Chapter 1

I stared at the gas mask lying in pieces on the floor.

Then, I sat down on the sofa.

“Fine, I’m not going!”

Ilma Laf froze for a moment.

When it came to adventure, I had always thrown caution to the wind.

She probably did not expect me to give in so easily.

She looked me up and down. Then, she frowned and said, “It’s best if you don’t go. Apologize to Astel. You scared him.”

Astel Landau, who was standing nearby, said insincerely, “It’s okay, Ms. Laf. I just gave Mr. Haden the sunscreen mask out of kindness because he’s as tanned as a laborer. Since Mr. Haden doesn’t appreciate it, I’ll just stop from now on.”

As he spoke, his voice was tinged with pity.

Ilma was heartbroken.

“Some people just don’t know how good they have it. Don’t pay him any mind!”

Astel took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Ilma’s waist. “Then, you’d better make it up to me.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll make it up to you!”

As they spoke, their eyes began to grow dreamy. They completely ignored my presence.

I cleared my throat.

Only then did the two of them stop.

Ilma said impatiently, “Gareth, what’s the meaning of this? It’s just a gas mask, isn’t it? Do you have to lie about saving someone on Mounscour Hill? You’ll stop at nothing to make things difficult for Astel!”

I shrugged.

“Astel’s dignity is what matters most. Whether or not we go on a rescue mission is irrelevant.”

Ilma narrowed her eyes. Her tone grew even more contemptuous.

“I’ll give you credit for knowing your place. But if you ever dare treat Astel like that again, I won’t hold myself back!”

I did not want to deal with either of them anymore, so I stood up to leave.

Astel laughed in Ilma’s arms.

“Mr. Haden, you’re in such a hurry! Do you have a woman on the side?”

Ilma looked at me in utter contempt. “What woman would ever want him?”

Just then, her phone rang. She impatiently pressed the speaker button.

“Ms. Laf, your parents have wandered into the miasma forest of Mounscour Hill. They’re in urgent need of rescue…”

Unexpectedly, Ilma flew into a rage.

“How much did Gareth pay you to put on this charade and deceive me?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she hurled the phone at me.

Caught completely off guard, the phone slammed hard against my forehead.

I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me as warm blood trickled down my cheek.

Yet, there was not a trace of remorse on Ilma’s face.

She stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

“Gareth, have I been too nice to you? How dare you hire someone to put on a show to deceive me and even joke about my parents’ lives!”

That slap snapped me back to reality.

Whatever lingering hope I had for her was completely shattered.

I had always thought she was just blinded by Astel’s sweet talk. At worst, I thought she was just a bit foolish.

But it seemed like she was hopeless. She lacked even the most basic judgment.

Astel stepped forward and reached out to gently grasp Ilma’s arm as he urged her in a gentle tone, “Ms. Laf, it’s not worth getting so worked up over this. Mr. Haden probably just wanted you to care about him so badly that he came up with this scheme. He didn’t mean to make a joke out of your parents.”