“Episode 29”
Betrayal has crossed the line.
On the day when Daphne lay in bed unable to open her eyes, Misha couldn’t understand why she had ended up sitting across from this man with the table covered in white papers. And did they really have to be this tense?
“Haha.”
It wasn’t laughter. Just a forced, artificial chuckle.
Once a prince, now a ghostly traitor, Therios, who had grown gaunt over the past two days, sat upright with a sour expression, examining the documents spread out before him.
The papers fluttering down one by one onto the table were clearly the documents Misha had secured to prevent any leaks.
“How on earth does he have these? The man who’s been holed up in the boss’s room every day…”
Celestian had been staying in Daphne’s room from the lectern to now. And he was even the one who had betrayed her with his own hands by cutting off his own feet.
“I can understand gambling a hundred times.”
Examining the papers for a while, Celestian finally picked up a sheet and spoke.
“Why did you invest in this wasteland?”
“It’s not a wasteland. And as for why, it’s because I wanted to pay off my debt to the lady.”
Misha replied promptly. Everything was laced with shame, so she couldn’t lie.
Thanks to Daphne, the young Shasha brothers had avoided extreme poverty and were living as citizens of Secradion with the residency they had obtained. The debt she owed them back then was enormous, and she couldn’t escape from Daphne until she paid it all off.
“It may be garbage.”
“It’s not.”
The area Celestian referred to as a “wasteland” was literally a barren land.
“From what’s written here, it seems like you weren’t investing, but… speculating.”
Celestian gently pointed out, but burst into laughter, finding it absurd.
“It was for speculation purposes. It was legal where I was, so I didn’t know it was a scam. Lord Baldwin said the same thing.”
According to Lord Baldwin, the place was perfect for growing grapes, and the wine entrepreneur Konya was interested. A year ago, Misha had invested some money there. It was still a bit of a dilemma since it hadn’t been sold yet.
“Baldwin is a scammer. This is false advertising.”
“Excuse me?”
Misha queried with a new voice. Although she had vaguely noticed, hearing the fact she had been trying to ignore from someone else made her feel embarrassed.
“You didn’t know, huh? So you’re still in debt. Is it okay for Daphne’s capable secretary to be like this?”
“I saw it myself. The weather was…”
“It must have been very nice. May?”
He asked if she had gone in May. Misha nodded.
“The weather is always nice then. Especially here, where the sun shines brightly. But apart from then, it’s all a rainy season when grapevines rot underwater.”
“…”
“Understand?”
Misha’s jaw dropped. Of course, she didn’t know. The pictures sent every month were beautiful images of sunny grapevines.
Celestian looked at her dumbfounded gray eyes and tapped his chin twice with the back of his hand. Misha remained silent.
“But, why didn’t you tell the lady? If you had told her right away, she could have helped. Now, with just the interest alone, how much is it…?”
Celestian’s left eyebrow twitched, and he clicked his tongue once.
“That’s…”
As Misha, she couldn’t say it. It was a new debt she had taken on to pay off Daphne’s previous debt. There were complicated stories wrapped up in this debt.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Celestian said cheerfully. It was a voice that didn’t match his green eyes, which had lost their luster.
“Pardon?”
“But I need your help in return.”
Misha raised her palm, thinking she knew this would happen.
“I decline.”
“What will you do if I tell your employer about this?”
Celestian was treating Misha like a child, speaking in a tone that suggested he might buy her a toy or not. Misha didn’t catch onto it, and it was inevitable for her to act this way.
“I didn’t know you were so childish. Besides, if our boss, who is currently lying in bed, hears about it, he’ll take you straight to hell.”
“Daphne can’t go to hell. As long as I’m here.”
Misha was perplexed. Her employer was more likely to hear that she couldn’t go to heaven when she died.
“About what you just said…”
“She thinks I’m an angel.”
For a moment, his smiling face seemed to sparkle. Misha regretted not asking him to stop.
“Maybe that’s why even childish things suit you well.”
Celestian playfully tapped his own cheek as if teasing Misha.
“Even if His Grace speaks, our lady will trust me more. She might scold me a little.”
Depending on Daphne’s mood, she was currently in a good state like a clear sky. It was an undeniable fact that this was thanks to the man in front of her.
“Like you said, just continue owing the lady. Therefore, His Grace will never clear my debt.”
“That’s right.”
Celestian scratched his cheek and then gently tapped his chin. With his index finger on the other hand, he slowly traced over the table. After drawing a large semicircle, he wrote down a word.
His green eyes still lacked light. Therefore, his gaze seemed sharper.
“But if your lady is protecting murderers, and I report it…”
“Aren’t you?”
“I have evidence that Lebanon, who died in the fire, was actually shot to death.”
Celestian gathered the scattered papers on the table and shook them briskly.
“If I confess everything to the police about the woman protecting criminals with black-dyed hair…”
“You don’t have evidence.”
Celestian released the tension in his hand holding the paper. The fluttering papers settled back on the table.
“Maybe not.”
Celestian murmured softly. Misha immediately understood what his actions meant. Her throat throbbed once. She was torn between certainty that this man wouldn’t do it and a subtle distrust.
“If Daphne is in danger, she said she would leave on her own. I’ll keep my promise.”
Misha was surprised by the unexpected response. It didn’t seem like a lie.
“What exactly do you want?”
“It’s simple.”
In the end, Misha had no choice but to comply with his request, which only required a certain amount of cash and a spoken word.
—
Daphne’s face, hearing the news, turned incredibly pale.
“Wow. So that’s it.”
Daphne’s thought process momentarily stopped, and she kept repeating the words “wow, so that’s it.”
“Misha Serena betrayed me.”
Daphne, barely holding onto her sanity, tilted her head to the left, looking at Misha in front of her as if she were something strange.
“But the traitor is still in my room? An Imperial slave, why haven’t you left yet? What have you been doing?”
Daphne’s stern and cold voice pierced Misha’s ears.
Today, Misha’s black hair felt particularly uncomfortable. It had only been dyed black a few days ago, but within a few years, the person who had grown taller than her and now even betrayed her.
“I’m sorry.”
“Wow, sorry?”
Daphne, with her flushed face, continued to make a popping sound.
Unable to contain her rising anger, Daphne raised her hand high and struck Misha’s cheek. With a sharp smack, Misha’s head turned to the left.
“Ouch, that really hurts.”
Kisha straightened her lips and frowned. She gingerly touched her own cheek a few more times. She knew better than anyone how fierce Daphne’s hand was, long and slender like a club.
One fortunate thing was that there were no accessories like rings on her hand…
“I can’t calm down.”
“Miss…”
“Hit her again with your fist. Kisha, bring me the signet ring. I’ll leave a mark on this slave’s face. Who does she think she is disobeying her master? Ridiculous.”
Daphne threatened Misha with her fist like a gangster. Although her words were intimidating, the atmosphere became slightly less tense after the blow.
“Miss, please calm down.”
Kisha knelt down to block Daphne. Daphne grabbed Kisha’s hair tightly and slapped her left cheek. The tall Kisha crumpled without energy.
“What are you doing, Kisha? Your lady is really calm right now… No, let’s hit her one more time. Go ahead.”
Misha silently lowered her eyes. The spot where she was hit was throbbing so much that her teeth involuntarily clenched.
Misha thought it was better if it ended with just being hit. If she got fired from Daphne’s room, she could take her resume and go anywhere to earn money. If things got worse, she could even ask Daphne for a recommendation letter after getting her face patched up.
Since she had resolved Baldwin, who had been unnecessarily troublesome to her employer, just that alone was a big achievement for Misha!
“But if she takes away my residence permit…”
Since she had made a mistake, it was right to take all the hits, whether with fists or slaps. Misha closed her eyes and waited for the stars to appear on her face. Daphne rushed in.
“Ugh, idiot.”
But there was no piercing sound. Instead, a hand slightly smaller than a fist pulled Misha close. The harsh hand gently swept down Misha’s back.
“Do the same next time. Take the money and do what you’re asked to do.”
“Why…”
“Because people take advantage first and fix things later. When you’re cornered, your head only rolls in that direction. Moreover, I offered to pay off that huge debt, so who wouldn’t be tempted? I mean, if I knew it, why wouldn’t I take advantage?”
“…Aren’t you going to cut her off?”
“You’re a capable secretary who brings me great benefits, and you’re going to fix everything I’ve done wrong. Why would I dismiss you when we’ve spent so many years together?”
Daphne stepped back a few steps. Misha’s cheek swelled according to the shape of her hand. Daphne gently stroked it.
“I hit you because you touched my things. If you do it again next time, you’re really dead.”
Although using violence was clearly self-defense, Daphne felt uncomfortable.
It was inevitable for people to be tempted by money. Misha, being a child with no capital but only debts, was even more so. She was being pushed around because of the huge debt owed to Daphne, who was herself being manipulated by some scumbag. It was shameful, to say the least.
“Why were you trying to pay off the debt? Did you hate working under me that much?”
“Boss, that’s…”
“Forget it. You still owe a lot of money, so you can’t leave.”
Daphne quickly covered up her discomfort.
“Miss, let me speak.”
“I told you not to make excuses. Besides that…”
Misha wanted to tell the real reason. That she hated being thought of as unable to leave because of a debt relationship. That she could work for her boss for a lifetime even without that debt. But Daphne dismissed such words as groundless.
“Didn’t Celestian say where he was going? You don’t know?”
He said he would be back in a few days anyway, and he disappeared with enough teasing words to console Misha.
Whether Celestian had anything to do with it or not, Misha’s debt was clearly resolved. The day after he disappeared, the story of the deceased viscount who returned all his property to society and ended his life was featured in the newspapers.
Since the creditor disappeared, Misha’s debt became nothing.
“If he was killed by the Duke, just because of me? Why?”
Misha bit her lip, looking at Daphne’s noticeably gloomy face. She felt desperate because there was nothing she could do for her.
“If he promised to come back, what is he doing?”
Unanswered questions continued to haunt her endlessly.
