”

—That was it, though.

Zeon didn’t seem to care about that, but I did.

Removing him from the family tree, in other words—.

‘Isn’t that the same as disowning him?!’

As a K-Confucian girl, I could never allow that.

Disowning Zeon from our family tree!

Absolutely not!

“Okay, all done.”

Azle said, letting go of my hand.

Thanks to him covering it with the water of the spirits, the swelling in my wrist had gone down.

“Thank you, Azle.”

“You’re welcome. It’s my pleasure to help you, Miss. But I’m sad that you get hurt like this.”

Our water fairy is so kind.

As Azle smiled softly, his water-colored hair and eyes sparkled like a lake reflecting sunlight.

“I’ll be careful next time. How’s work going?”

“It’s going well.”

“Okay.”

I nodded and got up from my seat.

“Why don’t you get some rest, even if it’s just a little?”

“It’s okay.”

It’s not someone else’s business; it’s my brother’s business, so there’s no way I can rest.

Azle didn’t stop me and gently brushed my hair back.

“I’m always by your side, Miss.”

“Thank you! I feel so reassured!”

As I smiled brightly, Azle smiled faintly.

* * *

“Zeon!”

Ruatisha ran to Zeon with a bright smile.

“Zeon, shall we go to the exhibition hall together? You know, the time when I couldn’t find Zeon because he was pretending to be a statue. Remember?”

“Get lost.”

“You don’t remember. I guess that can happen.”

Ruatisha nodded sadly, then smiled brightly.

“Zeon, did you know? When you see someone too pretty and handsome, you feel so good that you get short-term amnesia. Isn’t that funny? You lose your memory just because they’re pretty and handsome.”

Zeon didn’t even look at her, but Ruatisha kept chattering beside him.

“Oh, right. Zeon, did you know? When you see someone too pretty and handsome, you feel so good that you get short-term amnesia. Isn’t it funny.”

“…….”

“Oh, right. Zeon, did you know? When you see someone too pretty and handsome, you—.”

Zeon got up from his seat without listening further.

Ruatisha followed Zeon, trotting along and talking to him.

“Isn’t the reason Zeon doesn’t remember me also because I’m too pretty and handsome?”

She said it with a bright smile, which was absurd.

When there was no response, her smiling face eventually turned gloomy.

“Because of Zeon, it’s always raining in my heart.”

Ruatisha, who had been sobbing, suddenly grabbed her heart.

“Heart attack.”

“…….”

A sheepish smile.

Zeon stared at that face for a moment before turning his gaze away.

Why, why.

That question disturbed his heart.

One day, two days, three days, four days…….

Ruatisha stayed by Zeon’s side, chattering and circling around him.

‘Noisy.’

But what was noisier was his own restless heart.

* * *

Night, with the moon high in the sky.

Zeon sneaked into Ruatisha’s bedroom through the window.

The face of the sleeping girl was different from what he always saw.

‘Tears.’

Zeon reached out to the tear stains dried on her eyes.

But just before his fingers touched her eyes, he clenched his fist tightly.

Silence fell in the bedroom.

The pale moonlight that entered through the window colored the two people.

Zeon stared at Ruatisha’s face for a long time.

‘Why?’

Why was he quietly watching this girl sleeping?

Why hadn’t he stopped this girl from circling around him, chattering?

Why did this girl keep circling around him, so hurt?

She was smiling brightly, but he could see the blood flowing between those smiles [metaphor for hidden pain].

‘Hurt?’

Zeon stiffened.

‘Why am I feeling someone else’s emotions?’

It didn’t matter to him what this girl was thinking or feeling.

Originally, he wouldn’t have even noticed.

But why?

Only this girl—.

‘Annoying.’

Since this girl had been circling around him, things he couldn’t understand had started to increase.

His thoughts were tangled like a tangled thread.

Even at this moment, he felt strange that he couldn’t take his eyes off the face of the sleeping girl.

Why did he come to see this girl?

Only because the night without this girl was too quiet—.

‘Should I kill her?’

Breaths were leaking out of her slightly open lips.

Zeon gently placed his hand on Ruatisha’s neck.

Zeon flinched for a moment at the touch, which was much warmer and softer than he had expected.

A delicate pulse beating.

If he just put strength into it, what was confusing and disturbing him would disappear.

But he couldn’t put strength into his hand.

“…….”

Zeon felt that delicate pulse for a long time before raising his head.

In the dark bedroom, a small furball was crouching and staring at him without moving.

Two eyes shining, reflecting the moonlight.

It looked like it would run and bite him if Zeon moved even a little.

‘……Should I die?’

He wouldn’t be defeated by an ungrown mythical beast, but for a moment, he had that thought.

He didn’t care when he died.

Rather, he had lived wishing for death.

‘No.’

That was all in the past.

There was a being that made him breathe and want to live.

—Zeon!

A smile as bright as the sunlight.

Soft hair, gentle warmth.

The only place he could rest—.

“Zeon……?”

Flinch.

Zeon’s gaze turned to Ruatisha.

Ruatisha looked at Zeon with hazy eyes and smiled brightly.

“Now even in my dreams, you’re looking at me with those eyes.”

Her smiling face crumbles little by little.

“I’m in pain, Zeon.”

“…….”

“I’m in so much pain.”

A distorted face.

A sobbing, trembling voice.

All of that—.

A groan that couldn’t come out of Zeon’s throat scattered.

“So please, come back to being our brother again, okay?”

Tears finally flowed from her blurred Paraiba-colored eyes [a rare and valuable gemstone, symbolizing her preciousness].

Zeon’s fingertips twitched.

Ruatisha closed her eyes again after saying those words.

Zeon stared at that face for a long time before lowering his gaze.

He saw a hand tightly gripping his sleeve.

A hand that was infinitely small and delicate compared to his.

Even though she had fallen asleep again, this hand didn’t know how to let go.

Zeon stood there blankly, unable to take that hand away.

He couldn’t even breathe properly.

For some reason, he wanted to die.

* * *

“Ugh.”

I groaned, putting an ice pack on my eyes.

Too cold.

“Do you really have to go? Why don’t you just rest?”

“I’m going.”

Nancy sighed, looking upset at my stubborn answer.

“Okay, if you’re going, beat them all completely!”

“Hey, don’t say such harsh things to the young lady……. Young lady, wipe them all out!”

“……I don’t think there’s much difference between the two of you.”

I shook my head.

My sisters weren’t originally like this, so why has their *mal-tu* [Korean term for ‘way of speaking’ or ‘tone’] changed like this.

‘Ah, could it be because of me?’

I got up from my seat with a grunt.

“Which accessory would you like to wear? I think you should choose one of these two.”

Anna showed me two Parure sets [a set of matching jewelry].

“Ugh…….”

One was a gift from Sid a while ago, and the other was a gift from my family.

‘The representatives of Bulea and Idium came in person to give the one my family gave me, with haggard faces.’

They were skin and bones, not even human-like.

At the time, I thought, ‘Even if money is good, you shouldn’t take orders so excessively. Why do you live so hard?’

As soon as the two people left, my family rushed to me and asked.

“Which one do you like better, this one or the one that guy gave you?”

“Ours is better, right?”

“It’s obvious that this one is better. My granddaughter’s taste is so high that she won’t be satisfied with that kind of thing.”

“Lulu.”

“Pet me.”

I realized it when I saw my family’s eyes shining.

That the representatives of Bulea and Idium hadn’t taken orders excessively because of their greed for money.

The root cause of everything was my family.

To be honest, both were very beautiful and I liked them very much.

But I wanted to tease my family, so I just…….

“Hmm, I like this one better.”

As soon as I chose the Parure that Sid had given me, all hell broke loose.

“……I’m going to kill him.”

“I’m just going for a walk. Oh, don’t worry. I’m definitely not going to kill that guy.”

“Bring in the representatives of Idium and Bulea right now!”

In the midst of that chaos, Zeon had his head down and said nothing.

I went up to him, wondering why.

“Zeon, are you crying?”

Clear teardrops were dripping from his expressionless face.