IYWHM Chapter 45

What? Daniel, who was about to stand up, paused and carefully listened.

He had been ready to go flip a table if they mentioned the topic of him being “pitiful” just one more time, but he stopped because something completely unexpected came out of the man’s mouth.

Duke Hillan. What about that man who, along with his hateful fiancée, had inflicted unprecedented humiliation upon him?

Daniel wasn’t the only one whose eyes widened at this new topic of conversation.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Duke Hillan is a thug?”

“Hey, tell us more about it.”

The other two middle-aged men urged the bearded man to continue, their attitudes showing they were dying of curiosity.

Looking pleased with the attention, the bearded man began speaking with an air of importance.

“Well, didn’t I tell you I was in Bonzmos until about two years ago?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

“Don’t be stupid. Where is Bonzmos? The monastery where Duke Hillan stayed is in that region.”

“Ah, so that’s where it is?”

Clicking his tongue, the man continued.

“Well, back then he wasn’t Duke Hillan, just a troublemaker from the duke’s family. People in our town were initially curious about what this precious noble young master from the capital looked like, but as time passed, they gradually lost interest. The monastery wasn’t a place you could freely enter and exit, and everyone was busy trying to make a living.”

The tavern was quite noisy, but since they were so close, Daniel could hear every word the man was saying without missing anything.

“But at some point, this rumored troublemaker started showing up occasionally at the biggest gambling house in the area.”

“Wasn’t the duke confined to the monastery?”

“But he was frequenting a gambling house?”

When the other two men asked in surprise, the bearded man chuckled.

“The monastery isn’t a prison. Surely they wouldn’t imprison someone, especially a son from a great noble family, despite his being cast out?”

He leaned comfortably against the backrest and lazily stroked his beard.

“Besides, from the Duke’s family’s perspective, as long as he wasn’t having delusions, whether the troublemaker was holed up in the monastery praying devoutly or drowning in gambling, it wasn’t their concern.”

According to the bearded man, people sent from Hillan periodically came to town and inquired about Seyard’s activities, but they didn’t seem to impose any restrictions regarding his visits to the gambling house.

“In truth, the monastery side was just happy to take the large sum of money from the duke’s family. As long as it came in regularly, why would they bother with unnecessary meddling?”

For a moment, grumblings about how nobles are heartless even to their family members and how clergy are more greedy for money exchanged across the table.

For Daniel, this was all valuable information, so he waited for the bearded man to share more about Seyard Hillan.

His instinct whispered that this would definitely be useful someday.

Fortunately, before his patience ran out, Duke Hillan was mentioned again in the conversation.

“Did you see Duke Hillan at the gambling house? He’s addicted to gambling, isn’t he?”

“Why would he be addicted to…”

“So, did you see him or not?”

“I did see him a few times from a distance.”

The other two men seemed strongly interested in the reality of the recently most famous person in the kingdom and eagerly asked the bearded man for answers.

Thanks to that, Daniel could hear the bearded man’s vivid eyewitness account without much effort.

“I couldn’t get close. He played at tables with high stakes. Despite being exiled, he still seemed to have plenty of money with him, proving that a noble is still a noble.”

It was probably money from the living expenses that the Hillan ducal family provided to Seyard Hillan.

“Was he lucky? Well, he must have won sometimes and lost sometimes. But maybe because he was a noble, he didn’t seem particularly anxious even when he lost big.”

The man’s voice quieted down as if recalling the past.

“He just looked…..terribly bored.”

Somehow, Daniel found himself holding his breath while listening intently.

“Even though he came to gamble, he’d just smoke cigars, play a few rounds halfheartedly, and then always give up his seat to that guy Cobi. Cobi? Ah, he was a fellow who made a living by doing odd jobs for the monastery, but at some point, he started acting like the duke’s servant. Well, if you stick around, you might get some crumbs.”

The bearded man went on for a while about how bad this Cobi fellow was at gambling, losing all the stakes that Seyard Hillan had left behind, before returning to the original topic.

“The duke would return to the gambling house only after a long while. Come to think of it, there was a rumor that he went out to meet a woman.”

Instantly, the other two men’s eyes grew as big as marbles.

“A woman?”

“He had a woman?”

Woman. At that word, Daniel’s hand gripping the wine glass tightened.

“That’s what the rumors said.”

With a lewd smile, the bearded man slowly nodded.

“I didn’t see it with my own eyes, and I don’t know who she was, but I heard the stories they were all talking about. When you think about it, it’s only natural, isn’t it? Would a man in his prime not have a lover? Especially a man with good looks and money.”

“Nominally he was a monk, but among ourselves, we called him a hopeless thug.” At that, the men burst into laughter.

Daniel laughed too. Not a sneer like theirs, mocking others, but a smile of satisfaction.

This is it. He had finally found it.

The clue that would return him to his original position, a place where he wouldn’t need to be pitied by others.

The means to enlighten a chick that had mistaken its master.

Just wait and see, Kisa, how rotten the tree is that you dared to choose over me.

Without any lingering attachment to his glass that was still half-full of alcohol, Daniel stood up abruptly and strode over to the adjacent table.

“Why don’t you report this story to a newspaper or magazine?”

“Yes! Do you know how much money you could make?”

“That’s nonsense. You shouldn’t carelessly gossip about the affairs of high-ranking people. If you accidentally fall out of favor—”

“What? Do you have some business with us?”

The men who had been laughing and chatting among themselves only blinked their eyelids at Daniel’s sudden appearance.

“Hey.”

BANG! Making a loud noise as he placed his hand on the table, Daniel stared at the bearded man among the three.

“What you just said is the absolute truth, right?”

Seeing the large young man suddenly appear and glare at him, the bearded man was visibly flustered.

“W-what?”

Regardless, a plan was already forming in Daniel’s head.

****

One day, when the afterglow of her first date with Seyard had not yet faded, Kisa tilted her head in confusion while holding a letter.

“What’s this?”

The name written on the envelope was that of a dress shop Kisa frequently used, but there was something strange about it.

There was no reason for them to send a letter addressed to her.

The dress shop where she had recently fitted a dress for the engagement ceremony was a place she had visited for the first time thanks to Seyard, and except for that occasion, she hadn’t needed new dresses lately due to her restrained social activities.

In other words, she had no dresses on order or being altered.

Aside from those two cases, what reason would a dress shop have to write her a letter? Wondering about this, Kisa opened the envelope and checked the contents.

[From Daniel Lowens to Kisa.]

She frowned from the very first line.

[I borrowed this name reluctantly because I thought you wouldn’t receive it if I sent it under my own name.]

He seemed to be quite the schemer. It appeared he had considered the possibility that the servants of the Vansfelt household might filter out letters from her former fiancé out of consideration for their miss.

For a moment, she was tempted to just throw it away, but curiosity won out.

What did he want to say that made him go to such lengths to send a letter?

Since she had some free time, Kisa read on.

[I have something urgent to tell you. It’s about a very serious and dangerous matter concerning the man who might become your husband.

Kisa, you absolutely must not ignore my words. I can guarantee that if you do, you will surely regret it later.

Let’s meet and talk first. It’s a topic that’s difficult to convey by letter.

I understand that given your position, it’s hard for you to meet me where others might see. Don’t worry. I’ll come to you.]

What followed was an audacious demand along with a specific date.

[At midnight on this day, come to the secret door without anyone knowing. That much should be possible, right?

Again, this is a truly serious matter. You absolutely must know this enormous secret.

For your own happiness.]

The letter ended with that rather unsettling phrase.

Kisa’s gaze shifted to the desk calendar.

Whether he had calculated the timing for when the letter would reach her or by coincidence, today was the date specified in the letter.

For a while, Kisa imagined herself tearing this letter to shreds, throwing it in the trash, and falling soundly asleep regardless of who might be waiting for her.

The best strategy would be to ignore such a letter rather than be manipulated by Daniel.

She knew that better than anyone. But…

‘What does this mean?’

One sentence in the letter particularly caught her attention.

[It’s about a very serious and dangerous matter concerning the man who might become your husband.]

Without a doubt, this referred to Seyard, who was expected to become engaged to Kisa soon.

A very serious and dangerous matter related to him? What could that be? Actually, did such a thing even exist?

Daniel might be using Seyard as bait to lure Kisa out.

Daniel Lowens was vile enough to do that and more.

But somehow, Kisa couldn’t dismiss it lightly.

Because he had mentioned Seyard’s name, of all people.