Chapter 9

Even though Duke Blythe’s cause of death had been disguised as a fall and handled cleanly, the family retainers continued their search, suspecting something was amiss.

So Raphael returned to the main residence to cut off their trail and erase all evidence even more thoroughly.

The fact that Duke Blythe had died near the villa, where he had often come for retreats with his ex-wife, was because Raphael had baited him with a letter.

Duke Blythe had maintained his marriage with his sick wife until her death, not simply out of duty as a husband.

When she married Duke Blythe, his ex-wife had brought a huge dowry…. Among it was a bank account inherited as part of her estate. The account contained money several hundred times greater than the dowry, so when his wife fell ill, Duke Blythe coveted it.

The problem was, only his ex-wife knew the password to the account, so he treated her with utmost care…. Even though he had two sons, perhaps because she knew her husband’s dark intentions, she never revealed the password before she died.

Very few people knew this, so Duke Blythe kept his mouth shut, but inwardly, he must have been tormented.

Then, Raphael baited him with a letter claiming to know the password and quickly chose the villa as the meeting place, making it hard for Duke Blythe to resist the temptation.

Even if he suspected a trick, it was only natural he would want to come. He simply didn’t know death was waiting for him.

The letter had already been retrieved and burned in the fireplace long ago, and the ring Duke Blythe had carried was, as known, handed over to Estelle.

Raphael forced a cup of tea into the hands of her pale figure and, as if casually suggesting what might be good to eat in the afternoon, calmly revealed everything that had happened.

Estelle, who listened quietly, nearly dropped her teacup when he finished speaking. She hurriedly set the cup on the table and avoided Raphael’s gaze.

Estelle remained seated on the sofa, and he stood still, looking down at her. His firm lips parted.

“Are you afraid, Estelle?”

“‥‥‥.”

“You knew, didn’t you? Who killed Duke Blythe. I made you drink tea first, thinking you might faint if I told you everything at once. But it doesn’t seem to have helped much.”

Even though she had drunk more than half of the steaming peppermint tea, her complexion did not improve at all.

Was it just arrogance to think that, given time, he could win her heart and that she would accept his love?

Seeing her at the western villa after having caught her, who ultimately made no choice and ran away, Raphael sometimes felt a flood of emotions. He never showed it, though.

Before Estelle boarded the carriage and left the Main Residence, he had given her one last chance.

The question, “Do you really have to go?” held many meanings.

He already knew about Emily’s involvement in Estelle’s escape, but he had hoped she would come to him of her own will. What Estelle chose was to throw everything away and try to leave this place.

It was no different from having already given her answer.

Raphael frowned as he looked at Estelle, who couldn’t utter a single word. She seemed as if she might crumble and disappear at any moment.

Even so, he couldn’t let her go easily. If he could have given up, he wouldn’t have reached out to her in the first place. The moment he learned she was not his blood-related sister, he felt as if he had been given a salvation he had never experienced in his life.

It was then that he realized just how desperately he wanted Estelle.

“I won’t get angry. But you threw away the chance I gave you. There should be something in return for that.”

She said nothing. Like someone suffering from aphasia, only her lower lip trembled.

Raphael, who had succeeded in capturing such tempting prey, felt as if he himself had become the hunted. The burning anxiety in his heart was difficult to control.

He wanted to push her to the edge and ask if she had deceived him—would that quench his thirst, even a little?

No, it wouldn’t.

A faint sneer appeared on Raphael’s lips. He didn’t urge her to speak.

“The emerald ring I gave you, where is it, Estelle? At least hand that over.”

He knew now that entrusting his life to her hands only led to being abandoned, so he asked for the emerald ring instead.

There was nothing more cruel than being left with no decision from her.

Yet, even at his words, Estelle kept silent to the end. Raphael waited patiently. If she didn’t say a word, he was prepared to stay all night. He didn’t mind if it was a twisted obsession. He had no desire to suppress those feelings.

Soon after,

“The maid took it.”

Estelle barely managed to part her lips. Raphael immediately knew which maid she meant. The sneer on his lips curved into a strange smile.

“Emily? You talked with Emily, the maid who accompanied you to the western villa?”

“‥‥‥.”

“That maid betrayed you, Estelle, but surely you didn’t use the emerald ring as a bribe, did you?”

She, who had barely spoken, gave no answer as Raphael added another remark. Estelle took a sip of the slightly cooled peppermint tea and avoided his gaze.

Raphael sensed that he would not get any more answers from her. Normally, she was transparent, but he couldn’t understand why she had given the engagement ring—once carried by Duke Blythe before his death—to her maid.

It unsettled him not knowing her intentions.

Even so….

“Is it true? Though honestly, even if it’s a lie, it doesn’t matter.”

He asked for the emerald ring, but by now, it was not important enough to retrieve. Raphael was prepared to accept the consequences if Estelle used the ring to bring him down, though it would have been different had anyone else done such a thing.

Also, after all cooperation was finished, he had no intention of chasing the maid, whom he believed had already crossed the border, for a single ring.

At the point where all traces of Duke Blythe’s assassination had been erased, pursuing the emerald ring could risk him being framed for the crime. The maid, who had already taken everything from both sides, would not make such a foolish choice.

Estelle, who had barely finished her peppermint tea, placed her teacup on the table. Despite her anxious heart and poor complexion, Raphael still felt love for her. That’s the nature of unrequited love.

He approached and reached out to Estelle. She was startled but couldn’t avoid Raphael, remaining stiff.

Raphael swept back his red hair and bent down, whispering softly in her ear.

“Since you answered, I’ll let it go just this once. But mercy ends today. There won’t be another chance, Estelle.”

His voice was as soft as velvet, but the content was plain—a warning, or perhaps a threat….

Estelle bit her lower lip at his words. Raphael, hoping her pretty lips would not crack, suddenly leaned in.

He seized her lower lip and held the back of Estelle’s head with both hands.

She wanted to push Raphael away, but was too weak to resist. His tongue repeatedly licked Estelle’s lips before finally slipping inside.

“Mm….”

The low moan Estelle let out was swallowed between their joined lips. The peppermint scent lingering in her mouth quickly vanished, replaced by the heat of his saliva sliding down her throat. His red tongue licked her gums, teeth, and the inside of her cheeks, producing nothing but lewd noises.

For a while, Estelle could only accept him helplessly.

***

Raphael and Estelle spent more than a week at the western villa. During that time, the Duke ordered Raphael to return, but he did not obey. The Duke was unaware of Estelle’s attempted escape, so Raphael used the excuse of wanting to spend more time with his sister to gain two weeks of rest.

Raphael had built up his own strength while living in the Dukedom. He created his own people and accumulated great wealth through underground business ventures, after countless trials and errors.

He bowed and pretended to obey his father, but his true intentions were separate. The Duke was not oblivious, but since Raphael was an illegitimate child brought in due to lack of heirs, the family’s authority and wealth had to be passed to him. With his eyes wide open, the Duke could not hand everything to relatives just because he lacked descendants.