Cain raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at Jane who was collapsed on the ground and the two men.
The astute man quickly grasped the situation upon seeing Jane collapse and Victor acting so self-assuredly.
“Who… Ah, Lord Hastings?”
Victor immediately recognized Cain, who was a prominent figure in the kingdom.
Victor brushed his hand on his thigh and greeted Cain confidently.
“It’s an honor to meet you here. Today seems to be my lucky day.”
Victor ingratiated himself warmly. Cain completely ignored him.
“Haha, the weather is indeed nice. Your Lordship is here for… Not exactly a pleasant walk, I suppose.”
Victor continued to chatter on by himself. Cain’s eyes looking at him were utterly indifferent. Victor now cleared his throat and nervously rolled his eyes.
When he started to fidget, Cain sighed and spoke.
“Do you know me?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know you.”
“Oh… Of course not. How could Lord Hastings possibly know someone like us?”
Despite blatant disregard, Victor kept bowing continuously.
Cain’s mouth twisted slightly.
“You’re being cryptic. So ‘leave.'”
“Yes?”
“Jane, didn’t you make a deal with me?”
While ignoring Victor, Cain glanced at Jane, who lifted her head.
“That’s right.”
To her, Cain was an unwelcome guest, but compared to Victor, he was much more tolerable. Harsh words from Cain were far better than insults from Victor.
Though the wounds inflicted by the latter were deeper and more painful.
“So, what’s this situation?”
He was speaking to Jane, but it felt strangely like he was questioning Victor. It seemed not only Jane felt that way, as Victor responded.
“We have some business with Jane. Does Your Lordship also have some matter with her?”
“Well…”
Cain tilted his head slightly, looking down at Jane.
What should I do?
His eyes were questioning her.
If Cain were to say he had business with Jane, Victor and Hamulin would just leave.
Moreover, the probability of the deal with her grandfather, who had tried to exploit her, would also become null.
Instead, Cain would demand something in return.
Jane had nothing to offer, and… Her hesitation grew.
“Have you thought about yesterday’s proposal?”
Jane recalled Cain’s offer. If she were to accept Cain’s help now, she would have to accept his proposal without a second thought.
‘Is it really okay? Can I live in Hastings Castle, raise his child, and act like everything’s normal?’
Even a fool could see what choice was rational.
But to Jane, matters involving Cain weren’t something she could view objectively and rationally.
Even when she didn’t see him, she couldn’t push aside her feelings for him, and being by his side made her afraid she would end up loving him even more shamelessly.
Love was a burden to her. That’s why she wanted to let it all go.
“I think I heard the answer.”
As Jane hesitated, Cain turned his body. He had no reason to wait for her.
In her desperation, Jane grabbed him abruptly.
“I’ll do it!”
Jane didn’t want to see Cain with his back turned.
Their eyes met. His lips twisted ever so slightly. He responded with a single nod of his head.
With his long legs, he closed the distance in an instant. Jane swallowed nervously in his uncompromising presence.
But Cain turned his attention to Victor instead of Jane. He moved his long legs purposefully, his demeanor was ominous and unapologetic.
“Y-Your Grace?”
Victor’s voice trembled thinly. Cain’s gaze upon Victor was cold and sharp as a dagger.
Victor felt an urge to prostrate himself before Cain, despite having done nothing wrong.
“Your voice sounds pathetic.”
Cain muttered before offering a faint smile. Then, he glanced
down at Victor’s hand.
“Unfortunately, I’m not wearing gloves.”
Cain plunged his hand into his pocket and swung his foot up mercilessly instead.
His foot struck Victor’s side with a resounding thud.
Thud! The impact reverberated through Jane’s side, causing her to flinch.
Unable to withstand Cain’s strength, Victor clutched his side and staggered.
Hamulin, who had been rushing toward Victor, froze in his tracks upon meeting Cain’s gaze. The silent intensity in Cain’s eyes seized Hamulin by the throat and held him in place.
“Y-Your Grace! Even if you’re a nobleman, you can’t just…”
Victor stammered, his jaw trembling.
“Oh so you mean you are not doing anything wrong? While you are dragging a noble woman like a dog?”
Jane’s eyes widened, her pupils moistening with a film of tears. It
was embarrassing for her to be seen in such a pitiful state.
Consequently, she missed the opportunity to speak up about the crucial matter.
“Y-Your Grace? The noblewoman? Who are you talking about? Surely, you’re not referring to that beggar, are you?”
Thud!
Another dizzying sound of impact echoed. This time, it was Victor’s shoulder, as he stooped forward. Victor toppled backward.
“Ack! Y-Your Grace!”
“If a commoner lays hands on a nobleman without cause, they could receive the harshest punishment. Do you understand? Do you have anything else to say?”
Victor’s jaw quivered.
Damn aristocrats!
If he pressed charges, he might receive leniency considering the circumstances.
But if the adversary was House Hastings, it was a different story.
The image of a judge sentencing him to the maximum penalty flashed through Victor’s mind.
Victor clenched his bruised side and struggled to his feet.
“If what you say is true, that Jane, damn it, if Jane becomes a noblewoman, will you settle all our debts, sir?”
“Victor! We’ll discuss money later.”
Jane intervened. She had already exposed herself to Cain’s scrutiny, but she didn’t want to burden herself further here.
“When will you talk about it? If you become a noblewoman and pretend not to know us, how can we live with such injustice?”
After licking the inside of his mouth with his tongue, Victor spat out saliva. As Jane hesitated, Cain inquired,
“How much debt do you owe?”
“Ten thousand marks. With interest, it adds up to twenty thousand.”
“Don’t lie, Victor! Just yesterday, it was only five thousand marks,
including interest!”
“Interest accrues daily, madam.”
Victor retorted with a venomous expression. Cain observed him closely before rummaging in his pocket for a checkbook. Without hesitation, he wrote down a figure on the check.
One, two, three, four… And the number in front of the check was exactly 2.
Twenty thousand marks.
Even after buying several estates in the capital, he had money left over, and he swiftly wrote down the amount and signed it.
Cain tore the check and flung it at Victor’s face. The torn check landed on the spit Victor had spat out.
“Pick it up.”
His terse command stung Victor’s pride.
“You acted like a beast for money. Weren’t you born into servitude? Why drag it out for something as trivial as bowing?”
His icy gaze pierced through Victor.
He was right. Was money dirty, or was it the scoundrel who borrowed and refused to repay it was? What did it matter if spit got on it?
Victor stooped to pick up the check. Then, a thick shadow fell over his bowed head, followed by the sight of polished shoes.
Cain unhesitatingly stomped on Victor’s hand with his boot.
“Ahh! Aargh!”
The pain was incomparable to the blow to his side. Despite thrashing with his bulk, Victor couldn’t dislodge Cain’s foot.
“P-Please spare me. I was wrong. I…”
Saliva dribbled from Victor’s mouth, staining Cain’s shoe. He kneeled down, begging for forgiveness.
“You’ve apologized to the wrong person.”
Victor flinched as his eyes met Cain’s. Cain arrogantly twitched his chin. When he turned his head to where Jane was, she stood there, looking stunned.
“…! J-Jane, no, Your Grace… I was wrong. Please forgive me.”
Only then did Cain’s foot retreat. Victor’s hand wascrushed and mangled, which created a gruesome sight.
“Take care of the check. You’ll have to pay extra for the dirtying of my shoes, but consider it as a fair exchange.”
With a flipped gaze, Cain passed by the battered Victor and approached Jane.
The man who had committed the ruthless assault walked with an impeccably firm stride.
Jane was trembling with fear. Cain wasn’t the same as before.
Had seven years changed him? Or was it that specific day, seven years ago had changed him?
‘What am I even thinking? That I’m the reason he changed?’
Jane scoffed inwardly.
She meant nothing to Cain. That itself is a reason why after seven years, he could appear before her with indifferent eyes and propose her to, ‘Be the mother of his child.’
If there was any lingering affection in him, it would have been an offer he could never make.
Handing over a child born of another woman to her.
No matter how urgent the situation was.
“Can’t stand on your own?”
Jane’s shoulders shook. Unbeknownst to herself, it looked like she was waiting for Cain to extend his hand to her, just like in the past.
“No. I can get up.”
Jane steadied herself on her knees and rose. She tidied her disheveled hair and clothes. Meanwhile, Victor and Hamlin had rolled down the hill like tumbleweeds.
Atop the small hill, only Jane and Cain remained. A gust of spring breeze passed between them. Something needed to be said.
With lips moistened by awkwardness, Jane bowed her head.
Cain’s eyebrows twitched.
“Thank you for helping.”
“Helping? I did no such thing. It was a transaction.”
After a pause, Jane managed to say her next words.
“Thank you for repaying the debt. It’s a significant amount… I’ll make sure to repay it later.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was just a fair exchange. It’s nothing to me.”
Was twenty thousand marks such a trivial sum to him?
“Take this.”
Cain rummaged in his pocket and handed her a small pouch. Jane blinked as she received it.
Cain made an indifferent expression.
“You won’t need a handkerchief at Hastings Manor.”
