My Dream is to Get My Own House

“He said that it would be a big problem if he fell in love with her, and he would prevent anyone else from even seeing our baby.”

“It truly sounds like a romance novel.”

“Fortunately, it seems to be okay for now. He asked us to quickly find our granddaughter and bring her into our protection.”

The conclusion is extraordinary.

It’s certain.

The fortune teller, who must have been deeply moved by romance novels, was undoubtedly mistaken.

‘It seems like the one who’s swindled is the teacher.’

The emperor responded with a sigh.

“Ah, yes. We should find her quickly.”

“But what if he has already fallen in love? What if our delicate Diana falls into the hands of someone who obsessively clings to her…?”

It was a rare expression of excitement from the teacher after a long time.

No one could say, “You seem to have been swindled by that long-winded fortune teller.”

Instead, the emperor spoke up.

“Don’t worry. I will help you find her as soon as possible.”

“Oh, yes. I seem to be overly excited.”

Duke Saboia regained his composure.

He was even more frightened to find reason too quickly.

To think that a person as rational as him could be so overwhelmed when it came to his granddaughter.

“No, Teacher, I’m glad to see that expression after such a long time.”

“Is that so? It’s thrilling to know that the only trace of blood is still alive.”

Finally, Duke Saboia’s eyes welled up with tears.

The emperor, seeing his long-lost teacher’s expression, also felt deeply moved.

“Don’t worry. If Lady Diana is in an unhappy marriage, I will use my imperial authority to assist her in getting a divorce.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

If she falls into the hands of someone with such an obsessive husband, it would be a disaster, indeed.

And what the swindler fortune teller said couldn’t possibly be true.

Chuckling to himself, the emperor changed the subject.

“I will help you find Lady Diana. Wasn’t she blonde with blue eyes?”

“Yes, just like the Saboia family, she has special abilities.”

“Has her ability awakened?”

The Saboia family inherited the blessing of an ancient deity.

The members of the family possessed various abilities, big and small.

Their abilities were strengthened through awakening.

The abilities that were faintly manifested before awakening would explosively manifest afterwards.

“Not yet. Moreover, seeing that her father hasn’t come to see her yet, I wonder if something happened…”

The emperor replied with a hint of disappointment.

And at that moment, the doors of the Imperial Palace suddenly opened.

The gazes of Duke Saboia and the emperor met at the entrance.

“Dylan?”

“I’ve come to deliver the wedding invitation.”

The emperor thought to himself.

It’s a relief that he’s not drinking this time.

Instead, he blinked his eyes quickly and asked.

“But why a wedding invitation all of a sudden?! You’re already married, aren’t you?”

Dylan walked in slowly without answering.

At that moment, the gazes of Duke Saboia and Dylan met in the air.

“It’s exactly as I said. We announced the marriage at the ballroom and decided to hold a wedding ceremony.”

“W-what did you say?”

It’s incredibly exciting.

The emperor regretted not having popcorn.

He quickly blinked his eyes, filled with anticipation.

“Senior… No, with Ishael?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, then what happened at the ballroom? I permit you to speak freely with peace of mind.”

Dylan briefly explained what had happened at the ballroom.

The emperor slapped his knee and said, “That’s so entertaining. Is there more?”

But Dylan…

“There isn’t.”

…shattered the emperor’s excitement with a single word.

‘This must be the most disappointing moment of the year. When will this damn emperor’s business end?’

He muttered under his breath, his lips puckering.

“…Well, then. What about your status now that you’re having a wedding?”

“That…”

‘Is it still not there emotionally?’

The emperor swallowed his disappointment and looked at Dylan.

“Well, rumors about me spread.”

Indeed, there were already rumors circulating throughout the empire about Grand Duke Castilla.

“The ‘Demon Duke’ who sucks people’s blood,” “The first person who killed demons and even monsters,” “A terrifying existence that curses anyone who comes near,” and so on.

Although most of them were baseless rumors, his heart was not at ease.

As the emperor looked at the unresponsive duke, he sighed in disappointment.

“Fine. Let’s move on to the main agenda.”

Although his voice was almost sickly, no one paid any attention.

“First, it seems that the teacher captured the assassin of the terrorist group at the time and forced them to take the truth potion.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Thanks to that, we gained a lot of valuable information.”

Dylan calmly spoke.

“Is it true that there are terrorists hiding among the knights?”

Duke Saboia took over the conversation.

“Yes, Your Grace. Probably one administrator and one knight.”

Dylan nodded in agreement.

“As this might be their final move, we should set a trap and deal with them swiftly.”

“Dylan, take care of yourself. The Blue Door is approaching.”

The emperor sighed briefly, recalling the dark magic cast on Grand Duke Castilla.

Every year, around the time the Blue Door opens, he suffers from severe fever and madness.

“They say that the fever rises, madness intensifies, and desires become stronger.”

That’s what he thought.

And at that moment, the emperor realized something strange.

There wasn’t much time left until the Blue Door opened.

It used to be that the fever started around this time.

Why is it okay now?

* * *

Late at night.

I was strolling in front of the townhouse.

I couldn’t sleep because I was excited about driving Soldika away.

It was natural that I ran into Dylan, who was returning home.

“Ishael, are you still awake?”

“Yes. I have something prepared.”

Pedro and Soldika probably think their humiliation at the ballroom is the end.

But it was only the beginning.

Father and Mother haven’t suffered anything yet.

‘How dare you betray your family. I’ll make sure you come to your senses.’

Perhaps it was because I was disciplined from an early age.

Due to the ingrained instinctual fear in my body, I was trembling. I clenched my fists and raised my middle finger. I knew I couldn’t be bound by past traumas. “This is the beginning of my era of success and my family’s downfall!”

I tried to suppress the trembling in my body and smiled brightly. “Would you like to see? The preparation for a fight.” I narrowed my eyes seriously as I looked at the ‘something’ that Dylan would use as a signal for disgrace.

“Is that a bomb?”

“Haha, a bomb? No way!”

I casually put a fluorescent stone into my pocket, its surface gleaming. “Now, shall we go in?”

But then, at that moment…

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause resounded from a distance. “Wow! Bravo!”

“You look just like a newlywed couple!”

I stiffly turned my back, my body rigid. “Ah, yes. Hello.”

“Ugh, as expected. Newlyweds can’t bear to be apart even for a moment.”

‘If they can’t bear to be apart even for a moment, does that mean they’re cockroaches, not newlyweds?’

But we were a fake couple. I didn’t know how newlyweds lived.

“Ahaha. Is that so? Well, yes!”

“Yes! By the way, what are you two doing? It’s common for newlyweds to cuddle in situations like this, you know?”

I hastily put my pinkie finger through Dylan’s and forced a smile. “We like holding pinky fingers, right, Dylan?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

He held my hand tightly and looked at them. They were truly fascinating. Why couldn’t I see any youthful vigor in Dylan’s eyes? In the midst of it all, he was still earnestly trying to say something. He seemed like the strongest person in the world.

“By the way, have you heard about the second-week program for newlywed couples that they’re doing this time?”

“The second-week program? What’s that?”

“They say it’s a couple’s healing program. I don’t know the details, though. How about you?”

“Ugh, I don’t know either. Ugh, right.”

Wow, impressive, really.

“Oh, right, there were other couples here, too, right?”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Then, bye now.”

They happily ran through the lawn to their own house, just like a newlywed couple in an advertisement. I awkwardly waved at them while tightly holding Dylan’s pinky finger.

“Go, go.”

As their backs disappeared, I revealed a rotten expression and muttered. “Goodbye… forever.”

I quickly released his pinky finger and forced an awkward smile. “Shall we go now?”

Dylan held my hand several times as if squeezing it into a fist, then turned his head away and nodded.

Even after he let go, the warmth of his hand remained on my palm. ‘Why does it feel so hot?’ He was a sturdy person, so there was no reason for it, but it felt like the precursor to a fever.

I glanced briefly at Dylan’s red eyes and quickly averted my gaze. It felt somewhat aggressive, but maybe my delusions were too excessive.