Pure goodwill.
I am the best friend of the tragic hero who died. I want to help Lady Tang, as she resembles my friend. I mistakenly thought this setup and motivation were really nice.
In reality, the setup was good, but the motivation was the problem.
To repay the guestroom fee, pay for medicine, and accompany me on a long journey because she resembled a friend? It’s definitely suspicious.
To avoid suspicion around the pure goodwill motivation, ironically, I should have made a direct relationship like an engaged fiancé or a childhood friend I hadn’t seen in ten years.
Of course, if I maintained the act of being a nice person, I could have kept up the concept until the end. However, I failed to manage my expression at the sound of the printer and got caught.
Now that I’ve been exposed, should I reveal my true intentions?
“The purpose of my companionship was for the printer. I’m sorry for lying.” If I bend and say that, I’ll be messed up.
In Lady Tang’s heart, I would have already been branded a liar.
What if, in the midst of all this, I say that the printer was actually the goal?
People don’t receive goodwill unilaterally; if they have to pay some price, a hint of treachery emerges without realizing it.
I received a favor from a barbarian, but he’s just a liar, and in the end, he’ll give me what he wants. So I can do as I please. In fact, I’m the one in control. It could turn out like that.
So what should I do?
“I just need to set it up anew.”
Because of the truth I mentioned, they will likely continue to believe in my setup. If it gets exposed that it wasn’t merely pure goodwill but something ulterior, I still have a chance for a redo.
Let’s break away from the good person concept and reveal my ulterior motives with a casual tone.
If I prepare well, Lady Tang will probably beg me to go with her.
Lady Tang.
I need to take control.
———-
To regain control, I needed to be ready to open the closed door of Lady Tang’s guest room.
“Really, barbarian. Are you going to give me the money for the medicine?”
“Yes. I will repay that money. I’ll also pay for the guest room.”
After paying the herbalist and the inn staff, I exchanged looks with them secretly.
“Is this enough?”
“Excellent.”
In fact, we had conspired together.
I asked them to press Lady Tang for money while saying I’m repaying my debt. Since they’re martial artists, I insisted they should speak harshly but not curse.
In dramatic situations, the prince’s entrance makes you view him differently, even if he’s your sworn enemy.
Lady Tang will be grateful to me, calming her anger. Plus, I successfully re-entered her room.
Starting off well.
Next, I need to throw out a magnificent bait.
“How did you come by this?”
Lady Tang asked, her eyes wide, looking at the container on the table.
“This is a medicine made by my best friend. He didn’t see it completed before he died, but he remembered the recipe.”
I gazed at the container with a bittersweet expression.
Naturally, what’s inside isn’t a cure. It’s a makeshift health supplement made from grain or dried goods, similar to something like Gyeokgokdan or Byeongnyanghwan.
Feeding a fake medicine to Lady Tang, who has mastered Poison Techniques, poses risks for identifying the ingredients, so I decided to switch things up and made it food.
“…Will this heal my body?”
Lady Tang, slightly suspicious after I mentioned my friend, spoke cautiously.
How should I know that?
I haven’t figured out how my Reverse Heaven’s Decree affects the poison heroine.
“One per day. Just eating it will certainly alleviate the pain. I can’t say about skin discoloration; by the time I completed this, my friend’s condition was beyond mere skin discoloration.”
I maintained an expression similar to someone lamenting their dear friend.
What’s the extent of the Reverse Heaven’s Decree effects? Thinking about the Heavenly Killing Star, alleviating pain might be the limit. If there are additional effects, what would they be?
For the poison heroine, beyond pain relief, there might be improvements like skin whitening, easing shoulder pains from her large chest, and muscle soreness from martial arts training.
When that happens, I’d better collect more money.
“Is this really a cure for poison?”
Lady Tang reached out with trembling hands towards the container on the table.
Where does she think she’s taking it? I promptly pulled the container back into my arms.
When I took it away, Lady Tang had a puzzled look, wondering why I was taking it back when I should show her.
I presented an irresistible bait.
Now it’s time to clean up my image.
“Hey, Lady Tang.”
I called her confidently.
“Why?”
“Why did you chase me away earlier?”
“If it’s you, I can’t just sit back and watch someone whose ulterior motives are glaringly obvious, pretending they’re here out of pure goodwill!”
“Ah, so my pure goodwill was actually a lie. Is that it?”
I pretended to be baffled as I dusted off my hands toward Lady Tang.
“W-what? You admitted it was a lie!”
Did my confident demeanor work? Lady Tang momentarily flustered.
Maybe she isn’t mistaking that I lied. Is she starting to doubt herself?
If I had truly lied, I wouldn’t have come back to repay the money and bring the medicine.
Then, let’s add more weight.
“Hey. If I hadn’t had goodwill toward you, would I have revealed the nature of the medicine that night? Would I have intervened when people were at odds? Would I have shared secrets regarding poison?”
Come on. Go ahead, refute my claim about pure goodwill.
It won’t be easy, since everything I said is fact.
“…I saw your eyes change when you talked about your maternal grandfather.”
Lady Tang spoke after seemingly contemplating that she couldn’t find a counter-argument.
‘I need to clean up the ulterior motives.’
Even if I prepared thoroughly and explained well, if I can’t clear my ulterior motives, it’ll all be for nothing.
That’s why I intentionally shifted to a different image.
“Lady Tang, what do you think my profession is?”
“A negotiator.”
You know that well. You made an effort to find out who I was after we met that night.
“Yes, a negotiator. Do you think negotiators like me have a lot of money like rich girls?”
“I don’t know much about that.”
“You’ve lived comfortably all your life, so worrying about money might be an unusual experience for you, but for negotiators like me, it’s always a worry.”
“Hmph. So in the end, you’re after money too.”
Now that Lady Tang scoffed, she gave a look that said she believed I was no different from others.
“After money? What kind of twisted mindset is that? How ridiculous, Lady Tang. Do you really think you can malign someone who has approached you out of goodwill?”
“What? You bastard. It’s true.”
Though she responded with ugly words upon seeing my indignation, it seemed like she was unsure, as her shoulders shrank slightly.
That’s right, Lady Tang. You mistook me. I don’t actually have ulterior motives.
Now I’ll let you know.
“I want to help Miss Hwa-rin, but I don’t have much money. Yet I can’t just ignore someone like my friend facing a predicament. So when I heard about your grandfather, I thought I could get my money back. Wouldn’t I?”
It’s not ulterior motives. I genuinely wanted to help you, but reality presented me with hurdles.
Let’s boldly shift my ulterior motives from dark intentions to a shade of gray.
“…If that’s the case, you could have just said so honestly. Why did you mention pure goodwill?”
After a moment of thought, Lady Tang expressed her concerns weakly.
Good. I’ve convinced her. Now to reinforce my reasoning.
“I’ve been courteous to you, Miss Hwa-rin. In all honesty, I don’t have much money. You will return it, right? How should I say this? Besides, you won’t just give me money either.”
“I can give you money when I go to my grandfather’s house.”
Her timid refutation. I lightly pressed down on that opinion with a finger.
“So there’s really no need to say anything. When you visit your grandfather, he’ll welcome me in saying, ‘Ah! This friend! Thanks for bringing my granddaughter. You’ve worked hard.’ He’ll take care of you, won’t he? Am I wrong?”
“He would, I suppose.”
Lady Tang timidly agreed, imagining her grandfather taking care of us.
“I had to do some calculations because of that. If what you say is true, then is that ulterior motives? Well, it would be labeled as such. I’ve brought the medicine’s identity and resolved the money issue! I’ve even revealed the secrets of the poison! But, if at the end I want to be treated well by your grandfather, that’s ulterior motives, right? Yes! It would count as such.”
As I raised my voice confidently, Lady Tang had little to say, looking down with a shadowed face.
Can’t say anything back, can you? You’ll acknowledge my ulterior motives, just a shade of gray, right?
A moment of silence passed.
Lady Tang continued to bow her head before speaking softly enough for me to hear.
“…Still. To establish a relationship of goodwill, it has to come from pure goodwill, right? Isn’t that how one approaches others?”
Just admit defeat already. Why bring this up again?
Ah, this girl seems to have illusions about pure relationships.
I think I need to use shock therapy.
“Ha. Seriously. Talking like a spoiled flower in a greenhouse. Hey, Lady Tang. Honestly, don’t you have any friends?”
I scratched my hair in frustration and spoke in an annoyed tone.
“What?! What are you saying?! I have friends!”
Lady Tang’s face turned bright red in an instant.
Lady Tang. Your expression is exactly like mine when I was being mocked for being single among the popular kids! Ah, I’m not single!
Lady Tang. It truly seems you have no friends.
To be fair, no one would approach her because of her skin. Living at home, only the ones from rich families who knew of her would come near her.
Good. Then there’s always a way.
“Lady Tang, normally, people come close for various reasons. Then, the ones that click would deepen their relationship, and what you call a relationship of goodwill is built. The reason you lack such relationships isn’t that others haven’t approached you with pure goodwill. It’s because you haven’t gained their trust, right?”
“….”
Lady Tang closed her mouth, possibly reflecting on many uncomfortable truths in her life.
It’s wrong to keep pressing her. Shall I throw her a lifeline now?
“Hey, Lady Tang.”
“What?”
“If you want to see pure goodwill, I’ll accompany you with pure goodwill from now on.”
“What? You’re doing it because of your grandfather….”
“It’s not pure goodwill toward you. It’s pure goodwill for my deceased friend.”
I placed the medicine I had concealed back on the table.
“What do you mean by that?”
“This medicine. My friend researched this medicine but never completed it before his death. He instructed that, upon his death, I should dissect his body to study it. Do you understand how it feels to see countless skilled doctors cut open a friend’s remains for research?”
I spoke with a somber expression, gazing at the medicine container.
“He was dissected?”
Lady Tang slightly parted her lips in shock, alternating gazes between me and the medicine.
“My friend believed that I’d complete this medicine even after he died, and I couldn’t betray his trust. Therefore, I will accompany you to witness his legacy, the goodwill towards my friend, helping you heal.”
“….”
Lady Tang looked at me with a shocked expression.
What do you think, Lady Tang? Suddenly speaking of something dark and noble, are you mesmerized?
Having sufficiently shaken her, it’s time to regain control.
“But in return, from today on, you need to earn my trust.”
I wore a faint smile and pointed a palm at her.
“Why should I earn your trust?”
She asked in a slightly disgruntled voice.
“Because I helped you at your most vulnerable moment.”
“What do you mean?”
“I helped you in trouble without any expectations and even after you refused me, I still wanted to help, so I created this treatment. I’m someone who doesn’t care about your appearance. To you, I might be a failure, but I’m the one closest to what you call ‘pure goodwill’ in your life, the one who can offer you the last chance for goodwill.”
“Uh…”
Lady Tang froze, processing my logical argument like a malfunctioning kiosk.
After a brief pause, I opened my mouth for the final time.
“So, at the very least, you should try to earn my trust. Then we might just establish the relationship you desire.”
Lady Tang is labeled as “Poison Lady Tang” in the original history, having her body filled with poison due to the side effects of being a poisoner. In the narrative, she is cursed by the Sichuan Tang Family and commits evil deeds amid laughter from others.
I’m extending my hand towards her.
The lonely poison user. Poison Lady Tang.
If only you could reach out, I’ll catch you.
“…What happens if I can’t build trust?”
She slightly turned her head and asked uncertainly.
Good. We’re almost there.
“When we arrive in Yichang, if we remain as just companions, we can collect money from your grandfather and part ways.”
“And if we build trust?”
“Haha. Who knows? Maybe I’ll share with you the fate of your friends?”
“What, what does that mean?”
“I can’t think of anything right now. Let’s see where it leads. So, how will you earn my trust? Are you in or what?”
Are you going with me or not?
I pushed the medicine container toward her as a sign of consent.
If you grab that, you’ll know what it means.
She alternated her gaze between my face and the medicine container before finally speaking up.
“…I’ll try.”
Lady Tang naturally picked up the medicine container.
