Chapter 2: The Duke of Darkness Collects the Debt

Roselia’s green eyes, effortlessly avoiding the flying bottle, turned icy. The bottle hurled towards the wall behind her shattered loudly upon striking the floor.

She glanced over slightly, her gaze falling upon the man who had thrown the bottle with indifference, exhaling deeply.

“For heaven’s sake! Where is the hidden money? Surely my father left you at least a penny?” The man known as her older brother kept muttering, filling the air with a pungent smell of alcohol. Roselia wrinkled her nose in disgust as she coldly replied.

“Where is the money left in this miserable house? You’ve already squandered whatever Lord Hesingk left behind, haven’t you?”

Not a word of what she said was incorrect.

The health of the master of this house, Lord Hesingk, had deteriorated rapidly, and the estate was in a steep decline. The so-called heir had nothing better to do than spend his time drinking and playing cards with dubious characters all night. If the estate didn’t decline under such circumstances, that would have been even more surprising.

Count Hesingk had remarried and brought Roselia, his stepdaughter, to the mansion.

Strictly speaking, it was no different from a relationship between people with no blood ties. That’s probably why Count Hesingk had treated her like a servant until his death.

“Haven’t you saved any money from your frequent outings? Don’t tell me you don’t even have that.”

Is he intoxicated and out of his mind? No, Antonio was the kind of person who lived without any basic principles.

“Who do you think is maintaining this crumbling mansion without a single servant?”

Under her direct gaze, Antonio, as if at a loss for words, averted his eyes and eventually pushed past her.

“Move!”

There were almost no valuable items left in the house, as he had taken everything of value with him. He had even sold the few small crystal chandeliers that were hanging from the ceiling and the paintings on the walls just to make ends meet.

Antonio, who was looking around the mansion that was too modest to be called the Count’s mansion, grabbed a few of the remaining candle holders that had been providing some light.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough, as he irritably spoke, surveying his surroundings like a hungry hyena.

“Isn’t there anything more valuable?”

Stay calm… After all, there is no point in getting angry at a beast in the first place.

He was no different from a beast that had given up on being human.

Moreover… it was about time for that to happen anyway, so it was time to get rid of this annoying guy from this mansion.

Roselia quietly drew the dagger she had hidden in her bosom.

As she suddenly pulled out the dagger and approached with an ominous expression, Antonio, who lacked both swordsmanship and intelligence, stumbled back in surprise.

“W-What is it?!”

Antonio, who was likely to be helpless even if she were to swing the dagger, especially in his intoxicated state…

With a pale face, he stumbled backward, ultimately falling on his rear end. Roselia, who watched his fall indifferently, raised the dagger to the side.

“Heeek…!!”

Terrified, he hunched his body and raised his arm.

Swoosh –

The sound of something being cut echoed from the sharp tip of the blade. It wasn’t so much the sound of slicing something as it was the sound of forcibly cutting through fabric or thread with a knife.

Feeling no pain, Antonio slowly lowered his arm and looked ahead with a twisted expression.

There, Roselia, who had cut her long and lustrous black hair with her own hands, was looking down at him with her hair now shortened to just below her ears.

As Antonio sat dumbfounded with a bewildered expression, Roselia, with a disdainful look, extended a handful of the cut hair toward him.

“You said you want something valuable, right?”

“Uh, uh…?”

“This is the last valuable thing in this house, take it and disappear.”

Even though it had been neglected and not well cared for, the black hair in her hand still had a glossy sheen. Making a wig with it and selling it to wig merchants would fetch a good sum of money.

Antonio, with a reluctant expression, reached out his hand and grabbed the cut hair.

“Disgusting shit!.”

Watching Antonio, who ran away from the mansion as if fleeing for his life after uttering those words, Roselia silently chuckled to herself.

‘Disgusting,’ you say? Well, what wouldn’t I do to stay alive? When your life’s on the line, you’re willing to do much worse. This is just the beginning.

Antonio would probably be caught by the gamblers to whom he owed money in the back alleys tonight, and would never return to the mansion. Whether he died or was sold into slavery, she wouldn’t know. After all, it wasn’t written in the novel.

And soon, the man who would come looking for her would be holding the lifeline of this cursed body.

To her, it was no different from gambling. After all, whether she abandoned this mansion and fled, she would either starve to death or be sold into slavery. She had decided to embrace adventure rather than walk the guaranteed thorny path.

She was about to face Duke Claus de Valtezar, the darkness and villain of this novel.

Fortunately, she knew him very well, and he didn’t know her.

She smiled meaningfully as she looked at her short-cropped black hair in the reflection by the window.

* * *

A black carriage pulled up in front of the neglected mansion, a place that appeared uninhabited for an extended period. As the carriage door swung open, a well-dressed man clad in a navy-blue suit stepped out.

His icy blue eyes, perfectly matching the deep navy of his attire, displayed a displeased expression as they scanned the eerie mansion, which seemed as if a ghost could emerge at any moment.

“Do people even live here?”

In response to his murmured query, a man with chestnut-colored hair, who had belatedly disembarked from the carriage, unfolded some documents he had brought and muttered.

“The documents clearly state that Count Hesingk has passed away, and his heirs, Antonio de Hesingk and Roselia de Hesingk, are residing here.”

The man in the navy suit cast a displeased gaze over the mansion and offered a brief comment.

“Even if I sell this mansion, I will not recover even half of Count Hessink’s debt.”

Duke Klaus de Valtezar.

He was a man who, merely by breathing, guaranteed wealth and honor. However, another name by which he was known was the “Vault of Lugbelzet.” It was said that all the money and gold of the Lugbelzet Empire passed through his hands.

Externally, he invested in construction projects such as schools, libraries, and parks, but in reality, he engaged in usury, lending exorbitant sums of money to nobles and collecting interest.

Some nobles criticized him for this, considering it contrary to the honor and status of a noble, but from a young age, klaus had been dealing with giants in the financial world, and now he was a prominent moneylender, with even the imperial family in debt to him.

Furthermore, he was responsible for the construction of various public facilities for the empire, and openly criticizing the Valtesar family was uncommon. In fact, even nobles and top-tier figures were cautious when mentioning Duke Valtezar.

It was well known that even the imperial family owed him money, so there was no need to say more. Even neighboring countries beyond the national borders dared not cross paths with the Valtezar family.

Alejandro, seemingly irritated by the Duke’s cold and calculating gaze as he examined the mansion for any potential sources of money, opened his mouth.

“Well, let’s go inside for now. There might be something valuable hidden inside, unexpectedly.”

Having said that, Alejandro gestured toward the rear. Unbeknownst to them, several carriages had arrived, and stern-looking men disembarked, marching confidently into the mansion.

Following behind, their leader, Duke Valtezar, and Alejandro strolled leisurely.

Inside the mansion, it was apparent that there were no basic servants responsible for its upkeep, as dust filled the surroundings. The mansion was so neglected that even cobwebs were visible, causing a furrow in the Duke’s brow as he surveyed the scene.

Beside him, Alejandro, who was flipping through documents, muttered as if explaining the situation.

“Count Hesingk has passed away, and with the estate’s fortune declining, it seems they dismissed all the servants long ago. Ah… and…”

“And…?”

Klaus looked at Alejandro as if to ask if there was something worse. Alejandro cleared his throat, glanced around discreetly, and continued.

“Count Hesingk has passed away, and it seems his daughter, Roselia de Hesingk, also recently succumbed to the same illness.”

Kalus’s already furrowed brow deepened.

“Is that so?”

“Yes… The death report came in recently. It was buried in the back, and I just found it now.”

It was not good news. If there was nothing valuable left to cover the debt, they would have to find a way to collect money. But now, hearing that one of the heirs had passed away…

“Is Antonio de Hesingk the only one left?”

“On paper, it seems so.”

While it wasn’t expected that Antonio, who had long been reported to have fallen into gambling and alcoholism, would contribute much, there was little choice. With no other sources of money left with the Count, they had to hope for the best.

The servants of Duke Valtesar who had rushed in to seize the mansion’s furniture and valuables combed through the dusty interior, which was so neglected that it was more dust than anything else. Among them, one of the servants apparently found something and shouted loudly in Alejandro’s direction.

“Sir Sebastian, over here!”

“Why? Is there something there?”

When Alejandro raised his head with a hopeful glance, the servant who had spoken replied with a puzzled expression.

“There’s someone over here.”

Kalus’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the servant’s words. The only person who should be in the mansion was Antonio.

Despite the influx of so many people into the mansion, it had remained quiet. Kalus had wondered if Antonio had gone to a back-alley tavern, but it turned out he was in the mansion all along. However, why hadn’t he shown himself?

With a sense of curiosity tinged with discomfort, Kalus strode toward the room where the servant was holding the door open. Alejandro followed closely behind, his eyes filled with unease.

The room was relatively well-lit, with a wall entirely covered in glass windows, allowing sunlight to flood the room unfiltered. Perhaps everything had been sold off, as there were no curtains either, making the scene even more dazzling.

And in front of those windows stood a figure.

Kalus suddenly found himself bathed in an abundance of light in the dimly lit corridor, without a single candle holder. He squinted to confirm the presence before him.

Standing by the window was a man dressed in a crisp suit, neatly tucked under a white poet shirt.

No, the Count was rumored to be in his mid-twenties, so perhaps it would be more accurate to call him a young man.

The young man had short black hair and bright emerald-like green eyes, which sparkled. He gazed at Kalus with a playful smile.

“You must be Duke Claus de Valtezar, right?”

Kalus, without answering, locked eyes with the young man.

With a charming smile that could make several women swoon, he extended his hand confidently, as if inviting a handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Antonio de Hesingk, the eldest son of Count Hesingk.”