I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Arun, who was about to go outside, stopped.

‘Huh? Did I see it wrong?’

Just now, it felt like Isabel’s finger had moved.

He looked closely again, but her finger was still.

‘Sigh.’

Arun returned to Isabel’s side once more.

He pondered for a moment.

‘If I stay up all night here, His Majesty will be furious.’

He used to call him “Hey, twelve-year-old,” but these days, he calls him “Hey, thief.”

He didn’t know why, as he hadn’t stolen anything.

Anyway, Emperor Ron didn’t like Arun staying in Isabel’s room for too long.

‘But well, I’ve gotten a lot stronger these days.’

If he had to succumb to power in the past, it wasn’t the case anymore.

It was still difficult to defeat Ron, but the difference wasn’t as overwhelming as before.

Ron couldn’t treat Arun carelessly anymore.

So he decided to just stay up all night here.

‘It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.’

He held Isabel’s hand, the one that seemed to have moved just now.

“I’ll be by your side today.”

Time passed.

Arun didn’t let go of Isabel’s hand.

‘What is this feeling?’

It felt as if Isabel’s soul and his soul were strongly bound together.

It was the same when he was Honey Badger, but back then, his intelligence wasn’t that high, so it was difficult to feel it accurately.

Now that he was in human form, it felt even stronger.

It was the power of the Proposal Stone.

The Proposal Stone had the power to create a strong bond between human souls.

Suddenly, Arun remembered something from the past.

『Jewel = Proposal gift.』

『Claim complete.』

『Contract established.』

『Withdrawal impossible.』

『Absolute contract.』

He didn’t know it then, but looking back, the words he said were all Dragon Language.

‘Come to think of it, I made a Dragon Language contract back then.’

At that time, due to the collaboration of the Proposal Stone and the Dragon Language contract, flowers bloomed in the basement of the Imperial Palace.

Arun smiled as he held Isabel’s hand.

“Aha. Then it couldn’t be helped, could it?”

This really couldn’t be helped.

“We were destined to get married. We made a contract in Dragon Language, so there’s really nothing we can do.”

Now he seemed to understand what the Emperor meant.

“So that’s why I’m a thief.”

To think he only realized such a simple and easy truth now.

Arun felt good for no reason.

Marriage to Isabel, it was a big gift he hadn’t even thought of.

“Even if you refuse, it can’t be helped. We’re bound by a Dragon Language contract, and we have to fulfill the contract eventually. You agreed to it back then too.”

Of course, the contract back then was between “Honey Badger” and “Isabel,” not between “Arun” and “Isabel.”

Strictly speaking, that contract already ended with Honey Badger’s death.

‘But you have to be able to ignore such trivial things to be considered an adult.’

“Wake up quickly. We have to get married.”

Suddenly, as he thought of the word “marriage,” his heart became even more earnest.

Isabel had less than three years left.

During those three years, he thought hard about how he could give her more happiness and love.

“I wish you would call my name, Isabel.”

An earnest longing that he couldn’t describe in detail surged like a tidal wave, engulfing Arun’s heart.

A strange urge that he didn’t know how to deal with boiled up.

He wanted to relieve this longing somehow.

Arun knelt on one knee.

He lightly kissed Isabel’s hand.

“Please open your eyes.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Marco Yurmiel, the continent’s best appraiser and craftsman, was a very successful man, but he lost sleep every night.

‘What if Chief Attendant Dailtha asks me to return the Proposal Stone?’

It was already broken.

Diamonds were popping out of it, and it was said to be of great help to the Imperial Family, but a contract was a contract.

He had nightmares every night.

In his dreams, Chief Attendant Dailtha, in the form of a devil, appeared and whispered in his ear.

‘I agree to its use for research purposes, but it must be non-physical research. If you split, destroy, or damage its value as a Proposal Stone, I will demand a 1,000-year rental fee.’

A 1,000-year rental fee was 10 billion Luden.

The moment this was discovered, he would be bankrupt.

It was impossible to steal the diamonds and accumulate a slush fund.

He couldn’t fool Dailtha’s eyes, and even if he could, he wasn’t confident he could handle the aftermath.

Chief Attendant Dailtha was the most competent and powerful Chief Attendant in history.

She was the real deal, having recovered her strength to its peak.

“Sigh.”

Deep in the night.

He let out a big sigh and went to the secret room where he kept the Proposal Stone.

‘Huh? What’s this smell?’

The hallway was filled with the scent of flowers.

He had a strange feeling and hurriedly unlocked the door.

When he opened the door, diamond flowers were in full bloom in the room.

“Oh my……”

It was Marco, the best appraiser and craftsman on the continent.

He couldn’t help but admire it.

“I’ve never seen such beautiful diamond flowers.”

Diamond flowers, beautifully crafted to the point where he couldn’t even dare to imitate them, were in full bloom.

“How can they smell so good?”

Diamonds that smelled fragrant.

Such things didn’t exist in the world.

“What’s that over there?”

In one corner, where diamonds had been popping out, a colorful light was leaking out.

He rushed over and took a look.

“Huh?”

Huh?

Huhhh?

Huhhhhh?

He found a jewel emitting a brilliant light.

“The Proposal Stone!!!”

For some reason, the broken Proposal Stone was there.

It had an even more beautiful color than before.

“The Proposal Stone has been resurrected!!!”

He hugged the Proposal Stone tightly and shed tears.

“You’ve turned this room upside down!!!”

This phenomenon was an anomaly that didn’t exist even in ancient records, but it didn’t matter.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

I kept moving towards a very small, shining star far away.

It felt like this dark tunnel would end if I reached it.

But no matter how much I walked and ran, I couldn’t reach the star.

Instead, it kept getting farther away.

It also felt like I was going around in circles.

‘I’m tired.’

The voice kept giving me strength, but it wasn’t enough.

It felt like I would never be able to escape this dark world.

But then, I smelled something nice from somewhere.

‘The scent of flowers?’

I’ve smelled this before.

This was the smell when the flowers bloomed in the basement storage of the Imperial Palace.

It was such a fragrant smell that I remember it.

‘What is it?’

Everywhere in the dark world started to sparkle.

It was as if small fireflies were gathering and flying towards me.

‘Huh?’

Looking closely, they weren’t fireflies.

They looked like flowers made of diamonds.

The world began to bloom with flowers.

And soon, a flower wind blew and wrapped around me.

‘Originally, I shouldn’t be able to see anything.’

This was a space without light, so I shouldn’t be able to see anything, but I could see the flowers surrounding me.

It was as if spirits were tickling me.

I burst out laughing without realizing it.

The flower wind that had swept over me scattered again and created a path.

“Are you telling me to go that way?”

It was a diamond flower path.

Meanwhile, I heard a voice again.

“Wake up quickly. We have to get married.”

“I wish you would call my name, Isabel.”

Who is that voice?

Why is it calling me so earnestly?

And why do I keep gaining strength when I hear that voice?

Why is only that voice so clear?

I don’t know how to express this, but it felt like that voice and my soul were tightly holding onto each other.

‘I can see the path.’

A shining flower path was created in the space that had been only dark.

I walked along that path.

The light, which hadn’t grown no matter how much I walked, started to grow bigger.

The light began to dispel the darkness.

The night, which seemed like it would never lift, was finally moving away from me.

Eventually, I reached the light.

‘My eyes…… are dazzling.’

My eyes were so dazzled that I couldn’t see anything.

This strange feeling.

I’ve felt it before.

It was exactly this feeling when I first entered .

This feeling of unreality, like I was dreaming.

‘Then is this a dream too?’

Or another possession?

I still didn’t know.

There was still no sense of reality, only a hazy feeling.

I’ve never been drunk, but I imagine this is what it feels like.

‘Even back then, I was seriously impressed by Dad’s good looks.’

It was the same now.

The blurry figure in front of me was beautiful even with my blurry vision.

“You’re really handsome.”

What?

Why can I speak?

It was my real voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time.

But this too felt unreal, like a dream, and my body still wouldn’t move.

‘Even when you’re glaring, you’re handsome.’

Honestly, with that face, it would be plausible to say that I fell in love at first sight.

Even I, who was immune to most handsome faces, couldn’t close my mouth at his beauty.

Thud.

Something fell on my cheek.

It was a little hot.

‘What is it?’

Thud, thud.

It was like warm rain was falling.

And that rain gradually awakened my mind.

‘I don’t think this is a dream.’

This seemed to be the tears of that handsome man.

My vision gradually became clearer.

‘He looks familiar.’

Could it be,

“Arun?”