Chapter 20 – 020. Armitas Ducal Family (2)
If the betrayal and the attempt to stab the head were caused by the arbitrary actions of the duchy, Ashton.
“Isn’t that ironic? The duke, the princess’s father, did not know anything about Renion Hersha’s embezzlement of trust from the beginning. As Elvin came to the duchy and proposed a deal, he only made a promise to Elvin so that the case could be settled smoothly. But the person who caused the problem has complicated things again.”
“Why…”
Ashton bit his lip and listened to Eunhyun’s words, but couldn’t stand it and opened his mouth.
“Why do you think I’m bad?! How could I not doubt him? He is the son of a black magician who was profiting from the kingdom’s money by embezzlement and black magic. How could he be sure that he would not be greedy for money, betray us, or sell our family to hostile nobles!”
“The words of the bastard who turned a blind eye and tricked me into embezzlement are spectacle.”
Eun-hyeon muttered while watching Ashton make excuses, but the words of Eun-hyeon no longer included respect and respect as a noble.
On the contrary, I was dumbfounded because I was dumbfounded by that dignified attitude.
“And yes. In fact, Erin did not attempt suicide by jumping off the roof of the school building.”
“What?”
Alex asked in surprise.
Shocked that the truth he had put so much effort into showing hallucinations was a lie, and the question of why Eun-hyeon did such a troublesome thing.
“The truth is. The truth is like this.”
Right!
The background changes again.
It was already the third experience, so Alex and Eleanor were not surprised, but Avros and Ashton were different.
“This…”
“A hallucination magic?”
The two were looking around to see if they hadn’t properly adapted to the change in the situation.
Regardless, Eun-hyeon’s hallucinations started to play again.
Under the dark night sky, on the rooftop, two people were confronting each other.
One was Erin, the other a black-masked assassin.
– You… Who is this.
– … There are people who want your body. Would you like me to quietly follow you?
– Brother is… ? I came because my brother was here! Did you call me here? Where is my brother!
– …
The assassin did not answer.
As if he couldn’t speak, he pulled out one of her daggers and rushed towards Erin in an instant.
Erin, who swallowed her breath at the sight of the blade glowing sadly in the moonlight, hastily pulled her body back.
Then she put her foot on the ledge of her roof with a determined expression on her face.
– Do not come!
– What are you doing?
– You want my safety? So you’re saying my life is important? Come any further and you’ll really fall!
Erin tried to force the trembling of her legs to stop, but her body, already dominated by her fear, refused to listen.
The assassin, who recognized Erin’s condition, smiled inside her mask and walked towards her.
She saw that she didn’t have the courage to jump.
– I’m really going to jump!
The assassin, who could not be persuaded even if he talked with such fearful emotions, did not stop his steps.
That moment.
– Oh… ?
– This… !
A strong gust of wind, inconceivable as an ordinary wind, hit the two of them, and Erin, caught in the gust, lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Right!
After the play of hallucinations, the background surrounding the people, including Eun-hyeon, returned to the duke’s bedroom.
“This…”
“Erin, she didn’t commit suicide or anything. The child did not give up her own life to the end. She firmly believed that Elvin was alive somewhere, and she searched for traces of Elvin. It fell by mistake while playing.”
“…”
“Erin’s exact wish granted by the ‘Tree of Hope’ was this. She said, ‘I want to run away from people who threaten me. And help me find her brother!’, Though she earnestly prayed not to the tree of wishes, but to the god in the sky.”
But her wish tree granted her wish of her erin, she hid her from those who threatened her, and she waited for someone who could one day come to save her. Will be.
Eun-hyeon, the man who saved Erin and found Elvin, wonders if this situation is going according to the tree of hope’s intention, or if it’s her own will, or if that’s not the case.
‘I wonder if this was our Goddess’ plan too.’
I couldn’t make a proper distinction, but at least there was a clear understanding between the two.
Eunhyun smiled and asked Abros who was glaring at her.
“Now, Duke? What can the Duke do for me if I hide this truth?”
Abros clenched his fists as if the snake’s tongue was whispering in his ear.
“What can I do for you?”
Avros glared at Eunhyun, shaking his tightly clenched hands.
“Rather, you must have come to me secretly like this because you have something you want. Tell me What do you want?”
Eunhyeon laughed at Avros, who clearly understood his intentions and personality.
“Take good care of it so that it doesn’t bother Erin anymore. And from now on, please educate your son properly.”
“You dare me… !”
As Eun-hyeon mocked Ashton, he was glaring at Eun-hyeon as if he were going to kill him, shaking his arms as he was being insulted.
Eunhyun tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you making such a good face?”
“Aren’t you insulting me in front of people! You, who dared to be a mere commoner of the duke’s family and no one else…”
“Then what have you done?”
“What?”
“Under…”
Is this really not conscious?
When I glanced back at Abros, he was also frowning at the words and actions of his immature son.
“Duke?”
“What.”
“Hey, can I lose a bit?”
Eun-hyeon, who has not been able to control her emotions for the first time in a while, smiled and asked for permission from Abros, but it was impossible for him to grant it.
“Then I can’t help it.”
Eunhyun, who had a sad expression on her face, approached Ashton.
“Hey, Little Duke?”
“What, what is it?”
“I understand your thoughts. You can be suspicious, and I think you can have that mentality of betraying before you get betrayed. Because human society is no different from a collection of beings with various thoughts. Some people may have that mindset. However…”
Eunhyeon glared at Ashton fiercely and continued.
“They open up all the problems and fail to come up with a proper solution.”
As Eun-hyeon walked slowly and the distance from Ashton narrowed, Ashton, who had been suppressed by momentum, hesitated and stepped back little by little.
“That attitude of complaining that I am a commoner and not having the manners to treat an aristocrat that meets my standards and mentioning the difference in status.”
“Big…”
“Not only did he not reveal his mistakes until the end, but his face stood tall as if he hadn’t done anything wrong.”
Ashton continued to refute and kept his mouth open.
The words Eunhyeon pointed out were putting pressure on him one by one.
It made Ashton feel even more ashamed that he was humiliated in front of his father, Avros, and his half-brothers, Alex and Eleanor.
“Is this the attitude of a nobleman who will one day lead many people as the head of a duchy?”
Eun-hyeon grabbed Ashton by the collar and pulled him toward her face.
“Because someone like you is at the top of the country, the country is ruined.”
“Radish… Son!”
“Why? Can’t you admit it? Shall we list all the things you did in the case of Baron Hersha? The starting point is that you cover up Renion Hersha’s breach of trust and embezzlement.”
“…”
“Afterwards, Elvin came to the duke and offered her a deal, and after she found out what she had done, you made an assassination attempt to kill Elvin because you were afraid that your crimes would be exposed by the royal family and other court nobles. “
“Keugh.”
“After failing to assassinate Elvin and hiding her traces, I tried to kidnap his younger sister, Erin, to bring out Elvin, but even this failed. What else have you done?”
“That…”
“Besides, you were the one who tried to assassinate the Marquis of Olivion, who was searching for Erinn’s whereabouts this time, right? Haha, originally it was a plan to bring out you, the black man behind the scenes, but the report went to that lady and things got messed up. Thanks to you, only that girl suffered. Do you know how many people have been harmed because of you alone?”
Ashton made no reply.
“If I hadn’t betrayed Alvin, the matter would have been over. The thief stumbled on my foot and left, and things got even more complicated. Besides that If I had revealed the truth on the spot that Erin didn’t commit suicide, she received assassination threats from you, it would have been an all-out war between the Warlock and the Duke. Know?”
If that foolish act led to an all-out war with Elvin.
Eleanor, who was almost killed directly by Elvin’s shadow-manipulating black magic, was well aware of her power.
Even if an unbeatable fight broke out, the Duke’s family would not have been able to avoid great damage.
From the moment Eunhyeon saved Eleanor, the Duke’s family had been greatly favored by Eunhyeon.
Eun-hyeon roughly threw Ashton’s collar in his hand and turned his gaze back to Abros.
“Well, I can fully understand the Duke’s circumstances. How frustrating the situation must have been for my son to have taken his hand in such a dirty thing.”
“…”
Abros didn’t answer and quietly waited for Eunhyun’s words.
“So I want to help you with one thing.”
“Help?”
“Yes.”
After saying that, Eun-hyeon took out a thick pocket from her bosom and threw it at Alex.
Receiving the pouch flying in a parabolic arc, Alex untied the string and checked the contents inside, shocked.
“This, this!”
Seeing the large amount of money in the pocket, Alex immediately handed it over to Avros, who also looked surprised when he checked the money in the pocket.
What surprised them was that the identity of the pocket was not only ‘the identity of the money’, but also the ‘amount of money’ was unusual.
Not only was it more than the amount of gold coins embezzled by Renion Hersha, but it was an amount equivalent to the budget of the dukedom of Armitas for six months.
“What are you thinking?”
“It is 600 platinum coins. If this is the case, at least you won’t be struggling financially enough to have to collect money through dishonest means, right?”
Considering that generally 100 gold coins have the same value as 1 platinum coin, this amount of platinum was hardly a level that one person could have as an individual.
I also don’t understand Eun-hyeon’s intention to hand it over casually.
“I asked what you were thinking about giving this money.”
“Just don’t do anything weird. Please give your son a proper education.”
Eunhyun smiled as she responded to the gaze that was glaring at her.
“I… Are you talking about what you plan to spend this money on?”
“You have to ‘restore’, right? ‘Holy Sword'”
“Oh, how did you do that!”
It was Ashton who was surprised by Eunhyun’s reply and raised a shocked voice.
He was astonished, not knowing why Eun-hyeon, the man he saw for the first time today, knew about the story of a tradition passed down from generation to generation in the duke’s family.
However, Eun-hyeon did not answer his question.
“There are two conditions. The first is to prevent my name from appearing in this case. The second is ‘I will not punish Erin Hersha. She is a victim’ announcement. You just need to do these two things.”
“Good night.”
“Father!”
Ashton shouted at Avros at the deal that was so easily made.
“That man is so suspicious! Hurry up and arrest the author, interrogate him, and reveal his intentions… “
“Shut that mouth!”
