Chapter 197 : If There’s A God Who Doesn’t Like Her, Then That God Is Wrong

The moment the door opened, Felyn felt something was off.

Those hands didn’t look like they belonged to someone in their forties or fifties.

Then, as the man stepped into the room, their eyes met for a brief second.

Felyn blinked. Had the world gone mad?

“Bro… you must’ve walked into the wrong box.”

It washim—the guy who had just been chatting with him earlier, the one who'd encouraged him to marry five women at once!

“Father. It’s been a while.”

Daiyi stood up and respectfully bowed to the man at the door.

“Mm.”

The man gave her a quick glance, but his gaze settled immediately on Felyn.

This was bad. He was absolutely being treated like some sleazy playboy now.

That look in his eyes—it was basically murder.

You were literally encouraging me to elope with a harem just minutes ago. Why the hell are you giving me that death glare now?!

“Nice to meet you. I’m Felyn,” he said, stepping forward and offering a polite greeting, testing the waters to see how this man would react.

The man gave a slight nod at Felyn’s "Nice to meet you," but said nothing. His eyes drifted elsewhere.

“Sit.”

His voice was soft, but Felyn could feel a pressure that hadn’t been there when they met outside the venue. The man gestured to the seats nearby, motioning for them to sit.

“Don’t be nervous.” Daiyi gently patted Felyn’s back, sensing his discomfort and unease. She slipped her hand into his, holding it reassuringly.

But… Miss Daiyi, your father already met me earlier.

He saw me surrounded by girls and even encouraged me to run away with them.

But now he knows that one of those girls… is you.

Great. I'd been worrying about how to act like a proper delinquent boyfriend, but now there's no need to act at all.

All that’s left is to figure out where I’d like to be buried.

“Mr. Felyn, I’m Aurilean. Daiyi’s father.”

Aurilean gave a formal self-introduction, his expression stern—completely different from the smiling, easygoing man Felyn had met earlier.

His eyes flicked to the hands Felyn and Daiyi had intertwined, making Felyn squirm in his seat.

“Lord Aurilean, you look incredibly young,” Felyn said, scrambling to find a topic to lighten the mood.

“I’m pushing fifty.”

“Fifty and you look like that?”

It was obvious where Daiyi got her looks from. Aurilean had a calm, clear-cut face untouched by age or human warmth.

“Thank you for taking care of Daiyi while she’s been in Saiwa.”

“You flatter me,” Felyn replied. “Daiyi’s helped me a lot in life. I’ve never met anyone as capable and intelligent as her. I still have so much to learn from her.”

Aurilean snorted, still staring at Felyn without once glancing at Daiyi.

“Don’t learn too much. There are things about her that shouldn’t be emulated.”

Felyn felt Daiyi’s grip tighten around his hand.

“If she were truly clever, she wouldn’t have done something so foolish.”

Now he could really see how strained the relationship was between father and daughter.

Aurilean, you were joking around like a young man earlier—now you’re suddenly acting like an old-fashioned lecture-happy dad.

The tension in the room thickened. Felyn stood up to pour everyone some water.

“This water’s sweet. It’s… uh, like sweet water. Haha.”

Thanks to the soundproofing seal on the box, nothing could be heard from outside. The only sound was water trickling into the glasses.

“Half a year ago, Daiyi told me she’d fallen in love. I didn’t believe her at first.”

Aurilean’s eyes followed the rising water level in his glass.

“But everyone around her confirmed that you two were indeed in a relationship. I came here today to meet you, Mr. Felyn. And now… I must say, you’re quite the accomplished young man.”

Felyn nearly choked. Accomplished had never sounded so much like an insult.

He placed the pitcher back in place and prepared himself for the grilling that was surely coming.

But Aurilean didn’t ask anything.

He’d actually prepared a whole list of questions—he wanted to thoroughly vet the man his daughter claimed to love.

But after getting lost earlier and encountering Felyn, after seeing the girls around him and learning his name, he already knew nearly everything he needed to.

“Daiyi. Have you told Felyn… about that?”

Aurilean turned to his daughter.

A flicker of panic flashed across Daiyi’s face. She hadn’t expected her father to bring that up.

“No.”

“No?” Aurilean repeated.

“You two aren’t in a real relationship, are you?”

Just a single jab from him, and Daiyi’s carefully constructed lie was falling apart.

If they were truly lovers, then they should be honest with each other.

Which meant that should’ve been disclosed too.

It was because of her research onThe Gods Do Not Existthat she’d been exiled to Saiwa. The people who once admired her now treated her like something to be feared.

Daiyi knew she was someone the world had turned its back on—and she had no intention of changing.

But now… if she told Felyn… would he leave?

Most likely, yes. The very notion that "the gods don’t exist" was taboo in this world.

Felyn would only feel disgust, maybe even fear.

“…Now’s not the right time,” Daiyi said quietly.

Soon, she would leave Saiwa and officially become the Divine Child of the Church.

Felyn would be the last person to see her as she truly was, in full consciousness, without the shackles of divine duty.

So just for now… let her lie to him a little longer.

Let her have these fleeting moments of peace.

“…Very well,” Aurilean said.

Felyn, who had been trying to follow this cryptic exchange, felt like he was missing something big.

“Mr. Felyn,” Aurilean said suddenly. “What do you like about my daughter?”

And there it was—the first real question of the night.

If he’d stuck with his original plan and said, “Her money, her looks, and her body,” he’d never walk out of that box alive.

“Daiyi is… different from everyone else.”

Felyn sat beside her again and gently took her hand.

“Even when the world is against her, she still holds fast to her own beliefs. That takes incredible courage.”

“Even when the road ahead is harsh, I’ve never seen her complain. I really admire her for that.”

He remembered her advice earlier: Stick to the truth whenever possible.

And these words truly came from his heart.

“But what if the gods don’t like her?” Aurilean pressed. “What if the gods reject her? Would you still be with her?”

It wasn’t that the gods disliked Daiyi.

In fact, they had chosen her.

The ones who rejected her… weren’t divine at all.

Felyn glanced sideways to gauge her reaction.

Her emerald eyes had dimmed slightly. Black hair fell over her shoulder.

“If there’s a god who doesn’t like her, then that god is wrong,” Felyn said calmly. “And honestly, I don’t think the gods like me much either.”

Daiyi’s eyes slowly lifted from their joined hands to Felyn’s profile.

That familiar face she’d seen so many times lately now looked softer than ever.

“…That’s not the answer I expected.”

Aurilean was surprised.

He hadn’t thought Felyn would so naturally say something like “Then the gods are wrong.”

If that conviction was real, then maybe Felyn was exactly the kind of person Daiyi needed.

“…Still, that’s not enough to prove you’re really in a relationship. If you two—”

Before he could finish, Felyn suddenly felt a cool arm wrap around his neck.

Then, the scent of Daiyi’s perfume drifted up to his nose.

And next… the soft touch of her lips pressed against his cheek.

She held him gently by the neck, leaning in for the kiss.

Her lips were soft and cold.

Felyn froze.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lashes trembling slightly. A pink flush had crept up her ears—something he’d never seen on her before.

After a few seconds, she slowly opened her eyes and pulled away, ending the sudden kiss.

“Does that prove it?” she asked.

She picked up a tissue and gently wiped the spot on his cheek where she’d kissed him.

Those emerald eyes were right in front of his.

Felyn searched them for some hint of emotion—but as always, she looked like a distant goddess.

Calm. Composed.

And impossible to read.

(End of Chapter)