Tug-tug, tug-tug.
“…………….”
“………….”
The stern-facedHector Arthurtakes the lead, while I follow behind.
It’s been just over a minute since we started walking, I think?
This ridiculously largeMansionseemed endless, even just wandering through its hallway.
“……You mentioned aDuel Proxy.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
After a moment of silence, a conversation finally begins.
Despite that, neither Hector nor I felt awkward.
Be it someone intent on lowering the other’s spirits by forcing them to follow, or someone smiling as if accustomed to such political maneuverings.
This is our first time meeting, yet we quickly realized what type we both were.
“Why don’t you give up now,Namgoong Min?”
“Well, it’s not really my will, is it?”
“………Is that so?”
It’s not my will. Meaning that Hector, having confirmed that thisDuelis clearlyRain’sintention, let out a sardonic chuckle.
It’s a rare sight to see a noble who wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, actually laughing.
Still, Hector and I did not stop walking.
“Unexpected, indeed.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Everything, absolutely everything.”
Hmm, everything, huh.
It was a unilateral decision, but I thought as long as I stayed in the room, the engagement would go through.
If I hadn’t stepped in, it would’ve gone ahead just like that.
Whether that marriage would actually take place was another issue entirely.
“May I ask just one thing?”
“Denied.”
“What made you decide on the engagement?”
“I told you it’s denied.”
“Do you desperately wish to have theWhite Rose?”
“………….”
What’s the matter? Did I hit a nerve?
I may have spun it a bit, but ultimately, this head of the family has one clear objective.
To attack theWhite Rose Familyand create a pretext for annexation.
A perfect excuse, one that no one in theArthur Familycould refute.
“………I see.”
Hector Arthurhalted, and I came to a stop as well.
Having walked with his eyes straight ahead up until now, he finally looked back at me.
His gaze was cold, yet surprised, as he looked down upon me.
“I didn’t catch your name. Can you tell me?”
“From theUnified Daehan Empire,Namgoong Min.”
“Namgoong Min,Namgoong Min…”
It’s worth remembering.
I swallowed my follow-up words, but I understood well what it meant for Hector to ask for my name.
Asking for a name means it’s worth remembering.
It also means I’ve been recognized by this man.
He’s someone to be wary of.
“How did you know?”
“I have a personal connection withKite Blackwood.”
“You can’t just know him by that.”
“Certainly, he’s skilled at keeping his intentions hidden. But he’s clumsy when it comes to leading a conversation.”
Kite Blackwoodhad said he likesLily White Rose.
That must be true. However, he has ulterior motives.
“Why choose theBlackwood Family? No, it’s not the family, it’s ‘Kite Blackwood’ you’ve chosen.”
“………….”
“WhyKite Blackwood? That’s obviously because of me.”
“……You?”
“The head of the family, you made a mistake earlier. You’ve already mentioned my name and yet you ask for it again; it seems your brain’s gotten a bit rusty from all the isolation.”
“……….”
The crux of the matter is simple.
At first, three guys posing as thugs barged into theFortune Teller’s Shop.
“Hwang Jin-woohad mentioned it. Someone is pulling the strings.”
I’m certain it’s eitherKitehimself orGregory.
Honestly, who it is doesn’t matter much to me.
What’s important is thatKite Blackwoodis connected to the head of the family, which means the head of the family is keeping an eye on me because he’s sendingKiteto test me.
But why? Why would someone as high-ranking as the head of theArthur Familybe wary of a mere fortuneteller like me?
The answer is straightforward.
“Is it that you hated me getting close toRain?”
“……….”
“No, that’s not it. While getting close isn’t a problem, the issue lies in howRainis changing.”
Let’s look atRain’scharacter event.
[Character Event: <The Crafted Villain> –Rain Arthur
Rain Arthuris the illustrious daughter of theArthur Familybut has lived an unblessed life.
Head of the familyHector Arthurnever accepted his daughter who was born aPsychicinstead of anArcher, treating her more as a family possession than a member.
Strong-weak-weak-strong. Hector thoroughly gaslightedRain, training and remodeling her to fit his desires.
Even as she became an adult,Rainviewed the family and her father as absolute authorities to whom she must submit.
But she’s not like that anymore. She’s starting to feel changes in her heart because of you.
For the first time,Rainis beginning to display hatred toward her father rather than submission, which could be her first opportunity or, if things go wrong, could turn out to be her last resistance.
Whether the family and head of the family know this or not, they plan to use her as a ‘thing’ today.]
The character event clearly states that ‘there’s a change in her heart because of you’.
And the head of the family must have been aware of this, receiving information throughGregoryorKite.
It was the head of the family who ingrained the strong-weak-weak-strong behavior intoRain, and he’s likely the one who knows more about her psyche than anyone else.
He would have noticed thatRainwas gradually changing, and that I was the cause of it.
After all, I, an outsider, started getting close toRain, and she began to change.
“Must’ve been quite troublesome for you. You put in all that effort from when she was young to shapeRaininto a tool for the family and head of the family, but now she’s trying to fight back.”
“……….”
“So to educateRainand distance her from me, you devised this plan, didn’t you?”
The easiest way would have been to remove me entirely, but even for anArthur, that would be quite difficult.
I was at theRomance Academy, a place where the influence of theArthur Familydoesn’t extend much.
Moreover, assassinating or abducting me, who seems to be getting along well with theRich Tycoon,Crown Princess,Crown Prince, and all of theSpecial Class, would be too risky.
“So you tried to distanceRainand me by proposing an engagement.”
That was a unilateral decision.
To show that no matter how muchRainstruggles and rebels, nothing will change.
To let her know that her life is only decided by a command from the head of the family, not the family itself.
And using the excuse of the engagement to expel me from the academy, thus placing a physical distance betweenRainand me.
Honestly, it worked quite effectively. The moment I heard the engagement news,Rainlocked herself away in her room.
Kiteprobably came to see me under the pretense of the engagement as part of the plan.
Originally, upon hearing the engagement news, I would have rashly acted, leading to being confined somewhere.
But I was just more thorough than the head of the family anticipated.
I didn’t move on my own but also involvedLiuandCrown Princess.
“An interesting hypothesis indeed.”
However, Hector didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Well, it would be odd for the head of a prominent family to be flustered by someone merely deducing their intentions.
…This just meansRain’sresistance has indeed caught him off guard.
“However, why does theWhite Rosecome up? It seems so out of place.”
Hmm, if it’s come to this, he wants to hear everything, huh?
Alright. I’ll indulge him.
“Kite Blackwoodis under your command, a marionette easily controlled.”
“That’s a rather harsh thing to say. Not wrong, though.”
“You must have known that he likesLily White Rose. And that they were childhood friends.”
“………….”
I investigated after he said they were childhood friends, and indeed they were.
Though really, it was just a brief closeness when they were five or six.
“Now, let’s consider this scenario. What ifRainandKitewere engaged?”
“……Hmm.”
“They wouldn’t want that engagement. However, if the head of the family says a single word toKite, the story changes.”
──First, get engaged; then, call it off.
After all, if they use the engagement as an excuse to bringRainhome from the academy, it would be enough.
“Is that it?”
“Not quite, I whisper toKiteafterward. I’ll let him marryLily White Rose. Oh, of course, it wouldn’t be exactly what he wanted.”
The political picture is clearly drawn.
An engagement broken for ‘unknown’ reasons;Kite, who had been engaged, then elopes withLily White Rose.
To theArthur Family, viewing marriage as a means of power expansion, that would appear as if theWhite Rose Familyhad usedKiteto mockArthur.
No one would think that a mere cadet family like theBlackwood Familycould independently break withArthurand marry into theWhite Rose Family.
Of course, behind this standsHector Arthur.
‘Naturally, theArthur Familywould be furious with both theBlackwood Familyand theWhite Rose Family.’
So, what comes after that?
TheBlackwoodwould easily be annihilated, and the only ones left would be a full-frontal showdown with theWhite Rose.
And with both size and power on their side, the victor would undoubtedly beArthur.
What aboutKite Blackwood, stuck between them?
He’d likely end up brushed aside and thrown into the back hills, although he seems not to have thought that far ahead.
Maybe he thought only of marryingLily.
“If you look at it from the outside, it would appear that the insignificantBlackwood Familysuddenly annulled the engagement withArthur, which would confuseArthur, and when they suddenly marryWhite Rose, it would make it seem likeBlackwoodandWhite Roseare mockingArthurregarding the important institution of marriage.”
“………….”
“Then, is there anyone in Europe who doesn’t understand what marriage means toArthur? With a perfect pretext of mocking marriage in hand,Arthurwould attack and absorbWhite Rose. In the end, they would be enlarging their power.”
Ultimately, it’s a matter of expanding influence through marriage.
From this plan, the head of the family stands to gain four things.
First, theWhite Rose Familyitself.
Second, separating me fromRain.
Third, to informRain, who has begun to rebel, of the reality.
And fourth, using the excuse of knowing all of this, eliminateKite.
It’s a happy ending only for the head andArthur.
“Do you need more explanation?”
“……I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“If what you say is true, then how would you marryKiteandLily White Rose? Would theWhite Roseaccept a man who was merely engaged and broken off with theBlackwood Family?”
Oh please, aren’t we both in the know here?
This is such a basic question.
“There would naturally be a traitor involved.”
“……A traitor?”
“There would be someone who agreed to hand overWhite RosetoArthurin exchange for sweet honey, wouldn’t there? Especially sinceLilyis practically treated like a discarded child in theWhite Rose. IfKitewere to receive help from a traitor, marrying wouldn’t be too difficult.”
If there hadn’t been a traitor in the first place, this plan wouldn’t have even been attempted.
Now that I think of it, that guy is the root of all evil, isn’t he? If I ever visitWhite Rose, I’ll have to deal with that guy as well.
Well, anyhow.
“That’s all, the despicable plan designed byHector Arthur.”
“……What a pity, truly a pity…”
“………….”
“A talent like yours is wasted helping the child of some wench. It’s truly a shame.”
…That wench?
Is he referring toRain’smother?
“What do you say? Do you reconsider coming under my banner now?”
“………Hmm.”
“If you want, I’ll arrange for you to marryRain. You’re worth that much.”
Wow, I guess he really does like me.
But am I just going to accept that like a fool?
“Did you forget why I wanted to meet you in the first place, head of the family?”
“………….”
“Accept this white glove. That will formalize theDuel.”
“……….”
At the suggestion to just shut up and get on with the duel,Hectorclosed his mouth.
The anticipation and interest that had been in his eyes switched to hostility in no time.
“……Do you know the history ofArthur?”
“My knowledge isn’t great, so I don’t know much.”
“Even now, few know, but originally,Arthurwas an executioner.”
Tug-tug, tug-tug.
Hectorstarts walking again.
But this time, I didn’t follow.
“Do you know how lowly of a profession an executioner is? During the time when Christianity ruled, anyone in that line of work, be it hanging or beheading a person, was reviled, to the point of being contemptible. It was a necessary profession, so it didn’t disappear, but it was passed down through generations.”
“……….”
“But now,Arthurhas become a noble family ruling Europe like this. The reviled past only remains asArthur‘s specialty in torture.”
“………….”
LucasandCharles Teddy Bearsaid thatArthur’s torture is famous.
Could it be thanks to such a past?
“Many reasons contributed toArthurreaching the peak. Luckily, descendants with the profession were born across generations, they made a lot of money, and they were fortunate enough to marry into the noble society.”
“………….”
“But, through hundreds of years,Arthurnever forgot one thing.”
“……….”
“If they can’t be allies.”
──Exclude them entirely.
Thump.
“……….”
Before I even realized it,Hectorhad drawn a bow from somewhere and shot an arrow directly at me.
His gaze was now filled entirely with malice and murderous intent.
…Right, just likeKite, he must have wanted to eliminate me after his plans were complete; he wouldn’t let me live, knowing everything.
An arrow lodged itself in the wall right beside my head, tied to it was a note.
“It has the place and time written on it. The engagement is not far off.”
“……….”
“Are you afraid now? I want to see that skill of yours that took downGregoryin one shot.”
Afraid, huh?Am I scared of the torture that you will hand down if I lose thisDuel?Not a chance.
“TheDuelhas been agreed upon, so let me just say one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“You’re a piece of crap for a father and a despicable person. An abuser, you scumbag.”
“………….”
“Do you feel afraid? The only thing I fear is one thing.”
“I hope your pride is as lofty as that nose of yours.”
That would at least make your howls a bit comforting toRain.
“I’m scared you’ll run away, so prepare to apologize toRaininstead of talking nonsense.”
“……….”
“Since you’ll have to kneel, I’ll leave your legs intact.”
Even with my provocation,Hectorstood still, and I too wore no smile.
After all, everything will be proven in theDuel.
Come at me, you bastard.
—
“Ugh, sniff… Uuuu…”
Somewhere in theArthur Mansion.
<I'm scared you’ll run away, so prepare to apologize toinstead of talking nonsense.>
The girl who was listening to the conversations of the two powerful figures through herSuperpower.
<Since you’ll have to kneel, I’ll leave your legs intact.>
She was constantly shedding tears.
…What those tears meant, she still didn’t realize.
