Chapter 172

‘My father is about to abandon me.”

Ferdinand’s future had always been set already. A solid life of a Marquis. Unlike other families, he had no brothers to fight for the title. What had already unfolded in front of him was a truly comfortable life.

For the first time ever, however, he felt that his vision had darkened. His life, which wasn’t even like the time he was caught in a big debt at the gambling house, was now proceeding straight towards jeopardy.

No way.

It was certainly not what he had in mind in making things this way. In extreme anxiety, he began to shout gibberish.

“If it wasn’t for the Duke, everything would have been planned for our family to elevate our own power! Everything is for the sake of our family!”

“Elevate? Are you saying that you don’t even know how things are going on right now and you’re just thinking about such idiocy?”

“Father!”

“I don’t even want to hear you utter that word; father!”

Ferdinand’s lips immediately closed at that thunderous sound.

“The main problem is that I overlooked your foolishness before. I should’ve thrown you out of the family even from back then.”

The Marquis looked down at his son as if he was looking at such a filthy thing.

It was clear that his son still couldn’t comprehend the situation properly. He had raised an only child. Who would have thought that this could happen.

As he closed his eyes tightly, he turned his head to avoid looking anymore.

“I feel wronged, Father!”

“How can you say that you felt wronged after all of this?”

“I didn’t do this all alone!”

Marquis Werner’s head immediately swung around.

“If you’re saying it just to live longer, then stop it.”

“No, I’m telling you—”

Ferdinand shouted with a tad look of bitterness.

“I was just being used!”

“What…?”

Come to think of it, it was actually quite difficult for his son to carry out such a complicated and delicate task on his own. It had been all the more so considering his son’s sincerity.

Who the hell—the Marquis managed to swallow his rage once again before glaring at Ferdinand.

“Who was it that instigated you?”

“Arjan Clemence, she was the one who seduced me.”

The Marquis had to feel the shock of his legs which began to tremble yet again.

Ferdinand, who now had nothing more to hide, started confessing every single thing.

It was Young Lady Clemence, who had condemned himself, and Count Clemence was the one who supported the funds and connection of this work.

As a result, the Count instantly knelt next to Ferdinand—side by side.

“Marquis! You’re doing this just because I did something!”

The Count’s voice, which sounded extremely ruffled, was rather fierce as well.

“I can’t believe that you’re suddenly pinning me down. Do you think the Clemence family will allow this to happen?”

The Marquis turned his eyes to the Count. As long as his son had committed high treason, there would be nothing much left for him. The Marquis’ eyes slowly turned frosty.

“If so, let me ask you just one question. Where are you going at this late hour?”

“Well, that’s……”

“Is this proud man trying to pack things out in secret?”

“That’s just an assumption!”

“Do you think it will stay as a speculation once your employees are being questioned—one by one?”

The cornered Count Clemence slowly took a look around. He couldn’t sit still at all. Then, he turned his eyes to those who had once been his own acquaintances.

However, the only thing that had been returned to Count Clemence was just another cold stare.

That was such a natural course of action. An in-depth relationship could never exist for those who viewed relationships with the others as a mere extension of a particular deal. It was just like a kite that was made of numbers. No one could actually offer any help to Count Clemence as they were among those who were only looking for gains and losses.

“I can’t believe that you’ve been trying to entice the Young Master in doing such a bizarre thing.”

“ I always thought that I was right, but who knew he would have such a dangerous idea instead?”

“The power of Count Clemence will now be just an honor of the past.”

A trail of gossiping voices. The gaze immediately tightened its noose at the Count without a single gap at all.

It was such a disgrace that he had never received in his life. The County of Clemence had always been one that was looked on with envy, not like a lumber that was looked down with contempt.

“Marquis, there must be a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? I heard that your superiors have secretly communicated with my son to and fro from the Kingdom of Portan. And that was behind my back too.”

“It was to repay the Marquis…”

“By the way, Count. From what I heard from the Duke of Linerio, you also decided to stop running your merchant group for a while now while staying vigilant, so how did you actually manage the merchant group anyway? Perhaps there was another merchant group, to be exact?”

Count Clemence’s eyes began to drain itself by turning blue. The matter of the merchant group was a secret of his and it was almost unearthed to the world.

“Marquis, that’s…”

“Also, Count Clemence tried to smuggle some goods that were never supposed to be brought in right into the Empire itself.”

“Duke Linerio!”

“Count, do accept the consequences.”

Raven’s cool gaze was already fixed on him.

“Before I take your life myself.”

Every word was uttered like he was gnawing on the words itself. The chilling voice was genuinely real. A man who could pulverize and annihilate the Count just like a mere egg—that was what the Duke of Linerio had always been.

The resigned Count Clemence’s head slowly fell onto the floor.

The prestigious Clemence family would now end up in the pits of ruin with the denouement of their current Count, Philius.