Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 217
With just one glance, Ticher confirmed that the two gentlemen intimately embracing not far away were the very ones who had changed her destiny.
How could she still care about dancing? She immediately apologized to her reluctant dance partner, hurriedly pushed through the crowd, and struggled to “swim” toward the two men.
“Sir, sir!”
The closer she got to them, the brighter her eyes became, and her voice unconsciously grew louder.
It was at this moment that she anxiously realized she still didn’t know her benefactor’s name!
Disguised by the cat god’s divine power, Oliver believed he had perfectly blended into the crowd, completely unaware that the girl steadily approaching his position was trying to call out to him.
When Ticher quickly reached him, gazing at him nervously and shyly, Oliver initially thought the cat god’s divine power had failed.
Only after hearing her softly call “sir” several times did he belatedly realize she had recognized his merchant identity, not his lord status from their previous encounter.
Instantly relieved, he smiled and responded, “It’s you.”
Ticher’s heart pounded wildly as she exclaimed in surprise, “Sir, you actually remember me?”
“You look even more beautiful tonight than during our previous meetings,” Oliver said gracefully with a gentle smile. “But I believe that as a qualified merchant, I must possess good memory and discernment, don’t you think? Miss Ticher.”
“Yes, I’m Ticher!”
Even though she had completely transformed, and the years as a down-and-out and disheveled prostitute felt as distant as someone else’s life, hearing this noble and kind gentleman clearly remember her name made Ticher’s nose sting uncontrollably, her voice catching with emotion.
He truly remembered.
Remembered the name of that insignificant, humble and dirty like dirt on the ground…Prostitute.
Oliver smiled faintly, “It’s a pity I’m not skilled at dancing, otherwise, having reunited with such a beautiful lady, I would certainly invite you for a dance.”
This wasn’t the real reason, of course.
Both as the duke ‘Oliver’ and as Oliver with restored modern memories, he was proficient in ballroom dance.
But at this moment, standing beside him was a watchful cat god—although He claimed not to mind other people, recent events made that claim less convincing.
They had sneaked out to join the festivities, and on such a happy occasion, even the lord known as the gentlest and most generous had his small indulgences.
He didn’t want to prioritize courtesy and focus solely on a young lady, neglecting the most important God’s feelings.
Ticher, of course, knew nothing of this.
Hearing his words, she blushed deeply with embarrassment, feeling both flattered and overwhelmed, shaking her head and nodding alternately: “No, sir, I didn’t come to ask you to dance.” How could she have such thick skin!
Oliver’s gaze was gentle, like an elder looking upon a younger generation—in his heart, this girl, though only a few years younger than him, had already been battered and bruised by harsh reality, truly making her seem like a junior: “Of course, I believe a young and beautiful lady like you would never lack eager dance partners.”
“I just, just……”
As if drawing courage from that gentle gaze, Ticher’s hand, which had been tightly clutching the folds of her skirt, loosened slightly. Her eyes, previously shifting nervously, finally settled on those pure brown orbs: “I wanted to thank you in person.”
Upon hearing this, the gentleman who seemed to glow with radiance blinked in slight confusion, then chuckled softly and asked, “Why? If it’s just about guiding me, you offered your labor and time to help me, and I merely paid the agreed-upon compensation on time.”
“It’s not like that.”
Ticher shook her head.
An involuntary happy smile spread across her face, and after a moment of hesitation, she mustered the courage to speak her mind: “You might find it unbelievable, but that day, just by addressing me by my name, kindly and generously offering me a simple yet well-paid job, you gave me so much encouragement and courage that it felt like… I was reborn.”
Yes, she was almost certain.
If this gentleman hadn’t called her “Ticher”—a name she hadn’t heard in so long—and shown her respect, she might have truly given up on herself, letting slip the only chance to change her dire circumstances.
The fate awaiting her then would have been dragging her ailing mother down into a bottomless swamp, struggling until their limbs grew weak and they vanished completely.
Upon hearing her words, the gentleman laughed.
“I’m not great enough to have done all that.”
He blinked mischievously, and in that instant, he looked so adorable that Ticher felt her heart melt: “I merely heard the struggles and pleas of a resilient girl, but it was the brave and beautiful girl herself who climbed out and reclaimed what was rightfully hers. I suppose you’ve realized by now that when you truly cry out for help, there are many people around willing to assist, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
Thinking of the lord, as dazzling and beautiful as the morning glow, so wondrous it felt like a dream, Ticher grew somewhat dazed: “All of that… was brought by the great cat god and the lord… Huh?”
As if snapping back to reality, the girl stared in astonishment at the brown-haired young man before her.
“Sir, you,” though the divine power faintly clouded her perception, she could still glimpse a familiar outline through the thick haze that sent shivers down her spine: “You’re like, like…”
Oliver was genuinely taken aback this time.
Had the cat god’s divine power truly failed on this girl?
Even so, he didn’t panic.
He simply acknowledged her words implicitly, then naturally raised a finger to his soft lips, his smiling expression tinged with an air of profound mystery: “A clever girl surely knows how to keep a secret, right?”
Ticher’s mind went completely blank.
Whether Oliver admitted or denied it, she no longer knew how to react, and after a long pause could only nod blankly.
“Now then…”
Oliver naturally turned to the cat god who had been holding his hand all along, smiling gently as he said, “Let’s go back, dear ‘Jin’.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ticher watched in disbelief as this dreamlike, miraculous figure vanished like morning mist without a trace, completely unnoticed by anyone else.
She stood frozen in place, unaware of being jostled by the dancing crowd, and completely oblivious to the young man inviting her to dance.
It wasn’t until Daining, who had been drinking beer, finally found her and waved a hand before her eyes, asking in confusion, “Ticher? What’s wrong with you?” that she stirred.
How could anyone be spacing out in such a lively square, at such a grand evening party?
Seeing her friend’s concerned face, the petrified Ticher finally came back to life.
“Oh my god.”
She slowly drew a sharp breath, tightly covering her mouth to suppress the scream that nearly escaped.
So that was it.
So that was it!
She had… she had actually met the lord long ago!
Daining was nearly frightened out of her wits by Ticher’s behavior.
She stared dumbfounded at her friend, who had always been much calmer and more mature than herself, now wearing an expression of tearful joy, acting as if she’d gone mad, babbling incoherently in excitement.
“Are… are you alright, Ticher?”
Ticher didn’t hear Daining’s words at all, instead wiping away tears of overwhelming joy while murmuring in a tone that left her friend completely bewildered: “I’m so lucky, Daining. I can’t believe it! But it’s all true, oh god, how could I not have realized? I’ve been so careless, so stupid! How could there be two people like that? He’s one of a kind!”
That miracle had truly been brought by the divine messenger!
Meanwhile, back in the castle, the human and the deity were still discussing the earlier events with great interest.
“I never expected,” Oliver said with a smile, looking at the deity who was pursing his lips seriously, “my dear, powerful, omnipotent cat god, that your divine power would fail on a weak young girl one day.”
Hearing these clearly teasing words, the deity who had been feeling somewhat guilty and puzzled suddenly felt reassured.
The tail that had been anxiously swishing behind him gradually stilled.
“I was too careless,” the deity reflected solemnly. “And that girl – her willpower and faith are remarkably strong.”
During that brief instant, in her heart she truly regarded Oliver and that benefactor as beings like gods, worshipping them with the utmost reverence.
That devotion surpassed even her faith in the Cat God, and even her awe toward any other deity—only then did the divine power, which had always seemed unfailing, suddenly lose its effect.
Of course, this was also because the Cat-eared God hadn’t used much divine power to conceal Oliver’s appearance, allowing an ordinary human to break through it so suddenly.
“That won’t happen again.” He spoke with some chagrin, making a sincere promise: “Oliver, shall we go again? We can change appearances once more.”
To his disappointment and surprise, Oliver refused with a beaming smile.
“I’ve seen enough excitement for today. Let them enjoy these three days of spring revelry without any disturbance,” the golden-haired lord said with a laugh. “For me, there’s no greater gift than the happy smiles on my people’s faces. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t put it that way.”
He shifted his tone and continued, “For ‘Oliver’ as a ‘lord’, the happiness of the territory’s people is most important. For ‘Oliver’ as a ‘duke’, Fosse and the others matter most.”
“But as a ‘believer’, or rather, as my truest self…”
As he spoke, the golden-haired lord whose beauty could dazzle even a god leaned closer with a gentle smile, softly planting a kiss on his cheek.
Like coaxing a jealous beloved cat.
“&%&%,” and in his ears, whenever his true divine name was spoken by his beloved partner, it carried an intoxicating, bewitching quality: “Your companionship is what I value most, my most treasured possession.”
