Chapter 31: I will definitely pay u back someday

“Ugh…”

My body felt sticky because I was covered in blood.

And the fact that the blood was starting to cake onto my skin made me feel even dirtier.

I wanted to go back quickly and wash up.

With only that thought in mind, I stepped into the mansion.

“Kyaa! L-Lord, what’s wrong?!”

Ah, right. There were servants too.

Their eyes widened in shock as they saw me covered in blood, and they screamed as if they had seen something horrifying.

I wanted to tell them that it wasn’t my blood, that I was fine, but that would only cause more confusion.

“What’s going on?! Did those bastards invade again…..!”

Just then, Orde came rushing over, having heard the commotion.

Seeing him with a sword in his hand and a face like a demon, I couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

“It’s me, it’s me. I just went to take care of some business.”

Fortunately, he still had some sense despite his fierce demeanor, and he put his sword away after seeing my face.

“…It seems you’ve taken care of everything.”

“More or less. I’m sure you’re curious about what happened, but I’ll tell you after I wash up.”

There were many things to explain, but I needed some time to catch my breath first.

I went straight to the bathroom and sank into the tub, the warmth making my body feel like it was melting.

Not that it made me feel any better.

“Is that really true?”

After finishing my bath, I called Orde to my room to explain who was behind this.

And after listening to my explanation, Orde’s eyes widened.

His bloodshot eyes vaguely revealed how furious he was.

“I don’t understand. What on earth is that Duke trying to accomplish by doing such a thing!”

Seeing his clenched fist trembling, he looked ready to go punch Faigle in the face right away.

I wanted to do the same, but I couldn’t push forward without any concrete evidence.

Especially since the other party was a Duke.

With that kind of title, he could get away with anything, no matter what you threw at him.

He would probably just laugh and dismiss it even if I claimed he was involved with Fairy Tale.

No matter how much of a scumbag he was, he wasn’t stupid, so he must have considered the possibility that the guys he hired would fail.

“By the way, you said you killed all the guys who attacked us, right? Wouldn’t it have been better to keep at least one of them alive as a witness?” 

Orde said to me, having regained his composure after his anger had subsided a bit.

What he said definitely made sense.

I had also considered keeping the leader alive.

“That would have been ideal. But tell me, can we really push the Duke with just a witness and no other evidence? He can just deny any involvement and that’s the end of it.”

I didn’t give the tail, I cut off much information, and the content was so poor that I decided not to capture him alive.

Only after killing him did I wonder if I had made a clumsy decision, but what could I do, he was already dead.

Besides, even if I had spared him, he would have been taken care of by Faigle later.

“There’s nothing we can do about it right now. So don’t worry about it too much.” “But…are you alright with this, Lord?”

At Orde’s words, I raised the corners of my mouth and shook my

head.

“No. Not at all.”

Was he crazy?

How much was my blood boiling right now?

I wanted to go find him right now and kill him, Duke or not.

But now was the time to be patient.

Now that I had made him an enemy, that Faigle would try to do something similar again.

I had to get solid evidence then.

In the end, Orde also decided to be patient for now, letting out a rough breath.

“…I understand. If that’s what you say, Lord, then I have nothing more to say.”

“Alright. Anyway, when do you think the mansion will be cleaned up?”

“It will probably take about two days. But what should we do about the decorations that the guys destroyed? There’s no way to fix them.”

“Those don’t matter.”

I was just thankful that no one was hurt or killed.

If only Serena would wake up, everything would be fine.

“…She’s still asleep.”

Even with us talking next to her, Serena showed no signs of opening her eyes.

I went over to check on her, and her breathing was a little more stable.

And when I put my ear to her chest, I could definitely hear a very faint heartbeat.

“…Serena will be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

“How can I not worry? She almost died.”

I was grateful and sorry to her for trying so hard, even though she knew what would happen.

If I hadn’t been deceived by that Faigle, this wouldn’t have happened.

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

Should I just go and get rid of him right now without anyone knowing?

It wasn’t entirely impossible, so I stroked Serena’s hair and fell into thought for a moment.

“Heh heh, that bitch. Her face must be a sight to behold right now.”

Looking out at the night sky, Faigle tilted the wine he was holding.

When Ershi insulted him to his face, he had never been so angry in his life, but now he was grinning, baring his gums.

By the time she returned to his mansion, it would all be over.

He was disappointed that he couldn’t see Ershi wailing in despair, but he could almost hear her screams if he closed his eyes.

He didn’t have a hobby of finding joy in other people’s pain, but he was enjoying himself so much that the wine tasted sweet.

“She should have tried to get on my good side sooner. Stupid bitch.”

Faigle took a sip of his wine and thought back to what had happened in the past.

It was during a royal palace event when most of the nobles had gathered.

He still vividly remembered the sight of the beautiful women in their dresses, which was so appetizing that he almost drooled.

So he looked around for a woman he could take advantage of.

A woman with a good face and body, but with a low enough title that he could enjoy himself without any problems.

Honestly, he didn’t expect to find anyone with so many requirements, but there was someone who caught his eye.

It was Ershi.

She was so dolled up that even Faigle, who had tasted many women, thought she was truly beautiful.

‘She’s young and perfect.’

Many people called Ershi a genius, but she was just a young adult.

Moreover, she had only recently received the title of Countess, so she seemed even easier to handle.

So he approached her to seduce her, initially acting friendly and then subtly revealing his true intentions.

Of course, Ershi noticed his intentions and frowned, but other women usually reacted similarly up to that point, so he didn’t care.

She might be offended, but what could she do?

Most people succumbed to the title of Duke.

It had always been the same, so he expected it to continue in the same way this time.

That expectation was completely wrong.

‘You have no class whatsoever.’

‘W-What?!’

Faigle was greatly embarrassed by the harsh words she spat out with a look of contempt.

But Ershi’s mouth didn’t stop there.

‘Did you think you could do whatever you wanted just because you’re a Duke? 

You’re greedy, but you don’t know anything about people. Didn’t you know that there are people who don’t care about your title?’

‘Y-You…!’

‘There are many eyes watching, so let’s stop. There’s no point in both of us getting upset, right?’

Then, she turned her back and ignored him, and Faigle suffered an unforgettable humiliation for the first time in his life.

The low laughter and the eyes that looked at him as if he were insignificant.

People who would normally try to get on his good side sympathized with Ershi and ostracized him.

That shame, as if he had been reduced to the most insignificant human being in an instant in front of everyone.

“I vowed to repay her someday…..I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

After that incident, he wanted to take revenge on Ershi, but he couldn’t act rashly because of her growing reputation.

But the opportunity came to him a few days ago, as he was waiting for the right moment.

The order to eliminate Ershi because she was interfering with the distribution of drugs.

He couldn’t refuse because it was ‘her’ order, but he willingly complied because it was what he wanted.

First, he would invite Ershi to his mansion, and then, while she was away, he would have his men destroy the mansion.

And then he would gather his forces and kill her, who had come alone.

It was simple, but he was confident that it would work.

He underestimated Ershi’s abilities, so he couldn’t eliminate her.

“It’s fine. If that’s how it turned out, it’s better because the aftermath will be troublesome.”

It was frustrating, but he would be satisfied with just ruining her mind.

Faigle smiled bitterly and took another sip of his wine.

“Ha…I feel good.”

Perhaps it was because the sky looked particularly dark that night, or perhaps it was because the wine was going down so well, but his head was

slightly hazy.

“You look like you’re having a good time?”

“…?!”

Faigle was startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind him and turned around.

In the process, he dropped the wine glass he was holding, and shards of glass scattered on the floor.

But he didn’t have time to worry about that, and he opened his mouth to the person who had spoken to him.

“W-Who are you?”

An unexpected intruder.

He hadn’t even noticed when they had arrived, and he cowered and became wary.

“Y-You are…”

But after roughly guessing who the person was, he took a step back and widened his eyes.