If You Wish to Have Me - Chapter 102

“Hmm,” Daniel stroked his chin and promptly instructed the butler to guide the unfamiliar visitor to the reception room.

“What? Is this your house?”

Count Theodore shot back, incredulous at this uninvited guest acting like the master of the house. Daniel responded with a smooth smile, trying to placate the Count.

“What’s wrong with meeting someone who claims to have important information? Perhaps he’s a monk from that monastery.”

Hearing those words, the Count clicked his tongue.

He wasn’t so obtuse as to not understand which monastery Daniel was referring to.

Indeed, considering the possibility Daniel suggested, it seemed inappropriate to drive the visitor away without at least hearing what he had to say.

“Very well. Bring him to the reception room.”

At the Count’s instruction, the butler hurriedly left the garden, and the Count put his gardening shears back in the toolbox before heading toward the reception room.

Daniel Lowens, of course, followed the Count as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Theodore Count couldn’t be bothered to stop the impudent young man, finding it too tiresome to argue again.

In truth, until then, while he had felt a slight uneasiness about what might come, the Count hadn’t greatly expected the new visitor to bring any remarkable news.

This was because he had encountered numerous con artists posing as clergy, selling goods or begging for money.

Assuming this would be just another such case, the Count soon found himself gaping in shock when he faced the self-proclaimed monk in the reception room.

“Greetings. I am Brother Emil.”

The man with a distinctive aquiline nose gave off an impression of utmost sincerity, not looking like someone who would engage in swindling.

Moreover, the introduction that came from his thin lips was enough to confound the Count.

“I currently belong to the Pavela Monastery, and the reason I’ve taken the liberty of coming here today is because I urgently need to speak with you, Count, about a certain person’s sin.”

To think he was truly someone from Pavela Monastery. And speaking of sin…

Sensing that the situation was far from ordinary, the Count was about to order Daniel to leave.

However, Daniel was one step ahead of him.

“Sin? Whose sin are you talking about?”

Daniel rushed toward the monk with his eyes wide.

“Pardon? Well, that…”

Brother Emil was visibly flustered by his sudden intrusion.

He seemed unprepared for Daniel’s intense reaction, having likely assumed him to be merely the Count’s attendant.

“Let me guess? Seyard Hillan, that Duke Hillan, isn’t it?”

And the moment Daniel mentioned Seyard’s name, the monk’s face turned visibly pale.

A victorious smile appeared on Daniel’s lips.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

At that moment, Count Theodore intervened between the two men, pointing an accusing finger at Daniel.

“This person is my guest! From now on, I will speak with him alone, so you should leave!”

He deeply regretted not having barred third parties from entering in the first place.

“Why are you acting like this, Count? Between us.”

Daniel Lowens was not one to flinch at the Count’s threats.

“Think about it carefully. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. Surely you don’t intend to keep this all to yourself?”

The man’s face, whispering low enough for only the Count to hear, reminded one of a wolf that had caught its prey.

“Would you like me to go to the capital and spread rumors? We’re already in the same boat. Please keep that in mind.”

What an infuriatingly troublesome bastard. The Count swallowed his curses.

If he weren’t the firstborn son of Marquis Lowens, he would have hired someone to give him a sound beating and drive him away.

He ground his teeth in frustration before eventually letting out a deep sigh, as if there was nothing to be done.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have no good options at the moment.

Before hearing the detailed story, Count Theodore first dismissed the servants nearby and then firmly locked the door of the reception room.

Then, with a friendly smile, he sat down again opposite the monk.

“You said you were Brother Emil, correct? Good. Please tell us your story. Ah, this man is trustworthy. I vouch for him.”

Brother Emil glanced nervously at Daniel by the wall, but the Count’s assurance seemed to strengthen his resolve, and he moved his chapped lips.

“I… quite some time ago, more than a year now, I happened to witness two people… conspiring to commit a crime so… so heinous that it’s difficult to express in words…”

The monk’s eyelids trembled as he struggled to continue speaking.

“I, I witnessed them plotting an… evil crime… And I am ashamed to admit that out of fear they might harm me… for my own safety, I have kept this fact hidden until now.”

And at the next moment, when the monk opened his eyes, they shone with firm determination.

“But I no longer want to ignore my conscience and the great One in heaven. I will now reveal their crime to the world.”

…….

About an hour later, Count Theodore and Daniel faced each other in the corridor.

They had explained to Brother Emil, who remained alone in the reception room, that they needed some time to discuss privately.

“Damn it.”

Loosening his cravat with a rough gesture, the Count grimaced and uttered a low curse.

The monk’s story had been that shocking and terrifying.

“What do you think of that story?”

Finally unable to bear the silence, the Count asked Daniel, who had been rubbing his chin.

“What do I think? I think it’s excellent material to bring down Seyard Hillan.”

“A claim without any substantial evidence?”

“Do you think he’s lying, Count?”

“That’s…”

To be honest, he didn’t.

At the very least, that monk named Emil didn’t seem like someone who would lie.

This was more a matter of ability than morality—Brother Emil appeared too pure to have any talent for deceiving others.

Even earlier, hadn’t he plainly revealed his true thoughts when Daniel mentioned Duke Hillan?

Having more wealth than others means, in a sense, having encountered more swindlers trying to take advantage of you.

In the eyes of the Count, who had some ability to discern con artists, Brother Emil had just now told only the truth.

“Still, there’s no evidence. You don’t think we can raise criminal allegations against the mighty Duke Hillan based solely on one monk’s testimony, do you?”

That would be insane. Even Count Theodore, who was convinced that Seyard Hillan had murdered his brother, had no intention of committing such madness.

Unfortunately, unlike the Count, Daniel Lowens was a madman. A madman who lived off others yet had the audacity to threaten his host.

“We can find evidence from now on. I have a good idea.”

He smiled ominously, staring at the Count.

“For that, I’ll need some cooperation from you, Count.”

“What? I refuse. Don’t think of dragging me into this.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle all the dangerous tasks. You can just watch from a safe place and collect the spoils when Seyard Hillan falls.”

“Easy for you to say! What if things go wrong?”

“Listen, Count. Everyone knows you’re already in his bad books anyway.”

Daniel’s hand patted the Count’s shoulder.

It was a gentle yet threatening touch.

“Do you understand? You’ve earned the hatred of a man who killed his own brother to claim the family title. Moreover, you’ve been suspicious of him and investigated his whereabouts at the time of Vischer Hillan’s death.”

The Count unconsciously gulped.

“And he knows that too. How long do you think that murderer will leave you alone?”

Daniel leaned in close to the retreating Count, his eyes wide.

“Succession, marriage—now while he’s distracted by other matters is our golden opportunity.”

Was it because he felt intimidated by those manic eyes?

“……”

The Count could only bite his lips without uttering a response.

Daniel shrugged and stepped back.

“I trust you understand my meaning well. And please prepare to leave for the capital as soon as possible.”

“……The capital? Why?”

“The evidence will likely be in the capital, so what’s the point of staying here?”

“But it’s still winter. With snow falling frequently and frozen roads, wouldn’t it be better to wait until spring—”

“Count!”

The sudden shout made the Count feel as if his heart had dropped.

“W-What is it?”

“Please, I beg of you, prepare without further argument. I don’t have much time left.”

“Time left?”

It was an inexplicable urgency.

Almost a year had already passed since Vischer’s death.

If there was evidence that would disappear by waiting until spring, it would have vanished long ago.

But the Count quickly realized why Daniel was so impatient.

“Is it because of that woman? Come to think of it, Seyard’s bride-to-be was originally your fiancée, wasn’t she?”

At those words, Daniel snorted and turned his head away.

“She will soon be my fiancée again. That’s why we need to go to the capital as quickly as possible.”

Before Kisa becomes that man’s woman.

He suppressed his next words with a low growl.

****

Kisa slowly lifted her eyelids as sunlight forced its way through.

Strangely, her body felt heavy like waterlogged cotton, and dull pain emanated from various places.

It felt as if her entire body had been beaten with a thick, cloth-wrapped club.

“You’re awake.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Kisa turned her stiff neck to the side.

“It’s already noon.”

And the moment she saw Seyard without his upper garments, her blue eyes widened.

The heat that had engulfed her the previous night instantly rekindled in her mind.