Die If I Can't Marry Off My Favorite (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“You really do think of them as valuable talents, don’t you!”
I’d suspected you were unusually lenient toward me—turns out I was right! Well, it makes sense; after all, they’re prospects you personally scouted.
I cupped both cheeks in my hands to hide my twitching lips. Alright, I’ll seize this momentum and firmly nest myself inside Asperan’s heart.
My motivation to work hard surged uncontrollably. First, I introduced each of the Sammeommas to Asperan.
“This one here is Cuty, then Tiny, and finally Awesome. Cuty is lively, Tiny is calm, and Awesome is full of curiosity. I’m certain all three will grow into excellent exploration partners.”
“They’re wearing harnesses? They look a bit different from what I’ve seen before.”
Asperan’s gaze was fixed on the puppy harnesses, completely sidestepping my point.
Perfect timing—that was exactly the part I wanted to show off. Excitedly, I explained.
“I modified the design so it’d be more comfortable for them to wear—sturdier and more secure.”
After checking, I realized the harnesses used for sled dogs in Loakin were made only of thin leather straps, which looked painful.
So I tried making them in a shape similar to the harness my dog Bingsoo wore in my past life—much more stable and comfortable than Loakin’s version.
Asperan examined the Sammeommas’ harnesses with keen interest before asking,
“Did you make these yourself?”
“I came up with the design, but the craftsmen in the Artisans’ District helped with the actual crafting. They were all incredibly kind.”
“…Kind? Those grumpy old men?”
Asperan said it with clear skepticism. Unable to accept this, I immediately objected.
“Grumpy? Not at all! They readily accepted my request and even told me to come anytime I needed help. They even personally showed me around their workshops.”
“They showed you around their workshops…?”
Asperan’s expression grew even more peculiar. We exchanged puzzled glances.
Amidst this minor confusion between us, Cuty tugged at my clothes with a whine. Apparently, she was frustrated standing around idly after finally getting out for a walk.
Only then did we step onto the walking path.
Adjusting the leashes, I explained to Asperan,
“We always walk here—about four times a day.”
“They walk well. They don’t seem wary of me at all.”
Ah, come to think of it, Asperan had only ever seen Sammeommas either hostile toward humans or clinging exclusively to me.
Proudly, I puffed out my chest.
“At first, they’d freeze in place and stay alert whenever they saw someone new. But after repeatedly encountering people on walks and realizing those people meant them no harm, they stopped doing that. They learn so quickly!”
Yet, instead of praising the Sammeommas after hearing my proud account, Asperan frowned and raised one eyebrow.
“There’s hardly anyone who uses this path. Who exactly have they been meeting?”
“Well… the knights pass through here quite often…”
Perhaps because of the knights’ training grounds near the research institute, I’d routinely encountered two or three knights on every walk.
All the knights were exceedingly courteous—they never approached the Sammeommas abruptly but kept a respectful distance, offering kind smiles and generous praise.
You could say the Sammeommas’ fear of humans had greatly diminished entirely thanks to the knights’ thoughtful consideration.
But despite my lengthy, detailed explanation, Asperan’s furrowed brow showed no sign of smoothing out. He muttered quietly,
“Those rascals must have nothing better to do…”
“Huh?”
Could he possibly be angry, thinking the knights were idly strolling instead of doing their duties?
I couldn’t let those kind knights suffer because of me. I needed to change the subject—quickly.
Just then, a perfect opportunity appeared before my eyes. I deliberately raised my voice and said,
“By the way, these little ones have huge appetites~ At this rate, I’m starting to worry Loakin’s national treasury might go bankrupt just from feeding Moonlight Wolf Pups. Hehehe.”
It was meant to be my winning joke, but Asperan replied with a stern expression and a voice as cold as the howling wind,
“Are you out of your mind? Does Loakin’s treasury look that flimsy to you?”
…Scary.
I waved my hands frantically, babbling incoherently without even knowing what I was saying.
“N-no way! It’s the strongest! The sturdiest! Loakin’s treasury is the greatest in the world! Ah, Loakin—my homeland, my proud nation!”
Thus, my “homeland” officially became Loakin.
If I started singing “Dokdo is our land” right now, I’d surely become a despicable traitor who recklessly handed over Korea’s precious territory to a foreign country.
My shoulders slumped in defeat. I’d gone through all this trouble just to get closer to As, yet our interaction had become unbearably awkward.
Just then—
“…? What’s that?”
I narrowed my eyes and stared ahead. A small gray lump was wriggling in the distance.
Kindly, Asperan provided the answer.
“A White-Crested Jay.”
“A White-Crested Jay?”
As we drew closer, the gray lump’s appearance became fully visible.
Indeed, just as Asperan named it, the gray jay had something resembling a white chicken comb on its head.
What a straightforward name. I clapped my hands and giggled.
“It really looks exactly like its name—so cute…”
At that very moment, the White-Crested Jay spun around and fled in a flash.
At that moment, I overlooked three crucial facts.
First, the Sammeommas might be just as interested in the jay as I was.
Second, the jay’s escape would only further excite the Sammeommas.
Third, I was currently holding all three leashes by myself.
Today, I was clearly careless—and that carelessness brought about disaster.
The moment the jay fled, the Sammeommas lunged forward with a sudden burst.
No matter how strong I was, there was no way I could resist the combined force of three puppies bolting forward while I was caught off guard.
Consequently, I was naturally catapulted forward, tumbling head over heels and planting a deep, passionate kiss on the ground.
“Shuria!”
Asperan pulled me up. The Sammeommas hurried back to me, whining anxiously.
I couldn’t even say I was alright—I just stared blankly into the hazy air.
“…I’ve fallen in front of As twice now.”
Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the sound of the dependable, loyal image I’d wanted fading away into nothingness.
[This is the timeline separator]“I let my guard down.”
“…….”
“Of course, I should’ve stayed focused on the puppies during the walk. But I got distracted by that strangely shaped jay for just a moment…”
“…….”
“Still, I’ve learned my lesson. To prepare for situations like today where controlling them becomes difficult, I’m planning to modify the leash setup.”
“…….”
“I’ll add a ring on the front of the harness to attach the leash there. That should help prevent sudden sprints.”
“…….”
“Yes. So… I really messed up, Your Highness.”
I stopped my incessant chatter, let a single tear slip out, and then wailed dramatically,
“Please, can you just give me back my human rights?!!”
My name is Shuria. I’m 22 years old. A transmigrator.
Right now, I was floating above my beloved’s head like one of those balloons sold at amusement parks.
Worse yet, I was locked in a rigid, upright position—like a mummy-shaped balloon.
Finally, the culprit who’d put me in this humiliating state turned around at the sound of my mournful wailing. Asperan said indifferently,
“What human rights are you talking about?”
“Everyone passing by is staring at me right now! I have dignity and pride too!”
As I squawked my complaint, I suddenly worried I might have upset Asperan and quickly added,
“Of course, it’s an immeasurable honor that Your Highness personally carried me yourself—it’s the greatest glory of my life, truly moving!”
Asperan tilted his head slightly to the side, then pulled me down from hovering above his head to waist level.
His expression clearly showed he didn’t understand my embarrassment at all.
He asked,
“You don’t like people staring?”
“Not right now, no.”
If they’d just experienced those shocked, wide-eyed stares themselves, they’d understand exactly how I felt.
When I grumbled quietly, Asperan sighed as if resigned and crossed his arms.
“Then, should I scare everyone away?”
“No, wouldn’t that be too much trouble…? Ugh, couldn’t you just carry me in a normal way?”
“I already told you this is the best method. We don’t know exactly where or how you’re injured. You agreed yourself, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
I couldn’t continue and just chewed on the inside of my cheek.
After my body had slammed hard onto the ground, Asperan insisted we go for an immediate medical checkup in case I was seriously hurt.
As I stood up in agreement, Asperan stopped me, suggesting the safest way to move me—in case I had any fractures—was to carry me like this.
Without thinking, I accepted his kind offer. I never imagined that “safest way” would turn me into a mummy balloon! Had I known, I would’ve flatly refused and stayed sprawled on the ground.
Wriggling like a freshly caught fish to get Asperan’s attention, I pleaded,
“Then… could you use that teleportation magic again like earlier?”
We hadn’t been moving like this the whole time. Just a while ago, we’d teleported directly from the walking path to near Kronen Palace using magic.
But the moment Kronen Palace came into view, Asperan suddenly started walking while floating me in the air. I couldn’t fathom why he’d chosen such a cumbersome method all of a sudden.
Asperan glanced at me, then adjusted my posture. This time, I was seated comfortably leaning against something—less embarrassing than lying flat.
As I chuckled contentedly, Asperan finally answered my earlier question.
“Within a 50-meter radius of Kronen Palace, no one except the current sovereign can use teleportation magic—and even the sovereign can only teleport themselves.”
“So there’s some kind of barrier in place?”
“Something like that. Nyx Loakin, the founder of the Loakin family, engraved a magical formula into Kronen Palace to automatically nullify teleportation spells, ensuring his family’s safety.”
Asperan’s gaze drifted toward the distant direction of the walls surrounding Beloi Castle.
“Moreover, spatial teleportation magic cannot be used to enter Beloi Castle from outside.”
“If it’s a formula left by the founder himself, this castle must be incredibly ancient.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s amazing that such an old magical formula remains perfectly intact even now. Has no one ever broken it?”
“No. Nyx Loakin was a Transcendent.”
“A Transcendent?”
By the time we finished our conversation, we’d already arrived at Lumel’s clinic inside Kronen Palace.
It had already been two weeks since I last saw Lumel—the last time was when I came to apologize for ruining my cloak after getting hired as a monster caretaker.
Before opening the door, Asperan gave a brief reply to my question.
“It literally means someone who has transcended human limitations and drawn closer to an absolute existence. It’s like a legend. Hey, Lumel!”
Asperan abruptly flung open the clinic door and called out.
Lumel, who had been sitting at his desk surrounded by towering piles of books and scribbling something, jolted upright with a start.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Oh my, I understand Shuria’s stressed feelings.. I also often do it when doing assignments..
is canis the second male lead? because the aura of the second male lead is very strong…