Chapter 122

Translated by: Miss Ruby

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No wonder Anne-Marie wasn’t next to him today . As soon as he saw me, Bastian began to breach the subject at hand . He was probably going to bring up what Kalian and Dominic had been trying to block .

“You might feel this is sudden but I’m definitely not bringing this up on an impulse…I have been thinking about this for some time now . ”

Bastian seriously looked at me and began to talk . Somehow, there was a slight look of tension on his face .

“I have also suggested this to Anne-Marie, so I hope you don’t feel too burden as well, Yuri . ”

Halfway through, Bastian lifted a teacup to moisten his throat as though his mouth was dry then adjusted his voice and continued .

“Actually, this is not that rare among nobles . The system might be unfamiliar to the young ones nowadays but…”

However, his story filler was a little longer than I expected . He seemed worried I would refuse as soon as I heard what he had to say so he began to hesitate and draw out a long explanation before getting to the main subject .

“Ehem, so what I want to say is…”

Then he cleared his throat for no reason and finally mentioned the most important thing .

“I want to become your guardian . ”

I wasn’t surprised because I had expected this to some extent . Rather, the continuous hesitation had been a little frustrating so when I finally heard Bastian’s purpose loud and clear, it even felt refreshing .

“Guardian?”

So while thinking ‘as expected’, I answered back with a question like I was trying to confirm .

“Well, the guardian system sounds like a lot but it’s nothing much!”

At that, Bastian hurriedly spoke again .

“If you accept, you don’t have to worry that you’ll have to humor or wait on an old man till he dies . I don’t mean that when I say I want to become your guardian . ”

It seemed Bastian misunderstood that I asked that because I was reluctant about his proposal .

“I have been watching you two and I felt you are really good kids and when I started thinking about what I could possibly do to help you within my means…”

He spun a tale about how this proposal wasn’t for any other reason and he just wanted to help us sincerely and take responsibility for us so I shouldn’t be burdened at all .

While he went on, I calmly stared at him .

“Did Ms . Anne-Marie accept?”

Then before giving Bastian an answer, I asked that first . Earlier, Bastian definitely said he had offered Anne-Marie the same thing .

The next moment, he nodded his head .

“She thought about it for a bit, but she eventually accepted . ”

It was a little surprising .

But if you thought about it from a different angle, it might not be that surprising .

If she was alone then it was hard to say but Anne-Marie had her sister, Hestia with her . And since it was the Anne-Marie I knew, I could understand how she would accept Bastian’s goodwill with gratitude . Perhaps afterward, she decided to take care of Bastian with more sincerity and to the best of her abilities in the future .

Well, I had no way to know everything Anne-Marie was thinking so this was just my guess .

Anyways, a guardian, huh .

The suggestion was much better than I expected .

Although, I didn’t think it was good enough to make Dominic come and visit me separately to stop me . Plus there was even Kalian who secretly blocked Bastian from speaking at the dinner table .

Both father and son were acting so sensitive that I thought he was going to ask me to be his daughter instead of the late Selena Crawford…

“Honestly…if this old man can be more greedy, I would like for you, Yuri, to be my adopted daughter instead of my ward . ”

…but it turns out I was right . **

“Your adopted daughter?”

Again, I answered with a question in a sluggish tone . But even I could hear a tiny, but obvious sense of bafflement buried in my voice . Until now, I only had a vague guess but hearing it directly from Bastian’s mouth made me feel a little off .

“I’m only making this proposal to you, Yuri . ”

Perhaps Bastian also sensed that because he looked a little crestfallen as he continued speaking .

“You already know that you resemble my daughter, Selena so I will not lie . That is in fact the biggest reason why I want to adopt you as my daughter . ”

While all sorts of thoughts coursed through my mind, I quietly listened to Bastian talk .

“But I would never ask you to act like Selena’s substitute by my side…or anything of the sort . You can just be as comfortable as you are now . ”

“…”

“It has not been very long but watching you by my side all this time has given me a lot of comfort . At first, I felt like my daughter, Selena had come back to life…And then I gradually became more greedy . ”

Bastian looked straight into my eyes and said again .

“Please, will you be my daughter?”

He seemed like he was being really sincere, so it made me feel troubled once again . As a matter of fact, while I’d be wondering what Bastian’s proposal might be, I had already decided on my answer in advance .

“I don’t wish for much . I don’t have that much time left to live either . It’s just while I can still breathe, I want to see you around and healthy . That’s all I want . ”

When I saw Bastian asking me with such an earnest look in his eyes, the words lingering at the tip of my tongue couldn’t come out that easily .

“And if you officially become my adopted daughter, you can enjoy everything the Crawfords have to offer, as long as you live . When I die, a part of my inheritance will be yours as well . ”

And when he added that, I once again thought ‘as expected’ . This was what made Dominic see me as a thorn in his side .

Of course, I didn’t know how much power I could have if I were to become Bastian’s adopted daughter . But regardless of that, it was natural for Dominic, the head of the Crawford family to be unhappy with it .

After all, an orphan girl suddenly rolled like in a stone and was about to bite off a piece of the Crawford family . Furthermore, even if it wasn’t necessarily about the inheritance or the distribution of power, it would be much weirder if he was glad that a woman of unknown origins who was as young as his son, was going to enter the family register and become his younger sister .

Beyond that, even from the perspective of the head of the family, the status of the Crawford family would fall if such a thing happened . Of course, the honor of the Crawford family would not be jeopardized just because of me but they would certainly become the target of ridicule from other nobles .

That said, I felt like Kalian blocked Bastian’s decision for moral reasons instead of for reasons like the Crawford family inheritance or power .

I silently stared at Bastian who was anxiously waiting for my answer . Then I soon opened my mouth .

“I’ll think about it then I’ll let you know . ”

Bastian was delighted, seemingly happy with the fact that I didn’t refuse right away .

Then before I changed my mind and took it back, he quickly told me to do just that .

I began to contemplate if I should selfishly use this old man’s earnest wish .

* * *

Please make sure you’re reading on rubymaybetranslations .

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“Lakis-nim!”

In a night where the moon was covered by clouds .

A crow flew toward Lakis, its black feather fluttering in the wind . When it arrived in front of Lakis, it transformed into a human being . He fell to his knees like he was prostrating on the floor .

“And what I ordered?”

“This Odin has completed it perfectly!”

Odin looked up at Lakis with sparkling eyes, like he was hoping to be praised . But Lakis only looked down at Odin without saying a word .

Under the moonlight, his blue eyes narrowed slightly, giving off a chilly feeling . If it was normally how he did things, a useless pawn would be killed and gotten rid of . While a useful pawn would be used continuously until they broke down .

But as expected, no matter what side he chose for the Crow, it bothered him . He didn’t even have to think deeply about why; it was simply because Odin was related to Yuri .

Of course, Odin was actually quite useful, so Lakis didn’t regret using him . That said, he still didn’t feel completely clear inside so he couldn’t help but click his tongue inwardly .

“Good job . ”

Finally, words of praise for Odin left his mouth for the first time .

At that, Odin was shocked, and his eyes went wide . Soon, joy and delight began to spread on his face . Odin couldn’t hold back his emotions and tears even began to gather in his eyes .

“Sob, t-then Lakis-nim . Can I lick your shoes for today’s reward…Mph!”

However, Odin wasn’t able to finish the sentence regarding his lifelong wish . Because the next moment, a dreary hand filled with some annoyance stretched out before him and covered his face .

—This guy is quite something . Seriously . Hey, Lakis, he’s asking for it so much, why don’t you give him a shoe as a final gift?

The bug in Lakis’ head said as if asking him to perform charity . When Lakis heard that, his mouth distorted .

“If you say the same thing the next time we meet, I might give it special consideration then . ”

Hearing that, Odin’s ears pricked up .

However, that would probably not happen . After all, the Odin who was Lakis’ faithful servant, albeit for a short time, would disappear today .

“Crow Odin, I don’t need you anymore so from now on, go back to Yuri . ”

A low voice mixed into the night air burrowed into Odin’s ears . The hand covering his face felt as cold as ice . As a burst of pure white light filled his sight, Odin finally lost consciousness .