I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 78

The next day, after finishing his inspection, Yulken couldn’t believe his ears.

He had felt a certain unease knowing that his daughter had a confidential message to pass where even her mother wasn’t present, but what he heard was shockingly beyond imagination.

“Is that really true?”

His tone might have sounded like he was questioning the truth, but Yulken already had a degree of certainty in his voice. This question was more about trying to deny the unfathomable situation he was in, serving as a last psychological defense.

Although he was born into the Robeheim Family and had witnessed the political games since he was young, he couldn’t just brush off every situation nonchalantly.

The news Ariel delivered was far heavier than the typical talk of conspiracies or faction building.

“Yes, Father.”

Despite facing Yulken’s icy gaze, Ariel simply nodded without any change in her expression.

“It’s hard to believe. Even if I’ve been away, which scoundrel would do such a thing…?”

“I’ve already narrowed down the suspects. The only problem is that there’s no physical evidence.”

“Evidence will eventually surface as long as we dig deep. However, we must be cautious about our suspicions.”

Yulken did want to trust his daughter’s words, but this was precisely why he wanted to proceed with caution. If the wrong suspect was chosen at this stage, things could spiral out of control before any evidence could be unearthed.

Yet, if the suspects were carefully streamlined, discovering evidence wouldn’t require too much effort afterward.

What he deemed most important in this affair was determining the criteria by which the suspects were narrowed down. If Yulken found the reasoning acceptable, he could act immediately.

“Father, could you look at this first?”

“…What is this?”

“I believe you’ll understand once you see it.”

Knowing this, Ariel handed a stack of papers to her father. It detailed everything from the incident’s progression to the subsequent developments.

Flap. Flap.

As Yulken read through the papers one by one, Ariel observed him while sipping her tea, maintaining an astonishingly calm demeanor for someone directly involved in the case.

It took Yulken about twenty minutes to read through everything.

In the end, he concluded that there certainly seemed to be grounds for suspicion. However, it felt somewhat insufficient to take action at the moment.

“I acknowledge your reasoning, Ariel. However, you know that alone isn’t enough to act hastily.”

“Of course. What I wish to request of you isn’t to arrest the names listed, nor is it to investigate them further.”

“Hm?”

Yulken’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the unexpected response.

This was peculiar because he assumed that if she needed his assistance, it would be to address the issue immediately.

Then, what did she truly want?

As a father, he had to do everything necessary, but he was simply curious about what she genuinely desired.

“I would like to ask for two things. Is that okay, Father?”

“Sure, just say it.”

With Yulken’s affirmative response, a wider smile spread across Ariel’s face. What she wanted was nothing grand; it was merely a means for more certainty.

Of course, it would require some bait along the way, which Yulken was prepared to handle.

“First, grant me all authority of disposition.”

“…All authority of disposition? That’s quite a broad term.”

That was not how Ariel usually expressed herself. Knowing her personality, she would have specified something like, “the authority over all related to the crime” for clarity.

Yulken sensed an unfamiliarity in that vague phrasing. While he had expected her actions, this ambiguous expression made predicting Ariel’s next move easier.

“Do you mean you want to repay crime with a greater crime?”

“Yes, are you going to stop me?”

Ariel didn’t deny it; instead, she responded to her father’s question.

“As your father, I want to stop you, but… I am not in a position to lecture you, so I find it hard to speak.”

There’s a saying that vengeance begets greater vengeance. Yet Yulken was among those who wholly disapproved of that notion.

In his life, he had never acted with such cold rationality towards revenge.

Where in the world is there a say to simply repay what has been done? If someone slaps me, it’s human nature to want to kick their stomach in return.

Moreover, there’s always something more precious to a person than their own life, wealth, or honor.

For Ariel, that was Edgar, and they had touched what meant the most to her.

In such a situation, would merely taking the heads of those responsible amount to a satisfying revenge?

“I will permit it. However, remember this one thing, Ariel.”

“Yes, Father.”

“The blood on your hands may wash away, but the crime will not vanish. You must remember that avenging crime with greater crime is true vengeance.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She expected that all along. Born as the heir to the Robeheim Family, she knew she would someday step onto the battlefield, inevitably staining her hands with blood.

This was merely a rehearsal for that inevitable day.

“It’s a regretful matter that I cannot protect my daughter’s purity.”

Meanwhile, even with his permission, Yulken couldn’t shake off a bitter feeling.

He didn’t think his daughter would live purely forever, untouched by death, but he hadn’t anticipated that the moment she would bathe her hands in blood out of revenge would come so soon.

He hoped she wouldn’t be consumed by her thirst for vengeance.

He wished she wouldn’t sacrifice something precious for someone she holds dear.

All he could wish for now was for this moment to pass, and for her to return to being his daughter as before.