Chapter 118: Board Game (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: Board Game (5)
Jung Hae-in was momentarily speechless.
This was not at all the conversation he had been expecting.
“What do you think?”
The noble girl before him asked with an air of innocence.
Her voice was laced with a confidence that suggested she had never once considered the possibility of being rejected.
While he had no intention of meeting her expectations, he didn't want to crush them, either.
Just then, Kang A-rin’s gaze stabbed him from the side.
Her face was expressionless, but the subtle blush at the tips of her ears betrayed her feelings.
Jung Hae-in fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
“It’s an honor, but… I have no intention of leaving this village yet.”
A brief flicker of surprise crossed Ha Sion’s face, but it was quickly masked by a smile.
“That’s alright! You might change your mind someday!”
He felt that if he let the atmosphere linger, things would take a strange turn.
Jung Hae-in smoothly changed the subject.
“In any case, you’ve come a long way… Would you like to stay for a meal?”
The noble lady’s eyes sparkled.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
At that, the noble lady turned to look at her knight.
Kang A-rin hesitated for a moment before giving a quiet nod.
In the distance, smoke was rising from the mansion’s chimney.
Jung Hae-in and the others slowly made their way toward it.
Jung Hae-in, at least, had no intention of accepting the noble lady’s offer.
*
Meanwhile, inside the mansion.
A cup of tea was already waiting in the living room.
But it wasn't for the noble lady and her knight.
There was already another guest.
Yu Hana gazed out the window at the farmhouse, slowly lifting her teacup.
A subtle smile played on her lips.
Cheon Yeo-wool, who was neatly wiping a picture frame, asked her,
“Why do you suppose you visit every day?”
Yu Hana gave a short laugh at Cheon Yeo-wool’s nonchalant question.
“You already know, don’t you?”
The air between them was filled with a subtle tension, yet also a sense of ease.
Outside the game, it might have been different, but the Cheon Yeo-wool of this world was not the type to carelessly turn away a guest who had come all the way to her home.
Besides, her guest was the lord of the domain, one who was personally taking steps to develop the village.
Treating her poorly could bring disadvantages to her husband, which meant she couldn't be careless.
“‘I will observe the minimum courtesy’… something like that, perhaps?”
This was the very reason Yu Hana, the lord, kept visiting.
She was seeking a kind of permission.
In this world where polygamy was the norm, it was as natural as the sun rising in the east for multiple women to flock to an attractive man.
Legally, there were no restrictions on who she shared her husband with.
To put it bluntly, even if another woman were to seduce him, sleep with him without asking permission, and then show up pregnant, there would be nothing Cheon Yeo-wool could do.
In fact, it was rare for someone to be so courteous as to visit like this.
If one had to label it, you could even call it a conscientious act.
But before Cheon Yeo-wool could reply… someone burst in.
“Pardon the intrusion~”
The door swung open, and a youthful voice filled the house.
Cheon Yeo-wool and Yu Hana turned around at the same time.
Ha Sion briefly scanned the room, her gaze shifting between the two women’s faces.
A smile touched the corners of her lips as she carried herself with the air of someone entering a ballroom.
“Hello. Might I ask… which of you is Mr. Jung Hae-in’s wife?” she asked in a gentle tone.
She had heard on the way.
That he had a wife.
Honestly, it didn’t matter.
If anyone was disappointed, it was Kang A-rin.
‘They’re both quite pretty, aren’t they?’
Sion thought to herself.
It didn’t matter which of them was his wife, or even if both of them were.
The rose of high society. Ha Sion.
Born the daughter of a duke, her innate skill and ambition ensured that she succeeded in whatever she undertook and always got what she wanted.
This blueberry venture was no different.
With her characteristic drive and eloquence, she had persuaded her father, the duke, in an instant.
She was confident.
No matter how many wives he had in this house, no matter how many others were interested in him.
She was imbued with the belief that she would be the true victor.
She had set her sights on this man, Jung Hae-in, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she simply had to have him.
“……”
And so, the uncomfortable meal began.
The table was laden with food.
But the atmosphere was anything but warm.
A subtle tension hung in the air as everyone concealed their true thoughts.
Ha Sion was the first to pick up her fork.
As she elegantly began to eat, she glanced back and forth between Cheon Yeo-wool and Yu Hana.
She had already been told that Cheon Yeo-wool was the wife and Yu Hana was the lord.
With a faint smile on her lips, she leisurely began to speak.
“I quite like this place. Even if you don’t come to the estate yourself… we’re considering setting up a headquarters here, directly from the main family, to oversee such an outstanding crop as these blueberries.”
Ha Sion continued smoothly.
“However, we’ll need to coordinate a few things, and I’ll have to familiarize myself with the local situation… so I was wondering if I might borrow two rooms in this house for a while? Of course, the compensation… will be more than adequate.”
Jung Hae-in subconsciously picked up his cup and set it down, glancing at his wife.
Cheon Yeo-wool was the first to nod.
She lifted the cup in her hand slightly, a placid smile on her face.
“Our home is always open. However… there is one small thing I must ask of you.”
Ha Sion tilted her head, looking curious.
A faint blush crept onto Cheon Yeo-wool’s cheeks as she added in a near-whisper.
“After nine in the evening… it would be best if you didn’t come out into the hallway. We’re still newlyweds, you see… and the noises can be rather… embarrassing.”
A silence fell, and a strange current passed over the dinner table.
It was a rather blatant declaration.
“Ah… yes, of course. I’ll be careful.”
Ha Sion paused for a moment, then gave a cool nod.
‘…It’s suffocating.’
And there, in the middle of it all, Jung Hae-in sat clutching his fork, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Lately, starting with the lord, Yu Hana, it felt like the number of women around him was constantly increasing.
Of course, none of it was intentional.
*
As the meal was winding down, the first to rise from her seat was the lord, Yu Hana.
She set down her glass, approached Jung Hae-in, and casually tilted her head.
Peck.
Her warm lips brushed against his cheek.
“See you tomorrow.”
She claimed it was a common greeting in her home region.
There was no way to verify if it was truly a local custom, so he decided to just let it go.
Following her, Ha Sion and Kang A-rin also prepared to leave.
The noble lady’s eyes sparkled as she waved at Jung Hae-in.
“See you this evening! Farmer.”
There were many arrangements to be made, so she needed to speak with the lord.
Since Yu Hana was already at the house, things proceeded swiftly.
A short while later, all the guests followed Yu Hana out of the house.
As the sound of the front door closing faded, silence finally settled over the house.
“Phew…”
Jung Hae-in let out a sigh.
The house had gotten crowded in just a few days. Guests every single day, with no time to rest.
“I’m so sorry. I know you’re busy, but I keep bringing people… mmph.”
Before he could finish, Cheon Yeo-wool’s lips crashed down on his.
It was short at first, then immediately deepened.
“Hahh… hmph.”
Their lips parted, only to meet again.
The tip of her tongue lightly traced his lips, leaving its mark.
Her hands grasped the nape of his neck and wrapped around his waist.
Then she settled onto his lap, crossing her legs.
She pressed against him as if to envelop him with her entire body, leaving not an inch of space between them.
“Haah…”
Cheon Yeo-wool’s breathing grew ragged.
Her cheeks flushed, she bit his lip once more with her own moistened ones.
Jung Hae-in was sucked into her fervor, with no chance to resist.
For several minutes, there was only kissing.
The living room slowly filled with the sound of heated breaths.
Cheon Yeo-wool panted as if short of breath, and then, in an instant, her eyes shot open.
“Follow me…”
She gasped for air as she roughly seized Jung Hae-in’s wrist.
Drag.
Jung Hae-in was dragged helplessly into the room.
Click.
The short sound of a lock turning echoed.
Immediately after.
“Ugh.”
A low voice burst out, as if pressed down hard by something.
“Hahh… I love you…”
An occasional whisper mixed in.
Just as Cheon Yeo-wool had warned, though it wasn't yet nine o'clock.
From then on, only the sounds seeping from under the door filled the hallway.
@
Zzzt.
Someone was watching this scene.
Yoon Chae-ha had already forgotten about rolling the dice.
“……”
She just watched as Cheon Yeo-wool and Jung Hae-in kissed deeply.
And then stared at the closed door they had entered together.
Of course, nothing was actually happening inside.
“Ugh.”
“Hahh… I love you…”
There was only the audio.
Her heart hammered faster and faster, a current-like sensation spreading to the tips of her fingers and toes.
The sounds in her ears grew richer, clearer, enveloping her.
Her body grew hot and her breath hitched, as if she herself were in the middle of that scene.
A mixture of shame and a strange sense of inferiority made her heart uncomfortable.
“……”
On the desk sat a single, unrolled die.
Wanting to escape the uncomfortable heat, Yoon Chae-ha moved her hand without thinking.
Everything rushed in at once, including a kind of inexpressible thirst.
But the moment her hand moved.
Thump.
“?”
Yoon Chae-ha’s hand bumped into something.
It wasn’t what she had been reaching for.
The die she had placed on the desk was knocked over, rolling limply before it fell.
[12!]
[You have finally reached the Abyss of the Great Being.]
[Bad Ending Condition Met: The Great Cthulhu awakens from its slumber.]
[Cthulhu infinitely replicates the Demon King, incinerating all life in the world.]
[All languages collapse, and all existence is consumed by a writhing darkness.]
[This game, along with all meaning, will end in 3 minutes.]
“…Huh?”
The boundary between reality and the game shattered in an instant.
The room was dark, and the Goddess quietly recited the final narration.
Yoon Chae-ha bit her lip unconsciously, watching the final ending with blurry eyes.
“Me too… I also…”
A sense of defeat and emptiness.
And an emotion she could never voice to anyone.
That was all that quietly remained in her heart.