Chapter 769: Fated Bond

No, I was just making that up! How did it actually get delivered to me?

Looking at the gold-threaded purse handed to him, Li Ang's mind went blank, then he scrutinized the waiter with a suspicious gaze.

Could it be… he thought I was demanding a bribe?

But that doesn't make sense—he sees me as a duke who doesn't lack money. Why would I bribe a waiter? What would I gain?

Unable to make sense of it, Li Ang did not take the purse the waiter offered; instead, he frowned and waved his hand.

"You've made a mistake. This isn't my purse."

Huh?

Hearing Li Ang's words, Jacob's face, which had just relaxed, froze—but he still pressed on.

"Why don't you open it and check? I followed the description you gave exactly. It should be correct."

"I did say my purse has a lion emblem and gold thread—but that doesn't mean every purse with a lion emblem and gold thread is mine."

Taking the purse from the waiter, Li Ang flipped it over to the embroidered lion side, then pointed to the name stitched above the lion's head.

"Look—this name, it clearly… hmm?"

What? This is really my name?

"Your Grace, it seems you may have mistaken it."

Seeing Li Ang stunned, Jacob exhaled in relief and smiled warmly.

"Our lighting here is dim, so the purse's color looks slightly different from how it appears outside. At first glance, it really doesn't look alike."

"And as a noble of your stature, you usually have attendants with you and rarely carry your own purse—you're simply not familiar with its appearance. Not recognizing it is perfectly normal."

"…"

No, this isn't about recognition at all—my purse is still lying in the Mirror World. It never got lost!

"Well… maybe someone else shares my name?"

Feeling uneasy at the sight of the purse embroidered with his own name, Li Ang quickly opened it and flipped to the compartment for documents, then argued firmly:

"If this is my purse, it should have my portrait… Holy shit, it really does!"

Looking at the photo clipped inside—the one of himself, smugly looking down at the lens—Li Ang's mind went slightly numb. Recalling the director's warning before he came, he instinctively grew wary.

Though it was a photograph, not a portrait, and not exactly what he'd described, this was still absurd. Could it be… this building is some kind of anomaly? One that makes wishes come true? Or creates things out of nothing?

"It seems you simply misremembered. This is indeed your purse."

After glancing at the photo, the waiter Jacob let out a long breath, resumed his cheerful smile, and politely asked:

"Congratulations on recovering your belongings. So, Your Grace, now that you've found your purse, would you still like to have a drink on the third floor?"

"No… no thanks…"

Seeing the curious glances around him, Li Ang's lips twitched slightly before clamping shut. Knowing further hesitation might draw attention, he reluctantly accepted the suspicious purse, his face stiff and expressionless.

"I'm going to check out other places. Please escort me out."

"Of course, this way, please."

Seeing the troublesome guest finally leave, Jacob exhaled deeply and led the way, bowing respectfully as he escorted Li Ang out.

Not long after they left, a golden-haired man dozing on the first-floor bar suddenly twitched, then tumbled off his chair with a thud. When the waiters rushed over to help him up and asked if he was alright, the drunken man mumbled two words, "I'm not drunk," then instinctively reached for his waist—and…

"Huh? Where's my purse?"

Finding the spot where his purse hung empty, the golden-haired man sobered up slightly. Supported by the waiters, he staggered toward the main desk near the entrance and slammed his fist hard on the counter.

"Someone! I lost my purse! I need to report it!"

"Of course… Mr. Steven Lane?"

After sizing up the drunken golden-haired man before him, the clerk at the desk opened a notebook and asked gently:

"What does your purse look like?"

"I'm Lane! What kind of purse could mine be? Of course it's gold, like my hair, and the back is… is embroidered with the Lane family lion emblem!"

Leaning on the counter for support, the golden-haired man, clad in military training gear and half-blind with drink, slurred:

"And… underneath… it's embroidered with the name of the Duke I once admired most… and inside… there's his photo… ugh… I'm so damn miserable!"

As he spoke, it seemed some strange switch flipped—the drunken man, face flushed red, suddenly burst into tears, hugging the counter.

"I admired that Duke so much—and he kidnapped me, forced me to pilot his powered armor! Do you know that?! He attacked… hmm… I can't say that—but he forced me to pilot his powered armor and run away!"

"Wah… I just swore I'd rather die than help him escape—and now I'm forced to pilot his armor and flee! Now everyone calls me 'Iron-Boned Steven.' I'm famous throughout the Armored Corps—everyone laughs at me when they see me!"

As he spoke, the golden-haired man grew more agitated, banging his forehead repeatedly against the counter while sobbing uncontrollably:

"Do you know? Ever since that day, everyone laughs at me. I can't even stay in the Armored Corps barracks anymore. The Secret Investigation Bureau's secret police know I had contact with… hmm… anyway, they keep blocking the barracks, trying to interrogate me."

"They trapped me inside for days—I couldn't take it anymore. Finally, I climbed over the wall and escaped, just to get drunk and forget… and now I've lost my purse… I'm really, truly miserable!"

"Sir, please calm down. Your purse may not be lost—I'll have someone look for it right away!"

Grieving over the counter he'd just cleaned, now smeared with snot, the clerk quickly called over a colleague in charge of lost-and-found…

"What? Someone else claimed my purse?"

Hearing someone had stolen his purse, the golden-haired man wiped his nose, eyes red, and roared:

"Who?! Who dared take my stuff? Tell me their name—I'm going to beat them to death today!"

"Um… the claimant's name on the record is Li Ang Lane…"

"Who? Who claimed it?"

"Li Ang Lane."

After repeating Li Ang's name, the clerk smiled apologetically:

"We verified it—the badge he presented was genuine. He's the current Duke of Lionheart. He also lost his purse, and its description matches yours, so we… uh…"

"Mr. Steven, perhaps you should think again—could you have misremembered the design, and mistaken the Duke's purse for yours?"

"…"

"Wah! I'm really, truly miserable!"

(End of Chapter)