For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 108
Due to Taolti’s unilateral ruling that we’d conducted business by improper means, the tavern was ultimately ordered to suspend operations.
‘Suspension of operations’ sounded nice, but in reality, it meant the shop basically had to close its doors.
During the four days of the festival, Okhee’s tavern had done so well it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’d raked in money hand over fist. The joy Okhee had found in counting money before bed every night was now overshadowed by gloom.
From the room across from mine, the room belonging to Okhee and her husband, loud shouting had continued for days. Most of it was about how she’d brought all this trouble by doing something unnecessary.
On top of that, to keep the villagers—who wanted to lock up the strange outsiders from another land—from dragging us off, Okhee’s husband Deokman had to spend all of their festival earnings, making him even angrier.
Okhee always defended me, begging her husband not to blame me, saying I had done nothing wrong. Hearing their arguments made me grind my teeth. What exactly had been improper about our business?
Wasn’t it Soyi who stole Okhee’s recipe and opened a shop—that was what was improper. But this wasn’t the modern world, so there was no way to prove it, and there was nothing I could do to accuse Soyi.
The distant village chief, Taolti who handed down the suspension, and the villagers were all in cahoots. People trying to get a piece of the pie. In a small countryside like this, where family ties and local connections mean everything, that’s just how it goes.
But I couldn’t just sit there, biting my lip and doing nothing. If we’d been wronged, we had to pay it back double.
Especially since Okhee had given food and shelter to me and my companions, expecting nothing in return.
That evening, I heard Ariel in the next room getting ready to go out. I got up and followed him.
Because to solve this situation, what we needed wasn’t Feyden’s strength or my money, but Ariel’s standing—the trust he commanded from everyone.
Since I’d recovered, Ariel had visited Seonui Lake every day. He said he wanted to know why the water was drying up, so he’d submerged himself and prayed every day. He said he could feel something near the center of the lake, but couldn’t figure out what it was, which left him frustrated. We climbed the mountain together as he told me about it.
Luckily, there were few clouds and the moon was bright.
We climbed easily, then stood in silence for a while, gazing out at Seonui Lake’s wide surface under the full moon. Even though the water level was low, the lake’s vast, grand appearance made me want to admire it reverently every time.
After several minutes of quiet contemplation, I let out a deep sigh—part of my build-up. Ariel glanced over at me. After my third heavy sigh, I muttered in a weak voice.
I even threw in a little choking-up, as if I was about to cry.
“Are all priests like this?”
“…What do you mean, Estira?”
“I just can’t trust anyone.”
“…Ah.”
I felt Ariel looking at me from the side. Still staring out at the calm lake, I continued in a trembling, hesitant voice.
“I believed in everyone, but they all turned their backs on me, Ariel. And even Priest Taolti…”
“Estira…”
I lowered my head, as if trying to hold back tears. My long hair fell forward and covered my face.
“Everyone puts on a kind face, but you never really know what they’re thinking behind your back.”
Good. Tears blurred my vision.
I bit my lip and whipped my head around to look at Ariel.
Ariel, who’d been fidgeting, trying to say something, looked into my eyes and gasped.
His golden eyes, bathed in moonlight, wavered with anxiety.
Using good-hearted Ariel like this made me feel guilty, but I had to hold him accountable for leaking information to Kyte.
Right on cue, tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Ariel, you were pretending to be close to me, but you were leaking information behind my back too, weren’t you? I thought you were my friend…”
“N-No, Estira. No, I… I won’t make excuses. I did before, but after that day, I stopped reporting anything. Really, I did.”
“How am I supposed to believe that…?”
“I swear to God.”
When I saw the trembling in Ariel’s eyes subside, I raised my eyes to appeal to him.
“Then… can you prove it?”
