Chapter 71

He scolded himself, erasing the stray thoughts that had wandered to an inappropriate place from his mind. It was only the body he wanted, right?

But then, he was reminded of the secret message the woman, who was with him in body but not in heart, had left for her fiancé a few days ago.

[Jimmy, my heart always belongs to you.]

The day he discovered it, he had lost his composure, and now, looking back, it was not a pleasant action. However, even now, with his composure regained, the mere thought of that message still made him feel wretched.

He knew the reason.

He wanted to have that woman's heart as well.

But he wasn't so foolish as to torment her and hope she would like him. His mind wasn't foolish, but his heart was undoubtedly a fool.

Suddenly, the face that had been poised to die, with the gun in its mouth, flashed before his eyes.

He knew it was a trick. He knew she was testing him with her life, yet the overwhelming emotion that seized him in that moment prevented him from pulling the trigger.

I'm afraid of that woman.

She is the daughter of the woman who killed his father. She was the one he had wanted to kill and avenge. But...

I'm afraid of that woman dying.

Mad fool. Leon mercilessly berated himself.

He was always indifferent to everything except for the sight of blood. But with that woman, he felt all the emotions known to the world surge at once.

That woman is not Daisy. That woman is not Sally Bristol.

Leon repeated the same words to himself, as if brainwashing himself.

Hatred.

The emotion he should feel towards the Graces should be nothing but hatred.

The restaurant, where their evening appointment was set, was located on a high floor of a skyscraper, offering a view of the entire city of Winsford. Leon, who had arrived first, stood by the window, smoking a cigar while looking down at the theater district, which was beginning to light up brilliantly.

His mind, still unable to shake off the recent thoughts, was as hazy as the cigar smoke.

When he heard a polite knock on the door behind him, Leon briefly replied and approached the table. As he placed the cigar in the ashtray, the door opened, and the person who had requested his time entered the private room, following a waiter.

"Your Highness."

About an hour after dining with Duke Aldrich, the Duke finally began to discuss the matter for which he had requested a private meeting.

"Are you aware that the bidding is about to start?"

The prediction that it would be about the Briar Diamond Mine investment was correct, but only partially. The assumption that the purpose was to urge him to invest again was wrong.

"The competition has been quite fierce even before the bidding began, thanks to the involvement of the Sinclairs."

The Sinclair family was a renowned capitalist family.

Possessing wealth, power, and fame, they practiced the philosophy of fulfilling their social responsibilities and obligations, earning the respect of the people.

Moreover, being a commoner family that had risen from extreme poverty just a few decades ago, they were also an ideal of hope or a dream for other commoners, showing that they too could become wealthy.

"I need someone to thoroughly investigate the Sinclairs... There's no one more suitable for this task than you, Captain."

It was a request to conduct a background check on the competing family.

'To entrust a detective's job to a soldier.'

The attitude of treating him as a mere errand boy was unpleasant.

"If the Sinclairs are involved, it's not that the competition is fierce, but rather that it's already decided."

The Duke, who accurately read the subtle refusal, drained the amber liquid from the crystal glass in one gulp and leaned forward on the table. The secret he had to share cautiously, even in the private room, was actually a form of pressure.

"The VIP is suffering from stomach pain again."

With those words, refusal was no longer an option. The real client for this background check was the King.

"In fact, the Sinclairs have been obstacles in our business more than once."

The King, feeling threatened by a commoner family, was desperately trying to find their weaknesses or dirty secrets. What he intended to do with them was obvious.

'The king is no better than a thug.'

The dynasty, which had been restored after being overthrown by the people due to corruption and tyranny, could not have absolute power. Thus, it was resorting to underhanded tactics behind the scenes.

'Why entrust the background check of a civilian businessman to a soldier whose main job is to suppress rebels, rather than to the tax bureau or close confidants?'

With a heavy heart, he continued to deal with the Duke. Even after conveying all the matters, the Duke did not leave early but kept drinking. While listening to the gossip about other noble families and glancing at his wristwatch, it was already well past 9 PM.

"I have a prior engagement at 10, so I should leave now."

Without even making an effort to come up with an excuse, he folded the napkin and placed it on the table. The Duke, holding a cigar, waved his hand widely.

"No, no. Not yet. The dessert here is excellent, so you should try it before you go."

Although he had no intention of eating dessert, if it was a condition to leave, he could quickly finish and stand up.

As soon as the waiter brought a plate with a swan-shaped profiterole on a chocolate lake, Leon picked up the dessert fork. Just as he was about to cut a piece of the swan's wing and put it in his mouth, someone knocked on the door of the private room.

"Your Highness, Captain. Was the meal to your satisfaction?"

It was the restaurant manager. Leon, who usually dismissed the manager's polite inquiries as mere formalities, couldn't resist and did something he never did.

The Duke, who had been watching with interest as Leon ordered the profiterole to be packed, burst into laughter as soon as the manager left.

"To order another one before finishing the first. Did you like it that much?"

Leon, who was eating the dessert without enthusiasm, as if it were low-grade combat rations, only smiled.

"Quite surprising. I didn't think you would enjoy sweets, Captain."

Leon, after finishing the annoying dessert and wiping his mouth with a napkin, replied.

"Everyone has their secret pleasures."

The Duke, who had no idea that Leon's "pleasure" referred to women, not desserts, said,

"Then I'll be waiting for your report."

The Duke reminded him of the purpose of the evening meal, even as he got into his car.

As soon as the Duke's car left, Leon got into his own car. Placing the unnecessarily fancy dessert box on the passenger seat, he checked his watch and urged the driver.

"Take the fastest route."

The car, which had just entered the main road from the building's entrance, stopped after a short distance. The theater district was bustling with cars, carriages, and pedestrians late at night.

"Maybe there's a quarrel between the coachmen..."

The driver muttered, looking out the window. Leon, with a dry gaze, watched the crowd passing by the theater, reflecting on the unpleasant royal order.

'Why did it have to be me...?'

He was pondering whether to be seen as incompetent by the King or to get involved in a distasteful matter when a familiar couple caught his eye.

'Jerome?'

And the woman laughing with his brother was...

'The Duchess?'

The two, holding hands affectionately, were clearly a couple as they entered the theater.

'What a surprise.'

Staring at the theater entrance where his brother and his fiancée had disappeared, Leon abruptly opened the car door.

"Wait here for a moment."

In the theater lobby, he couldn't see the two. Leon bought a ticket and entered the screening room of the movie that was about to start.

His guess was correct. The two were standing at the bottom of the stairs, pointing to various seats and discussing where to sit.

Hiding behind a pillar at the entrance, Leon followed them, blending in with the other people as they started to go down the stairs.

"Rozie will go in first."

Rozie?

Leon chuckled.

Already on a first-name basis, huh.

He remembered it was about a fortnight ago. Jerome, who had just returned from a visit to the capital, was having a meal with the family after a long time. The boy refused the wine the butler poured and made an unexpected declaration.

"I've decided not to drink alcohol anymore."

"Is that so? Good thinking."

While his mother was pleased, Leon quietly snorted.

Acting and speaking like a monk, is he really going to become one?

But it wasn't until Jerome listed the reasons, which he hadn't been asked for, that Leon realized his brother wasn't planning to leave the secular world. Instead, it was a worldly desire.

"Alcohol clouds people's judgment. While it helps them forget the pain of life, it only creates bigger problems. Especially in social settings, it easily leads to a loss of self-control and a state of intoxication."

It was exactly what the Duchess had said during their date.

'Look at that...'

From then on, Leon noticed. Jerome had his eye on the woman who would become his brother's wife.

'That stuffy bookworm is doing something quite interesting. He's as conscienceless as a Winston.'

But he only realized today that it was mutual.

The demure and conservative Duchess engaging in an immoral act was the second most surprising event of the year, after the incident where Sally Bristol was revealed to be Daisy and the Graces.

Sitting in a secluded spot, Leon watched the two's backs, deep in thought.