For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 41

With Declan’s words lingering in my ears, my steps sank heavily, like water-soaked cotton into the ground.

“I will never forget. Even in death.”

His face was pale, as if he might collapse at any moment, yet his eyes, staring straight at me without blinking, conveyed their meaning clearly.

It was obsession. From its color to its very scent.

…A truth I couldn’t deny, no matter how much I tried.

In the end, I had to admit that Declan’s obsession was directed toward me. It was something I had known all along but desperately wanted to reject.

Thinking I could escape his obsession just by being less kind to him was my gravest mistake. Because from the moment I first saw him, I had already pitied him.

I had known from the start that when I used Declan and left him, a shallow sense of guilt would haunt me. I wasn’t heartless enough not to know that.

“Huu…”

As Declan’s image, collapsed on the cold ground, kept flashing before my eyes, I had to force myself to shake my head. I wasn’t sure how many laps I had circled between the townhouse of the ducal estate and my supposed destination.

I stopped my aimless steps and stared blankly at the shadow cast beneath me.

I knew that, for years to come, I wouldn’t be able to rid myself of this lingering guilt towards Declan.

‘Just like this shadow.’

***

“Ah, I’ve come too far.”

I sat down on a bench by the riverside, patting my tired legs.

According to my original plan, I should’ve gone straight from the central plaza in the direction of the spire.

That’s where the temple was.

But after circling around the fountain and sightseeing for a while, I ended up veering off into another alley from the roundabout.

“But even getting lost doesn’t feel so bad.”

Sitting on the bench, watching the river flow by, a small, uncontrollable smile crept onto my lips.

And why wouldn’t I smile? There was no one here to scold me for taking a wrong turn, and thanks to losing my way, I got to see this pretty river.

For so long, I had been too busy cleaning up after those Glioseid brats to have any energy left for my own happiness.

“Yes, no suffering could compare to that.”

As memories of the hellish ten years flashed by like a flickering lantern, I reflexively placed my hand over the money pouch tucked inside my coat.

Clink.

The sound of metal clashing made my mood instantly better, as if by magic.

“Yes, it’s all over now.”

I exchanged this fortune for my ten years of suffering. That difficult past is just the past now.

“From now on, I’ll live for the sake of leisure.”

Nodding resolutely, I stared at the river, which sparkled in the sunlight.

“But first, I have to run away.”

Forget leisure or anything else—getting far away from Declan is my top priority.

If Declan catches me and locks me up or shackles me in any way, I’ll never see even a hint of enjoyment in my life again. And besides, if I don’t get out of the capital quickly as per the contract, who knows what that lunatic Clovin will do.

The thought filled me with dread, and I quickly jumped up from the bench.

“I need to get to the temple.”

I had to find someone at the temple and get out of this empire as soon as possible.

The country I chose for both my escape and my travels was ‘Dongguk’—a country similar to Korea in the original story.

Dongguk, which the author had added as a fun element, had a culture and cuisine very similar to Korea, even featuring an episode where the female lead regains her divine powers by eating samgyetang.

Having fallen into a world resembling medieval Europe, where I had to suffer through bland wheat bread and thin porridge, the existence of Dongguk couldn’t have been more welcome to me.

There was no reason not to go, especially since I had grown so sick that I longed for Korean food.

As I walked towards the temple, I mentally listed all the dishes I’d eat in Dongguk.

In this world, it was best to travel with a priest, so I was on my way to hire one. The priest I had in mind wasn’t a major character in the original, but they weren’t without their abilities, either—a perfect balance.

‘Hm?’

Halfway across the bridge that spanned the river, my steps came to an abrupt halt.

It was because of my useless penchant for meddling.

A boy, no more than seven years old, was huddled in a corner of the bridge, staring vacantly at the people passing by.

There was something about his pitiful figure that reminded me of a certain someone, making it hard for me to walk away.

The boy was clutching a small piece of wood, on which the word ‘errand’ was awkwardly carved with a shaky hand.

From his hollowed-out cheeks, I didn’t need to see inside his pockets to know his financial situation was dire.

In the past, when I was too caught up in my own problems, I would’ve tightly shut my eyes and walked by without a second thought. But now, things were different.

I had plenty of money and compassion to spare.