I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 80

After hearing unexpected news from Yulken, Lux had been avoiding contact with Vincent as much as possible in his daily life.

However, for about four days, it was frustrating that Vincent had been noticeably chasing after him.

‘What a short-sighted old fool.’

What was he trying to achieve by acting according to their intentions?

Maybe it was the age that had made his mind rigid.

Still, among his retainers, there was a guy who seemed somewhat clever, and they had collaborated, but suddenly a thought struck that he might just become a hindrance.

However, from the fifth day onward, Vincent’s movements inexplicably quieted down to an unsettling degree.

One might worry that he had been eliminated early on.

Then, after another two days, Lux heard that Vincent had visited his room just after he briefly went out in the afternoon.

“Did he say anything in particular?”

While sipping a glass of water brought by his attendant and surveying the room, he asked.

Having just recalled the situation, Lux’s attendant opened his mouth with a hint of hesitation.

“He… asked if you had kept any letters aside.”

“Letters?”

Lux repeated the word with a puzzled tone.

The letters must be referring to the ones discussing the schedule of the operation.

Fundamentally, Lux was not the type to easily trust others, so he had kept all the letters just in case things went awry later.

Moreover, he had stored them in a secret place known only to him, so there shouldn’t be any problems even if something unexpected happened.

But why was he suddenly asking about them? That was a mystery to him.

“Yes, actually, he asked me to not mention this matter, but…”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Lux tilted his head slightly, feeling a strange discomfort.

It was one thing to ask about the whereabouts of the letters, but why ask it secretly to the attendant while hiding it from him?

If he genuinely just wanted to know about the existence of the letters, it would have been more appropriate to ask him directly.

‘This is strange.’

It had been unusually quiet for about two days, and now he was behaving in such an incomprehensible manner.

Lux pondered over Vincent’s intentions but didn’t derive any substantial conclusions.

“Oh, and he said this was sent by His Highness.”

“Hmm?”

A sudden letter envelope placed on the desk drew Lux’s attention.

That it was sent by Yulken of all people made him curious. Why would he send something at this time?

Thinking perhaps someone had falsely sent it, he checked the seal on the envelope, and it indeed confirmed it was sent by Yulken.

“For now, you can leave. Call me if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

The attendant bowed and quietly exited the room after refilling the empty glass with water.

Watching his retreating figure from the corner of his eye, Lux idly checked the window and door again before tearing open the letter Yulken had sent.

For some reason, even though he hadn’t seen the contents yet, his heart started to pound intensely.

‘No need to worry.’

After hearing such words not long ago, it seemed some residual anxiety still lurked within him.

Calming his mind, Lux retrieved the letter inside without making a fuss.

And the words that caught his eye were far too short for a letter and conveyed an utterly shocking message.

“Having heard the whole story from Vincent, if you value the lives of your family, bring me a head before midnight tonight.”

Gone were the respectful titles like “Sir Vincent” or polite phrases like “with all due respect,” as he searched in vain for them in that sentence.

Of course, the content was shocking, but what struck Lux was the realization that Yulken was fully aware of all the details.

Bang!

Overwhelmed with betrayal, Lux slammed his trembling fist on the desk.

‘I can’t believe that old man would betray me.’

The glass sitting at the edge shattered on the floor, but he didn’t have the luxury to worry about such trivial matters.

He wondered if this letter was a trap to sow discord, but then he recalled the attendant’s previous report and ground his teeth.

‘So that’s why he asked about the letters.’

Since Vincent had delegated most of the work to him, there were sufficient ways for him to create an escape route.

The problem was if any evidence to trip him up remained, he could fall into the mud alongside Vincent.

And the most reliable piece of evidence that could prove the entire event was the letters exchanged between the two.

Lux assumed Vincent had come to his room early this morning for that same anxiety.

As long as that existed, it wouldn’t be possible to create a situation where only he could escape.

‘Is this why he was quiet?’

For four days, Vincent had been obnoxiously pursuing him.

Yet suddenly, his traces became suspiciously vague, leaving Lux puzzled.

In all likelihood, he had spilled everything to Yulken in the meantime and switched sides.

Of course, Lux didn’t know the exact reasons behind it.

The only certain fact was that unless he took action, he would only catch the fallout.

‘I can’t die alone.’

Now that the matter was discovered, he had no choice but to either die together or find a way to reduce the severity of the charges against him.

Gathering soldiers or doing foolish things would just worsen the situation.

To begin with, eggs can only break when they strike against rocks.

If he overstepped the line now, he couldn’t guarantee the safety of his family’s lives.

Lux decided to assess the situation as coolly as possible.

‘First, I need to gather evidence. If it’s midnight, there’s still enough time.’

Moreover, even if this incident were exposed, Lux and Vincent had thorough discussions that the chances of death were extremely low.

After all, Edgar wasn’t exactly Ariel’s fiancé; he was just a fleeting lover.

If Yulken had any sense, he wouldn’t push it to such extreme circumstances, the two had reassured each other while preparing for the operation.

Moreover, since the target wasn’t dead but merely attempted, if he played his cards right, he could wriggle out with his life intact.

With his mind set on finding his way out first, Lux began rummaging through the desk drawers.

* * * * * *

“What on earth….”

When Vincent opened his eyes, darkness was all that filled his view.

No, to be precise, nothing was captured in his eyes.

This scene, devoid of any light, was hardly defined by the term darkness.

Even with his eyes open, he couldn’t even recognize whether he was seeing or not.

In this place, where even a dim light couldn’t reach, the concept of dark adaptation didn’t even apply.

His hands and feet were somehow tied tightly.

He recognized that the sound of clanking and the icy coldness transmitted through his skin was chains, but that was all he knew.

His memories were hazy.

He distinctly remembered being summoned before Yulken, but beyond that, the details were blank.

He had no idea how much time had passed in this place or what this location was. Nothing.

Except for one thing: the reason he was tied up here.

‘To go this far…’

He knew all too well why he was being subjected to this humiliation.

Yet, he never imagined that Yulken would treat him with such disdain.

He had only expected to be dismissed at worst.

But one thing also puzzled him: why he was locked away like this without any explanation or proper punishment.

Usually, wouldn’t they come directly to ask about the reasons for such actions?

Even just telling him about the punishment to be inflicted would be the common procedure.

Thud.

“Ugh…!”

Just as he was pondering, the sudden influx of light made his vision blurry.

Having been in the darkness for so long, his eyes were resistant to the light.

“Been waiting long? Vincent.”

“…….”

The person who entered the cage with footsteps greeted him with a bright smile, as if running slightly late for an appointment.

A very familiar face to Vincent.

However, he hadn’t expected to see her here, so surprise washed over his features.

“…It’s you.”

“Have you decided to drop the title of ‘My Lady’?”

“In this situation, calling you that wouldn’t be of any use, would it?”

Vincent retorted boldly, smirking back at Ariel.

Having already branded him a traitor, he had nothing to lose.

“Well, that makes sense.”

She shrugged casually and nodded as she slowly approached him.

Though she was petite compared to Yulken, the oppressive aura radiating from her was enough to rival Vincent at that moment.

“How did you find out?”

“I had my doubts initially. On the day I returned to Hespania, I saw several faces I wouldn’t normally have expected to see.”

“…Sure enough, that was a trap.”

He had sensed something was off about the events of that day when nothing was announced, but he hadn’t imagined an enemy would be planted within.

“How did you discover the evidence?”

“I didn’t find any. Initially, I didn’t think you would leave any evidence or hide it somewhere accessible.”

“Of course.”

Lux might have been oblivious, but at least Vincent had burned all items that could serve as evidence, including letters.

That’s why he had let his guard down. Without any evidence surfacing, suspicion would eventually die down.

“Are you saying you’re going to persecute me without any evidence?”

“Not at all. Do you see this?”

“What is that…?”

Realizing that Ariel was hugging a small wooden box, Vincent wondered what it was, and inside, a stack of letters revealed themselves.

Vincent recognized immediately whose they were as soon as he laid eyes on it.

It meant that she somehow acquired the letters Lux had neglected to destroy.

Thanks to that foolish guy, he ended up messing things up; he must have truly misjudged people.

“Oh, and if you think it was because of Lux that your plan got exposed, you’re mistaken. You played a significant role as well.”

“……?”

What did she mean by ‘played a significant role’?

Vincent’s brow furrowed at the sight of Ariel grinning mischievously, puzzled by her statement.

He thought he had executed every detail flawlessly; where could he have slipped up?

“Do you have any idea whose letter I sent you?”

“Surely it’s from Your Highness… No, in this case, it would be from you, My Lady.”

The title had found its way back into their conversation, but neither cared too much.

“Exactly. But have you ever thought that letter was fake?”

“Of course, I had thought about it….”

The conversation between the two unfolded in a strangely light-hearted tone, despite Vincent being bound, and Ariel stood proudly across from him.

“However, whether that letter was true or false, it wouldn’t cause any problem with my actions…”

Vincent could not comprehend.

Even if the content of that letter was false, the actions he took afterward shouldn’t have raised any suspicions.

All he did was desperately try to meet Lux to clarify things, which couldn’t be considered evidence.

“Well, thanks to you, Lux ended up revealing everything.”

“…What?”

Upon hearing Ariel’s words, Vincent’s eyes widened.

That’s where it had originated from? How?

“Actually, before sending you that letter, I asked my father to summon Lux separately.”

“You mean, that’s when he revealed everything…?”

“Not at all. At that time, he said something like this.”

‘You, along with Vincent and several others, are under suspicion. However, after looking into you and Vincent, we believe there will be no wrongdoing, so I called you discreetly. I will share this story with Vincent later.’

Ariel recounted her father’s words, albeit not verbatim, but retaining the essence of his message.

Vincent pondered over her comment, trying to find a logical flaw, but soon his eyes began to widen in realization.

He knew well that Lux was not a foolish person.

If the perpetrator heard such words, would they take it to heart?

At least, Vincent did not believe Lux was foolish enough to think everything was fine.

Given that, what would Lux do next?

While there were generally two options, Vincent narrowed it down to one.

That is,

“Are you saying the reason he overtly avoided me… was because of that?”

“Exactly.”

Ariel beamed at him, her eyes sparkling as if to praise him for getting the answer right.

It turned out to be just as she said.

Upon hearing that from Yulken, Lux had resolved to keep his head down and even hesitated to strike up small conversations with Vincent.

However, Vincent’s reaction was starkly different.

Receiving a letter containing content meant to sow discord without any information from Yulken, Vincent had tried to reach out to Lux to question the authenticity of the letter, while Lux, perceiving Vincent’s usual impression that ‘the old tend to think rigidly and fail to see far ahead,’ had resisted it all the more.

After about four days of this process, Vincent had no choice but to start believing the content of the letter.

A few days ago, he personally visited Lux’s room to inquire about the letter, all in case something went wrong.

“And this here is the letter I sent to Lux later. Want a peek?”

“…….”

Since he was bound, Ariel had no choice but to approach him directly to show the letter.

However, considering that Vincent was old and may not see well anymore, she cheerfully proclaimed she would read it for him from a fair distance as she pulled out the letter and began reading the contents aloud.

“Having heard the whole story from Vincent, if you value the lives of your family, bring me a head before midnight tonight.”

‘This is the letter that arrived the day you visited Lux,’ Ariel smiled while saying so.

As soon as Vincent heard the content, he let his head droop wearily.

He could easily imagine the subsequent situation following that.

“I assumed you would create evidence because there was none…”

“The important thing was to tie you two together. That was what I requested from my father.”

There’s a term called ‘prisoner’s dilemma.’

It typically occurs in situations where two accomplices, under condition of reduced sentence, are asked to reveal the other’s crimes.

If both choose to remain silent, their sentences could be reduced, but most criminals tend to betray each other to lessen their own sentence.

To achieve this, it was crucial to ensure the two criminals couldn’t contact each other, and that’s exactly what Ariel exploited.

Of course, there are differences in particulars.

However, a definite commonality is that neither cared about the other’s safety.

Rather than diminish the gravity of the crime, they prioritized securing their own lives, seeking out evidence against each other.

As a result, Ariel could easily eliminate the internal enemy that rolled in without any proper investigation.

“…So, what do you plan to do now?”

“You’ve got spunk for a criminal. Is your life not worth anything?”

“Of course it’s worth something. However, given the circumstances, it seems I have little chance of escaping this without some critical punishment.”

Ultimately, it felt tragic that they couldn’t eliminate a treacherous wretch hiding in the Robeheim Family, but he accepted it as an unavoidable reality.

Thus, as Vincent seemed to resign to his fate, closely observing Ariel’s expression, she smirked and signaled for someone to be brought inside.

“Bring him in.”

“Yes!”

The man from outside was approximately in his thirties, sporting a clean-cut appearance.

Dragged in with his sight obscured, he was thrown right in front of Ariel and Vincent.

“Who are you…?”

“You don’t need to know who he is; I’m planning to give you one chance from now on.”

“A chance?”

Treating a traitor who had planned a rebellion as if he had a choice—is that not absurd?

Vincent stared blankly at the man placed in front of him, while Ariel grinned wickedly, loosening the blindfold obstructing the man’s vision.

“……!”

As soon as the sight returned to him, he turned to Vincent with an expression of shock, attempting to move—however, the gag was so tightly bound that only faint utterances escaped.

Yet, Vincent’s expression remained dazed.

With a complete stranger suddenly placed before him and the notion of a chance being given, he found herself puzzled by Ariel’s intentions.

“Surely, you don’t know who this man is, do you?”

“No.”

“Now, I will give you your chance.”

Ariel received a dagger from a burly man standing outside and slowly walked towards Vincent, placing the dagger in his hand.

She wouldn’t hesitate to overpower him if he chose to lunge at her.

“Cut away at his body, piece by piece, until he dies. But don’t kill him. Anything will do; his eyes, ears, or mouth. For each piece, you’ll live an additional year.”

“Ah….”

Only then did Vincent realize why he was given the dagger, letting out a low sigh.

Did she really think he felt terrible about taking the life of a complete stranger?

Having fought through decades on the battlefield, taking someone’s life was nothing new to him.

Clank.

As if waiting for a signal, the shackles binding Vincent loosened.

Ariel smiled as if granting him an opportunity and gestured for him to act, closing the door and heading down the hallway.

Left alone without any interruptions, a sardonic smile crept onto Vincent’s face as he observed the nameless man, and the dagger glinted dangerously in his hand.

He didn’t know why such an excellent offer was made, but in the extreme circumstances, he didn’t have the luxury to indulge in speculations.

Slowly, Vincent approached the prey before him.

The hair of the man, glistening in the light, reminded him of his younger self.