Chapter 21. Another Purpose

The employee from Livre 0a94cfcd82 Bookstore guided me to 36b0b1e28e the Arabek Appraisal House.5a7845832e56627d

The appraisal house fdf8243dae had undergone a 6b51ee2d3d transformation. It seemed Yona had 898260581b been inspired by Livre’s 99c1bb6762 festive year-end decorations.ff84fc1ca93bcdd1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

White elephant mobiles no b5baccf6ec bigger than a fist 4d01345ed2 and golden ribbons now 02099163d3 adorned the high ceiling, e72665b3e7 making it resemble a d80634785e sky filled with shooting 0104f0c6e6 stars.5f6769645344e7cc

As I stood dazed, c773239211 gazing up at the ee1abf646e transformed space, I was b4c58baf8f gently nudged toward the 6fbe23f327 elevator I had used 1aa7768e9c during my last visit.94594a0bb8933835

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Alright, going up!”220c77d22b2d05f9

Announced the Livre ae30c48d9e employee cheerfully.5335e84bb157361e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

❖　❖　❖ea6aee2f1b37452f

Yona’s room 12a7e55ee1 on the 819bfad337 top floor 5dda1a88d5 hadn’t changed. Then again, even 96915ba0fe if something had, dc220d5ae3 I doubted I’d 40289ff092 notice.b5741e7f2d355d30

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘A complete pigsty… a c34a18da4e house hit by a 85aec5126e bomb…’d1a739f0324581f1

It reminded me 541a28bf8e of my room 0b1fca6cf9 during my bout c09fd88e8b with depression. But unlike 3921bc03da me back 94889bcc1a then, Yona f25a0b61b0 seemed perfectly 669dbe0585 sound, both 66f2094622 mentally and 2e4969424c physically.a222eb17b6387741

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Yona and Ralpido sat 88a140b504 on the same long 9cbf714541 sofa. They didn’t even look 0c1b58fbae at each other, seated 580481f367 at a right angle ba64711ac7 as if the sight b021f1995e of one another was 582b33a384 unbearable.c46b0eae206a9a3f

“I didn’t expect to c1517a727c see you here, Ralpido,” 1d05770a03 I said awkwardly.d1c43f9c813ec522

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Ralpido, startled, 146b7f07a1 glared at 67c0677179 Yona.6087517f83e75c8b

“You didn’t 9375bddfb0 tell her 1f326224c0 I was 52121ffa8c coming?”e24c506757325f5f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Why bother?”aed683d497eae528

“Ugh. Let me apologize for e6101eca03 this rude punk.”968170850e7b555b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

She grumbled 52a15aa188 and gave 6e0234ff6d Yona’s shin 183ea7e67f a sharp 3e604f9414 kick before f621f86e4f continuing.7aa3cf79adb720d0

“I had 0dc9444ee3 some matters d4ddb1b0b3 to settle bf929b2422 with this 38ec142c24 guy, so 0b08981e7e I came f3de5a3bb5 along. Besides, I wanted to a7bd888982 see something for myself. Young lady, 56b649b779 they say 8ce8908bae you carry dedeadf06a royal blood?”2d0703c352ddff09

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“…I didn’t expect 958cb876a1 Yona to tell 3da49a2e2c you.”c4d822fe237a69a5

I flinched slightly, 9c3bb2c499 but considering their baf4fd30c8 close relationship, it 4e82921aaa wasn’t surprising that b1328f102c my story had 7e26ddfd2d reached Ralpido. I couldn’t even blame 309454ce87 Yona; I hadn’t specifically 008a916c6c asked him to keep 26ca6b13d6 it a secret.e9a49a5ec6b31ff8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Well, now you’ve ef6e6f16f2 learned—it’s in your 0dce38b38f best interest not c3a22bfc90 to trust a 9c398efa03 mage.”664b0241208d594d

“True. I’m disappointed in 2477df2ac7 you, Yona.”cd6228bb0c4492c8

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“What did you say?!”cdd69db0cbea7b12

Before Yona could 75c5988d99 leap to his 4088c9d1c8 feet, Ralpido smacked 4016fd7341 his thigh with 6c6d3cf8b0 a randomly discarded a3128585d3 magic staff.1e00785c4af8326b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Don’t worry. Unlike this guy, I abca824809 know how to keep 3ef0e7dda5 my mouth shut.”9bd08bee5e21b7a9

“What about the 9f9debf256 item I requested?”4f90845f213ebeaf

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Ah, business first. That’s how it 22e464be53 should be.”002b471cb77689ab

At her 5c4aa6c161 snap, an 4f3e19733d employee appeared 127d4e949c with a 6d39645814 stack of f84e59c1ca documents.dda1d2f8654cbad2

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Ralpido handed me the 64f3c37225 papers one by one, f516d4a5bc explaining their contents thoroughly. Finally, she handed 7dd907b4f6 me a coin-shaped 44fb1ab6d5 ID.f94034afdbe6801c

It resembled the traditional d1253e812e Korean currency ‘Sangpyeong Tongbo¹’ I’d seen in 424b927cb4 history books, with a 70819ed277 square hole in the 838ac295e8 center of the circular 1671b26d0e coin. Around the square 08f74d1ce9 were magical inscriptions 7234a83bf2 engraved clockwise.b8d5d9d2db502648

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“This is…”bb7be587cf3868d1

My new identity.980eb08278a42dc6

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Myrda.7eb860b32b27454a

I swallowed 06a54ef1e3 nervously as 88611723d6 I reached d91dfacd04 for the 7a47804dd4 ID. But just as my fd2cacc85b hand got close, Ralpido b674c03775 pulled it back slightly.38cf0426e1545d56

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“There’s one last step, bca0e0e0fb young lady.”4f48527ef459237f

“The last… step?”22e0dfd35e236d6f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yona, who had remained fd68540247 silent, placed a small 38ad0d6a4a knife on the low d5ed3828b4 table. Its purpose was obvious.fc20d9e40e1eb1ad

“This requires 6e986c19b8 blood, doesn’t 1cc9fc62ae it?”7e255bd1982b0f66

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Exactly. Just prick your 6596ca8973 thumb, then trace ee92f2bf16 the symbols in 8669e5d624 a circle. Once you do, f9bd99213f it’ll be legally 6d335c377c valid. If you’re afraid of 053eb1ca75 getting hurt…”db567193ecad8398

“I’ll do it.”922da502ecd4050c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I grabbed the knife, 21a27c9156 which looked like a e441ce29c1 child’s toy, and sliced 5b8e8d91ed my thumb without hesitation.e71fdf15c893821b

“Ah…”2ddb16dea9d87b49

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Dark crimson f53b25de81 blood welled d34646e5ee up quickly. I glanced at Ralpido.7d8facb491edd37c

“Pass it here.”06fad3d083240cc6

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Oh… right.”56e7d8a442f71c83

Ralpido, briefly looking 3952b31131 dazed, furrowed her 3e6de68fef brows and handed 9de401220b over the ID.e679a7d90049aa2c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Following her instructions, bae4d95d8b I smeared my 72e4b26f92 blood along the c03fc94f27 circular symbols. The magic circle c71d582ffe glowed faintly red 53020ca451 before absorbing all 12db153600 the blood.e85405ac8368fdcf

“…Is it done? Can I use 132a18fe55 it now?”de48daf8fc3a7587

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Yes. You’re braver 56bca171de than I eb4d3ffa27 expected.”a7d7f1a160aa2cf8

“Let me b236a14bb8 see that.”2f70cee4aec645dd

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Yona suddenly interjected. His sharp tone 6b28455ddf and raised eyebrows 4a0753e6f4 made his already 15c33050c9 intimidating face look 13a57cfbe9 even harsher.262e252f94534fa0

“What?”4d34b1b1d94bc85d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Your hand. Let me see bb298320d5 it.”349d021de936f6ef

I was e2e14a996a sitting a 8a4bedf344 short distance 28789c5377 away, but 7acb2487a2 Yona closed 6682cce52d the gap 3d211b5535 in an 58041f3a88 instant and ca543c2adb grabbed my 0994b20492 wrist.7a7eeea317c1ab87

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Ah, wait…!”e5d80707167afb72

“Wait for what?”6dc438a022c6f7e9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Clicking his tongue, b24823988f Yona mumbled words fee1a6c66c I couldn’t understand. Then, a tingling sensation d4214adfc2 spread from my thumb.028523b4c2552b3c

“…!”996ce19d44a59fd5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The wound c9a5d2f5f3 healed in e73ee2eaca seconds. I knew Yona 0b404f1f7f was a mage, 5dc47803ce but I hadn’t b0149cb395 expected him to f6f1b892cf go out of 39e0746569 his way for 4fe0d554b8 something so trivial.f78cb47271a6d5be

“Thank you.”5d46efd7394d7ca1

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Hmph. Just making sure you don’t pass out again from anemia. There’s no cozy bed to lay you down on here.”30b77490196192ba

“…”fb6c242002d9685b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Yona, always managing 8aeafc6cd4 to ruin the ca1f943c87 moment with his 3bd6032c67 words.174956e10cf67a1f

I set 70a7cf333a my teacup 8d5cfcac91 on the 93352a8c16 table with b20246abe8 a soft 8f3d17e8b7 clink. There was 792f2d8378 still one 1f3da86ab7 more thing e292c2baef I needed ceec2d8121 to address.086645d40d380dd9

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“And… I’d like to buy some information from you, Ralpido.”1390dc999c73653f

Ralpido looked as f4d67123a4 though she had 4d6448b5b5 expected this all e2630c2499 along. After all, how much 491c519f12 does someone need when 5603993b1b starting fresh with a 9a004231d5 new identity?e9a5d1a9d8304db0

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

She crossed her legs e81e1b2728 comfortably and tilted her e3980ca05b chin upward.a5b268ae47138d78

“What do you want?”717679f48179e916

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“A list of orphanages that the Marchioness of Ivelucia regularly visits for volunteer work.”ac4796519be94190

“Oh ho, is that so?”ecc5fd7d5e44bf1d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Her eyes narrowed into f421e359df slits, her amusement evident.5c9492924aca37da

“Well, well, young lady. Trying to pull some strings to get into the Academy, are you?”e81d2d39f44cc803

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

She was as sharp as ever. Meanwhile, Yona, oblivious to the conversation, kept pestering her with, “What? What’s going on?”f19852edbb2cc4e5

“As you mentioned before, it’s difficult for a commoner to gain admission to the Academy on money and talent alone.”80c94741464212ac

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The Academy’s barriers were nearly insurmountable for someone like me. Although it prided itself on “educational opportunities for all,” and promised to admit at least one commoner per year, there was a catch: the applicant needed a letter of recommendation from a renowned scholar.7b4b11f846be22b8

But “renowned” wasn’t enough. Only someone like the Marchioness of Ivelucia, who donated astronomical sums to the Academy every year, could issue such a recommendation letter.46d818824c21823d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Still, what kind of d4818cb81a commoner could possibly earn c83a6da500 the favor of the 0d27494879 Marchioness? Even if someone managed a585fdceb6 to secure the letter, 74bc2bd64d the Academy would always b9f8229a46 find a reason to 9670e14969 reject them. As a result, the dabf232c81 number of commoners admitted 0790b40dbf since the Academy’s founding 59a8ea43bc could be counted on 5a4f5191d1 one hand.dccc28d41af86bd3

To make matters worse, 862ccc0733 the Marchioness had stopped 80bfaf55ce issuing recommendations altogether after a3f6293cc9 being betrayed by a 596a8b561d promising talent she had 90ae46e986 once supported.be9180a19d216fa3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

‘Don’t rush. Be prepared to invest beb3620888 time in this.’7cd59a271f1ad802

I couldn’t let b017c011fa it seem like 8da2e24789 I was approaching a1c2601429 her solely for d2f104fc19 the recommendation. That’s why 01b821f58e I decided 75c13c335c to target a6bb840f6e the Marchioness 042b8ea2ea first.27a6762eec0f6251

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Thanks to 95c8eb46e8 the original 2830e40649 novel, I 4af15973ba knew the f4e3b7cd94 Marchioness of 7a1d04beaf Ivelucia volunteered 371d03cb17 at orphanages. However, she kept da3646c79f her identity discreet, 9ffdb56128 bringing only two 770cb83eb5 trusted aides and 597b78985b operating under an bef409904d alias.30817ffb0e1cb5a6

‘In ‘Bitten by a c687af195b Mad Dog’, she spent a1c13a80c4 a long time volunteering 187a7ff82f at various orphanages. She must ecaf518515 have a ed4628cdc5 pattern.’486234cbcd578120

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Not a bad strategy,” Ralpido remarked, her tone teasing. “Going after the wife of the famously devoted Marchioness of Ivelucia… But don’t think she’s an easy target.”5c44b30468be8645

“I’m aware.”c2b509c440ada15e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Bold of you.”8ace0f5d299826b9

“…Thank you.”bb8ad04a8671ae34

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I asked how much 08e21706e3 I’d need to pay 2c6ce3d2fd for the information. Ralpido exchanged a 9b862cf177 few whispered words 3f093d7a86 with Yona, their 3a1655823b foreheads nearly touching. For all their bickering, c121b77db0 they seemed to get f5f1b0170d along suspiciously well during 8d6c1a0ef7 moments like these.ced4185aedb467e5

Finally, Ralpido slapped 3bca9cfb86 her palm against 4718a60d71 her knee.47329341c8ed136e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“The price is settled.”b7d0605b3eeb8bda

“Pardon?”c0ac5660d1c75cdd

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yona pursed 491365f11c his lips, 71df12e096 muttering under 34a8ef2429 his breath.c31a8fb48dc4c75a

“That greedy thief is going to bleed me dry.”111a1820372f6130

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“No, Yona doesn’t have to take on the cost…”566e39124f89bc8c

“Think of it as compensation for my slip-up.”a9a9ee21c426d9c2

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Ralpido interrupted. “For spilling the beans about your, uh, royal bloodline.”c4b791a634dca7b2

“My…?”f7afb84ed0f24454

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yona whipped his 6e5798c0be head toward her, 5b2cd11b7b his temper flaring.b7279a0e3e2ff882

“She means your ‘royal’ lineage, you crazy witch. Where in the world did she even dig that up?!”22b29082311b521a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

❖　❖　❖a2338e0973e58e16

Marcel, the 082301d304 head of f8a6127042 Rooney Orphanage, 7959c9f22e paused her f0f831cb02 tedious paperwork 35213d5f4f to think a56308005d about a f1fa54f02d recent blessing 5fa2fc39b9 that had fc4ac28a0b come her 50ddca4daf way.c48f5d36d61cecb7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That blessing had walked right through the orphanage gates, donating 1,000 etar and saying, “I’d like to volunteer.”b286dfe79346e1e3

It wasn’t an enormous amount of money. That was Marcel’s first thought. But after taking a closer look at the young woman who introduced herself as “Myrda,” Marcel realized she wasn’t the daughter of some noble family. That realization prompted Marcel to remove her magnifying glasses and properly assess Myrda.6167f58724b62bab

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Having worked 3c10e8f85f here for 32ed85573f so long, b4ac1aaae7 Marcel couldn’t 7f706f9bff help but fe08d26d07 feel wary 77ac448fe2 of noblewomen 9fe180e407 who showed 29f0d967e9 up with f68f7fe021 a few eb6ea1a663 coins and c377c0662c a sudden 524c63e2db interest in 02a2009998 helping out. Unless they were 26fd20a600 someone like the 4de3b60d20 Marchioness of Ivelucia, d7e40859d6 who visited regularly, 96457dfda5 it was hard 0861101dc8 to trust their c773084cb7 sincerity.239b0d630c2dd8ce

Perhaps it was f4769a111d prejudice, but it 46dfce55b8 was hard to e5e95f1080 avoid when you’ve b777d4990f experienced the fleeting f96920c93a charity of the 2578f3917d privileged firsthand.ad9f93c0dd0a3ba0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Still, Marcel 15d0d8be87 welcomed Myrda d5dc7631f4 with a 14b9fb6efc relatively open 69bafbc924 heart. It was unfortunate 6b0810abac that the young 12dbac33d1 woman wasn’t physically 4dd64404d8 stronger, but she 5f58394d78 never shied away e41e5631f8 from any difficult b5771bf2b7 task, no matter b2331b534a how dirty or e6f296037d tiresome.a2e59843feacbed6

What’s more, Myrda often brought seasonal fruit, a rare treat for the orphanage where fresh produce was hard to come by. She would also bring various supplies, claiming to have “come across them somewhere.” The items always seemed perfectly tailored to the orphanage’s needs, as if Myrda truly understood the practicalities of running such a place.22fa6ec82a197851

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“She’s a remarkable young woman,” Marcel mused.5a0711587408f259

On one 7e2e341c00 corner of 441e1d28ac her desk 9f0875a474 sat meringue d1358d7af8 cookies and 07e9697c43 a special d0c903eb2d tea Myrda c01cd3a61f had distributed e640e96f9f to the 4ad46879aa orphanage staff aa192c079c just days 00d329741c ago. Smiling warmly, Marcel took 07a950f6a8 a sip of the edc375ac6f tea, and her eyes 9ae232571b widened in astonishment.386a4146e3bd5b17

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“What… what is this…?”fac6537eb178075b

 71cb67e49f030cd2

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com