Chapter 4 (Part 3)

“Sold?”

“As you can see, this place is in the center of Devok, isn’t it?”

“Then Mother…”

She felt tears welling up. Her father frowned deeply and said,

“Your mother has been moved elsewhere, so there’s no need to worry. But right now…”

“So, you’re using this place with the money from selling the family cemetery land?”

“Brienne, how dare you while I’m speaking…”

“Speak clearly. Or are you using the money from selling the cemetery land and the money you swindled together here?”

Her father’s face hardened instantly. He looked around and then leaned toward her.

“Lower your voice when you say that. How dare you…”

“You’re a swindler, aren’t you? I still can’t pay off the debt, and it’s so much money that I don’t even know when I’ll finish paying it.”

Her father, looking displeased, grabbed his glass and drank in gulps. It was a yellowish liquid. It might be the high-end liquor sold here.

With a sharp, clear sound, he placed the glass down. As soon as their eyes met, he spoke.

“You don’t have to pay that money anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just as I said. Now that the investigation period for our case is over, I won’t be punished anymore, and you don’t have to pay the money.”

“But the debt is still there.”

“What does it matter when the case has already ended?”

“Then why are you being so cautious? You said the investigation period is over.”

“That’s because the private trial held by the Messerode family is still pending. I called you here to tell you to use your strength.”

“……”

“If you do it right, I’ll pass all the money to you…”

“I don’t need it.”

“You’re on the verge of death, and you don’t need it?”

“I think I’d rather die.”

“Brienne, are you in your right mind?”

“Am I in my right mind? I’ve been hiding and barely paying off the debt you incurred, having given up on my entire life. Do you think I’m in my right mind?”

Anger surged from within. Tears welled up as memories of the past rushed by. She never expected her father to be living so well.

Then what was the guilt she had been living with all this time? What had she been living for?

She had disliked her father from the beginning, so why had she been repaying his debt so diligently?

Now she saw her past life. She wiped her tears and spoke.

“I’m not going to pay off your debt anymore, so don’t contact me again. And make sure you pay back the debt you owe. I’ll let the creditors know you’re here.”

As she stood up, she saw a familiar person by the door. A noticeable tall figure, a refreshing stride, well-groomed black hair. The atmosphere was on a different level from when she had seen him at the cabin.

Back then, she could have approached closely, but now he seemed infinitely distant.

Cardin. 

She called out his name in her heart after a long time.

‘Why is Cardin here?’

Come to think of it, she saw Foyne at a nearby table earlier. Cardin walked over to where Foyne was seated.

She sat back down. As she sat in a daze, her father spoke harshly.

“You’ve gone completely mad. If I succeed, won’t you live well too? How many times have I told you that legally I don’t have to pay back those creditors even if they cause a fuss?”

She snapped back to reality.

“Are you going to live surrounded by creditors for the rest of your life? They will never give up.”

Her father laughed.

“Why wouldn’t they give up? Even if they come after me, I can drive them away with money.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Scared? Me? I already accepted everything when I did that. Even though I achieved great success, that damn Messerode Bank kept excluding me from promotions.”

“……”

“The money I earned from that incident is similar to the amount I’ve brought to Messerode Bank so far. I rightfully got my money back.”

Her father’s eyes were firm, as if he had done something righteous.

“So you’ve been pretending to be dead and waiting for the investigation period to end?”

“Yes, it was three years.”

Brienne felt all her strength leave her body. She inadvertently looked up and saw where Foyne was seated in the distance. She was smiling happily. Brienne couldn’t see Cardin’s face as he had his back turned, but the distance between them felt infinitely vast.

Brienne lowered her head and murmured.

“Leaving me to the creditors while you…”

Tears welled up again. Her hands trembled, so she clasped them together.

“I called you to let you know you don’t have to live like that anymore. Be grateful.”

“……”

“Anyway, you won’t be safe either. The Messerode family can legally kill both you and me, and their soldiers seem to be looking for me lately.”

“And yet you called me to such a place? Even though we might die, in such a luxurious place…”

Moreover, Cardin was right there. Her father looked at the expansive window with satisfaction.

“Even if I die, shouldn’t I enjoy such a place before I go?”

Brienne had nothing to say. Her father leaned forward and whispered.

“So why don’t you resolve it? Since you went to the academy with Cardin, somehow you…”

“Just die.”

“What?”

“I won’t do anything for you anymore.”

He glared at her as if holding back his anger. Unable to shout, he spoke with a hint of rage.

“Look at yourself. Barely graduated from the academy, hiding away. Do you plan to keep living like that? In a place that doesn’t seem fit for living?”

“I was happier than when I lived with you in Devok.”

He swallowed a laugh and glared at her fiercely.

“If that’s truly how you feel, I won’t care anymore. Whether you die or not, as long as I’m fine.”

At that moment, Cardin turned his head. She quickly lowered her upper body and stared at the table. Her father saw where she had been looking and widened his eyes.

He whispered softly, only for her to hear.

“If you knew, you should have told me earlier!”

Her father threw some bills on the table and hurriedly left the dining room. Suddenly, the space in front of her was empty. Cardin’s back was more visible. Meanwhile, Foyne looked happy with a smile on her face.

Brienne quickly stood up. Fortunately, Cardin’s table was far from the entrance.

*   *   *

Cardin was not pleased to see Foyne. The fact that she had made Brienne do cleaning was deeply ingrained in his mind.

Foyne tried to continue the conversation smoothly.

“I used to hang out with you guys a lot at Stern Academy, and now we meet like this.”

Cardin gently held the wine glass in front of him and swirled it.

“Indeed.”

Despite the short answer, Foyne didn’t give up. Cardin, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, was perfect, contrary to the bad rumors surrounding him. Back in the academy days, he had a fresh and vibrant aura, but now he exuded a slightly dangerous, dense, and solid atmosphere.

Previously, she had lightly entangled with him to make her presence known, but now she wanted to become deeply involved and be praised by others as the duchess.

Foyne believed it was possible soon. Her family’s connections and background were such that Cardin couldn’t ignore them.

Foyne smiled pleasantly.

“It was really fun playing with you guys back then, but now so much time has passed…”

“I heard you made the newcomers in the cheerleading squad clean.”

Foyne’s smile stiffened awkwardly. She couldn’t understand the sudden mention. Cleaning? That was something she did when she was in a bad mood, to vent on insignificant people.

As Cardin’s gaze was not kind, she relaxed her expression and asked smoothly.

“Who said that?”

“I heard it from Brienne.”

Foyne’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She couldn’t even remember the name of such an insignificant person, but Cardin knew, which left her flustered.

“Who’s Brienne?”

Cardin didn’t answer and lifted his wine glass. His cold gaze made Foyne force a smile. She remembered how Cardin had been exceptionally kind to everyone.

It wasn’t to her liking, but if they were to marry, it would work positively for his reputation, so she didn’t mind. Foyne then spoke in a lively voice.

“I don’t really remember Brienne. By the way, your mother’s personality seems quite charming. She seems similar to you.”

Cardin put down his glass and chuckled.

“That’s unpleasant.”

Foyne blinked in surprise. From what she remembered, Cardin had never spoken so bluntly to her.

As she stared blankly, Cardin spoke calmly.

“My goal is to resemble my parents as little as possible.”

“Oh, well, I also feel bad when people say I resemble my parents a lot. It seems like I keep inheriting their bad traits.”

Foyne looked at Cardin for a moment. She thought marriage was naturally planned since she came here, but strangely, she felt uneasy inside.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Moreover, Cardin’s tone had been sarcastic, which bothered her.

If they were to marry, she didn’t want to be treated like this, so she spoke indirectly.

“You seem to have changed a lot since before. You weren’t this aloof back then. You used to smile often too.”

“Back then, I was immature.”

As soon as he said that, Cardin regretted his past self. When he thoughtlessly tried to kill Brienne without considering her state. Even now, it seemed incredibly foolish.