Chapter 91

"Let me be blunt. The reason you want to form an alliance with the Winston family is because you need a puppet in the military, isn't it?"

"You're asking something obvious."

"Then, if the rumor that my fiancée is a rebel spreads, and I am expelled from the military and my social reputation is damaged, it would be like killing a hunting dog that you bought at a high price. I find it strange that you don't understand this obvious fact."

"Then do your job as a puppet properly!"

The Duke slammed his hand on the table, spilling the alcohol, and the pungent smell of the liquor filled the air.

"Well, if this engagement is annulled, my mother will be disappointed, but I won't be. Considering what you, Duke, have demanded from me even before the engagement was finalized, it's more beneficial for me to act as if it never happened."

The situation was completely reversed.

The Duke always believed that the Winston family was subordinate in their relationship. The mother of this person might pretend to be dignified on the surface, but she was anxious inside. However, the expectation that her son would be the same was cruelly shattered.

"Captain, thinking only of your personal interests is irresponsible as the head of a family. I told you that I would speak well of you to His Majesty to help you regain your title, and your mother was very pleased. Of course, your father in heaven would feel the same."

The Duke, who intended to threaten, seemed to have switched to a strategy of persuasion.

"I don't think you are so naive as to not understand the intentions of the noble. Besides, you are not inflexible. That's why the noble finds you even more despicable."

Oh, being smart is a crime too.

"Wasn't it true that your investigation was not thorough?"

You mean the manipulation, not the investigation, was not thorough.

"I cannot agree with that."

"..."

"You have done a good job of selecting and compiling only the necessary parts from the report I gave you. Was I really useless?"

The higher-ups had already decided that the Sinclair family was behind the rebels and selectively distorted the information from Leon's report to fit this premise.

'To make me look like a conspirator and then criticize me for not being one.'

This was a subtle threat to push him into the black side of the gray area.

But that only works on people with small courage, not on Leon.

"Can't you do better? This time, don't disappoint the noble."

"I understand. Since lunch is over, I need to return to headquarters."

As Leon stood up, the Duke reached out to stop him.

"All we need is a confession, his signature, and yours. That's all. It's easy."

"The easiest thing would be to warn you to stay out of the bidding."

"Threats are uncouth."

Leon smiled. So, is it uncouth to threaten, but not to frame a civilian by the king?

"The bidding will start soon, so it's best to wrap it up quickly. And the first article will be in tomorrow's morning paper."

Jeffrey Sinclair's arrest is still a military secret, so not only is there no reporting, but any external leaks are also prohibited.

The royal family is using all sorts of dirty tricks just because they lost a few bids.

'Serving a gangster.'

He felt like a thug in a back alley, using petty fists.

At such times, even the eldest son of the Winston family, who has always been a royalist, wished for the old-fashioned monarchy to fall and a world where money is king to arrive. Then he would stand above the financiers.

Looking at the global trend, his grandfather's idea that a new world where capital is power, rather than status, is coming is not wrong.

He was just too ahead of his time, and the fatal flaw was partnering with the chaotic and incompetent first revolutionary government.

"Framing a respected civilian."

Leon decided to be direct.

"Do you know that if this is exposed, it could lead to a second revolution and the restored monarchy could fall again?"

"You are more afraid than I thought."

The Duke sneered provocatively. Leon responded with a derisive smile.

"I won't be the one to lose my head on the guillotine, so why should I be afraid…."

He picked up the swan's neck from the gray custard cream. Snap. The neck broke into two pieces and was thrown onto the center of the table.

"Someone else will end up like this."

"Your job is to make sure that doesn't happen."

Leon, instead of answering, stuck a cigar, which was smoking, into the swan's back like a knife. As he turned to leave, the Duke called out to him.

"I believe in your abilities."

Everyone is out of their minds.

I am not crazy, only infatuated with a woman.

* * *

[Sinclair, the Two Faces of a Philanthropist]

As soon as his gaze fell on the front page of the morning newspaper on the breakfast table, Leon signaled to the butler. The butler, confused by the instruction to remove the newspaper, asked:

"Should I bring a different newspaper?"

Leon shook his head. The other newspapers would likely be filled with articles framing the Sinclairs as rebels.

He glanced at Jerome, who was sitting across the table. The newspaper the butler had taken away belonged to Jerome, who owned the Windsor Herald.

"Has the Duke contacted you?"

"What nonsense? Why would His Highness contact me?"

Jerome frowned, stopping his meal. That boy has a habit of blinking rapidly when he lies, but this time he was staring wide-eyed, which reassured Leon.

'This article wasn't published through him.'

However, since Jerome might do something foolish when infatuated with a woman, Leon decided to warn him in advance.

"If the Duke makes any demands, don't listen to him."

"Leon, is there something between the Duke's family and me that I don't know about?"

Mother, sitting at the head of the table, interjected with a puzzled look. She was a short-sighted person who would easily sell the family's future and her children's future for a title.

"It's a military secret."

As he turned to his glass of sparkling water, Jerome brought up the same topic again.

"There's a rumor that Captain Winston is handling Jeffrey Sinclair's newspaper…."

"It's a military secret."

Leon dodged Jerome's persistent questioning and spent the morning in the annex basement. When he arrived at headquarters, it was just after lunch break.

As he reluctantly walked to the investigation room in the basement of the headquarters, he stopped when a door suddenly opened.

"If you don't help us, your father might go to jail."

"How can I help you?"

It was a young voice.

The soldier who opened the door saluted Leon. He waved the soldier away and peered into the open door.

In the investigation room, one of his subordinates was facing a frightened young boy. It was Jeffrey Sinclair's eldest son, whom he had seen in the Sinclair family photos.

'Just a 10-year-old…'

Using a young son to frame his father was a deed even a devil would condemn.

As Leon entered the room, the lieutenant who was interrogating the boy stood up and saluted.

"Hey, you don't interrogate children like that."

"I'm sorry, Captain."

Pretending to criticize his subordinate's interrogation method, Leon had never interrogated a child. Even devils have principles.

"Go out and buy some ice cream."

Leon tossed a bill to the lieutenant. The boy, who watched the man pick up the bill and leave, turned his gaze to Leon as the door closed.

Leon met the eyes of the trembling boy and whispered softly.

"Listen to me carefully. But if what I say leaks out, I can't help you."

Hope flickered in the boy's eyes at the promise of help. As the boy nodded resolutely, Leon sighed.

This is suicidal. Expecting a child to keep a secret is foolish.

Idiot.

He scolded himself for his reckless actions and warned the boy.