How the Disgusting Suitor Met His End - Chapter 58

Cecilia constantly weighed and measured her opponents.

It was a habit born from growing up in an environment where she could trust almost no one, even from her previous life. If she didn’t figure out her opponent, her life would be forfeit. Or her few precious things would crumble.

In this life, surprisingly, the life itself was precious.

Cecilia intended to magnificently protect this life and live a conspicuously ordinary existence.

“Rogerick.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to be… a man who blindly believes in me.”

I wish you would trust me more than your God.

Unable to utter that impious wish, Cecilia smiled sweetly.

***

Even late at night, the lights of the Violet House did not go out. A Charis lamp, as bright as an electric light, flickered mysteriously on Cecilia’s desk.

Cecilia, who had been turning pages with a bored expression, opened her mouth at a knock.

“Come in.”

The person who entered was the tall man. He was wearing worker’s clothes, but the vermilion eyes beneath his hat were clearly Jamie’s.

Cecilia put down her pen.

“The items you requested.”

He pulled two books out of the sack he was carrying and placed them on the desk. They were large, greenish-covered books, about the size of Cecilia’s torso.

“There are four more besides these, but I only brought two for now so it wouldn’t be too obvious.”

“First, well done.”

A week after she had given him the task, Jamie finally brought the Indulgences.

Cecilia casually flipped through the large books. The Indulgences contained the dates, names of nobles, their sins, and the amount of money paid. It was, literally, a perfect ledger of secrets.

“This one was filed first.”

“…Looking at the date, it seems they started this six months ago.”

They certainly committed a lot of sins. They had gone through one book almost every month. Cecilia took a satin pouch from a drawer and placed it on the desk.

Amidst the heavy thud, a high-pitched metallic clang could be heard. It was unmistakably the sound of money. Jamie’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“That’s half the amount we discussed. I’ll give you the rest when you bring the other four books.”

“All four? I’ll surely be caught then!”

“Come back tomorrow night and pick up the copies. Then you can put them back.”

“…The job has increased. That’s different from what we agreed on, isn’t it?”

Cecilia snickered. She propped her chin on her hands and looked up at Jamie.

“Are you a Holy Knight, or a back-alley thug?”

“Excuse me?”

“Look at the level of your speech. See what you sound like right now.”

“Ah… No!”

That was exactly what he was about to say. Jamie widened his eyes and burst out with indignation.

“What about you, Lady! What about you!”

“If you succeed, double.”

“…….”

“But if you keep trying to talk back to me like this, I might just kill you.”

Cecilia gestured toward the door.

“You didn’t see anyone on your way in, but my escort knights are hiding outside. Which means you can’t pull any stunts.”

“……I’ll come back tomorrow, then?”

Only then did Cecilia nod with satisfaction. Jamie made a frustrated face before snatching the money pouch.

After he left, Cecilia unfolded the Indulgence again.

“…That insolent bastard.”

She should have known from the moment she realized he was a perverted prick who spied on other people’s affairs, but the more she saw him, the more she disliked him. It was pitiful that Rogerick had to have such people as colleagues and couldn’t even show his displeasure.

Cecilia carefully read through the Indulgence. She was secretly hopeful, but as expected, the name of David von Raphaeli was not there. However, the entire effort was not in vain.

“Found him.”

Benjamin Lionel. She had found the name of that Viscount Lionel.

“He stole family assets and squandered them on gambling, ignored his starving tenants, and met with a harlot behind his innocent lover’s back…. Is this bastard insane?”

She almost crumpled the page she was holding. Cecilia hastily pulled her hand away. But she didn’t hide the fierce look in her eyes.

He was a man born into the wrong place. Someone like him should have been born as a flunky for a crime syndicate and been run ragged under a former boss.

Because he was born into a family that had too much, more innocent people ended up suffering harm. Moreover, he was wantonly fooling around behind the back of the naive Sophia.

He was one of the types she hated the most in her previous life. Rich-kid morons who caused social harm despite not living a bottom-feeder life.

‘…At any rate, I’ve found a lead.’

Now all she had to do was make a move.

However, a rather significant challenge awaited Cecilia.