Chapter 66

Bang! Bang! The front door of the Javier mansion shook incessantly. It just happened to be a day when rain was pouring down like madness. The Earl of Miteron, unable to tell if it was tears or rainwater streaming down his face, kept pounding on the door without end.

“Duke! Duke! Please help me! You’re the only one who can!”

However, there was no sign of the sturdy door opening. The Earl, with his fists tightly clenched, slid down the door.

“Oh, please, help me… please…”

But his cries were hopelessly drowned out by the sound of the torrential rain.

. . . Standing by the window, Duke Javier gazed in the direction of the invisible front door.

“What a foolish friend…”

He had heard that the Earl of Miteron had come to seek help for several days, but he never went out to see him. The Earl of Miteron, who had been a trusted right-hand man and a close friend since they were boys, had faced all kinds of adversities together without ever turning their backs on each other. They were comrades. Despite this, there was no time to share with the former Earl, who had lost his title. He was no longer of any use.

“I warned him, but he didn’t listen, and now it has come to this.”

The only difference between them was whether or not they were willing to get their hands dirty. He had advised the Earl many times not to leave any loose ends, but the Earl didn’t listen. In the end, he was betrayed by his subordinates and lost everything.

“Tsk.”

Duke Javier, who had been staring out the window, forced himself to turn away and returned to his desk to review the new documents his secretary had placed there. His expression twisted with each dense paragraph he read.

“What… what does this mean?”

“The former Earl of Miteron’s assets have already been taken by others.”

“Well, that’s a problem…”

It was actually a rather serious issue. The Duke had made a significant investment in the Earl’s casino under a false identity and had been receiving considerable profits from it. If the casino now belonged to someone else, how was he supposed to handle this? Asserting his claim to the profits could implicate him in the Earl’s corruption.

“No, that won’t do… that just won’t do…”

Moreover, he had also extended his reach into auctions and other businesses, incurring substantial losses. He had recently purchased a gold mine at an exorbitant price, which had already strained his finances. Of course, the purpose wasn’t the gold itself, but now he needed to liquidate it to raise funds.

“Why isn’t the gold coming in from the mine I bought recently?”

“Oh, about that…”

The secretary looked at the Duke cautiously. The Duke instinctively realized something was wrong.

“What is it? Speak up.”

“We dug quite deep, but there’s no gold.”

“…No gold?”

That was impossible. He had won the bid for a mine that was already producing gold, and it had been guaranteed by experts. No gold?!

“There’s no gold. Something must be wrong. Tell the workers to dig deeper!”

“The work is ongoing, but there’s been no news. It seems we might have made a mistake.”

“Unbelievable…”

Suddenly cut off from his funding, Duke Javier fell into a state of panic. While he could delay the repayment of his debts, this was a matter of pride. The Javier family, leaders of the prestigious Imperial faction, asking for an extension on debt repayment would be a scandal in high society.

‘That must not happen.’

He couldn’t let the family’s honor be tarnished. But how could he solve this urgent financial problem? As the Duke was seriously pondering a solution, his secretary announced a visitor.

“Your Grace. A visitor has arrived.”

“The Earl of Miteron?”

“No, it’s not him.”

“Then who?”

“He said you would recognize the name Ace.”

It was a completely unexpected visit. *** Ace smiled warmly and took a sip of tea.

“The aroma is truly delightful.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected visit, the Duke couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. After all, they had always met in salons.

“There’s something I didn’t tell you, Your Grace. I actually worked at the Earl of Miteron’s auction house.”

“You? That’s strange. I’ve never seen you there.”

“I wasn’t the one who dealt with clients.”

Ace’s demeanor was so natural that Duke Javier didn’t doubt his words for a moment. He wasn’t the type to remember every employee’s face or appearance, so there was no reason to suspect him.

“I heard from a friend at the auction house that you’re in trouble, Your Grace.”

“Indeed. How did the news spread so quickly?!”

The Duke became anxious. If the news had already spread, there was nothing he could do. Ace, who had been calmly observing the Duke’s flustered state, smiled.

“If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know. I’ll share all the information I have.”

“Would you, really?”

For a long time, the Duke had been benefiting from the various pieces of information Ace provided. He was a reliable talent. The fear of losing his honor and the loss of a trusted right-hand man, coupled with his unconditional trust in Ace, made the Duke lose his usual composure.

“Perhaps I mentioned it before, but I belong to the information guild, Evil.”

“You? ……Yes, now I see why you have so much useful information.”

While he had suspected that Ace’s information came from a reliable source, he hadn’t realized it was from Evil.

“Your Grace might have heard that people often come to Evil when they need urgent funds.”

“Yes, I have.”

“So I think I can help you…”

“…That’s right!”

Without any doubt or distrust, the Duke, who had become accustomed to Ace’s information, nodded weakly.

“Ace, I trust your information, yes, yes…”

And there, Duke Javier signed the loan agreement Ace had presented without hesitation.

“I’ll come again soon.”

Ace, with a warm smile, quickly pocketed the agreement. ***

“That’s all.”

“Good work.”

I was eating a delicious macaron while listening to Eidan’s report. I couldn’t help but hum a tune.

‘It’s so easy to bring down a family.’

The House of Miteron, which had been hit directly by my father’s anger, was utterly shattered. Fortunately, they avoided execution, but they were left with nothing, to the point where death might have been better.

“They are seeking help from other nobles they know through collateral lines.”

“Is anyone helping them?”

“No.”

“That’s why people should cultivate virtue in their daily lives.”

The Earl, who had no one to help him when he fell, had wasted his life. The thought of losing his trusted right-hand man made the Duke feel much lighter. In fact, the Duke’s face at recent meetings had been so pale that it was quite enjoyable.

‘Duke Javier will be next.’

While listening to the conversation between the nanny and Gustav, my eyes burned with anger. How dare he give me shoes that make a 'pop' sound.

“…”

Gustav, Gustav, Gustav!! *** The 'pop' sound shoes Gustav gave me started a new rumor, and soon a barrage of gifts began to arrive. They were baby items that were recently popular.

“These are new design shoes.”

“Not interested.”

I grabbed the shoes Xavier offered and threw them away. Pop! The cute sound echoed as the shoes rolled cruelly on the floor. I huffed, but the people around me clapped and cheered.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a powerful Duke.”

“Even the Duke is so adorable.”

I closed my eyes and calmed my anger. If someone ever asked me if I had received a proper upbringing, I would answer, “I taught myself.”

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Father lately.’

Oscar often visited, and we would take walks and have meals together, but Father never showed his face. He even skipped meetings.

“Lysandro, Lysandro.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Where is Father?”

“Um, Your Highness….”

“…?”

Lysandro was evasive and avoided eye contact. This was unusual. What was going on?

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

‘There is something wrong.’

Feeling suspicious, I immediately got up from my chair.

“I want to see Father.”

“Pardon? But Your Highness is busy-.”

“I want to see him.”

There was definitely something wrong. Lysandro’s attempt to block me only strengthened my resolve. I led Lysandro to where Father was. I first went to the study, but only Gustav, with dark circles under his eyes, greeted me.

‘He said he was busy, but he’s not here? He was lying, of course.’

I immediately changed my destination to Father’s bedroom. As I walked, I realized:

‘This is the first time I’m going to Father’s bedroom.’

Since Father always came to where I was, I had never felt the need to seek him out. Feeling a strange sense of novelty, I arrived at Father’s bedroom and turned to Lysandro for permission.

“Your Highness, Father doesn’t like others entering his bedroom-.”

“Even me?”

“You are an exception.”

Lysandro sighed and opened the door for me. I cautiously stepped inside. The bedroom was dark, and it took me a while to adjust to the darkness. Since Lysandro didn’t follow, I carefully moved forward to avoid tripping. A strange smell filled the air, one I had faintly recognized before. Soon, I realized the room was filled with thick smoke.

‘He must have burned incense.’

As I walked toward the bed, the surroundings were eerily quiet.

‘Is Father sleeping…?’

The silence felt awkward. In the dim light, I could see the bed and Father lying on it.

“He must be sleeping.”

To avoid waking him, I tiptoed closer. I wanted to see Father’s sleeping face.

‘Father has seen my sleeping face, so it’s unfair.’

I would see it too. I reached the bedside, and as the shadow of the moon gradually lifted, I could see Father’s face, eyes closed.

‘So this is how Father sleeps.’

Having achieved my goal, I didn’t want to disturb his sleep. I turned to leave, but then—

Whoosh! My body was pulled, and I felt a cold sensation at my neck.

“To dare intrude without fear.”

A voice so cold it made me shiver involuntarily. The movement was so large that the sharp blade cut my neck slightly.

“Ah.”

The involuntary moan made Father’s surprised voice come from behind me.

“Siana…?”

Clang! The sword Father was holding fell to the ground. Only then did I turn to face him. His disheveled appearance and the look on his face were something I had never seen before. A desperate gaze, as if he knew it couldn’t be true but had resigned himself to it. As our eyes met, his unfocused gaze sharpened.

“Mabel…”

As Father reached out to me in shock, I covered my mouth with both hands.

“Burp!”

Taking a step back without realizing it, Father’s face showed shock.

“What have I done…”