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“…You want to have me?”

The woman’s voice coming from her lips was incredibly sweet. However, her expression was shadowed.

If Charlie had been more perceptive, he might have realized it was deep anger. But his lust clouded his judgment, and he only saw her as shy.

“A woman like her is rare. Ah, of course, since you brought her here, if you use her first and then give her to me…”

“That’s enough, you worm.”

“Huh?”

The man set his glass down on the table.

“My ears are rotting just listening to you.”

“…?!”

Charlie tried to speak, but no sound came out.

“A piece of trash who doesn’t know his place…”

The man muttered coldly.

Just hearing his voice made Charlie unable to breathe. An unknown force was crushing his lungs.

“Who do you think came here to listen to your filthy thoughts?”

The man watched Charlie, who was growing paler, with disgust.

At that moment, Charlie felt fear. The kind of fear that comes from being crushed by overwhelming violence.

“I… I can’t breathe…”

Charlie, feeling like a cockroach facing a human, tried to run for his life. But it didn’t go as planned.

It was as if he was under a spell—he couldn’t even move a finger.

Charlie broke out in a cold sweat.

Regret flooded in.

Perhaps it was because his judgment was clouded by alcohol and rising lust.

As oxygen grew scarce, Charlie felt like he was about to lose consciousness.

But the man, as if unwilling to allow it, spoke.

“Charlie.”

At that moment, the man’s anger vanished as if a switch had been flipped.

Simultaneously, Charlie’s breath returned just as he was about to suffocate from the anger.

“Kuh… huh?!”

“You’ve got a lot of money for a worm.”

“Cough… Y-yes?”

The man pointed to a wad of cash sticking out of Charlie’s pocket.

“If I’m not mistaken, a farm manager’s salary wouldn’t even come close to this amount. Where’d you get it?”

“P-please don’t misunderstand! This isn’t stolen money!”

Feeling interrogated, Charlie reflexively denied it.

“It’s money I earned legitimately!”

“Legitimately?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s all money I earned through my own sweat and blood.”

Don’t back down.

Charlie swallowed hard.

Honestly, he had underestimated the man.

He thought he was just a bored noble from the countryside who frequented gambling dens. But judging by the man’s earlier attitude, there was only one possibility left.

Charlie mustered his courage and spoke.

“But why are you asking this? No matter who you are, if you keep prying like this… the Ruelberta Family won’t stand for it.”

It was his last resort.

The moment the name “Ruelberta” was mentioned, the woman hesitated.

“You must have heard of it. This is the territory of the infamous Ruelberta Family. And I serve the Ruelberta Family.”

“……”

“Do you think I’d carelessly reveal information about the village to a stranger?”

Charlie emphasized the name “Ruelberta” again.

Even the woman he brought reacted to the name.

Most people would back down upon hearing the name of the notorious Ruelberta Family, even if they were nobles or foreign spies.

The Ruelberta Family’s infamy was known not just in the empire but abroad as well.

“What’s going on?”

“Charlie, what’s happening?”

People began murmuring, sensing the unusual tension.

The situation had completely reversed.

Now, it was the man who was in trouble. He likely didn’t want his identity exposed in front of so many people.

Charlie had concluded that the man was a foreign spy.

But that was a huge mistake.

“Indeed, I should have introduced myself earlier.”

The man, breaking the silence, pulled out something shiny from his pocket.

It wasn’t a diamond, but a ring.

“…Huh?”

Charlie’s pupils shook.

The emblem engraved on the ring was all too familiar.

Even a country bumpkin like him could recognize it.

“Th-the black… lion?”

It was the symbol of the Ruelberta Family, the very one Charlie had been boasting about.

And that ring was a mark only the head of the Ruelberta Family possessed—a status symbol even among the highest echelons of nobility.

“Then… are you Count Tristan?”

“That’s right.”

Tristan smiled coldly.

“Coincidentally, it seems you’re one of my people.”

“Y-you’re really the head of the family? B-but the rumors said you were… fat…”

“I lost weight.”

Tristan answered immediately.

The beautiful woman beside him stood up and addressed the confused crowd.

“By the way, why are you all holding your heads higher than the Count?”

“Ah… no!”

With that one remark, everyone in the gambling den bowed their heads.

“W-wait… hold on…”

Only Charlie stood there, stunned. No, he couldn’t even kneel.

His legs were trembling.

Still, Charlie tried to deny it.

“N-no… that can’t be. Why would someone so high-ranking come to a place like this…”

“Understandable. A worm like you wouldn’t have seen my face before.”

It hit the mark.

As a lowly farm manager in the countryside, Charlie had never been given the chance to see the head of the Ruelberta Family.

All he knew were the rumors. That the head of the Ruelberta Family was a fat, unpleasant noble.

Charlie looked at Tristan’s face again. It was different from the rumors, but one glance was enough.

An arrogant, self-absorbed face. And the cold, sharp aura emanating from him.

Yes. It’s hard to believe, but it’s reality.

He really is Tristan.

Charlie asked in a trembling voice.

“Th-then… who is this woman?”

“Ah, me?”

The woman with heterochromatic eyes smiled softly and introduced herself.

“I am Count Tristan’s bodyguard knight and deputy commander of Aslan, Helga Wolfbert.”

“Aah…”

Finally, Charlie realized.

He had messed with someone he should never have crossed.

It’s over.

Charlie’s instincts kicked in first.

“D-damn it…!”

Charlie bolted.

If he could just jump over the second-floor railing and escape, maybe…!

At that moment.

“Aaaaah?!”

Charlie screamed and fell.

An excruciating pain shot through his foot.

“Wh-what the hell?!”

Helga’s high heel had pierced his foot.

Pinned to the floor like a nail, Charlie writhed in pain.

“Oh? What were you trying to do just now?”

Helga looked down at Charlie innocently.

Her smile was beautiful.

Like a venomous snake.

“Ugh… d-don’t… don’t come closer…!”

“Strange. I’m just standing here.”

Charlie tried to back away, but with his foot nailed to the floor, he could only flail in place.

In that desperate situation, a low voice reached Charlie’s ears.

“I have a lot of questions for you.”

It was Tristan.

Charlie cried out in desperation.

“I-I’ll talk! Anything! I’ll answer anything, just spare me!”

“Where did that money come from?”

“Y-yes?”

For a moment, Charlie hesitated.

Telling the truth was simple.

But how could he admit that he had embezzled money from the villagers’ letters?

“W-well… that…”

“You don’t have to answer.”

Tristan shook his head.

“I don’t trust liars. Whatever you say now will just be lies to save yourself.”

“N-no! Please believe me! I-I’ll tell the truth…! I stole it! I stole it from the villagers!”

Charlie pleaded with the beautiful nobleman.

But Tristan ignored him and muttered.

“Right. You said it was money earned through sweat and blood.”

“Y-yes…?”

“If you shed some blood and sweat, maybe you’ll feel like confessing. Helga.”

“Yes.”

Tristan gave the order to his beautiful bodyguard knight.

“Take this man to Aslan headquarters.”

“…!”

Charlie had heard of it.

The infamous place within Ruelberta territory where those who caused serious trouble were taken—a place from which no one ever returned.

Being taken there was no different from death, so Charlie screamed.

“P-please! S-spare me! Please spare me!”

“What a noisy man. Hehe…”

Helga’s heterochromatic eyes reflected Charlie’s ruined state.

Her high-heeled foot pressed down on his back.

“Aah…”

“Be quiet and come along quietly.”

Helga’s seductive lips curved.

“To the Room of Truth.”

It was a chilling smile.

 

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