Chapter 9

I tried to loosen my grip with a stern face, but it wouldn’t budge.

"Untie this."

"Perhaps the study would be better? It’s where you spend the most time these days."

Neither physical strength nor magic had any effect.

"Untie this!"

Oswald wore a satisfied expression at my agitated reaction.

"Miss Ji’s reactions always make me feel accomplished."

Crazy bastard. Tyrant. Disgusting scoundrel.

The helplessness that had enveloped me evaporated like a drop of water before a massive flame.

Instead, my insides were filled with a rage bordering on hatred.

I was once again hating myself, but I realized there was no need to.

For the person who had conveniently pinned me down to appear before me.

'Should I be grateful for this?'

Even so, I had no intention of rashly expressing my hatred.

To this man, I was nothing more than a mere insect.

A contemptible insect needed to act accordingly.

This man seemed to enjoy my fear and dislike.

He had a disgustingly twisted personality.

I decided to sit more comfortably and properly receive his escort.

"Let’s go to the study."

Oswald tilted his head and raised one corner of his mouth.

"Very well, Miss Ji."

We walked down the corridor like a couple.

Every time Oswald appeared, time in the real world seemed to stop.

People were frozen as if their videos had been paused.

It was a chillingly surreal scene.

Had I unconsciously twitched my hand?

I felt Oswald’s gaze briefly touch my hand before falling away.

He asked with a voice tinged with amusement.

"Is studying magic interesting? I brought knowledge from a dimension where magic is highly developed, and it seems you quite enjoy it."

Magic was the most interesting subject for me lately.

But I didn’t react particularly.

"It’s okay."

I didn’t want to give the impression that I was satisfied with this possession.

I changed the subject.

"I have a question. How many levels are there in the channel rankings?"

"There are five levels in total, from Bronze to Diamond. The maximum sponsorship amount increases tenfold with each level."

'So, a Silver channel can receive up to 1,000 coins in sponsorship.'

Even reaching the Diamond level would only get you 1 million coins, the maximum sponsorship.

How could you gather 1 billion coins to buy a wish ticket?

"Is there a BJ who has bought a wish ticket?"

When I asked skeptically, Oswald answered nonchalantly.

"Of course. Every BJ I chose has earned 1 billion coins and bought a wish ticket. You will too."

It was a completely ungrateful encouragement.

Then Oswald paused and looked down at me.

"Have you adapted to the possession? You seem quite proactive."

His penetrating gaze, as if trying to see through me, was unpleasant.

I said as calmly as possible.

"I need 1 billion coins."

Oswald smiled crookedly and continued forward.

"That’s a good sign. From what I’ve seen today, you seem to be growing quickly. You have a very steep growth curve."

He had complete confidence in his choice.

The unwavering self-assurance in his deep blue eyes made my stomach churn.

I turned my gaze forward and changed the subject.

I didn’t want to be evaluated by this man any longer.

"The thrones seem familiar with the memes used on Earth. How is that?"

"Some parts are transcendentally translated for your understanding, and they actually use a lot of Earth memes. That’s because their media content is the most advanced civilization."

Just as Oswald’s explanation ended, our steps stopped.

We had arrived at the study.

"Shall we go in?"

Creak.

The door, which hadn’t been oiled in a while, opened with a faint noise.

The force that had been imposed on me disappeared, and I could finally move away from Oswald.

I quickly stepped back.

"It’s disappointing to see you run away like that."

Oswald, seemingly stimulated by my actions, approached me slowly, step by step.

"I don’t have any more questions."

I took a few steps back.

Before I knew it, my back hit a pile of books haphazardly stacked on a table.

Crash!

The books that had been carelessly piled up tumbled to the floor.

This man was overwhelmingly tall.

Moreover, despite wearing a suit, I could tell his body was threateningly well-built.

He was the kind of person who instinctively made you want to flee.

I became anxious.

"If you have something to say, say it."

I wasn’t an actor and couldn’t put on a great performance.

The longer I spent with Oswald, the harder it would be to hide my true feelings.

"Something to say? I never had any."

'Then why did you appear?'

"I’m a channel manager, so I have the duty to check on Miss Ji frequently. And, I usually like it."

Like what?

Sensing the question in my eyes, Oswald answered.

"BJs usually want to be close to me, the channel manager. Isn’t that true for Miss Ji?"

I should have answered that I did.

I definitely should have, but my lips wouldn’t part.

Oswald’s eyes narrowed at my hesitation.

"It seems not."

At that moment, I instinctively spoke.

"I’m afraid of you."

I let go of everything I had been trying to hide, revealing my inner thoughts like a blemish.

"I don’t know if I can trust you. …That’s all."

The added words, like an excuse, were clearly a lie.

But Oswald didn’t point it out.

Instead, he gently pushed my hair behind my ear and spoke soothingly.

"You still haven’t realized your position, Miss Shin Ji."

His fingers traced from my earlobe down to my neck.

"You and I are not people who trust and rely on each other."

"…"

"You’re a toy, Miss Ji."

Oswald pressed his finger firmly on the spot where my pulse was beating.

"Don’t forget your role. If you want to be loved."

Damn bastard.

Oswald checked the time and clicked his tongue.

"I’d like to stay longer, but I have to go. The ad has been too long, unintentionally."

Click!

When he tapped his cane on the floor, a faint static electricity, which I had felt before, was sensed.

It was the signal that time had resumed.

"From now on, I will call you Teresa. It will help you better understand your situation."

"…"

"See you next time."

Oswald lightly kissed my cheek and left.

It was a gesture, but it was so unpleasant that I wanted to kill him.

I roughly wiped my cheeks, which felt dirty, over and over. My skin turned red from the friction, but I didn’t stop.

My eyes were fixed on the spot where Oswald had disappeared.

'If there’s a way to bring you down, I won’t hesitate.'

* * *

"Donovan."

At the Duke’s low call, the butler Donovan slightly bowed his head, waiting for the next words.

Raul wasn’t one to enjoy cigars.

But when he had something to deeply consider or when he was in a very bad mood, he would cut the tip of a cigar and light it.

Usually, a spot in the cigar case was left empty because of Teresa.

It seemed the same today.

"Was I so indifferent to Teresa?"

"No, you always tried your best."

Raul exhaled the deeply inhaled smoke with a faint sigh.

His eyes followed the smoke floating in the air for a moment.

His sunken gaze seemed to be looking at something beyond the smoke.

"I thought I was never wrong, Donovan. But today, when I looked into that child’s eyes… I felt a strange sinking feeling in my chest."

Raul recalled the bright and fragrant scene of the dining room decorated with flowers grown in the greenhouse.

In it, his eldest daughter sat calmly, something she had never done before.

Teresa had been acting strangely lately.

He had expected her to continue her usual mischief, trying to confirm that she, not Rebe, was the true Squire Princess.

Was it the calm before the storm?

But Teresa had been unusually quiet all this time.

"I even suspected it was a new way to get under my skin."

Teresa had done everything a troublesome child would do to get what she wanted—hunger strikes, seclusion, running away.

"But something is off. She’s so different from before."

She had never engaged in deep thought, like an empty shell.

A person who doesn’t think is no different from an instinct-driven beast.

Hopeless.

That was the brand Raul had long ago placed on Teresa.

"Miss is 22 years old now, isn’t she?"

"…Yes, she’s 22."

Raul couldn’t forget the moment Teresa said it was her birthday.

Her empty eyes, her dry expression, her muffled voice.

She looked like a sinner confessing a terrible sin.