Chapter 10.5

“What exactly is going on here?”  

Although Helion had tried to strike Claire, he hadn’t succeeded, so his arrest by the Royal Guards seemed excessive.  

“He’s been charged with embezzlement. That’s why the guards came to arrest him.”  

Embezzlement… Claire was somewhat surprised, but after witnessing Helion’s behavior earlier, she wouldn’t have been shocked if he had committed such crimes.  

“I also need to go to meet His Majesty with the guards, so you’ll have to head to the office alone. Will you be alright?”  

As he gently fixed Claire’s disheveled hair, Rexion asked her.  

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”  

There were many things Claire wanted to ask, but this wasn’t the right time, so she simply nodded.  

“I’ll explain everything once the situation has been resolved.”  

With an apologetic expression, Rexion left with the Royal Guards and Helion.  

Helion glared at them with sharp eyes, but Rexion didn’t seem to care. Instead, he kept glancing back until Claire was out of sight. Each time, Claire smiled faintly and gestured to reassure him that she was alright.  

Only after Rexion and the guards had completely disappeared from view did Claire head to the office herself.  

“What’s going on?”  

When she arrived at the office, she saw her colleagues gathered together, chatting in hushed tones.  

The atmosphere was as chaotic as when the previous treasurer had been replaced, so Claire looked around with wide eyes.  

“It’s a mess, a total mess. Before, it was the treasurer who caused problems by embezzling funds. This time, it’s Secretary Radner who’s been caught embezzling. And apparently, someone in our department helped him.”  

When Claire asked, Lorella responded with a shocked expression.  

“Who would help with something like that?”  

Claire already knew about Helion’s embezzlement, so she wasn’t surprised by that. But the fact that one of her colleagues had aided him was shocking.  

“It was Young Master Glause.”  

“Young Master Glause? Oh my goodness. He seemed so innocent—I never thought he’d do something like that.”  

“He was probably too naive and ended up being used. I heard Secretary Radner even threatened him.”  

“Threatened him?”  

The more Claire learned about Helion, the more he seemed like an onion—layers upon layers of deceit. Just thinking about him sent chills down her spine.  

“Isn’t it shocking? Secretary Radner’s image is completely different from reality. It just goes to show you can’t judge people by their appearances.”  

“Why would someone from the Radner Ducal family, who’s set to inherit as the next head of the family, resort to embezzlement?”  

Since she hadn’t had the chance to ask Rexion, Claire posed the question to Lorella instead.  

“He seems to have been completely addicted to gambling. Who would have thought that someone who looks so proper and polite on the outside would act like this? It’s outrageous.”  

Lorella clicked her tongue in disapproval at Helion’s unscrupulous behavior.  

“Indeed.”  

“That’s probably why his engagement to Lady Obelir was broken off. It’d be hard to marry a man who gambles.”  

Lorella whispered as she clicked her tongue again.  

Claire felt tempted to share the shocking scene she had witnessed, but she held back. It wasn’t right to gossip about someone else’s affairs.  

She also wanted to clarify that the rumors about Rexion weren’t true, but she figured the truth about Helion would naturally come to light, so she simply listened to Lorella’s words without revealing anything.  

Meanwhile, at that moment—  

Upon hearing the news of Helion’s arrest, Duke Radner arrived at the Imperial Palace, his face flushed with anger. His neatly styled pomade was disheveled, and his heavy breathing suggested he had rushed over.  

“Father, please help me!”  

Seeing him, Helion cried out eagerly, his face lighting up.  

“Ha….”  

But upon seeing his son in shackles, the Duke was too shocked to speak.  

His gaze immediately turned to Rexion, his expression asking if the rumors were true. Rexion nodded, confirming the truth.  

“You… you insolent fool!”  

Unable to hold back, Duke Radner grabbed Helion by the collar.  

“No matter how many mistakes you’ve made, I’ve tried to forgive you. But now you’ve brought disgrace to our family? How could you betray my trust after everything I’ve done for you?”  

“Well, you should’ve helped me when I asked for it!”  

“You shameless brat! How long were you planning to depend on me?”  

The Duke clicked his tongue and shoved Helion away, releasing his grip on his collar.  

“Father!”  

Helion, his face pale, clung to the Duke’s leg.  

“I must have been mistaken all this time. It’s time to set things right. From now on, Helion, you are expelled from the Radner family. You will bear the consequences of your crimes on your own.”  

The Duke pushed Helion away coldly, his voice firm. At his signal, the Royal Guards approached Helion, each grabbing one of his arms and dragging him toward the prison.  

“D*mn it! Let go of me! Father! You can’t do this to me! I’m the eldest son—how could you treat me like this?”  

No matter how much Helion struggled and screamed, Duke Radner didn’t so much as blink, completely ignoring his son’s desperate cries. Instead, he turned to Rexion and spoke as if it were only natural.  

“With Helion stripped of his rights as heir, you are the only one left to inherit the Radner family, Rexion.”  

Having spent all this time cleaning up after Helion’s messes, only to be called upon now out of desperation, Rexion couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.  

“I have no intention of inheriting it.”  

Rexion had no plans to follow his father’s wishes.  

“What do you mean? If you don’t inherit it, who will?”  

The Duke frowned deeply, surprised by Rexion’s response.  

“Someone from the collateral branch will inherit it.”  

“Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much effort has gone into maintaining this family? With you here, how could I hand it over to a collateral relative? I’d rather die than see that happen!”  

“I’m not interested, so do as you please.”  

“Rexion!”  

The Duke’s forehead was drenched in sweat, startled by Rexion’s firm stance.  

“This isn’t the time to discuss this. Let’s talk later.”  

“I’d prefer to settle this now, while everyone is watching.”  

The Duke tried to escape the situation, but Rexion wouldn’t let him.  

Rexion had no intention of following his father’s words any longer. However, he was willing to negotiate.  

“If you agree to my conditions, I’ll consider inheriting the family.”  

“Fine, whatever you want—just say it. I’ll agree to anything. Please, inherit the family.”  

“Step down as Duke and transfer the Radner family to me immediately. If you do that, I’ll think about it.”  

It was an unreasonable demand, but Rexion wanted to assert his position to the extreme. Since he had no particular desire for the title, it was the only proposal he could offer.  

“What did you just say? Are you asking me to give up my position as Duke?”  

“Yes. Make your choice: step down now or hand the family over to a collateral relative.”  

“….”  

Shocked by the unexpected proposal, Duke Radner was left speechless.