If You Wish to Have Me - Chapter 107

Kisa’s mind went blank.

Seyard was a murderer? He killed someone together with Cobi? And it was his brother?

She understood yet completely didn’t understand the meaning of the words that had just come from that man’s mouth.

“What on earth do you mean by that?”

Count Theodore’s words at that moment brought her mind back to reality.

“Duke Hillan couldn’t possibly have done such a thing. Well now, it’s not my place to say, but I can’t believe there are still people spreading such groundless rumors. Don’t ever say such things in front of me again.”

He criticized his attendant, who called himself Brother Emil, in a rather theatrical tone.

Looking at how the situation was unfolding, these people were clearly all in cahoots, but what kind of scheme was this?

When Kisa looked at him with such suspicion, the Count cleared his throat and stroked his beard.

“Still, well….Daniel, this fellow, both of you seem to have something personal to say to Lady Vansfelt, so how about having a conversation while we’re at it?”

“What did you say?”

“I’ll excuse myself so you can speak comfortably. There’s a balcony over there, so I’ll go out and smoke a cigarette.”

“Count.”

Count Theodore ignored Kisa’s call and quickly walked toward the balcony.

Watching his retreating figure, she could vaguely guess the Count’s intentions.

‘He’s going to pretend he has nothing to do with this.’

It was nothing more than meaningless face-saving, but he seemed to want to declare that he was officially unrelated to what the other two were about to say.

“He’s more cowardly than he looks.”

Daniel shrugged and took the chair that had originally been the Count’s.

Then he looked at Kisa, who was standing awkwardly in front of his chair, and nodded his head.

“Come on, sit down. How long are you going to stand there like that?”

Kisa ignored Daniel’s words again and looked at the man kneeling on the floor.

“Are you… really Brother Emil?”

The man quietly nodded his head.

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. Count Theodore was claiming until recently that Seyard murdered the former Duke, and Daniel Lowens over there also harbors considerable resentment, thinking I was stolen away by him.”

Kisa tried to maintain her composure as much as possible as she continued speaking.

“The fact that you appeared together with these two people is suspicious from the start. You might be a fake witness they prepared to frame Seyard.”

“Frame him? I came here to save you from danger, Kisa.”

Daniel tried to interrupt the conversation with his nonsensical words, but Kisa didn’t even acknowledge him.

“Ah, well, that is…”

The man with gaunt, hollow cheeks clearly showed his confusion at Kisa’s accusation.

“I really am Emil. How should I prove this… Should I show you a notebook with my name written in it?”

Damn it. Swallowing the unfamiliar curse, Kisa bit her lip.

If he had boldly shown perfect evidence, it would have been even harder to believe.

His naive attitude seemed to reveal sincerity instead, casting a shadow over her heart.

“Or you could check with Pavela Monastery right away. They’ll probably tell you that I’m currently away due to a family emergency.”

“…”

Kisa couldn’t make any response.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Daniel looked down at Brother Emil and urged him on.

“Come now, you’d better tell the story quickly, Brother Emil. What on earth happened in the past? What did you witness?”

“Ah, yes.”

At Daniel’s urging, the man carefully began to speak.

“It was something that happened over a year and a few months ago. It was about two months before the former Duke Hillan lost his life. At that time…”

He was so nervous that the sound of the monk swallowing dry saliva reached Kisa’s ears.

Kisa listened to his words with a heart that wanted to flee somewhere, yet with her feet nailed to the spot.

It was a story that was short if short, long if long.

—-

“Come quickly. Please come quickly.”

Emil, crouched behind a pile of firewood, muttered to himself.

His legs were numb, and his nose had long since lost sensation from the terrible smell.

How long would he have to stay like this? The young monk sighed deeply.

This was one of the most secluded places in Pavela Monastery and also a place the monks approached least.

The reason was precisely this: the smell of compost that was spread on the vegetable garden cultivated by the monastery.

No matter how much monks enjoyed voluntary hardship, there was no need to deliberately torture their noses.

Except for occasionally storing leftover firewood nearby, no one usually came near this place except during the time for spreading compost.

So seeing that exception was bound to be suspicious.

Emil recalled the scene he had witnessed a few days ago.

One night, Emil woke up suddenly and was casually walking around the monastery when he heard someone’s faint footsteps.

Curious about who was walking so stealthily, he quietly held his breath and watched, and the owner of the footsteps was none other than Cobi Brown.

He looked around several times, checking in all directions, but failed to notice Emil’s presence behind a tree and passed by.

When Emil learned that there was a compost warehouse in the direction Cobi had appeared from, he thought he had it.

Now that fellow had finally left a clue.

The monastery’s errand boy, Cobi Brown. Emil had disliked him for a long time.

He was lazy, and his murky eyes made it seem like he would cause trouble someday.

The fact that he didn’t know his place and followed Seyard Hillan around, playing the role of a lackey, was also deeply pathetic.

‘As expected. He finally showed his true colors.’

For several months now, there had been a strange phenomenon of medicine gradually disappearing from the pharmacy storage.

He immediately suspected Cobi.

Although he was careful about locking up, he had entrusted the key to him several times to ask for various favors, since he was an errand boy.

Since Cobi also frequented the blacksmith’s shop, it would have been possible for him to take that opportunity to make a spare key.

‘This damn bastard.’

Emil gritted his teeth.

The medicine he made using high-quality medicinal herbs grown directly at the monastery as ingredients, with his extensive pharmaceutical knowledge, could be considered quite superior.

Even if it was a small amount, if sold, it would be enough for Cobi to make some pocket money.

He was furious to think that medicine made for poor people who couldn’t afford to buy medicine had become nothing more than that bastard’s gambling money.

Emil was determined to expose Cobi’s crimes completely, and on the day he discovered the culprit’s suspicious behavior, after much deliberation, he decided to stake out.

Without clear physical evidence, catching him in the act was the best option.

After waiting for the right moment for several days, medicine had decreased again.

Expecting that Cobi would surely take action within a few days, Emil began staking out near the compost warehouse from that day.

As a result, he lacked sleep and his clothes reeked terribly, but his determination remained firm.

So today too, Emil waited behind the pile of firewood, hoping that Cobi’s tail would soon be caught, just waiting for the culprit to show himself.

Someday Cobi would come. Whether to hide the stolen medicine here or to secretly meet with an accomplice.

How much time had passed? A rustling sound woke Emil, who had been dozing.

He knew instinctively.

Finally, Cobi had come.

Soon, following the sound of footsteps, human voices could also be heard, so Emil held his breath and listened carefully.

However, the next moment, he couldn’t help but tilt his head in rising bewilderment.

“…did you bring it?”

That wasn’t Cobi’s voice.

Then an accomplice? But somehow it sounded familiar.

Emil didn’t need to rack his memory.

“Yeah, here it is.”

Cobi, who seemed to be handing something over to him, kindly revealed the identity of that person.

“Seyard, thanks to you making a good mold, it came out very clearly. How is it? Is it identical to that key?”

My goodness. Seyard Hillan?

Emil almost screamed involuntarily but barely suppressed his voice.

He couldn’t believe that Seyard Hillan was involved in this matter.

Of course, he was close to Cobi, but there seemed to be no reason for someone who received living expenses from a ducal family to get involved in such petty crime.

Moreover, while Emil didn’t trust Seyard’s morality, he did acknowledge his boldness.

Looking at Seyard Hillan, he had felt several times that this was what noble blood was like, even with all his faults.

That such a man would contribute to stealing medicine from the monastery’s pharmacy.

While Emil was having such thoughts, Seyard’s voice was heard again.

“Yeah, it’s similar to the key that guy had.”

He had apparently examined the object Cobi handed him thoroughly.

Wait, a key? Not medicine?

The continued conversation between the two men threw Emil into even greater confusion.

“Good job, Cobi. But you didn’t arouse suspicion from the person who made it, did you?”

“Of course not. You know I’m a bit absent-minded. When I said I lost my dormitory key, he didn’t ask any more questions.”

“Really?”

“Now you’re going to achieve your purpose with this?”

“That’s right. I was lucky in many ways. Who would have thought Vischer would call me first and then show an opening.”

Then Cobi laughed, “Hee hee.”

“You’re amazing. To slip away the key while the other person was distracted for a moment.”

“Well, I’m glad I learned pickpocket techniques from you in advance.”

As if responding to Cobi’s laughter, there was also laughter in Seyard’s voice.

“Anyway, just wait and see. That brief moment will be the moment that takes away that bastard’s life.”

It was an innocent laugh, like that of a child.