Chapter 798: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Part 5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 798: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Part 5)
"This is merely a rational judgment on my part. Don't read too much into it."
Ariel took a deep breath. Her expression was solemn and her tone incredibly sincere—so sincere that one couldn't help but believe these were her true feelings, rather than the stubborn deflections of a tsundere like Celicia.
However, these "true feelings" were not what Muen wanted to hear at this moment.
"It seems my way of greeting you just now wasn't quite right."
Muen shifted his posture slightly. Though his fingers remained interlaced, he rested his clean-shaven chin upon them. Framed by the shimmering light of the lake, his features highlighted the exceptional genes of the Campbell line, making him look even more handsome.
"Let me try again."
Muen smiled. "You look truly beautiful today, Miss Ariel Bugard."
"..."
The entire park fell into a heavy silence.
It seemed even the birds in the trees were so embarrassed by Muen’s blunt, unadorned praise that they tucked their heads beneath their wings.
Ariel’s eyes gradually widened. Her pink lips, made lustrous by a coat of balm, parted slightly. She looked utterly dazed, bordering on adorable.
"What... what kind of madness has taken hold of you?"
Ariel suddenly hugged her arms, goosebumps visibly prickling across her fair skin. "Have you been mentally corrupted by some Evil God? Why are you suddenly saying such disgusting things?"
"That’s the second time today you’ve used the word 'disgusting,' yet I fail to see what is so foul about it. I am simply telling the truth."
Muen adjusted his cravat. His smile was so perfect it looked as if it had been measured by a precision instrument. He looked like a man about to step onto a stage to recite a beautiful sonnet.
"You really are that beautiful right now, Miss Ariel Bugard. Your long hair, your features, those eyes as deep and brilliant as the stars, and this white dress that suits you so perfectly... You are the very incarnation of the Goddess of Beauty. The word 'beauty' was created for you. Even your underwear, adorned with those cute little bows, is so lovely that—"
"Enough!"
Ariel’s eyes weren't just wide now; she was glaring at him, cutting him off with a sharp cry.
She seemed genuinely furious at Muen’s nauseating praise, but a vivid flush began to roll up from her swan-like neck, spreading until her entire face was dyed a deep crimson.
She truly had never been praised like this before... or rather, she had never been praised like this regarding her appearance.
"Take... take back all those fake, flowery words right now!"
"Really? I spent quite a long time preparing that script in my head." Muen looked puzzled. "I thought you’d enjoy hearing it."
After all, if she didn't like it, why would she be so embarrassed?
Still, this expression—a mix of disdain and bashfulness—was unexpectedly cute.
Muen felt a sudden urge to reach out and pinch Ariel’s cheeks. Unfortunately, knowing her temperament, even if she were currently powerless, she would likely bite him if he tried.
How to describe it? Like a Shiba Inu baring its teeth?
"Who would enjoy that? I’m about to throw up my dinner from last night!"
Ariel huffed. Realizing her current expression lacked conviction, she pouted and turned away. "I don't want to waste time on this nonsense. I'm leaving."
"Leaving already? We haven't even gotten to the main event."
"I don't want to talk to you for the time being. Come find me when you stop being so fake and disgusting." Ariel looked resolute as she turned to walk away without a second glance.
"A pity."
Muen didn't try to stop her. He only let out a regretful sigh. "I put a lot of effort into preparing this lunch."
"What does your preparation have to do with me? I'm not falling for your tricks."
"Is that so?"
Muen clapped his hands.
In an instant, maids who had been hiding out of sight emerged in an orderly fashion. Each pushed a dining cart topped with silver cloches that reflected the sunlight.
Even before the covers were lifted, an intoxicating aroma masked the scent of the flowers in the garden.
"The first course: Pan-seared Teresa Goose Liver with blackcurrant sauce." Noah was the first to lift a cover. Though she hadn't cooked it herself, she was clearly confident in the Duke's estate's culinary skills, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Goose liver? Hmph." Ariel curled her lip in disdain.
She had heard of Teresa Goose Liver. It supposedly came from a specific type of mutated goose-like magical beast. It was rich in fat and melted in the mouth—a top-tier delicacy prized by the high nobility.
But Ariel didn't care for it. She had seen others eat goose liver before; the portions were so tiny they wouldn't even fill a tooth. To her, no matter how good something tasted, it was meaningless if it couldn't fill her stomach.
She’d rather have a few extra chicken drumsticks than a piece of goose liver.
However... given how good it smelled, Ariel couldn't help but steal a glance back.
After that one look, Ariel froze.
The goose liver was, of course, the goose liver of her memory. Even from a magical beast, it wasn't much larger than a normal one.
But now, on that oversized platter, dozens of pieces of goose liver were arranged in an exquisite pattern. Both the quantity and the presentation were a direct assault on Ariel’s cravings.
To make matters worse, Noah gave her a playful wink. "It's a large portion."
Gulp...
Ariel swallowed hard.
A large portion?
How underhanded.
If a single serving wasn't enough, he had simply piled dozens of servings together. Was this even still considered a rare delicacy? Didn't high-end restaurants charge so much precisely because the portions were so small?
Still, if he thought this alone would...
"The second course: Roasted Aaron Sea Beast with lemongrass salad." A second maid stepped forward. She looked delicate, but her arm strength was staggering; the platter she carried was larger than she was.
The cloche, large enough to cover a person, was lifted to reveal a massive hunk of sea beast meat. The fat sizzled under the lingering heat, and the so-called lemongrass salad was merely a few green leaves garnishing the top of the giant roast.
Gulp... It’s just roasted sea beast. It’s not like I haven't had it before.
"The third course: Medium-rare Pan-seared Snow-patterned Steak."
They called it a steak, but it looked like an entire cow had been brought out. The charred, fragrant crust was mouth-watering, and when the steak was sliced open, the meat was a perfect medium-rare, with white marbling that looked like patterns on fine marble.
Gulp... Bee... beef is also very common!
"The fourth course... the fifth course..."
Dish after dish was brought out. Ariel finally understood why this lunch had to be held in such a vast courtyard.
It wasn't because Muen Campbell had become so greasy that he needed to swirl a wine glass while telling her her eyes were like the lake; it was because even the dining table in the Duke's manor would struggle to hold such a staggering variety and quantity of food.
But Ariel held her ground. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and though she had lost count of how many times she had swallowed her saliva, her gaze remained firm. Her iron will would never—
"For dessert: Panini Cake, handmade by the Royal Pastry Chef!"
"Fine, speak."
Ariel sat across from Muen with an air of forced solemnity. "What exactly is your goal?"
"..."
Muen couldn't help but chuckle. "Not leaving anymore?"
"Hmph. I'm still leaving." Ariel tilted her dainty white chin up. "But since you went to the trouble of preparing all this, I suppose I can listen to what you have to say for a moment. Also, you haven't returned my ring yet, and the restriction hasn't been lifted."
Having her most relied-upon Ancient Ring taken away, her teacher absent, and her power sealed—this should have been a dire emergency for Ariel.
Combined with all the strange things that had happened along the way, under normal circumstances, Ariel would have already been plotting how to get her things back and go on a stealth rampage.
In fact, she had been thinking about it. Yielding to those maids was just a temporary tactic; it wasn't as if she had been won over by some little dress.
But to her own surprise, the moment she saw Muen Campbell, a sense of peace had washed over her.
It was as if, in the deepest recesses of her heart, she recognized that this man named Muen Campbell would never truly do anything to harm her.
Perhaps it was because they had supported each other through life-and-death situations, or perhaps it was the subtle changes he had undergone recently... regardless, just as Muen had said, she did trust him.
But it was only trust.
Yes, nothing else. Just trust.
"Hurry up and talk. I don't have all day to waste with you."
Having decided to listen, Ariel didn't stand on ceremony. She grabbed a knife and fork and began to feast. Anyway, he owed her a hundred million; eating this much wouldn't even cover the interest.
The moment the soft, sweet Panini Cake entered her mouth, Ariel seemed to bloom like a flower in spring. The joy in her eyes was unmistakable.
She rarely looked this soft. If she was usually a sharp blade, right now, that blade had become as wobbly as a child's rubber toy sword.
Muen watched her, and his practiced, formal smile relaxed into something peaceful and natural.
Ariel ate quickly. Not just the Panini Cake, but the surrounding food was disappearing at a visible rate. Strangely, her movements weren't crude; her way of eating was like her swordsmanship—sharp and swift.
Despite Ariel’s constant prodding, Muen waited a bit longer. Only when she was mostly finished did he speak.
"Do you remember what happened before?"
"..." Ariel’s hand paused. "Before I lost consciousness?"
"Yes."
"I couldn't remember at first, but when I saw you, some of it came back," Ariel said softly.
When she had woken up in the large bed at the Duke's manor, her thoughts and memories had been a chaotic mess. Even then, she could sense something was fundamentally wrong.
For instance... why did her power have to be completely sealed?
But from the moment she saw Muen, the hazy images in her mind began to clear.
"At that time... I attacked you, didn't I?" Ariel’s tone was complicated.
"Yes."
"The one corrupted by the Evil God wasn't you—it was me."
"Yes."
More and more images surfaced. As she spoke, Ariel was finally able to piece together the things she had forgotten.
She remembered the voice asking, 'Are you truly satisfied?' She remembered her own twisted, grinning reflection in the mirror.
Most importantly, she remembered the cause of it all... Miss Muse.
"Sealing my power wasn't to imprison me. It was to... prevent me from being controlled by the Love God again and doing something dangerous, right?"
"That’s right," Muen said. "Deep in your heart, a Seed of the Love God has sprouted. Although your teacher has completely protected your soul, you are still in danger. No one knows when your mind might be eroded again."
"Logical. Irrefutable... So? You did all this—changing my clothes, giving me food—just to mock me?"
Ariel kept her head down, her expression hidden.
But her hands suddenly clenched into fists. "To mock me for being so thoroughly deceived by one of your fake identities?"
Ariel had always considered herself to have a steadfast will and a strong heart. No hardship or setback could break her.
She believed she would forge ahead, cutting through every obstacle until she reached the place of her dreams—until that Crystal Palace shone brilliantly in the sun.
But before she could achieve any of it, she had been defeated. Defeated by a person who didn't even exist—a fake.
A so-called "Master of Relationships." It was so pathetic she could hardly stand to look at herself.
"Mock you?"
Muen tilted his head slightly. "What do you think? Do you really think I would mock you?"
"...No." Ariel murmured softly. "The current you wouldn't."
If it were the old, loathsome Muen Campbell of her memories, he would definitely be looking down his nose at her in mockery.
But this Muen Campbell would never.
Though she refused to admit it, he had long since ceased to be "vile" or "damned."
He was worthy of fighting by her side. His charisma was enough to make many beautiful girls throw themselves at him.
He wouldn't even let her feel like he was mocking her.
"Then what exactly is this for?" Ariel looked down at her white dress. It seemed to hint at something, but she deliberately avoided thinking in that direction.
"Can't you tell? I'm not here to mock you. Quite the opposite—I'm the one who should say sorry. I'm the reason you ended up like this, and I have to take responsibility. So..."
Muen suddenly took Ariel’s soft hand in his and said sincerely, "May I invite you on a date, the beautiful Miss Ariel Bugard?"
"A date?" Ariel blinked, looking lost. "But Miss Muse is gone."
"No, not Miss Muse."
Muen said, "It's Muen Campbell. Ariel, the one inviting you now isn't that Miss Muse who never truly existed, but the real man standing right before your eyes. Muen Campbell."
"I am inviting you."