In the moment when an unknown anxiety spread throughout my body, I once again disobeyed Mother’s words.
I opened the document.
After that, I threw away all the silver candlesticks and started running toward the mansion, holding only the crumpled documents.
‘The Duke… he will never let me go. Even if it means holding onto my corpse. As collateral.’
Those words echoed in my ears.
I quickly found the Duke’s office and opened the door.
Strangely, there was no servant on the ground floor where the Duke’s office was located. And when I opened the Duke’s office, the metallic smell of blood assaulted my nose.
I slumped down where I stood.
‘Uh, Mom… Brother…?’
While I was muttering, the Duke, with his face drenched in crimson blood, looked down at me. His eyes landed on the documents in my hand.
‘You’re here, Emeline. Seems like your deceitful family has quite a strong bond after all. Killing with a gun instead of a crossbow was a good choice. Now, hand over those documents.’
The Duke said that with a sinister smile, his gaze fixed on the gun he held.
I laughed along with the Duke.
‘You’re going to kill me even if I give this, aren’t you?’ I retorted.
The Duke chuckled at my words.
‘I’ll kill you even if you don’t.’
I knew I had done something foolish, but I also knew it was irreversible.
The Duke aimed the gun at me.
‘Goodbye, Emeline.’
There was no escape.
So instead of begging for my life, I decided to unleash all the curses I could muster. That was my resolve.
‘You’re insane. If there is a next life, I will definitely annihilate you. You psychopathic bastard!’
As I rose from my seat…
Bang!
The Duke’s bullet pierced through my heart.
The Duke’s crimson eyes held no trace of emotion.
✵ ✵ ✵
Eric handed me an ice pack.
I looked into Eric’s red eyes and withdrew my hand. As I glared at Eric and exhaled sharply, Eric frowned in confusion.
Then, after a moment, he seemed to realize something and quickly stepped back, then he bowed his head with proper etiquette like a polite gentleman.
“I apologize, Lady Emeline. I should not have taken your hand without permission.”
Apologize?
I shuddered at the thought of what this seemingly courteous nobleman’s true identity might be.
The same red eyes as his father.
Could his heart be like Duke Orleans’ too?
Feeling repulsed as if I had touched something filthy, I shuddered and stepped back. Eric, sensing my discomfort, extended the ice pack to me.
“I apologize, Lady Emeline. But if this is not properly treated, it will cause you trouble for a while.”
Pretending to be a gentleman. Pretending to be affectionate. Isn’t it characteristic of the men in that household to behave one way in front and another behind?
I snorted. Eric’s eyebrows twitched. He would probably be surprised to see the country bumpkin who always babbled nonsensically in front of him suddenly confront him arrogantly.
I snatched the ice pack from his hand and pressed it against my throbbing hand.
“I don’t need apologies if you don’t mean them.”
Then, I stood up and looked at Eric. He also stood up.
“If it’s about money….”
I glanced at Eric. I thought Eric would definitely glare at me, but he didn’t. Instead, he just spoke with eyes that held subtle emotions.
“As expected, this is the real one, right?”
His eyes, saying so, were eerily similar to Duke Orleans’s, making me flinch unintentionally.
Cold and emotionless eyes.
I couldn’t find any emotion in Eric, who wore the same expression as the Duke who aimed a gun at me. Despite usually pretending to be so kind. Could Eric Orleans be the same as the Duke, unable to conceal his true nature?
“What does it mean?” I spoke.
“You probably know better than anyone else what it means.”
“Just say it….”
I have no idea what he was talking about.
I suppressed the urge to scoff.
“How should I compensate?”
“What?”
“They said it would be better to convey the meaning of the apology through money.”
He rummaged around in his pocket as if he were going to write a check right then and there.
‘I thought you were a rich gentleman, but you’re also obsessed with money?’
Is he really from a wealthy family?
I called out a large sum of money to test him.
“100,000 gold.”
100,000 gold is the amount that most noble families typically spend in a month. Of course, it wouldn’t even make a dent in Duke Orleans’ monthly budget.
However, wealthy people usually haggle more…
“Alright, 100,000 gold. I will personally give it to you.”
“What?”
Eric looked at me with a puzzled expression.
There’s a problem with man! Are you giving that large sum of money personally?
For a moment I realized I had made a mistake in my calculations.
100,000 gold is a huge amount of money, and I thought Eric would be furious, but now I see that Eric possesses enough wealth to casually offer such an amount as an apology.
So the rumors about Duke Orleans making a fortune through business were true.
I was slightly annoyed.
Last night, this man’s contempt contained a hint of sympathy. Moreover, he even tried to treat me by directly handing me the ice pouch just now.
This bastard is now offering money to comfort me, who’s obviously scared. With those red eyes, he’s staring straight at me while being willing to spend 100,000 gold.
I was speechless with disbelief.
“Which side is the real one?”
“What?”
Eric looked uncomfortable as he moved from the stairs into the reception room, seemingly displeased with the conversation.
“Madam Margaret Beaufort.”
But when I continued, Eric stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me.
I chuckled and said to Eric, “You are preparing a business with that Madam. Even your family… no, does your father know about this?”
Eric’s face hardened at my words.
Seeing his red eyes showing signs of confusion, I knew I had hit the nail on the head.
I’ve known since he readily offered 100,000 gold.
This was something I heard in the dream.
‘Why does Madam Margaret want to involve the young master in a new business? Even if the Duke doesn’t know, the young master is stubborn and would not be suitable for business.’
‘Anyway, let’s talk to the Duke, we might have a chance too….’
These were the words spoken by the Duke Orleans’ vassals who greeted my mother, brother, and me.
According to what they were saying among themselves in the hallway, the young master might feel threatened by the marriage between my mother and the Duke. So, I guess he started the business on his own without even telling his father.
‘That dream was all true….’
It was astonishing to see that the chilling dream had come true, but it was also surprising that this young master had planned a business without his father’s knowledge.
Could it mean that Eric and Duke Orleans are not sharing as many secrets as I thought? Could Eric possibly be unaware of the dangerous secrets written in the documents that appeared in my dream?
I needed to find out which side he was on.
If Eric distrusts his father, then Eric is Duke Orleans’ enemy, and the enemy of my enemy might be my friend.
We might even become friends.
“Are you trying to threaten me now? I said I would give you money as an apology, didn’t I?”
There was anger in Eric’s voice.
I realized through that tone. Ah, this young master grew up so well that he never faced threats or anything like this.
Does that mean Eric is kind? Or does it mean that the world has been particularly kind to Eric?
It didn’t matter either way.
At that time, the maid brought ointment for my hand. Eric couldn’t hide his discomfort while she applied it, but he didn’t express anything further.
While the maid applied ointment to my hand, Eric just stared at me. As soon as she left, he said, “Where did you get such information?”
What the vassals said was right. Eric was truly lacking in business acumen.
He was too straightforward. He asks me such questions, is he thinking I’ll answer that?
I sat on the sofa opposite him and crossed my legs. He looked uncomfortable, probably thinking it was audacious of a blackmailer to sit with crossed legs.
“I can’t reveal the identity of my informant. The important thing is if the Duke were to know that the young master is doing business behind his back….”
“Wait a moment. What informant?”
I smiled as if it was a secret. Eric looked dumbfounded.
Of course, it was a lie, but it seemed that Eric lacked the discernment to detect bluffs or boasts.
I rolled my eyes.
If the future really unfolds as it did in my dream…. There’s no way to stop the Duke Orleans’ madness. If our family wants to survive, we have to escape from him.
But there was no way the Duke Orleans would just let us go.
He is a Duke with enormous wealth and power. Furthermore, the Duke’s goal is the land where only the name is left by the late Viscount.
The Duke must have been targeting that land from the beginning and approached my mother. Even if we run away, the Duke will pursue me, my brother, and my mother until the end.
So, for now, it would be better to put a little hope in this young master.
“… Let’s do business together.”