Chapter 36
IV. Truth
The room, filled with a cracked picture frame, torn wallpaper in places, and furniture that seemed shoved in, was so old and shabby it was hard to even call it an inn. The man sitting straight-backed at the table, without a single hint of disarray, exuded an aura completely detached from this space.
“After acquiescing to your demand last time, I thought that would be the last we’d see of each other. What is the reason you asked to see me here?”
“I’m grateful for the money you gave me then, I put it to good use. But I was thinking, perhaps this is an opportunity to get my wife and children back and make a fresh start in another country. For that, I’d need a lot, an awful lot of money.”
Ben pointedly displayed his right leg. A smug smile spread across his drink-flushed face.
“For the young master… no, for the Duke, I even became half-crippled. Surely you can manage that much? Grant me this one request, and I’ll keep my promise to the Duke, just as I have until now, and live quietly as a mouse for the rest of my life.”
Ben chugged directly from the liquor bottle on the table. Lucius watched him expressionlessly for a moment before speaking.
“Hmm. It’s difficult to trust the words of someone who has already broken a promise once.”
“Are you aware that Her Ladyship is here? She seemed very curious about the accident that day. What would happen if I were to… slip up and misspeak, and Her Ladyship were to learn the truth?”
Ben twisted his lips into a smirk and lowered his voice.
“The truth is that it was you, Duke, not me, who caused young master Linert’s death. And that his death was no accident at all. I imagine it would be quite a shock.”
“……”
Contrary to Ben’s expectations, Lucius showed not a flicker of agitation. Tap. Tap. The long fingers of his black-gloved hand drummed the table at a steady rhythm.
“Hmm. I wonder if you will truly get that opportunity.”
Belatedly sensing something wrong, Ben’s face stiffened. It was precisely then that the drumming sound ceased.
“Ghk…!”
Ben collapsed to the floor, clutching his throat and choking painfully. His nails clawed and tore at his neck, scraping the skin raw until it bled. The whites of his wide, bulging eyes became bloodshot. White foam bubbled from his mouth, which gaped desperately like a fish dragged onto land.
Lucius looked down at Ben impassively, then tilted his head slightly.
“You will die here today from acute poisoning. Given you lived and breathed alcohol, no one will question it. Just like five years ago, this matter will remain a secret known only to you and me, buried forever.”
Having finished speaking, Lucius quietly closed his mouth and waited. The violently convulsing limbs gradually lost their strength, and with a final, faint tremor, they stopped moving completely.
Lucius withdrew his gaze, slowly closed his eyes, and then opened them again.
He knew Charlotte inside and out. He had secretly assigned guards for surveillance and protection just in case, but even without that, he had guessed she would seek out Ben. So, under the pretext of a territory inspection, he had come here first to wait.
Linert Valentin.
Ever since that name, treated like a taboo for years, had suddenly surfaced, Charlotte had been obsessively digging into the past. He didn’t know if she was even conscious of it herself, but ultimately, what she wanted to uncover was whether he had been involved in Linert’s death.
He had no intention of forcing her hand. Charlotte was the type who, once she had a doubt, wouldn’t be satisfied until she had verified even the smallest detail with her own eyes, and she would never give up until she got the answers she wanted. So, he resolved to let her doubt to her heart’s content.
After all, the truth she would see was already predetermined.
Lucius pulled the curtain aside slightly and looked out. The pale moonlight illuminated his profile as he gazed down the dark, empty alleyway.
Charlotte would be here soon.
***
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