I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 86

The rookie, no, the Duel Proxy has left.

The ball is still going on, but Hector didn’t head to the ballroom or even his own room.

“…….”

He walks with a bow in one hand.

He didn’t encounter anyone along the way. Most of the servants were at the ballroom.

The remaining few sensed Hector’s presence and avoided him.

Hector has continued walking, finally leaving the mansion’s main building.

Crossing the yard.

Passing the storage.

Heading towards the annex, isolated on the outskirts of the mansion grounds.

“……….”

The annex held a chilling atmosphere. Especially so late at night.

It seemed to be barely maintained, as it was left in a dilapidated state, and an eerie chill emanated from within.

No matter how one looked at it, it didn’t seem like a place where anyone lived.

Yet, Hector blankly stepped inside the annex.

“…………….”

Though old and dusty, the interior was at least clean.

Hector, heading deeper into the darkness, opened a door.

Creeeeak──

The spine-chilling creak of the hinges echoed through the annex.

And then, a well-maintained room revealed itself.

“Rain.”

“……Father.”

The room was dark. Even though it was late at night, no lights were turned on.

Only Rain, cocooned in blankets on the bed, occupied the middle of the room.

It looked like she was curled up completely under the blanket, so her face was hidden from view.

Hector raised an eyebrow at that pathetic sight and took a chair from the darkness to sit.

“………….”

“…………….”

In the darkness, where only each other’s shapes could be seen, Hector looked down at Rain.

“You’ve done something disgraceful.”

“……….”

There was no response.

It wasn’t something he expected an answer to.

“Oh, I’m not talking about your little rebellion.”

“……?”

“I’m talking about that guy you got involved with.”

“………!”

In that moment, Rain and her blanket flinched.

Even after seeing that reaction, Hector didn’t stop his words.

“He was someone I grew to like more and more. Not only is his head on straight, but he also knows how to read the situation and has guts, and he provoked quite well too.”

“………….”

“Which is why I’m angry at you. You pushed such a guy into a corner.”

A duel was not something to take lightly.

It was a trial where both parties wagered their lives, the victor was justified, and there was only death for the loser.

It wasn’t some reckless challenge made by a hot-blooded young man.

As Namgoong Min had already confirmed.

This duel was simply his displeasure at knowing it was Rain’s will.

“………….”

“That guy is quite something. I spent my whole life trying to mold you into what I wanted, only for that to get turned upside down in just a few months.”

“………….”

“Or is it that you seduced him with your pretty face? How ridiculous.”

Hector had known Rain would resist someday.

After all, it wasn’t like she was ‘trained’ from birth, and thanks to that girl, she could only start her education when she turned seven.

It was apparent she would resist against the training, given she started at an age where she could understand right from wrong.

But to think it would lead to a duel involving a talented young man.

Hector had once attempted to eliminate Namgoong Min but gave up due to his abilities and connections, so he viewed Rain with disdain.

“Were you that desperate? Wanting to escape from your family, from me, the head of this family?”

“……….”

“If this duel is indeed your will, then as the head of the family, it would only be right for me to crush it.”

Hector stood up from the chair and walked towards the door.

He glanced back at Rain while leaving the door ajar.

“The time is tomorrow at midnight. The location is the mountain within the mansion. You know it, right? It’s just behind this annex.”

“………….”

“Come to watch. And see it clearly.”

──The sight of a young man losing his life because of you.

“Remember this: Arthur’s resolve is to eliminate anyone who cannot become an ally.”

“……….”

“I’ll make sure the body can be handled.”

That was the end of it.

It had been a six-month reunion, but the conversation that wasn’t really a conversation between father and daughter concluded there.

Once Hector’s footsteps faded away, only then did Rain lift the blanket.

“……….”

Her eyes were filled with traces of tears.

Tears continued to flow, adding to the marks left behind.

Still silent after Hector’s prickly words, Rain gazed out the window.

The dark night, and the moon hanging in the sky.

Recalling the day she parted with her mother, Rain felt a rush of emotion.

“……I have to go.”

<Teleporation>.

She vanished.

Even though the owner had disappeared, the annex remained as it was.

Dark, cold, and eerie.

……That atmosphere lingered on.

*

“Namgoong Min……sir.”

“Rain, you’ve come. How about some tea….”

“Just give up.”

“………What?”

“I was foolish. I was too hasty. I was so stupid….”

Suddenly popping into Namgoong Min’s hotel room with <Teleportation>, he looked as if he expected her arrival.

That relaxed demeanor, the warm smile, and the cheerful greeting.

Everything Rain loved so much──

‘Come to watch. And see it clearly. The sight of a young man losing his life because of you.’

──She was so terrified he might disappear and die.

Rain cursed her own foolishness.

“The duel isn’t happening. It wasn’t. Even if it takes time, even if I have to get engaged, I should have avoided that duel.”

“………….”

“I foolishly mentioned a duel. It’s not my life on the line; it’s Namgoong Min’s. It’s such…overstepping behavior.”

“………Hmm.”

In the grand scheme of things, Rain had essentially asked Namgoong Min to die for her resistance.

And………Hector’s skills hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

Who had rescued her and her mother from being trapped in the Gate when she was little?

Though more than a decade had passed since he set down his bow, he remained a great archer.

He far exceeded Rain’s expectations.

“Your father’s overestimating Namgoong Min. Even now, if you go and apologize, he might withdraw the duel. No, I will make it happen.”

“Rain.”

“I don’t want to kill Namgoong Min. That’s my calculation mistake, my stupidity. I messed everything up──”

“Rain.”

“──Huh?”

A hand raised her up as she knelt, tears spilling.

Another hand gently wiped her tears.

In that warm embrace, Rain was momentarily stunned.

“Why are you crying?”

“…………….”

“Is it because you’re scared I might die? Scared I might lose in the duel?”

Yes. That’s what I’m afraid of.

I’m terrified that my wrong choices might lead to half of his life being thrown into death.

The one who insisted on the duel, now asking to withdraw it claiming a poor judgment.

It would be a displeasing and annoying situation for anyone, yet Namgoong Min was smiling.

As always………like that.

With that warm smile.

“Yeah, let’s say I plead and plead, and somehow, I manage to get the duel called off.”

“……! Yes, yes! That’s a great idea──”

“Then what about you, Rain?”

“………….”

“What will happen?”

That’s, that’s…

I will………

“……I probably won’t leave the Arthur Mansion from now on. At least not until I complete my re-education properly.”

“Yes.”

“I must marry Kite Blackwood. Even if there’s opposition from the elders, my father seems determined to push it through.”

“And so?”

“And……also……….”

“Yes.”

“……I won’t be able to see Namgoong Min again.”

That’s my future.

The outcome of my foolish resistance.

‘……I should have just not resisted.’

It would have been better that way.

If I had just obeyed father’s, the family’s orders, it would have been later that Namgoong Min would be in danger, and I wouldn’t have to fear never seeing him again.

Then, I could have enjoyed this precious memory, this happiness a little longer……

“Rain.”

“I was……wrong……it’s all……my fault…….”

“What nonsense. Why is this your fault?”

“………Huh?”

His casual tone was different from usual.

Yet it contained sincerity beyond polite speech.

“This is all that damn bastard’s fault.”

“Uh…….”

“The head of the family, Hector Arthur. It all started because of him, and he’s the one who created this mess, so why are you saying it’s your fault?”

“……….”

“Ultimately, it was me who accepted the duel you proposed. If we’re putting it that way, isn’t it my fault?”

“A, absolutely not!”

“……Hmm, alright. This is a story about someone I know.”

……Someone you know?

What’s suddenly going on……?

“There was a well-off family. They had a nice house, a car, and though they weren’t rich, they lived happily.”

“But taking advantage of the failure of the father’s business, a fortuneteller approached them, and the parents, deceived by the fortuneteller, lost their entire fortune.”

“In the end, the parents committed suicide, and the son lived, taking care of his younger sister. The end.”

“……….”

“What do you think the moral of this story is?”

……The moral?

Is there really a lesson in such a tragic, repugnant tale?

No, more than that.

Could that really be a story of someone he knows?

He didn’t have a younger sister…….

“I think the lesson is simple. It’s easy to ruin someone’s life, and those bastards will surely face retribution for it.”

“……….”

“The fortuneteller of this story is like that, and so is that head of the family bastard.”

Namgoong Min pours tea.

He offers steaming black tea, releasing white steam to Rain on the opposite side.

“Drink. Look at those tear marks, just how much did you cry?”

“T-this is….”

“Warm yourself up, take a breather, and calm down.”

……Breathe deeply.

Inhale and exhale, calming herself down.

Don’t cry, Rain Arthur.

Crying won’t change anything.

‘Just like Namgoong Min…’

Stay calm and collected.

That way……you should be able to do something.

“……It’s warm.”

“I prepared it thinking you might come.”

As Rain drank the warm black tea, warmth spread throughout her body.

That was when she finally stopped crying and could face Namgoong Min properly.

That warm, relaxed smile.

“Um……now that this has happened, can I speak comfortably?”

“Hmm? Oh, of course!”

“Of course, I mean you too. You’ve already been friendly with Lucas.”

“How, how could I──”

“And don’t worry. I’ll win and come back.”

Win and come back, he says.

If that’s really true, that would be wonderful.

“………My father is strong. Truly. So….”

“Did you think I would apply thoughtlessly for the duel? I have my reasons, and more than anything, I need you, Rain.”

“……Me?”

“Of course, first, I need the ownership of that annex where you’re staying──”

Ah, right.

Even in the face of giving up, in a situation where he didn’t know what to do, this person wouldn’t fold.

Whether it’s for another’s sake or not, he persevered.

Unlike himself, who would bend to whatever strength showed up, he would press on regardless.

‘I was jealous of Liu…’

I envied Liu Yan’s confidence. Not bowing to anyone and exuding self-assurance created jealousy within me.

So I disliked Liu Yan and refused to acknowledge it.

If I accept that, I would only confront my own shortcomings.

But why is that?

Despite having the same boldness and overflowing confidence, I don’t envy this fortuneteller.

It’s simply.
‘I want to become like that too.’

And grow stronger myself.
‘……I want to stand beside you.’

I don’t want a one-sided relationship where I’m the one always receiving help; I want a relationship where we both need each other.

I don’t need cages or anything. Reducing him to a mere possession is too horrific.

So I want to become his equal and express my feelings to him.

That thanks to him, I could achieve this much. That he changed my life.

So──

“Um…Rain? Are you listening?”

“A moment ago.”

“Hmm?”

“You mentioned. Those who ruin someone’s life……should receive retribution.”

“Hmm? Of course. And I’m planning to beat your father.”

Looking at him smiling jokingly, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I won’t forget those words.”

You ruined my life.

A life that could have been dark, hopeless, and weak.

Then you brought a new life to me.

So, if you’ve ruined my life that much—
‘You should pay for it.’

Retribution. What kind of retribution will that be?

“I will absolutely not forget.”

“Uh…um, yeah.”

Rain smiled. Following her lead, Namgoong Min awkwardly smiled back.

A day until the duel.

The day to settle all retributions was approaching.