TMLOH 116

Chapter : 116

Mehen didn’t despair when he saw the knight. Calmly and composedly, he began drafting the lawsuit.

“So, this day has finally come.”

He had been mentally preparing ever since Valer started calling him “darling” indiscriminately. That didn’t mean it didn’t sting a little…

At the very least, he didn’t make the mistake of forgetting what needed to be done out of shock.

In situations like this, how quickly and effectively one responds is what matters.

“I won’t forgive this.”

With the determination to make them pay the appropriate price, Mehen filed the lawsuit.

Thanks to Mehen’s well-established connections and Halbern’s influence, the court processed it swiftly.

The next day, when Valer saw the lawsuit sitting on his desk, he laughed for a long time.

“Ahahaha.”
“Do you like that? Do you?”

Watching Valer laugh so loudly, Mehen clenched his fists.

“Ah, this is maddening. Really…”

Valer laughed until tears ran down his face, then wiped the corners of his eyes and pouted.

“Darling, that’s too much. Were we really this distant?”

“Distant? We’re more than distant—we’re miles apart.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, is that all? At the very least, you’re not at a level where I’d let you call me ‘darling.’ Didn’t I tell you not to say it like that?”

“Pfft—”

Valer laughed again. While Mehen seriously wondered whether to strangle him or spare him, Valer handed the lawsuit back.

“Do as you wish. Compensation? I’ll give you as much as you want.”

“……”

“Half of my wealth is yours anyway. Isn’t it?”

No, this guy…

Mehen brandished his pen in frustration, and Valer dodged every strike, laughing all the while.

The Halbern servants and attendants, who had witnessed this ridiculous scene, muttered among themselves:

“They’re fighting again.”
“They really are close, aren’t they?”
“A couple’s quarrel is like cutting water with a knife.”

It seemed they had become used to this level of commotion.

The Halbern mansion had completely become a single chaotic unit.

“We’re not a couple!”

Mehen restrained his boiling anger.

“That damn guy…”

At that moment, his only ally, Arelle, patted Mehen’s back with her tiny hands.

“Mom.”
“Arel!”

“From what I can see, Dad gets more excited because Mehen reacts so well.”

“Then….”

“But even if you ignore him, he’ll probably still call you ‘darling.’”

“……”

The answer was clear—and there was no avoiding it!

Valer would do whatever he wanted anyway.

Mehen gritted his teeth.

“Assassination is the only solution.”

But the opponent was Valer—someone whose strength could not be underestimated.

In the end, Mehen could only feel his frustration mount.

“Aargh!”

He vented his stress on newspapers and journalists.

The newspaper owners and reporters, who had been gleeful over the Halbern scandal boosting their sales, soon had to cough up astronomical compensation.

The rumors that had begun circulating on the streets about the lawsuit vanished immediately.

Some people still tried to gossip about the two, but the lawsuit arriving at their doorstep silenced them completely.

Mehen protected his reputation with hundreds of lawsuits.

The unprecedented courtroom battle between Duke Halbern and his proxy was being quietly resolved due to Halbern’s indifference and the proxy’s loss of motivation.

Rumor had it that Duke Sperom had offered to help Mehen mid-way.

“Was it because they were so close that my previous love calls didn’t get any response?!” Mehen’s outrageous thought led him to file a lawsuit against Duke Sperom as well.

What should one call this…

“Total chaos.”

In the end, it was only entertaining for the onlookers.

Even while Mehen struggled, Dad seemed unconcerned.

Instead…

“The sticker fell off.”

This man had completely shifted his focus elsewhere.

“Put it on, dear.”
“Again?”

Ever since Dad first put the sticker on, he would come running every time it fell off, holding out his cheek.

I had never imagined this sticker would cause such a stir. Thanks to Dad, a new trend had erupted in the capital’s social scene within just a few days.

“Can’t we stop putting them on now?”

Dad drooped his eyes and looked at me pitifully. Ugh.

“Where are the fallen stickers?”
“I kept them.”
“You didn’t throw them away? Why?”

Without a word, Dad gently closed his eyes.

Why on earth is he keeping them…?

Reluctantly, I put the <Try Harder!> sticker on his cheek, and he chuckled happily.

Why does Dad insist on this sticker, when everyone else uses pretty decorative ones?

“Wouldn’t something else be better?”
“This one’s fine.”

The nanny group, who were now plastering stickers over their faces because of the sudden trend, and even the mansion staff, were all sticking one on their cheeks.

Surprisingly, the trend was especially popular among the Albremin class (wealthy commoners) because they could decorate themselves cheaply and colorfully, making the fad grow even bigger.

Those who couldn’t get stickers drew pictures on their cheeks instead, leading to a sudden trend in face painting as well…

“Arel! That’s unfair!”

Thanks to this, the twins visiting for a checkup berated me fiercely.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this business idea first?!”
“That’s unfair, Arel! We could have done it! But Dad stole it from us!”

I never imagined such a thing would become a trend.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous. We could have been first!”
“Dad took it from us!”

A trend that seemed like it would only last briefly in the capital had begun spreading to the common people, and signs showed it would soon reach other cities.

Why…?

I tried to understand but couldn’t. The tastes of people in this world rarely matched mine.

“We should start our business.”
“Exactly.”

The twins asked about my health for only ten minutes, and as soon as they confirmed I was okay, they immediately started whining.

The Dragon Byproduct series was consecutively breaking records at the Domel Auction.

I also learned the twins planned to start a new business with the wish ticket they received from Duke Sperom—but I really didn’t want to know that.

“So, Arel, you’re responsible for helping us.”
“Help with what?”
“Our business!”
“Yes, what?”

What am I supposed to help with!?

No matter how I protested, the twins insisted I had to help.

The one who finally dealt with these troublesome twins was Pession.

He brought a newly released cage-shaped music box from the Mage Tower as a visit gift and firmly kicked the twins out.

“You two are noisy. Out.”

But does anyone know why this music box plays the Super Mario theme?

“Oh? This was made to find the Mage Tower event’s protagonist, right?”
“They said they were looking for someone who knows this song.”

I flinched.

“I need to be more careful.”

The Mage Tower’s obsession was burdensome.

Forget me. Forget!

“Arelle.”
“Uh, yes?”

Pession, who usually called me Arel, was calling me seriously, and I tensed up.

“Did you eat three meals on time?”
“Probably?”
“Did you sleep on time?”
“Probably…?”
“Why are you sick again? Only get sick with my permission. Are you going to be sick again on your own?”

Can I control that?

I was dumbfounded, but seeing Pession’s moist gaze, I stayed silent.

Something felt off.

“Arelle.”

Why is he calling me that way?

What is he planning now?

“There’s a conclusion from the 6th Arelle Health Council.”
“What conclusion?”
“You need more muscle.”
“What?”
“If your heart breaks, muscle can hold you together!”

Excuse me? What is he talking about?

“You also have some depressive tendencies, right?”

Pession pulled out a new exercise plan.

In short, to explain his logic:

“Good for depression?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for low energy?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for lethargy?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for physical ability?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for insomnia?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for posture?”
“Exercise.”
“Good for longevity?”
“Exercise.”

Pession smiled brightly.

“Let’s exercise, Arel!”
Sigh.

This insane fitness-obsessed worldview.

How far is he planning to extend this universe?