Chapter 18: A Momentary Decision (3)

Annulment.

At the word, Viscount Lawrence closed his eyes tightly.

There was no room for compromise.

Even if the strategic marriage candidate stubbornly insisted, Roman genuinely hoped for the annulment.

'It's over.'

Dizziness set in.

Strategic marriage was the last resort for Lawrence.

Having determined that no method could stop Barco, he decided to borrow external power by using the daughter of a forbidden leaf.

As the head of the family, he had the duty to protect the clan.

Even if it meant ruining the life of his beloved daughter, he believed it would be better than the decline of the family.

And now.

The seal of annulment was stamped.

No matter how beautiful Flora's appearance might be, no family would bear the loss for a woman with a blemish.

It meant that the same method could not be used again.

From now on, the Lawrence family would have to resolve the crisis with their own strength.

Moreover.

'I need to appease Dmitry. If they ally with Barco as a means of revenge, even a desperate resistance will be futile.'

Dmitry.

Lord Romero's anger was intense.

Given how Lord Romero had spewed heat as if ready to devour him at any moment, it wasn't strange that he would annul this marriage and switch to Barco.

This meant the downfall of Lawrence.

If Barco and Dmitry, the strong powers in the northeast, joined forces, there would be no way to withstand the offensive.

It was disheartening.

If only he could.

He wanted to tell his daughter that everything was fine.

Always making choices for his daughter, but in a situation where the future of the family was at stake, he was no different from the father of the Joel family.

Just as he had bowed to a teacher despite his noble status.

Viscount Lawrence, in the face of the reality of annulment, bowed without a trace of shame.

"…This problem is entirely Lawrence's fault. Therefore, Lawrence will take responsibility for the annulment. As a sign of apology, I will not collect any tolls or taxes from the Dmitry trade route passing through Lawrence for the time being. Of course, such a small amount of money is meaningless to a magnate of iron ore, but please consider it as Lawrence's sincere apology for handling the family's major affairs carelessly."

"No, there's no need to go that far. Dmitry has no desire to benefit from a matter concerning the future of the eldest son. Let it be known to the public that the annulment was due to personal issues of Flora Lawrence, and that will conclude this matter. If you do that, Dmitry will not align with Barco."

"Thank you. Truly, thank you."

Lord Romero's reaction.

Moved by his sincerity, Lawrence bowed, but his heart ached.

'Marriage to Dmitry might have been the best choice we could have made.'

A father who loves his son.

And Dmitry's eldest son, different from the rumors.

The more he saw, the more he felt it was a waste.

He couldn't understand why people called Roman Dmitry's fool, but the Roman he had experienced firsthand was an extraordinary man.

The power to suppress the Blood Gang. The boldness to speak his mind confidently in front of him.

Especially, the choice he made for the family in the face of annulment made Lawrence genuinely fall for him.

Roman was a hidden dragon.

If he revealed his true worth in the future, Flora would be a laughingstock for a long time.

Annulment is like that.

Roman became an inseparable label in Flora's life.

'What exactly did our daughter find wrong with Roman? If she had known his true worth a little earlier, I could have prevented her from making a hasty decision. This is a big mistake on my part.'

He swallowed his regret.

The deed was already done.

Viscount Lawrence repeatedly offered apologies, and only when Lord Romero's expression softened did he leave the room.

The room left with only the Dmitry father and son.

Lord Romero's gaze turned to Roman.

Throughout the conversation.

He couldn't focus on the situation, nagged by a single question in his mind.

"Son. What exactly happened during the week?"

Roman's appearance.

It was a matter that needed explanation.

During his seclusion training.

Roman advanced to the Human stage.

The Human stage is the process of laying the foundation for the Heavenly Horse Divine Technique, which, by martial arts standards, isn't particularly impressive.

But in this world, it was different. The mana in the air was abundant, and Roman's body was severely polluted, so laying the foundation alone had a dramatic effect.

A step forward.

The Heavenly Horse Divine Technique took root in Roman's dantian.

The transformation in appearance due to the change in his body was proof that he had become a completely different person.

Roman said.

"I had a bit of an enlightenment while training alone. I don't remember it clearly, but it seems that a mana circulation occurred in my body."

"…Did you say mana circulation?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

Lord Romero was surprised.

Mana circulation.

A rare phenomenon among those who handle mana, where natural mana circulates within the body, optimizing it. A rare fortune granted to only a few. Roman had given the best possible answer, but Lord Romero had mixed feelings about it.

'Mana circulation.'

Recently.

Roman's changes were astonishing.

The son, once called Dmitry's fool, suddenly declared an annulment and accomplished things that were unimaginable before, such as defeating the Blood Gang and winning a duel against Chris. Especially the mana circulation, which was beyond the realm of common sense.

His father knew his son.

How he grew up and what he could do.

It was too much to simply call him a genius, as the changes in Roman transcended common sense.

But.

'He is still my son.'

His son's face.

His son's eyes.

And the voice that called him father.

He buried his doubts.

Regardless of the changes in Roman, what mattered to Lord Romero was that Roman was the eldest son of Dmitry.

Lord Romero said.

"Remember this one thing as you live. I am your father. No matter what difficulties you face, I will not turn a blind eye to them as your father, Roman Dmitry. And I will be the one to rejoice in your progress. So, do not forget that your name is Roman Dmitry. I, Romero Dmitry, will always support you from behind."

His father's words.

They were subtle.

And unfamiliar.

The father Roman remembered, or rather, the father Baek Jung-hyuk remembered, was cruel, cold, and had driven his son to the brink of death.

But this father.

'Not bad.'

Is this what fatherly affection is like?

Roman smiled.

"Thank you, Father."

When he left the office.

Roman faced a familiar situation.

The woman who had said "Are you crazy?" with a flustered face bowed her head.

"…I'm really sorry. For judging you hastily and making a decision about the family's major affairs on my own."

It was Flora.

In the series of events, she couldn't look Roman in the eye.

"An apology is unnecessary."

Roman's reaction was cold.

Revenge?

It wasn't that kind of emotion.

Roman genuinely believed that an apology was unnecessary.

'Everything is a matter of perspective, and Flora's choice wasn't entirely wrong.'

If.

Baek Jung-hyuk hadn't possessed Roman's body.

Roman would have been a man fitting the nickname of Dmitry's fool, and he would have been weak-willed enough to choose suicide when cornered.

Marriage to Dmitry might have solved the immediate problem.

But as a woman, promising a lifetime to a man like Roman would be cruel.

Therefore.

He understood Flora.

Moreover, there was no reason to express anger towards a woman who had decided to take all the responsibility.

But Flora interpreted Roman's reaction differently.

"I understand why you're angry. You have every right to be. Even if it's a strategic marriage where the will of the parties involved isn't important, you were betrayed unilaterally. But there's one thing I want to tell you. There was a special reason for my decision to annul the marriage."

"…"

He didn't react.

Standing still.

Roman's piercing gaze made Flora speak in a trembling voice.

"Actually, I now think it was a false rumor. The man who personally suppressed the Blood Gang and always maintains his composure doesn't fit the rumors. But I thought you needed to know. The source of the rumor was a social gathering hosted by the nobles in the northeast. When the rumor of my strategic marriage to Dmitry spread, the nobles I knew told me that Roman Dmitry enjoyed drugs. It's a type of drug that causes the loss of reason when one is addicted, and I couldn't just ignore it."

Drugs.

It was a new story to him.

But he remained calm.

Roman didn't panic or show any special reaction.

Roman said.

"The reason for the annulment is not important. Flora, you didn't want to marry me, and the result is annulment."

At first.

And now.

Roman didn't allow her to close the distance between them.

"So, do not interfere in my life any further."

Saying this coldly, Roman walked away.

That was the end.

Flora didn't have the right to enter Roman's world.

On the way back to his room.

Roman was lost in thought.

Flora and Lawrence.

He had cleared the troublesome relationships, but Flora had thrown a problem he couldn't ignore.

'…Drugs.'

His eyebrows twitched.

Drugs.

A serious issue.

During the time he lived as Baek Jung-hyuk, Roman had seen the downfall of miners addicted to drugs.

They not only plunged their own lives into the depths of evil but also polluted everyone around them like a disease.

If Roman had touched such a dangerous substance.

Then, the suicide that marked the beginning of his new life needed to be interpreted differently.

'Roman might not have committed suicide to avoid military service. There were many suspicious points from the beginning. He knew that a strategic marriage with the Lawrence family could solve the military service issue, yet he made an extreme choice too early. Therefore, there might be another reason.'

He chuckled.

Roman had recently undergone a transformation.

Thus, no matter what Flora said, he knew that his body didn't have the kind of aura that indicated drug addiction. There was only one thing. The impure aura he had ingested when he committed suicide, but it was completely eliminated during the transformation.

In other words.

The rumor Flora heard was evidence of slander.

"This is getting interesting."

People have misconceptions.

Just as they thought Roman had accepted Hans into his circle.

Some people said that, seeing the way the Heavenly Horse controlled people, he might be a wise ruler.

That is a huge misconception.

If someone encroached on his territory.

Roman would crush and punish them, no matter how minor the issue.

He was far from being fair and just.

A world of the strong preying on the weak.

It was natural for the powerful to