Chapter 50

“When I returned, Marcella’s body had already been buried. A wife’s funeral is never held without her husband’s permission. I sought out the undertaker who handled the arrangements, but he was already dead.”

“So you were back to square one.”

“So I made inquiries and managed to find the undertaker’s assistant. Through him, I was able to identify the one who ordered the funeral.”

“Who was it?”

“Hamilton Athla. His Majesty’s chamberlain.”

I quickly bit the tip of my tongue to stop my expression from contorting.

“The assistant told me one more thing. There were bruises on Marcella’s neck. It would be natural for her to have bruises all over her body after falling down the stairs. But it’s difficult for them to be in the shape of a person’s hands.”

“That means someone strangled her.”

“I investigated every single royal employee without exception. But after that incident, they had all been dismissed from the palace and scattered.”

“And?”

“It took a long time, but I eventually uncovered the truth. The fact that there was only one person who left the banquet hall right before Marcella went out to the rear garden.”

“Then that person…”

“That person summoned Marcella to the rear garden, left the bruises on her neck, and then forced the funeral through a proxy.”

The culprit summoned Marcella to the rear garden.

Then he attempted something—likely an assault—but when Marcella resisted fiercely, he flew into a rage and strangled her.

After incapacitating her, he staged it to look like she had accidentally fallen down the stairs.

And taking advantage of Duke Ruthius’s absence, he held the funeral, pulling off the perfect crime.

*So the emperor was the culprit after all!*

“Wasn’t he known for being a just man?”

An emperor more knightly than any knight.

The people of the empire loved their emperor.

Though he had no great achievements, they held a firm belief that the emperor would protect them in times of crisis.

For such a man to try and assault a married woman, and then murder her. Who would believe it?

“He is quite skilled at crafting his own image.”

I found myself looking at Duke Ruthius in a new light.

He could have easily mixed in some common assumptions, but he stuck strictly to the facts.

*Not that he ‘strangled’ her, but that he ‘left’ bruises…*

He didn’t even call him the culprit or reveal his identity.

He was so detached, it was as if he were talking about someone else entirely.

Just as he’d once said, it meant he would not appeal to emotion.

“So Mother didn’t die because of me, but at the hands of someone else. And you knew.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you abandon me in the annex?”

“I intended to get my revenge, even if it meant abandoning the family.”

“…Are you planning a rebellion?”

“Strictly speaking, it wouldn’t be treason, but regicide. I plan to deal with him after he steps down from the throne.”

Duke Ruthius closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

“I cannot be separated from the family. The head is the family. The same goes for Alex, the heir. But you… Though I may be a broken man, I could not let you get swept up in my revenge. Even if it meant abandoning you.”

Duke Ruthius paused and let out a dry laugh.

“I was planning to send you abroad in a few days… To think you’d become a Hunter. One truly cannot know the turns of fate.”

“…!”

So he abandoned Astell to save her?

Suddenly, Duke Ruthius’s strange behaviors came to mind.

The way he’d looked at me after I’d defeated the monster for the first time.

The fleeting anger he’d shown when Mrs. Herot injured my hand.

The bewildered expression on his face when he learned the annex wasn’t being properly supplied with food.

His offer to accompany me to the memorial service.

His question about whether the Hunter’s power was straining my body.

The way he’d moved to call a healer immediately upon hearing I’d had a nosebleed.

*Was all of that genuine, not just an act?*

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“…Your plan, Duke. Does Alex know?”

“He does.”

“Alex was the one who hinted to me about the incident from twenty-one years ago. Was that your doing as well?”

“I told him to mention it vaguely if you asked.”

He told me as if it had just occurred to him. Was it all planned?

*No wonder something felt off.*

I think I understand why Alex hated Astell so much.

He must have been angry and jealous that Duke Ruthius was only trying to save Astell, while he himself was destined to die.

His absurd sophistry about sacrificing himself for Astell finally made sense.

*He was actually sacrificing himself?*

That strange tension between Duke Ruthius and Alex…

*They had a secret between them.*

“Couldn’t you have discussed it with me? Did you ever consider that I might want to be with my family, even if it meant dying?”

“Astell…”

“While you were making your unilateral decisions, I spent my entire life blaming myself for Mother’s death! I lived unable to even lift my head from the guilt!”

“I will make no excuses. I am not telling you this to seek your forgiveness. I simply judged it fair that you also know the purpose of my investment in you.”

Duke Ruthius, who had been looking down slightly, met my gaze.

His usual cool expression remained, but his green eyes were trembling faintly.

“Continue to hate me as you do now. You have every right.”

“Stop it!”

*Bang!*

I slammed my fist on the table. My jaw, clenched so tight it felt like it would break, ached.

*How can you say that now! Your daughter is already dead!*

I understood Duke Ruthius’s anguish. I could also fully comprehend how difficult it must have been for Alex.

*But what about Astell?*

Who would compensate for the twenty-one years Astell endured in agony, thinking she was paying for her sins?

My anger toward Duke Ruthius swirled, having lost its direction.

Who should I take revenge on now? Someone has to take responsibility for Astell’s miserable life.

*…I’ll have to make that damn emperor pay!*

One person destroyed an entire family. I will make him pay the price for their suffering, no matter what it takes.

I tensed my body and straightened my back.

“Fine, I accept your offer.”

“…What are you thinking?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Whatever the reason, the fact is you abandoned me, isn’t it?”

In my past life, everyone around me, including myself, was an orphan.

I was sick and tired of children abandoned by their parents. Parents who abandon their children were objects of disgust.

That’s why I couldn’t forgive Duke Ruthius for abandoning Astell either.

Even if it was an effort to save her.

“So don’t even think about expecting forgiveness.”

“…I don’t.”

“From now on, you and I will form a temporary alliance for the sake of our common enemy.”

“That is what I wish for as well.”

“But don’t think about interfering with the guild’s management.”

“I have neither the time nor the inclination. You must manage your guild yourself.”

“I can’t guarantee when it will start turning a profit. It might end up being a situation where you’re just pouring money into it. Do you agree?”

“It’s the money I was going to give you when I sent you abroad anyway. I don’t expect a profit.”

Seventy… seventy billion?

*…Hmm, maybe just going abroad wouldn’t be so bad…*

I barely managed to suppress the pauper’s instinct that suddenly emerged.

“Y-You’re an ideal investor. But you won’t go back on your word later, will you? By the way, are you eating enough walnuts? They say prevention is key for dementia.”

“…”

Duke Ruthius’s brow furrowed sharply before smoothing out in an instant.

As if suppressing his anger, he slowly swept a hand through his perfectly styled hair.

“…I will add it as a special clause. If I develop dementia, the entire investment will be considered a donation to the guild.”

“Excellent. That’s much more reassuring.”

“I’m the one who should be worried. His Majesty intends to put the Second Prince forward as a guild master.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“The ‘Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert Whole Cake Voucher’ you used was a gift from Pâtissier Jean exclusively for the Second Prince. The fact that you used it must mean you received it from him. Since when did you two become so close?”

“…It was something only the Second Prince could use? That thing?”

“The capital is buzzing with rumors about it. It’s an even bigger topic than you causing a scene at the café.”

“…”

“If you plan to break our alliance for the Second Prince later, at least give me a heads-up. I’ll need to prepare.”

Damn it! That voucher was only usable by Dante?

I suppressed my rising blood pressure.

“…Add it to the special clauses. If I ever unilaterally break this alliance with you over a man, I will transfer all rights related to the guild to you.”

“That’s a relief. However, you should work on your judgment of men. A man’s looks aren’t everything.”

“It’s surprising to hear that from someone who married for looks.”

“…”

“…”

My gaze and Duke Ruthius’s clashed in mid-air, sparks flying.

This time, I was the first to back down.

The fact that rumors about me and Dante had spread throughout the entire capital was a bit of a shock.

“I’ll return the 180 million Luan you gave me as a down payment.”

“What would I do with such a paltry sum? Keep it as your allowance.”

“*Cough!*”

“What’s wrong?”

“…I-I just choked on my spit. Ahem, we’ll need to rewrite the contract. Not as an investment contract, but as an alliance agreement.”

“Let’s do that.”

A moment later, I finished organizing the alliance agreement with the new special clauses and extended my hand to him.

“…What is this?”

“A handshake to commemorate our truce. I don’t know how long this alliance will last, but let’s work well together.”

“A truce? Were we at war?”

“…Just shake it.”

Duke Ruthius chuckled and took my hand. A warmth, warmer than I’d expected, gently enveloped my hand before letting go.

“Let’s finish our meal.”

“…Yes.”

And so, the father and daughter’s first meal out together came to an end.