29. Betrayal Crossed the Line

On the day Daphne lay unconscious in her sickbed, Misha couldn’t understand why he was sitting across from this man at a table strewn with white papers.

And why did he need to be so tense!

“Haha.”

This wasn’t a laugh. It was just an artificial laugh, uttering each syllable separately.

The once-prince turned traitor, the Ghost Grand Duke of Terios, sat in a skewed posture, examining the documents. He looked gaunt after just two days,

The papers fluttering down onto the table one by one were clearly documents that Misha had secured to prevent any leaks.

‘How on earth does he have these? A man who’s been cooped up in Miss’s room every day…’

Celestian had been staying in Daphne’s room continuously, from the gallows until now. Not to mention, he was a great traitor who had cut off his own limbs with his own hands.

“I can understand gambling a hundred times over.”

After examining the papers for a while, Celestian finally picked up one sheet and uttered a sentence.

“But why invest in this garbage wasteland?”

“It’s not a garbage wasteland. And to answer your question about why, it’s because I wanted to repay the debt I owe to Miss.”

Misha answered promptly. With everything laid bare in numbers, he couldn’t lie.

The young Shasha brothers avoided capital punishment thanks to Daphne. Not just that, they had also obtained residency rights and were living like citizens of Secradion. The debt they owed her at that time was enormous, and they couldn’t leave Daphne until it was fully repaid.

“It is garbage though.”

“It’s not garbage.”

The area Celestian referred to as a ‘wasteland’ was literally a barren land.

“Looking at what’s written here, it seems you’re not investing, but… speculating.”

Celestian pointed this out kindly, yet burst into laughter as if it was ridiculous.

“You’re right about the speculation. Where I was from, it was legal, so I didn’t know it was illegal here. Count Baldwin said so too.”

According to Count Baldwin, it was fertile land perfect for growing grapes, and word had it that Konya, a wine businessman, had his eye on it. A year ago, Misha had quickly invested some borrowed money in that area. It was a bit troublesome that it hadn’t sold yet.

“Baldwin is a con artist. This is a fraudulent property.”

“Pardon?”

Misha retorted in a shrill voice. He had vaguely suspected it, but hearing it from someone else’s mouth when he had been trying his best to ignore it left him momentarily stunned.

“I guess you didn’t know. That’s why you’re still paying off the debt. Is this acceptable for Daphne’s capable secretary?”

“I went there myself. The weather…”

“Was very good, right? May?”

He asked if he had gone in May. Misha nodded.

“The weather is good everywhere then. Especially here, it’s a place where the sun shines briefly. But except for that time, the rest of the year is a rainy season where grape vines rot underwater due to floods.”

“……”

“Did you know?”

Misha’s jaw dropped. Of course, he didn’t know. The photos sent every month were of beautiful vineyards under bright sunshine.

Celestian glanced at his dumbfounded grey eyes and tapped under his chin with the back of his hand a couple of times. Misha closed his mouth.

“But many others invested besides me, and they didn’t say anything…”

“I told you. He’s a con artist who acts like the tongue in his mouth. No one knows yet.”

Misha looked at the vineyard photo pushed in front of him. Celestian had personally written ‘You’ve been fooled’ next to it, as if mocking Misha.

“Why didn’t you tell your Miss? If you had told her right away, you could have gotten help. Now, just the interest alone, how much is it…”

Celestian clicked his tongue once, raising his left eyebrow.

“That’s…”

Misha naturally couldn’t say. He incurred a new debt to repay the debt he owed to Daphne. This debt was entangled with complex circumstances.

“I’ll solve it for you.”

Celestian said brightly. It was a voice that didn’t match his still dull green eyes that had lost their luster.

“Pardon?”

“But there’s something I need help with in return.”

Misha thought, ‘I knew it,’ and raised his palm.

“I’ll have to decline.”

“What will you do if I say ‘I’ll inform your employer about this fact’?”

Celestian was treating Misha like a child. If one only listened to the tone, it was like asking whether to buy a toy or not. Misha didn’t catch this and just gritted his teeth.

“I didn’t know you were so childish. Besides, our Miss is currently bedridden, and if she hears this, she’ll drag me straight to hell.”

“Daphne can’t go to hell. Because I’m here.”

Misha was bewildered. His employer was more often told she couldn’t go to heaven if she died.

“What you just said…”

“She says I’m her angel.”

His grinning face seemed to sparkle for a moment. Misha regretted asking.

“That’s why even childishness suits this body well.”

As though he read Misha’s thoughts, Celestian playfully tapped his own cheek.

“Even if Your Grace says so, our Miss will trust me more. She’ll just scold me a bit.”

It would depend on Daphne’s mood, but lately, the Miss had been in a good state, like a clear sky. It was an undeniable fact that it was thanks to the man in front of him.

“As you said, I can continue to owe her debts. Therefore, Your Grace won’t have any reason to make me indebted to you.”

“That’s true.”

Celestian scratched his cheek and slowly rested his chin on his hand. With his other index finger, he slowly swam across the table. The finger that had been drawing a large semicircle soon began to write down a word.

His green eyes still lacked luster. Perhaps that’s why his gaze felt a bit chilling.

“But what if I report that your Miss is protecting murderers?”

“Pardon?”

“Runaway slaves from Agentar, pirates from Libian. What if I have evidence that Lebanon, who supposedly died in a fire, was actually shot to death?”

Celestian gathered the scattered papers on the table and tapped them together.

“If I report everything to the police about a woman protecting criminals who dyed their hair black?”

“You wouldn’t have any evidence.”

Celestian loosened his grip on the papers. The fluttering papers scattered across the table once again.

“Maybe not.”

Celestian muttered lowly. Misha immediately understood what this action meant. His Adam’s apple moved greatly once. He wavered between the certainty that this man wouldn’t do such a thing and a subtle distrust.

“I said I’d disappear on my own if Daphne was in danger. I keep my word.”

Misha was even more perplexed by this unexpected answer. It didn’t seem like a lie.

“What exactly do you want?”

“It’s simple.”

In the end, Misha had no choice but to move according to his words.

What Celestian demanded in return was just some cash and a horse.

* * *

Daphne’s face was incredibly pale after hearing the whole story.

“Wow. So.”

Daphne, with all her thought processes momentarily halted, kept repeating “Wow, so.”

“So Misha Serenade betrayed me.”

Daphne, barely holding onto her sanity, tilted her head to the left. As if the Misha who was standing in front of her was so strange.

“And yet the traitor is still in my room? Imperial slave, why haven’t you left yet?”

Daphne’s vicious and cold voice pierced his ears.

Misha’s black hair was particularly irritating today. It seemed like just a few days ago that she had dyed it black herself, and now he had not only grown taller than her in a few years but even betrayed her.

“I’m sorry.”

“Wow, sorry?”

Daphne, dumbfounded, continued to make popping sounds.

Unable to contain her rising anger, Daphne raised her hand high and struck Misha’s cheek. With a sharp sound, Misha’s head turned to the left.

‘Ugh, that must really hurt.’

Kisha frowned, pressing his lips into a straight line. He unconsciously touched his own cheek a few times. He knew better than anyone that Daphne’s hands were long and thin, as sharp as a cane.

One fortunate thing was that there were no accessories like rings on her hand…

“I’m not satisfied.”

“Miss…”

“Put your face out again. I’ll punch it this time. Kisha, bring me the seal ring. I’ll stamp this slave’s face too. I’m your owner, who are you getting help from? Are you joking?”

Daphne raised her fist like a gangster, threatening Misha. Although her words were scary, after hitting him once, the fierce atmosphere had somewhat dissipated.

“Miss. Miss, please calm down.”

Kisha knelt down, blocking Daphne’s path. Daphne grabbed Kisha’s hair tightly and flung him to the left. The large-bodied Kisha crumpled helplessly.

“What are you saying, Kisha? Your Miss is f*cking calm right now. …No, let’s make one more hit. Put your face out.”

Misha silently lowered his eyes. The place he had just been hit was stinging so much that his molars clenched involuntarily.

Misha thought it would be fortunate if it ended with just being hit. If he was fired from Daphne’s room, he could go anywhere with his resume to earn money, and if worst came to worst, he planned to swallow his pride and ask her for a letter of recommendation.

Having resolved the issue with Baldwin, who had been unnecessarily pestering his boss using him as an excuse, was already a big achievement for Misha!

‘But if she takes away my residency rights too…’

For now, since he had made a mistake, it was right to take as many punches or slaps as necessary. Misha closed his eyes and waited for the stars he would see on his face. Daphne rushed at him.

“Oh, you idiot.”

However, no sharp sound was heard, and instead, a small embrace a span shorter tightly hugged Misha. A fierce hand gently stroked his lower back.

“Do the same next time too. If someone offers you money, take it, and do what they ask.”

“Why…”

“Because you’re human, take the benefit first and clean up later. When you’re cornered, your head only turns that way. Besides, who wouldn’t be tempted when offered to pay off such a huge debt?”

“…Aren’t you firing me?”

“You’re a capable secretary who brings me great benefits, and you clean up all the messes I make, so why would I throw you away? Do you think our years together are that shallow?”

Daphne stepped back a few steps. Misha’s cheek was swollen in the shape of her hand. Daphne gently stroked it.

“I hit you because you touched my property. If you do it again, you’ll really die.”

Even though the use of violence was clearly self-defense, Daphne felt uncomfortable.

It’s inevitable for people to be tempted by money. Especially for Misha, who’s just a kid with no capital and full of debt. To think that her person was struggling because of a huge debt he owed to some human trash!

Moreover, the fact that some complete stranger knew about it, rather than Daphne herself, was both infuriating and embarrassing. Honestly, it was also shameful.

“Why did you try to pay off the debt? Did you hate working under me that much?”

“Miss, that’s…”

“Enough. You still have a lot of money to pay back, so you can’t leave.”

Daphne quickly wrapped things up, as if she didn’t want to know.

“Miss, please listen to me.”

“I said don’t make excuses. Other than that…”

Misha wanted to tell the real reason. That he disliked the fact that Daphne thought he couldn’t leave her because of their debt relationship. That he could work for her for life even without that measly debt.

But Daphne distrusted such words. Words that were just words without solid evidence.

“Didn’t Celestian say where he was going? You don’t know?”

He disappeared, adding that he would return in a few days anyway, with words sufficient to comfort Misha.

Whether it was Celestian’s doing or not, Misha’s debt was clearly resolved.

The day after he disappeared, the life story of a count who had donated all his property to society and ended his life made headlines in the newspapers.

With the creditor gone, Misha’s debt became a thing of the past.

‘Did the Grand Duke kill him? Just because of me? Why?’

Misha bit his lip hard as he watched Daphne’s face, which had noticeably become gloomy. He felt desperate that there was nothing he could do for her.

‘He promised he would return, what on earth is he doing?’

Only unanswered questions continued to pile up.