Chapter 198 : You’d Better Take Responsibility

“Daiyi, I need to speak to Felyn alone—go wait outside for a moment,” Aurilean finally spoke after a long silence.

“Father, is there something you can't say in front of me?”

Daiyi tightened her grip on Felyn’s hand, meeting her father’s gaze head-on without flinching.

“I won’t do anything to him. And I won’t bring up the things you don’t want to say.”

But still, Daiyi remained seated.

“It’s alright, Daiyi. I’ll handle it,” Felyn said gently, patting the back of her hand.

Only then did she nod and slowly walk toward the door.

Felyn watched her figure disappear as the door closed, and his nerves tightened.

He knew what Aurilean was going to say.

But the man’s first sentence still caught him off guard.

“You are not allowed to elope with my daughter.”

Aurilean finally understood now why his own father-in-law had once been so adamantly opposed to him.

It was terrifying, the idea that your daughter could be whisked away at any moment by some random punk.

“Marrying Daiyi will be difficult—but not impossible. You’re not allowed to elope with her!” he emphasized again.

Felyn had to bite back a laugh and forcibly suppress the rising humor in his chest.

If he so much as smiled right now, Daiyi’s father might send him flying out the window.

“Of course not. I still hope to earn your approval.”

“Don’t give me that. I said the same thing to my own father-in-law back then.”

Aurilean stood up, clearly exasperated.

The boomerang he’d thrown in his youth had finally come back around.

“All that advice I gave you earlier—you’ve clearly forgotten. I never taught you how to sweet-talk women into becoming your wives, and I definitely didn’t tell you to go elope with one.”

He rubbed his forehead. Things had escalated far beyond what he’d expected.

He never imagined that the emotionally tangled boy from earlier would turn out to be his daughter’s boyfriend.

And the worst part? He’d actually been giving this kid advice.Encouraging him to marry five women. Even urging him to run away with them.

O God of Truth, please forgive my ignorance...

“I don’t have that kind of relationship with the other girls,” Felyn tried to explain. “It’s not what you think.”

“Then who are they? Are your girls… your clients?”

Daiyi had mentioned to her father that her boyfriend worked as a male escort. It didn’t take long for Aurilean to piece the rest together.

“Yeah. They’re all clients. Or former clients.”

Aurilean was silent for a moment, then took a sip of the water Felyn had poured.

“You seriously do that for a living?”

“I do.”

Aurilean leaned against the wall, tapping it with his knuckles.

“Then… have you…?”

“No. I keep things clean with my clients. I only provide emotional support.”

That answer made Aurilean ease up a little.

“Forget everything from earlier. Let’s just pretend we never met.”

“I can agree to anything else, Lord Aurilean. But that… I can’t do.”

“…What?”

Under Aurilean’s puzzled stare, Felyn slowly began to speak. His tone grew somber.

“I used to have a father.”

He took a deep breath, voice trembling with practiced emotion.

“But one day, something happened. I don’t know who we offended, but our entire family was destroyed overnight. Only my seriously ill little sister and I survived.”

“To take care of her, I tried every job I could. But the treatment she needed was way beyond what any normal work could cover.”

“On top of that, our family was saddled with a mountain of debt I’d never be able to pay off. So… I had no choice. This was the only path left for me.”

As he spoke, Felyn pulled out a pre-prepared wet tissue, dabbing at his eyes to squeeze out a few fake tears.

“Lord Aurilean, you’re such an interesting, gentle, wise, and hard-working father… I really admire you.”

“My own father was like you once. But back then, I didn’t understand. I fought with him over everything. And by the time I realized how wrong I’d been…”

“I see traces of him in you. That’s why…”

The room went quiet.

Felyn stared down at the tips of his shoes, keeping his head low the entire time.

He was terrified that Aurilean—like Daiyi—might see through his act if he made eye contact.

Aurilean didn’t know what to say.

So that’s why Felyn ended up like this… no wonder.

“Sit down,” Aurilean finally said.

Felyn let out a silent breath of relief.

That was the second gamble he’d taken tonight. And once again, it had paid off—he wasn’t getting buried.

It was getting late.

Out in the venue, Zervanie’s final song had just ended.

The fans below were still chanting her name, begging for the night not to end.

“I should be going,” Aurilean said as he stood. “Daiyi won’t be leaving Saiwa anytime soon. I’m counting on you to keep taking care of her for a while.”

He still harbored doubts about Felyn and Daiyi’s relationship.

If a single kiss was enough to prove a couple’s love, why even bother with marriage?

But still, even if this was all an act, his daughter had willingly played along for this long—and even kissed him.

That alone said more than words ever could.

Their relationship was clearly more complicated than it seemed.

Aurilean couldn’t fully judge what kind of man Felyn was based on one evening.

But Daiyi had spent far more time with him.

She was smarter than he was. Better at reading people. She wouldn’t make a mistake—not even with that matter.

Still… there were too many things he had to consider. For everyone.

“Phew…”

Felyn slumped into the chair, feeling completely drained.

Only he and Daiyi were left in the private box now.

“Your dad’s incredible. His presence alone was intense.”

He was talking about Aurilean’s in front of Daiyi persona, of course.

“What did he say to you?” she asked curiously.

“He said to take care of you… and that you’d be staying in Saiwa for a while.”

Hearing that, a subtle shift passed through Daiyi’s emerald eyes.

She sat beside him, her smooth pale legs exposed beneath her skirt.

The two of them stared quietly out the window at the dispersing crowd and the silhouette of Zervanie retreating backstage.

“Was that really something he said? Or just your own wishful thinking? What if he didn’t say that and you’re just trying to win me over by feeding me false information?”

“Absolutely not.”

Daiyi let out a soft laugh. Her long black hair brushed against the back of Felyn’s hand.

“Until our contract ends… I’ll be in your care, darling.”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

Felyn raised a fist with mock determination, giving her his word.

“…So, how was it?”

Daiyi turned slightly, leaning in closer to him.

“What was?”

She tapped her lips lightly, a playful smile on her face.

“That kiss from earlier—did it meet your expectations?”

“You’ve stolen my first kiss, you know. You’d better take responsibility.”

(End of Chapter)