The Impending Farewell and a Deceptive Plan

“How can you sleep anywhere?”

“Really?”

Mingqian gently draped a garment over Aile, his thoughts inevitably turning to the path ahead.

She would grow up eventually, and then, she would discover that everyone else in this world was different from her.

Possessing immense talent, she was said to perceive the world in a way unique to geniuses.

Still, he resolved to take things one step at a time; the system’s description suggested that his rating would determine the extent of his rewards, prompting him to strive for prolonged survival.

He yearned for abilities that would allow him to escape Bai Wanting’s control upon returning to the real world, perhaps even reclaiming his girlfriend.

Then, not only would they make tofu, but he would force them to make it right before his eyes!

…Though, of course, this was merely a fantasy.

As for Aile, once she turned eighteen, he would entrust Chris with taking her back to the royal capital for schooling, while he himself would return to his mansion, resuming his role as duke…

****

Cold fingers covered his eyes, and a girl’s smiling voice drifted into his ear.

That voice, far more mature and alluring than Aile’s innocent tones.

“Master? Guess who I am?”

The scent of lavender instantly revealed the newcomer’s identity.

“Eliza, stop messing around.”

“Heh heh…”

Only then did the young woman step before him, offering a slight curtsy.

“Eliza has come to see you.”

Mingqian nodded subtly.

Eliza, Chris’s elder sister, was five years her senior, with a more ample figure that exuded maturity.

She glanced softly at Aile, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

“Is the little princess sleeping? How adorable.”

Stepping closer, she gently stroked the girl’s cheek, and Aile stirred, as if annoyed.

“Eliza, don’t wake her.

She only just managed to fall asleep.”

“Understood.”

The young woman nodded obediently.

Interestingly, Chris stubbornly refused to call Aile by name, always referring to her as “that little dog,” while Eliza consistently called her “little princess.”

Aile, of course, remained oblivious to their existence.

In Aile’s eyes, he was merely a farmer, and she, a farmer’s child.

“How are things in the royal capital?”

Mingqian inquired.

Eliza nodded slightly.

“There are no issues.

Her Royal Highness still hasn’t located you, but… I fear we can’t hide for much longer.”

Mingqian sighed, the reality proving harsher than he had imagined; he might not be able to raise Aile to adulthood.

“Before, she merely believed you were upset with her.

But now, she can no longer bear the loneliness, and I fear she will deploy the royal army.”

“To resort to the army just to find someone, she truly is terrifying.”

Eliza nodded but offered no further comment.

In truth, she felt her master gravely underestimated Her Royal Highness’s obsession with him; a young woman in love was capable of anything.

“How long do you think we can hold out?”

“A year, at most a year.”

Mingqian groaned.

The empire was vast, but the army’s methods were far more formidable.

Noyu was no naive princess; she would never believe Chris and Eliza were on her side.

Following that thread, he would inevitably be caught.

“Eliza, tell Chris to please buy me another six months.”

“Once I return, I will grant both of you your freedom.”

Eliza turned her head away, speaking with a hint of displeasure.

“Master… you know full well that child won’t leave you, and neither will I.”

“Why would you say such things?

It’s precisely your nature… that has made Her Royal Highness Noyu the way she is.”

“Forget half a year; even if that child were to die by your hand, she wouldn’t harbor a single complaint.”

Eliza sighed helplessly, then bowed deeply once more.

“Next time, it will be that child who comes.

Please, never speak such words again.”

Having said her piece, she rose and departed, as if she had never been there at all.

****

‘A year and a half?’

Only a year and a half remained, a duration he found painfully short.

Yet, he was powerless against Noyu.

With his current abilities, he possessed almost nothing beyond money and influence, and her power and wealth conveniently surpassed his own.

It was truly a pity that he couldn’t raise the girl to adulthood.

However, what if he took her to the royal capital and raised her as a duke?

By then, having received tutelage from countless individuals, she would surely view the world with a broader perspective.

As long as the fact of her magic was carefully concealed…

The title and wealth he would leave her after the simulation ended would be enough for her to live a carefree life.

In this world, levels ranged from 1 to max, with no upper limit; only those with true talent could break past level 99.

Every ten levels marked a major milestone.

He had been at level 55 since the simulation began, and it hadn’t budged in years.

The talents he had chosen were too pragmatic, lacking in cultivation potential; reaching level 55 was already a stroke of luck.

The girl, however, likely possessed terrifying talent.

Yet, over the years, the girl had become overly attached to him.

Whenever he wasn’t home, she would search for him from house to house.

If she couldn’t see him at night, she would stubbornly refuse to sleep.

She would never begin eating until he did…

In short, wherever Aile was, Mingqian was sure to be found, and vice versa.

‘Would she refuse to go to the royal capital alone?’

‘She might cry for a long time, or stubbornly refuse to go.’

The mere thought of such a scene gave Mingqian a headache.

Just then, a plan suddenly began to form in his mind.

A way to make Farmer Mingqian disappear, allowing Duke Mingqian to naturally remain by her side.

It was said that what left the most profound impression on a child’s mind was “parting.”

‘Feigning death…’

He murmured to himself, ‘How can I make Aile accept the duke’s existence, yet forget me?’

‘Feigning death.’

Have Duke Mingqian kill Farmer Mingqian.

Dying before her would not only leave a lasting impression on the girl but also allow the duke to appear naturally by her side.

‘Perhaps I should stage a grand show of killing myself.’

In an empire where magical tools were highly developed, creating a custom scarecrow was not difficult, and changing its face was an easy feat.

He had raised the girl to this point over the years, and in another year and a half, it would be time for their separation.

This way, he could continue to be by the girl’s side as the duke.

However, by doing so, she might come to hate him.

Still, he had indeed personally killed her mother, so if she were to hate him, there was nothing to be done.

A smile touched his lips at the thought; after all, raising a witch into a person useful to this world proved he wasn’t entirely useless.

“Nevertheless, with a year and a half still remaining, I’ll make sure to spend it well with her.”

At least for now, that was still a distant concern.

[Time was drawing near, but watching the girl grow day by day, you couldn’t help but smile.]

[Aile had mastered all sorts of practical knowledge and could read, truly becoming a person in every sense of the word.]

[She learned farming, hunting, starting fires, cooking, and washing clothes from you; you imparted all your knowledge without reservation.]

[Although she called you ‘teacher,’ she treated you as her master.]

[You resolved to solve all the girl’s problems before your departure.]

[Thus, that evening, under your persistent questioning, she finally revealed that past event.]