“Let me introduce you to him. He is more capable than I am.”
Only after swearing an oath to keep a secret did Lionel meet him, or rather, the boy.
Lionel heard he was a psychic, but he was more like a businessman than a psychic.
At first, he sent the butler. The boy sent a prototype to the butler.
“He said to try it once and order it later if it works for you, and he didn’t charge you this time. He said it’s called the Fountain of Youth.”
The potion, with the sentimental name of the fountain of youth, was a small, strangely scented elixir.
There was no special way to take it. After drinking the potion, you just had to stay with someone who had the same colored eyes and hair as you.
He said that sleeping together would be even more effective. He doesn't know what eye color and hair color have to do with youth, but Lionel does it anyway.
As it happened, the young lover he was seeing at the time had brown eyes and hair.
It seemed like nothing had happened, but a week later, her lover, who was in her twenties, died, her youth robbed.
In return, Lionel, who is nearing 50, looks like he is in his late thirties.
The effect was evident. Lionel immediately wanted to meet the boy and receive regular doses of the medicine.
“I’ll explain this to you in case you misunderstand. The fountain of youth is not a potion that gives you eternal life. It only makes you stay young, but it doesn’t prolong your life.”
“I’m not interested in eternal life either.”
Lionel just wanted to live like a young man, full of energy, until the day he died.
“I want to receive the medicine regularly. I will pay as much as you want.”
“Baron, what I want is not money.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s title.”
The boy wanted to become a nobleman.
“I found out that you can’t buy a title, but you can inherit it. Your Grace, you don’t have any children, do you? Please adopt me.”
In fact, Lionel had no children. When he died, his title would go to one of his nephews.
It wasn't too much to ask of Lionel, who had no intention of settling down with a woman and starting a family.
But,
“It is not easy to adopt a Shartin and pass on a title. Even if I were to pass on the title to you, the other nobles would not acknowledge you. My nephews in particular would do anything to take the title away from you.”
The boy was born with too strong of a Shartin trait.
“Don’t worry about that. When you fill out the adoption papers, I will be a perfect Imperial citizen both on paper and in appearance.”
“If that’s the case.”
Lionel signed a contract in blood to pass the title to the boy. It was said that if he broke the contract, he would be cursed, but it didn't matter to Lionel since he had no intention of breaking the contract in the first place.
After this, Lionel took the drug twice more, and his appearance became that of a man in his early thirties.
But there was a problem. In the empire, women with both brown hair and brown eyes were rare.
There was a way to buy slaves, but Lionel, a nobleman, wanted young people with noble blood like his, not those of lowly origin.
But among the nobles, it was like finding a needle in a haystack to find a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, a deep chestnut color like Lionel himself, and who was also young.
Then, as soon as he came up to the capital, he saw that woman.
Judith Harrington.
“If you see Judith Harrington in the capital, do not approach her. This is only a guess, but it seems that someone skilled in witchcraft is helping her behind the scenes.”
The boy warned him, but isn't it the case that people tend to want to do something more when told not to?
The moment Lionel saw Judith, he knew she was the perfect sacrifice for him.
A woman of baronial birth, with dark brown hair and eyes. Young, unmarried, and financially struggling. Perfect for seducing and getting someone to sit next to him.
After absorbing Judith, he will definitely look like he is in his 20s.
“Miss Harrington.”
“Excuse me, Baron.”
But this worthless woman was trying to reject him, even though he said he would pay off her debt.
Although she was poor, she didn't seem stupid.
“Before you answer, listen to what I have to say first.”
Lionel did not want to miss out on the good sacrifice that was Judith.
'Just take her to my townhouse.'
He doesn't really want to use coercive methods, but if he has to, he won't hesitate. The daughter of a fallen Baron, with 200 million gold in usury. What can I do if I take her away?
In a week, Judith's youth and vitality could be absorbed. The shop assistants might be able to find Judith, but what could a mere shop assistant do against a Southern nobleman?
“How about you stay with me at my townhouse for a week? We can have time to get to know each other.”
“I’m sorry, Baron.”
“I am not finished speaking yet. Please, Miss Harrington, do not make me go to the moneylender and buy up your debt.”
Buy my debt? You're going to buy my debt from Smith and then pressure me with it? Such a petty thing.
Judith didn't even bother to hide her distorted expression.
“I’m on good terms with that loan shark. It won’t be easy.”
“No matter how close you are, if I ask him to sell it for 300 million gold, he would sell it, right?”
That was true. Judith had become somewhat acquainted with Smith, but he was a man who would do anything for money. There was no way he would refuse an extra 100 million gold, seeing as Judith was going to do it.
Judith's eyes hardened. She didn't know why he wanted to marry her so badly, but she was sure that his intentions were not pure.
“Why are you acting like this, you’re old. As an adult, you should act like an adult.”
It was meant to be a provocation to Lionel. However, to Lionel, who was obsessed with youth, talking about 'age' was no different from cursing his parents.
No, that was something Lionel couldn't stand even more than his parents' swearing.
“When I asked you to give a wise answer, you couldn’t tell what to say and what not to say.”
Lionel, who had wiped away his smile, grabbed Judith's shoulder roughly.
“You stupid girl, even if I force you into this carriage right now, who can do anything about it...?”
Lionel, who was shaking Judith's shoulders, was suddenly startled by a burning pain in his palm and quickly pulled his hand away.
"Are you okay?"
“I’m fine, but...”
Erne, who had been running nearby, hid Judith behind his back. Lionel kept opening and closing his hands as if something was strange.
“Ugh.”
Then he started vomiting as if he was feeling unwell.
“There was a man... You were toying with me.”
“Excuse me, when did I come?”
“I won’t leave you alone, ugh.”
Lionel, who had been repeatedly vomiting, gave a warning and returned to his carriage. He seemed in no condition to do anything.
“Why is he suddenly like that?”
“I don’t know, I just get angry and do that.”
Judith patted the shoulder he had been shaking.
“I must go straight to Mr. Smith, the Baron wants to go to Mr. Smith and buy off my debt.”
"For a moment."
Erne stopped Judith from rushing to Smith.
"Why?"
“Didn’t you say that necklace would break if the spell affected you?”
Judith bowed her head and looked at the amulet necklace the godmother had given her. The smooth stones were now covered with tiny cracks.
“I guess that guy was trying to put a spell on you.”
“But there was no time for that. What the heck?”
While they were wondering, Lionel cried as he looked at his bruised hands in the carriage back to the townhouse.
“Damn, I got wrinkles! What the hell is that girl!”
Lionel knocked roughly on the carriage window.
“Run faster, run faster.”
At Lionel's urging, the coachman sped up as fast as he could. When Lionel arrives at the Baron's residence, he shouts to the butler to bring the maid who serves him.
“Your Grace, that maid’s eyes are not brown.”
The butler, who noticed what the Baron was about to do, tried to stop him.
“Damn it, butler, look at my face. It’s wrinkled in a second. Do I look like I’m going to die? Bring her here right now!”
Lionel pushed the butler's shoulder away and went into the bedroom. He opened the locked drawer in the bedroom and uncapped a vial of black liquid.
For a moment, the boy's warning came to mind: "You should take it with at least two weeks off," but Lionel downed the bottle without hesitation.
“Once will be okay.”
I was busy clearing up the rumors. It was fortunate that Layla actively helped me, otherwise I would have been mistaken for the Baron's lover.
“Oh, that’s strange, Ma’am.”
“What is it, Sir Henry?”
While I was displaying incense in the store, Henry, who was helping me, muttered while looking at the store door.
“That Baron didn’t seem like he would give up easily, but it’s been four days and we haven’t seen his nose.”
“It’s better if he doesn’t come. What’s wrong?”
Erne, who was listening to Henry from the corner, blurted out.
“No, I just feel strangely uneasy. Maybe he's plotting something sinister behind my back.”
So Henry advised me to be more careful. But Lionel was in no condition to plot evil.
Only after swearing an oath to keep a secret did Lionel meet him, or rather, the boy.
Lionel heard he was a psychic, but he was more like a businessman than a psychic.
At first, he sent the butler. The boy sent a prototype to the butler.
“He said to try it once and order it later if it works for you, and he didn’t charge you this time. He said it’s called the Fountain of Youth.”
The potion, with the sentimental name of the fountain of youth, was a small, strangely scented elixir.
There was no special way to take it. After drinking the potion, you just had to stay with someone who had the same colored eyes and hair as you.
He said that sleeping together would be even more effective. He doesn't know what eye color and hair color have to do with youth, but Lionel does it anyway.
As it happened, the young lover he was seeing at the time had brown eyes and hair.
It seemed like nothing had happened, but a week later, her lover, who was in her twenties, died, her youth robbed.
In return, Lionel, who is nearing 50, looks like he is in his late thirties.
The effect was evident. Lionel immediately wanted to meet the boy and receive regular doses of the medicine.
“I’ll explain this to you in case you misunderstand. The fountain of youth is not a potion that gives you eternal life. It only makes you stay young, but it doesn’t prolong your life.”
“I’m not interested in eternal life either.”
Lionel just wanted to live like a young man, full of energy, until the day he died.
“I want to receive the medicine regularly. I will pay as much as you want.”
“Baron, what I want is not money.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s title.”
The boy wanted to become a nobleman.
“I found out that you can’t buy a title, but you can inherit it. Your Grace, you don’t have any children, do you? Please adopt me.”
In fact, Lionel had no children. When he died, his title would go to one of his nephews.
It wasn't too much to ask of Lionel, who had no intention of settling down with a woman and starting a family.
But,
“It is not easy to adopt a Shartin and pass on a title. Even if I were to pass on the title to you, the other nobles would not acknowledge you. My nephews in particular would do anything to take the title away from you.”
The boy was born with too strong of a Shartin trait.
“Don’t worry about that. When you fill out the adoption papers, I will be a perfect Imperial citizen both on paper and in appearance.”
“If that’s the case.”
Lionel signed a contract in blood to pass the title to the boy. It was said that if he broke the contract, he would be cursed, but it didn't matter to Lionel since he had no intention of breaking the contract in the first place.
After this, Lionel took the drug twice more, and his appearance became that of a man in his early thirties.
But there was a problem. In the empire, women with both brown hair and brown eyes were rare.
There was a way to buy slaves, but Lionel, a nobleman, wanted young people with noble blood like his, not those of lowly origin.
But among the nobles, it was like finding a needle in a haystack to find a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, a deep chestnut color like Lionel himself, and who was also young.
Then, as soon as he came up to the capital, he saw that woman.
Judith Harrington.
“If you see Judith Harrington in the capital, do not approach her. This is only a guess, but it seems that someone skilled in witchcraft is helping her behind the scenes.”
The boy warned him, but isn't it the case that people tend to want to do something more when told not to?
The moment Lionel saw Judith, he knew she was the perfect sacrifice for him.
A woman of baronial birth, with dark brown hair and eyes. Young, unmarried, and financially struggling. Perfect for seducing and getting someone to sit next to him.
After absorbing Judith, he will definitely look like he is in his 20s.
“Miss Harrington.”
“Excuse me, Baron.”
But this worthless woman was trying to reject him, even though he said he would pay off her debt.
Although she was poor, she didn't seem stupid.
“Before you answer, listen to what I have to say first.”
Lionel did not want to miss out on the good sacrifice that was Judith.
'Just take her to my townhouse.'
He doesn't really want to use coercive methods, but if he has to, he won't hesitate. The daughter of a fallen Baron, with 200 million gold in usury. What can I do if I take her away?
In a week, Judith's youth and vitality could be absorbed. The shop assistants might be able to find Judith, but what could a mere shop assistant do against a Southern nobleman?
“How about you stay with me at my townhouse for a week? We can have time to get to know each other.”
“I’m sorry, Baron.”
“I am not finished speaking yet. Please, Miss Harrington, do not make me go to the moneylender and buy up your debt.”
Buy my debt? You're going to buy my debt from Smith and then pressure me with it? Such a petty thing.
Judith didn't even bother to hide her distorted expression.
“I’m on good terms with that loan shark. It won’t be easy.”
“No matter how close you are, if I ask him to sell it for 300 million gold, he would sell it, right?”
That was true. Judith had become somewhat acquainted with Smith, but he was a man who would do anything for money. There was no way he would refuse an extra 100 million gold, seeing as Judith was going to do it.
Judith's eyes hardened. She didn't know why he wanted to marry her so badly, but she was sure that his intentions were not pure.
“Why are you acting like this, you’re old. As an adult, you should act like an adult.”
It was meant to be a provocation to Lionel. However, to Lionel, who was obsessed with youth, talking about 'age' was no different from cursing his parents.
No, that was something Lionel couldn't stand even more than his parents' swearing.
“When I asked you to give a wise answer, you couldn’t tell what to say and what not to say.”
Lionel, who had wiped away his smile, grabbed Judith's shoulder roughly.
“You stupid girl, even if I force you into this carriage right now, who can do anything about it...?”
Lionel, who was shaking Judith's shoulders, was suddenly startled by a burning pain in his palm and quickly pulled his hand away.
"Are you okay?"
“I’m fine, but...”
Erne, who had been running nearby, hid Judith behind his back. Lionel kept opening and closing his hands as if something was strange.
“Ugh.”
Then he started vomiting as if he was feeling unwell.
“There was a man... You were toying with me.”
“Excuse me, when did I come?”
“I won’t leave you alone, ugh.”
Lionel, who had been repeatedly vomiting, gave a warning and returned to his carriage. He seemed in no condition to do anything.
“Why is he suddenly like that?”
“I don’t know, I just get angry and do that.”
Judith patted the shoulder he had been shaking.
“I must go straight to Mr. Smith, the Baron wants to go to Mr. Smith and buy off my debt.”
"For a moment."
Erne stopped Judith from rushing to Smith.
"Why?"
“Didn’t you say that necklace would break if the spell affected you?”
Judith bowed her head and looked at the amulet necklace the godmother had given her. The smooth stones were now covered with tiny cracks.
“I guess that guy was trying to put a spell on you.”
“But there was no time for that. What the heck?”
While they were wondering, Lionel cried as he looked at his bruised hands in the carriage back to the townhouse.
“Damn, I got wrinkles! What the hell is that girl!”
Lionel knocked roughly on the carriage window.
“Run faster, run faster.”
At Lionel's urging, the coachman sped up as fast as he could. When Lionel arrives at the Baron's residence, he shouts to the butler to bring the maid who serves him.
“Your Grace, that maid’s eyes are not brown.”
The butler, who noticed what the Baron was about to do, tried to stop him.
“Damn it, butler, look at my face. It’s wrinkled in a second. Do I look like I’m going to die? Bring her here right now!”
Lionel pushed the butler's shoulder away and went into the bedroom. He opened the locked drawer in the bedroom and uncapped a vial of black liquid.
For a moment, the boy's warning came to mind: "You should take it with at least two weeks off," but Lionel downed the bottle without hesitation.
“Once will be okay.”
***
I was busy clearing up the rumors. It was fortunate that Layla actively helped me, otherwise I would have been mistaken for the Baron's lover.
“Oh, that’s strange, Ma’am.”
“What is it, Sir Henry?”
While I was displaying incense in the store, Henry, who was helping me, muttered while looking at the store door.
“That Baron didn’t seem like he would give up easily, but it’s been four days and we haven’t seen his nose.”
“It’s better if he doesn’t come. What’s wrong?”
Erne, who was listening to Henry from the corner, blurted out.
“No, I just feel strangely uneasy. Maybe he's plotting something sinister behind my back.”
So Henry advised me to be more careful. But Lionel was in no condition to plot evil.
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