“I never intended that at all. But suddenly, Lady Nadia came to me the night before the engagement ceremony and asked me to leave. She suggested we go on a short trip. I intended to return before dawn, but… I never expected things would turn out like this.”
“Nadia left me a letter. She said she was leaving to find happiness with my fiancé.”
“What? That’s not true, Philome!”
Emon shook his head vigorously.
“Lady Nadia and I are definitely not in that kind of relationship!”
“Emon.”
When I called his name, Emon looked relieved.
“Yes, Philome. You’ve calmed down, right? Let’s go to my mansion. My mother and father will accept you now. I’m sorry to the Duke, but you’ll have to break off your engagement. After all, you were my original fiancé.”
“I thought I had figured you out pretty well after a year of being together, but I guess I was mistaken.”
“Huh…?”
“I at least thought you’d start with an apology.”
Even if he was making excuses, I thought he would at least start with an apology, even if it wasn’t sincere.
“Um…”
Emon looked as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
I realized then that he had no intention of apologizing at all.
“Maybe because I recently met someone nice, I ended up expecting the same from others.”
I felt Kaien looking back at me, but I continued to stare at Emon.
“Break the engagement? Why would I break up with someone who is better looking than my ex-fiancé, has money and power, and cares for me?”
“Philome, high-ranking nobles are all the same. They’re terrible people!”
“Better than your terrible face.”
“What, what?”
When I belittled his only point of pride, his slightly handsome face, Emon’s gaze changed.
“Since when have you been so interested in men? Were you just planning to play with me from the start, right? It’s obvious you were always thinking about marrying another man.”
“Why are you saying what I should be saying? I’ve seen you go on dates with other ladies while we were together more times than I can count.”
Despite that, he kept trying to kiss me and initiate physical contact under the pretense that we were engaged.
I had to think hard every time to avoid those situations.
Emon had no right to say such things.
“Hah, how did you manage to seduce the Duke? Ah, I can tell without seeing. With that body you….”
“Milady!”
At Kaien’s shout, Emon and I turned to him simultaneously.
Kaien took a deep breath and spoke to me.
“Will you step outside with me? If I stay here any longer, I feel like I might tear that mouth apart.”
“Just a moment.”
I tilted the teacup I was holding and poured it over Emon.
“Puh, puhah!”
Suddenly drenched in tea, Emon jumped up from his seat.
“What is this nonsense!”
“Do you really not understand your position?”
I grasped Kaien’s trembling hand, tightly clenched into a fist.
“Try using that rotten brain of yours once.”
I stood up with Kaien and added, coldly,
“But you know what? You’re already in big trouble.”
“…What? No, Philome! Wait! Ack!!”
Emon tried to rush urgently towards me, but Kaien blocked him by kicking the table.
Emon briefly rubbed his knee, which had bumped into the table, and then reached out to me again.
“I was just angry! Wait a moment, Philome!”
Kaien and I left the parlor without looking back and closed the door.
Kaien commanded Sebastian, who was waiting outside, in a low voice.
“Throw him in the dumpster in the slums.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
For some reason, Sebastian’s voice sounded more rigid than usual. His expression, which always held a soft smile, was also not good.
“Milady.”
“Your Grace.”
I called Kaien before he could say anything.
“Yes, say whatever you need to.”
“…Can I go up first? I want to be alone.”
Kaien, with a worried expression, bit his lip.
After a moment of thought, he nodded.
“If that will give you strength or comfort, then do that.”
“Do you want to comfort me?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Kaien with a tired expression and weakly extended my hands a little.
“Then could you give me a strong hug just once?”
Without any sign of surprise or hesitation at my request, Kaien stepped forward.
Then he leaned down to hug me tightly. It was so strong that I was lifted up onto my tiptoes.
The feeling of being held so firmly, to the point where I couldn’t move my arms, was not unpleasant at all. Rather, it brought me a sense of stability, and my racing heart gradually calmed down.
I smiled softly as I listened to the heartbeat coming from his chest, which was pressed against my cheek.
“Why is Your Grace’s heart beating so fast?”
“… It’s because I’m angry.”
His voice was muffled just above my head.
“I hugged you to comfort you, but I’m the one feeling calmed down.”
“But your heart is still beating fast?”
“… That’s how I feel.”
Kaien stepped back.
The warmth that had wrapped around my body faded, but a faint warmth still lingered.
“Milady, sleep well. I’ll take care of everything.”
I didn’t know what he meant by taking care of everything, but as soon as I heard him say to sleep well, drowsiness suddenly washed over me.
I nodded with a faint smile.
“I will.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Kaien watched until Philome entered her room.
Once the door closed, he wiped the smile off his face.
“Gio.”
Gio, who had been waiting nearby, immediately approached him.
Kaien headed to his office with Gio.
“Find out everything about the Marquis of Kevan family.”
When investigating the contracted marriage candidate, he looked into Emon Kevan, Philome’s fiancé, as well as those around her.
But that was only about ‘Emon Kevan.’
This time, he needed information on the entire Marquis of Kevan family.
This implied that Kaien and Philome’s targets for retaliation included not only Emon but also the entire Kevan family.
“Yes, understood. From the information I have, it appears they are involved in nearly all illegal activities. The Marquis of Kevan is a VIP at slave auctions, and both the Marchioness and their eldest son are drug addicts. The second son, Emon Kevan, has… a venereal disease.”
At those words, Kaien abruptly stopped walking.
“Get rid of all the furniture in the parlor and change the wallpaper. No, change the wallpaper of the entire mansion and disinfect the air. Discard all the dishes, including the teacup Emon Kevan used.”
Although such diseases are not transmitted this way, the mere fact that such a filthy person had been in his mansion was unpleasant.
He acted like he owned the place.
Kaien had just figured out what kind of person Emon was based on a few sentences he had said to Philome.
Kaien resumed walking toward his office.
His goal was to gather all the evidence before Philome woke up.
Once Philome reviewed the plans and made her choice, they could immediately act against Emon.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Alright, everyone has received the documents? Then let’s begin.”
Gio adjusted his glasses and scribbled something on the blackboard.
“There are several plans, but they can be broadly categorized into two main options. The first option is for the lady to choose. Please look at the first page of the report.”
As Gio instructed, everyone looked at the first page of the report.
“The first option is to kill him quickly and painlessly; the second option is to kill him slowly and painfully. Both have their pros and cons. The first option has the advantage of being quick and satisfying but the disadvantage of being too easy. The second option takes a bit longer, but the satisfaction of watching him suffer is immeasurable.”
“Milady, feel free to choose.”
At Kaien’s words, I thought briefly before responding.
“I choose the second option.”
“Just as I thought.”
Kaien smiled brightly.
It seemed Kaien also preferred the second option.
“I agree with the lady’s choice.”
Sophia, who had inadvertently joined the meeting, nodded vigorously.
“I do want to kill that filthy bastard right away, but I want him to feel the same pain that our Lady has endured for a year.”
“Right, calm down, Sophia.”
I patted Sophia’s fluffy head, which seemed like it could burst into flames from her anger.
Thanks for the chapter 🥰