ALL NOVEL Chapter 89 - Trembling Heart!
Chapter 89 Trembling Heart!
There was a brief commotion at the airport, but thanks to Princess Kurumi, it was resolved smoothly.
Feeling the mature presence of the princess, Princess Sakura immediately distanced herself from me.
Afterward, she looked like she had a lot to say, but in the end, she closed her eyes tightly and hurriedly left the airport first.
“Wasn’t that a bit too much?”
“Not at all! I actually feel much better!”
In the limousine, where we could sit facing each other, Princess Kurumi answered my question firmly.
Her eyes still blazed, clearly showing that her anger hadn’t completely subsided.
“By the way, Mr. Lorensky, why the sudden mask?”
“Well, I’m quite a famous figure worldwide. It wouldn’t do any good to be recognized, so I decided to do this.”
Indeed, Mr. Lorensky’s purpose was not combat but escort.
I thought it was actually a better decision.
In the somewhat relaxed atmosphere, we finally arrived in front of the Kitsune family’s mansion.
Seeing it through the limousine window, it was clear that reality and game graphics were different.
“Wow…!”
“This is just a modernized version of a castle from Japan’s Sengoku period…”
The world’s top 10 families each valued the traditions of their respective countries and built their estates with unique national characteristics.
But I never imagined it would be this grand.
Before our eyes was an impressive castle, as if Osaka Castle in Osaka had been duplicated, straight out of a Japanese historical drama.
“That castle over there is the Kitsune Castle (キツネ城), the symbol of our family. It’s famous for not having fallen for 2000 years.”
“I’d like to take a picture in front of it later.”
“Indeed…”
In the original
“””Welcome, Princess Kurumi.”””
But as soon as we got out of the limousine, we were met with extreme hospitality from the household staff, lined up on either side of a red carpet.
Following Princess Kurumi, we walked about halfway down the red carpet when:
“You’ve come, Kurumi.”
“Katsuo, my brother?”
Wow, I spent 100 hours of playtime just to meet you.
Was it the sister buff?
Standing as if waiting at the front gate of the mansion was Kitsune Katsuo.
A man with blue hair and a cold expression.
As the main character of the Japanese storyline, his unforgettable face remained the same despite the long time.
“I’ve been waiting.”
“For me?”
“Yes, a party has been prepared to celebrate your return this evening, so attend with the guards you brought from Korea.”
“…Understood…”
Seeing the next head of the family, who even prepared a party for her, Princess Kurumi looked skeptical.
Anyway, let’s see each other again this evening.
As we were about to pass Katsuo, who moved aside like an NPC…
“Wait.”
We were about to head to the separate palace where Princess Kurumi usually stayed.
Suddenly.
“?!”
“Brother?”
This troublesome monster hunter side effect.
After Princess Sakura at the airport, now I was grabbed by Mr. Katsuo.
“Brother, Mr. Shin-woo is my acquaintance. No matter how much of a brother you are, I can’t tolerate you touching him recklessly!”
“Shin-woo…? So, you’re Han Shin-woo.”
“Yes, and…?”
Princess Kurumi glared with a murderous look like at the airport, but perhaps because he was the next head of the Kitsune family, Mr. Katsuo wasn’t fazed.
He continued to look at me, as if he had expected such hostility.
Then.
He finally let go of me.
“Can you shake hands with me?”
“…Pardon?”
“Huh?”
“””…!!”””
Ignoring the reactions of the dozens of waiting servants, Mr. Katsuo extended his hand to me first.
“A handshake…?”
“Yes.”
What was happening?
This wasn’t an event in the original work.
For the next head of the Kitsune family, known for avoiding human contact, to openly request a handshake with an ordinary person like me.
Everyone around us was as shocked as I was.
Including Princess Kurumi.
But since there was no reason not to.
“It’s an honor, Mr. Katsuo.”
“Hmm!”
I grasped the offered hand and shook it a few times.
“Mr. Katsuo…?”
“Oh, was my address odd?”
“…No. In fact, it’s refreshing. I was getting tired of being called young master or next head.”
After letting go of his hand, I was once again surprised by what I saw next.
Mr. Katsuo was smiling.
“The next head… is smiling…?”
The man said never to have smiled since birth.
That was Kitsune Katsuo as I knew him from
“Perhaps… if I had met someone like you a bit earlier, I…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Let’s see each other again this evening.”
Mumbling something, Mr. Katsuo turned his back on us before I could understand.
Though puzzled, we proceeded to the separate palace where Princess Kurumi usually stayed to sort out our luggage.
***
“How was it, son? Did you enjoy the first-class flight mom booked? It was fun, right?”
“Yes! You’re the best, mother! I’ll never forget it!”
“Sis! I had fun too!”
“Haha, even Ria… See! Good things happen when I come along!”
Meanwhile, around noon, after Shin-woo and his group had left Osaka airport, Sophia’s group, disguised as tourists to follow them, also safely arrived at the airport.
“By the way, where do we go now? Even if everyone here is a pro hunter-level expert, infiltrating the estate of one of the top 10 families is practically a suicide mission.”
Riverine coolly analyzed their current mission while looking at the cheerful family.
But as if he had anticipated that.
“Yes, you’re right. So, we never planned to sneak in secretly.”
“Never planned to…?”
Han Jae-won replied with a sly smile.
“Are you suggesting a frontal assault…?”
“If it were a fight, yes. But we’re trying to infiltrate the Kitsune family estate.”
Explaining his plan, Han Jae-won continued as they drove a rented car to the Kitsune family’s estate.
“According to records, the Kitsune family, which consists entirely of Beast Hunters, has a long-standing tradition of frequently changing their servants.”
“They frequently changed servants?”
“Yes, mother. As a Beast Hunter, you know they all suffer from anthropophobia, right?”
The direct descendants of the Kitsune family had an exceptionally strong aversion to humans.
Thus, they couldn’t bear to see the same people repeatedly, leading them to frequently replace their servants.
“…So, there’s a notice that they always hire servants all year round.”
“Got it… So, we just need to get in as servants to monitor Shin-woo!”
“Exactly, mother. Plus, we’re all skilled enough to pass a servant’s interview with ease.”
“That’s right! Smart boy! You’re indeed my son!”
“Ugh… I lost…”
While his mother patted his head, their daughter pouted her cheeks in mock anger.
‘This feels like a real vacation…’
Riverine felt a bit uneasy about the mission’s lack of tension.
‘But theoretically, the plan is perfect.’
Once they infiltrated the estate as servants, it would be like placing a cat in a fish warehouse.
Compared to hunting, doing house chores as servants would be a breeze. So, let’s treat this mission like a vacation.
“Both of you failed!”
“…What?”
“What?”
A few hours later, Han Jae-won and Riverine faced a harsh reality.
“Failed…? Us? But why?”
“Why? When I told the woman to cook, she practically made alchemy! The man broke every broom given to him instead of sweeping! How can I use you?”
“Crazy…”
“No way…”
Exhausted by the servant work, which was harder than hunting, the two were dejected.
Meanwhile.
“Sis, you’re a great cook!”
“Of course. I’ve taken many bridal classes because of Shin-woo. I’ve mastered everything, even the secret night skills~.”
Sophia and Ria, on the other hand, were immediately hired as servants.
Ria’s young age and pale skin could have revealed her as a monster, but.
“My sister is in the final stages of leukemia… We’re here to earn money. Please hire us.”
“I’m good at cleaning… Please hire us…”
“Tsk! Who knew kids like this existed in these times…! Alright, you’re both hired!”
Thanks to the miraculous ‘we’re pitiful…’ gaslighting, they were hired.
Ria, disguised as a terminal leukemia patient, was hired due to her monster-like appearance.
Moreover, they both had the feminine qualities ideal for housework.
“Sis, is it okay that only the two of us got hired?”
“Hmm… It’s a bit concerning, but we’ll ask Jae-won about it tonight.”
Anyway, we got hired!
The two cheerfully made onigiri in the large kitchen for the evening party.
Just then.
“Are the new servants who will serve me here?”
“Y-yes! But the master personally inspecting the servants is…”
“Quiet. It’s only natural for the master to meet those who will serve him.”
The bustling kitchen fell silent, and everyone bowed their heads.
Approaching Sophia, who was obliviously making onigiri with Ria, was…
“Are you the new servant to serve me?”
“…Yes?”
“?!!!?!?!?!?!!?”
Noticing the sudden silence, Sophia turned around.
Her sapphire blue eyes met those of Kitsune Rokyu, the second son of the Kitsune family.
Th
ump-thump-thump-!
In his 25 years of life…
‘…How can someone be so beautiful?’
He felt ‘love’ for the first time in his life.