chapter_0066

65 – He is a Dangerous Person

65 – He is a Dangerous Person

For a while, Belvar remained silent, clenching his teeth so hard his dental arrangement seemed to twist.

The moment he took Daniel’s hand, Belvar would be betraying the Prince.

He would be personally denying the Imperial family’s legitimacy, which the Bahatrante family had protected for generations.

He could throw away his life at any time for the sake of the beliefs his father and ancestors had upheld.

‘But what about my family? What wrong have they done?’

For Belvar, blood ties were as important as his beliefs.

It was only natural.

He was a father before he was the head of the family.

He knew well what dreams his grown sons had and what efforts they were making.

He couldn’t destroy their bright futures just to uphold his beliefs.

‘What should I do…’

As he agonized repeatedly, Belvar felt a headache, and his vision flickered.

Belvar knew. This wasn’t a simple threat.

The moment negotiations broke down, this devil before him would surely carry out a massacre.

Daniel Steiner’s ruthlessness was evident in his emotionless eyes and inhuman smile.

So, Belvar had to make a choice at this very moment.

“I…”

But the words wouldn’t come out easily.

The words that had been rising up his esophagus scattered before they could be uttered.

Beliefs and family.

Neither could be easily abandoned.

Perhaps displeased by this, Daniel slowly opened his mouth.

“…Duke. Do you perhaps still think of this as an equal transaction, a negotiation?”

Daniel chuckled softly, as if in disbelief.

“This is, after all, a grace and favor bestowed upon the Bahatrante family by Her Highness the Princess and myself.”

In Belvar’s mind, those words were interpreted as, ‘And yet you don’t know your place and are still hesitating.’

As Belvar trembled, Daniel clicked his tongue as if in pity and shook his head.

“To repeat the same mistakes even after returning to the past, I won’t stop you. Then, I hope the great Duke Belvar of the Bahatrante family will enjoy the impending doom.”

Daniel said those words and was about to rise from his seat when Belvar suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Daniel’s hand.

A sense of terror washed over him that everything would become irreversible the moment Daniel left this place.

“…”

“…”

A chilling silence flowed between them.

Daniel neither shook off nor held onto Belvar’s hand that was holding him, leaving it as it was.

It was a signal for him to speak his true feelings.

“Cooperate…”

Tears welled up in Belvar’s red, bloodshot eyes.

Feeling defeated, Belvar closed his eyes and said in a low sob.

“I will cooperate as you command…”

Only then, having heard the confirmation, did Daniel grasp Belvar’s hand in return.

Then, with his other hand, he lightly gripped Belvar’s shoulder.

“Indeed. I knew you would make a wise choice, Duke. Now that you have accepted our proposal, the Bahatrante family has no connection to this matter.”

The hand gripping Belvar’s shoulder subtly tightened.

“Furthermore, you have never sided with His Highness the Prince. Not until now, and not in the future either. Do you understand me?”

Belvar couldn’t open his mouth properly because he was clenching his teeth and sobbing.

Daniel, looking at Belvar with pity, removed his hand from his shoulder and said.

“If you understand, nod your head.”

Seized by unprecedented emotions, Belvar nodded almost trembling.

Seeing that, Daniel, with a satisfied look, finished the handshake and rose from his seat.

“Good. I will be sure to convey your intentions to Her Highness the Princess.”

After straightening his clothes once, Daniel turned to Hartmann, who was standing nearby.

“Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann. Now that the matter is settled, we should be on our way. We shouldn’t inconvenience the Duke by staying here any longer.”

Hartmann, who had been watching everything from behind, nodded dazedly.

Only then did Daniel take a step and leave the drawing room.

Hartmann also followed Daniel out of the drawing room and looked around once.

After confirming that there was no one in the hallway, Hartmann examined Daniel’s profile.

The devilish look from just now had disappeared, leaving behind a tired complexion.

Daniel sighed softly, as if the tension had been released.

“It’s a relief. It could have been a difficult fight if Duke Belvar had rejected the proposal.”

Thanks to that, he felt a sense of incongruity.

Hartmann paused awkwardly for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Amazing. To be honest, I thought Duke Belvar wouldn’t accept the proposal.”

“I was also half in doubt. I’m glad the acting worked out.”

Hartmann’s brow furrowed as he listened to Daniel’s words.

‘Acting?’

Could that really be considered acting?

In Hartmann’s view, it would be more appropriate to say that his hidden true feelings had come out.

However, from Daniel’s perspective, it was indeed acting.

Of course, it would come with the modifier ‘desperately performed to survive.’

‘If I hadn’t been able to subdue Duke Belvar, I would have died.’

As he was inwardly relieved that things had gone well, Hartmann cleared his throat.

“Anyway, you’ve worked hard. I’ll report to Her Highness the Princess, so you should go back and rest first.”

Daniel, looking back at Hartmann as if surprised, nodded lightly.

“Thank you for your consideration. I will do so.”

After that, the two walked down the hallway of the mansion in an awkward silence.

To be precise, it was only Hartmann who felt awkward.

The person named Daniel Steiner, who was walking ahead, felt frightening today.

*

Hartmann, who had parted ways with Daniel in front of the mansion, headed straight to the Imperial Palace.

When he arrived at Selvia’s office and knocked on the door, he heard a voice from inside telling him to come in.

Hartmann opened the door and went inside, saluting. Selvia, who had been working on documents, looked up.

“…Oh? Where’s Major Daniel?”

“He looked tired, so I told him to go in first.”

“Went in first? So, you told him to go in first, and he really left?”

As Selvia asked persistently, Hartmann lowered his hand, somewhat puzzled.

“Your Highness? Were you perhaps waiting for Major Daniel?”

“Huh? That’s…”

Selvia, flustered as if her true feelings had been exposed, suddenly cleared her throat.

“Of course not! I didn’t particularly want to see him either. More importantly, how did the negotiations go?”

“They were successful. In exchange for us not questioning the Bahatrante family’s crimes, they said they would withdraw their support for His Highness the Prince.”

Selvia’s mouth hung open blankly at Hartmann’s words.

She couldn’t believe that the stubborn old fox had raised the white flag after just one negotiation.

“…Really? Duke Belvar bowed his head to me?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to Major Daniel’s hard work.”

Selvia couldn’t help but be inwardly impressed by the fact that Daniel had successfully negotiated.

Arresting the Prince’s private organization was already a tremendous achievement, but now, by subduing Duke Belvar, he had practically put an end to the succession battle.

A faint smile appeared on Selvia’s lips as she chuckled softly.

“My brother has suddenly lost both arms. Poor brother. He must be screaming in frustration right now.”

Confident of victory, Selvia put the fountain pen she was holding in the case next to her and closed it.

“So.”

Selvia’s sharp eyes glared at Hartmann.

“What kind of person do you think Daniel Steiner is?”

She wanted him to tell her, since he had seen Daniel conducting the negotiations from the side.

This was also the most fundamental reason why Selvia had assigned an escort to Daniel.

It was only natural for her as a Princess to learn whether it was okay to keep Daniel as her closest aide.

“Daniel Steiner is one of the most capable people I have ever seen. However…”

Hartmann, who had paused for a moment to answer Selvia’s question, said.

“…He is also an uncontrollably dangerous person.”

When evaluating the qualities of an assistant, Hartmann focused on tactics, strategy, and politics.

Due to the nature of the Imperial Guard, which operated in Imperial City rather than on the battlefield, Hartmann prioritized politics among the three abilities.

Those skilled in tactics could not defeat those skilled in strategy, and those skilled in strategy could not defeat those skilled in politics.

Then what about those skilled in politics? They would be powerless when they met an enemy and would maintain a balance.

But Daniel Steiner was different.

He thoroughly subdued Duke Belvar, who might become his enemy in the future, under the pretext of ‘helping the Princess.’

‘He must not have tolerated it. Duke Belvar attacking him…’

He must have felt intense anger towards Duke Belvar, who had tried to accuse him of colluding with a spy through the Security Agency.

However, Daniel’s anger was not like a fiercely burning fire, but like a quietly flowing poison.

It didn’t seem powerful at first glance, but it was more dangerous than it appeared, and the moment you took even a sip, you would suffer from terrible pain.

In front of the person who had taken that poison, Daniel Steiner would smile and say.

I have the antidote, so let’s negotiate.

That was Daniel Steiner as Hartmann saw him.

“So, Your Highness…”

Hartmann, recalling Daniel talking to Belvar, said.

“You must never turn Daniel Steiner into an enemy.”

Hartmann bowed his head, offering his advice to Selvia.

Then, he sweated in a kind of fear.

If.

If Daniel Steiner had sided with the Prince instead of Her Highness the Princess.

‘The person who would have taken Daniel’s poison today…’

It might have been Hartmann himself, not Belvar.

Author’s words (Author’s note)

Thank you, Nangseon, for the 19 coin donation! I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying it! Thank you for the donation!

Thank you always to everyone who reads!

Then, see you again tomorrow!