Chapter 100

As always, Richard was exceptionally skilled at getting under Lionel’s skin. Lionel briefly considered tossing Richard into the fountain, assuming his cousin already knew everything about Clarette and himself.

Meanwhile, Richard quietly asked his now-silent cousin,

“Isn’t Miss Sollier actually troublesome for you?”

“Troublesome? In what way?”

“She seems to have certain expectations of you. Like what she showed at the last hunting tournament.”

“At the hunting tournament, what?”

“Miss Sollier rode into the rainy forest to rescue you. As if she were your lover, so recklessly.”

Lionel quietly turned his gaze toward the fountain. Honestly, he wanted to announce to the whole world to shut Richard’s mouth.

Clarette Sollier is my woman. So stop trying to pair her with another man, stop making comments about her, and leave her alone.

Don’t touch her.

But despite all these provocations, Lionel didn’t bite, and Richard sighed regretfully.

“When it comes to women, Captain Lionel surely knows better than I do. But as Duke Valentin, you’ll need to handle such things wisely from now on.”

“‘Such things’?”

“Commoner women often mistake things and approach sincerely. Clarette Sollier could become that kind of woman at any time. So be careful, you still don’t have a proper heir…”

“Hey, Richard.”

Lionel finally turned his eyes to his cousin. His blue gaze, devoid of any humor or playfulness, was chillingly cold.

Lionel quietly warned Richard, who was left speechless,

“If you’re going to do it, pick one. Are you trying to insult Clarette, my mother, or just me?”

“What are you talking about, Lionel? I…”

“Or is it simply to insult me?”

Lionel’s low voice seemed to freeze the summer night’s air. Richard remembered their childhood fistfights and tensed, but he forced himself to answer calmly.

“Relax. I’m just giving advice as your older cousin. It’s all for your sake.”

Lionel, still sharp-eyed, replied,

“Well, I might be immature, but I haven’t thrown a punch in years. Just now, though, it was a close call.”

His tone was so condescending that Richard finally snapped,

“Are you threatening me? At your age, your status, are you going to hit me here?”

Richard’s face began to flush with old shame and anger, and Lionel finally burst into laughter. For a while, his quiet laughter echoed around the fountain.

“Unbelievable, Richard. You’ve held onto that all this time? That childhood incident.”

In childhood, Richard had been punched by Lionel in the corridor of the Valentin ducal residence until his nose bled.

Richard had started the quarrel and said something that triggered the violence, but he never thought he deserved such a beating.

<Be grateful that woman took her own life, Lionel. Because she disappeared, you got to become a Valentin.>

So what? It was a clear fact.

Meanwhile, Lionel sighed as he watched Richard grimace in humiliation.

“Maybe I’ve overrated you. You’re truly disappointing, Richard Crowley. Still stuck in those pathetic days?”

“Watch your words, Lionel. I won’t tolerate any more insulting remarks…”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Lionel’s tone was relaxed, as if he already knew the answer. Richard immediately realized what Lionel meant.

Lionel was staring at the relative who had tried to kill him. Like giving a criminal a final chance to defend himself, Lionel silently waited for Richard.

But Richard said nothing.

“…Unbelievable. You’re not even asking what I mean.”

Lionel snorted and withdrew the last chance he’d offered his cousin. As he turned to leave, Richard finally shouted,

“That’s not even a question worth answering, Lionel! You shouldn’t suspect me! Accusing an innocent person of murder without any evidence is…”

“Richard, shut up, go back, and prepare thoroughly for what’s ahead.”

Lionel met his cousin’s eyes one last time and spoke coldly,

“This is a war you started, but I’ll be the one to finish it.”

* * *

Lionel’s receiving the military medal from the Emperor wasn’t just because of the victory at the Flandor Battle.

As a leader, his abilities were recognized by countless generals of the Empire. Especially in battles he led, he was undefeated.

And that’s not all. As proven by his record as the Empire’s boxing tournament champion, he was one of the strongest warriors in the entire Empire. Few who met him as an enemy on the battlefield survived.

But that was only true in real war, where killing and violence were permitted.

Outside the battlefield, under strict imperial law, Lionel had very limited ways to strike at his enemies.

‘Most of Crowley’s businesses are recent. There’s almost nothing inherited by the family; Richard has led most enterprises since ten years ago.’

Lionel gathered general information about Crowley’s businesses through Fabian, the lawyer. While it was hard to get detailed numbers or circumstances, he had enough to see the big picture.

‘Richard’s businesses are all imported from abroad. Introducing foreign crops, brokering goods, bringing in foreign technicians for production…’

Listing Crowley’s businesses by year, Lionel paused. He noticed a familiar pattern.

‘The timing is similar.’

Lionel took out the Valentin family’s accounting books, which he’d pored over endlessly while organizing their business.

The start years of small, deficit businesses were all two or three years earlier than Crowley’s corresponding enterprises. Comparing them one by one, Lionel let out a bitter laugh.

Richard had used the Valentin family to test his business ideas first, then cherry-picked only the promising ones to transform into Crowley’s businesses.

Thus, Valentin was always in the red. Since business success is rare, and any item showing promise was stolen away, they were left only with failures.

‘So that’s why Richard was praised as a business genius. He ran various ventures for a few years, then improved and claimed only those that showed potential as his own ideas.’

If Richard had been an outsider, this would have quickly aroused suspicion. But he was seen as a loyal cousin to the Valentin family. Neither the ducal household nor other nobles in society doubted Richard’s sincerity.

Except for Lionel de Valentin, the current Duke who had entered a state of war alone.

‘Now I understand why Richard was so eager to help me.’

From Richard’s perspective, the Valentin Duchy had to survive. That way, he could continue to try only safe, guaranteed-success businesses without risk.

<I was just his filter.>

Recalling Richard’s words, Lionel gave a wry smile.

How ridiculous Richard must have found it. The Valentin Duchy had played the role of filter so perfectly.

‘But now, that’s over.’

Lionel, his face cold and hard, reread the letter Fabian had sent. Fabian, the loyal lawyer of the Valentin family, wasn’t talented at discovering new businesses but was excellent at gathering information.

[Sharing additional information discovered during this investigation. Crowley’s retainers are contacting the Shonel Duchy, which owns a tin mine, and the Grimarr Earldom, which owns pigment-producing lands.]

Since the paint business had succeeded, it was inevitable that competitors would emerge. The fact that Earl Crowley was one of them was actually a good thing for Lionel.

Now he had a justifiable reason to crush Richard.