Chapter 93
Magnus had thought that everything would be fine when he heard Mrs. Norton’s warning before entering the ‘contract.’
“I won’t give my daughter just one man, Sir Napier.”
He was just one of several husbands.
But Magnus arrogantly dismissed the concerns when the proposal was presented. He was truly confident.
He believed he wasn’t the kind of man who would be so petty, and that even if Eugenie Norton ended up sleeping with someone else, he would ‘graciously’ accept it.
His arrogance, however, made the realization of his own limits all the more painful.
“Napier…“
It was not a pleasant thought to know what kind of expression she would make when held by another man.
“At twenty-four, running away halfway through, that’s quite surprising.”
At that comment, Carter and Magnus both turned to look at the person following behind them.
Magnus glared at Alfred, who had obviously been trailing them, and spat out.
“I thought we were done with what we had to say.”
“Hey, I know you two don’t like me very much.”
Alfred was still smiling, but his tone was full of threat. He had sensed this atmosphere from the moment he left the Livingston family’s annex after their first night together.
These two were different from Percival Troys, who tried to maintain neutrality, or Cassius Lyssander, who didn’t scratch at people’s nerves but didn’t crave Eugenie’s affection either.
‘Livingston and Napier truly despise me.’
Their contempt came from truly caring about Eugenie. It was clear they felt some resentment toward the one who had shared the first night with her.
While he acknowledged his own fault—having been unable to think of any other way but shooting Tristan, who had aimed at Eugenie’s back…
“But if you’re going to act like this, I have something to say too.”
“Oh, do you have an excuse?”
“Yes. Tell me, who was the last one to receive help from Mrs. Norton?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking who made the last contract.”
Alfred was surprised to find that this fact was now so easily flowing from his lips.
‘Did Eugenie break the ‘secret’ condition at the hunting grounds?’
Anyway, thanks to that, he was finally able to reveal a long-held secret that he hadn’t even told his parents.
“Mrs. Norton said I was the first attempt. And my rough guess is… Duke Troys and Lyssander were second or third.”
Cassius was the first whose ‘secret’ condition had been lifted, so Alfred had pieced it together from the stories he’d overheard.
At the time, Eugenie had been at the academy dormitory, and there weren’t many opportunities for Theodora to travel far while leaving her legal husband, Peregrine Norton, behind.
Apart from occasionally traveling with her husband to visit local areas…
The farthest the Norton family could travel was the North, the region closest to Duke Troys’ domain, making it the most likely place they could have met.
Also, Cassius Lyssander had received Mrs. Norton’s help when he was thirteen.
In other words, this happened when Eugenie was seventeen, so there was still time before Mrs. Norton’s death…
“To make the ‘contract,’ the price Mrs. Norton paid is her lifespan. Naturally, her life expectancy would decrease with each person she contracts with.”
“…”
“Then the conclusion is clear.”
Alfred narrowed his eyes and stared at the two of them. Carter and Magnus’s faces gradually began to darken.
“Which one of you is responsible for dealing a fatal blow to Mrs. Norton’s lifespan?”
A cold silence settled in at Alfred’s question. It was almost surprising that no one reached for a weapon, as a murderous aura crawled across the room like a creeping shadow.
Carter, breaking the silence first, gave an incredulous smile.
“Speaking like a crude schemer, even for a southern hero.”
“I admit, threats always sound vile, Livingston.”
“So, what do you want to say? Should we keep quiet and not tell Eugenie that one of you killed Mrs. Norton?”
Their voices were growing sharper.
Alfred raised his hands and sighed. All the men present had strong egos, and the unexpected situation had left everyone’s nerves on edge.
“Of course, I’ll act like this since your attitude has been the most defiant, even though we all need to cooperate.”
“What?”
“We all knew Eugenie would have more than one husband. We knew that from the start and still agreed to the contract, but now look at your attitudes.”
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