Chapter 52: If it has begun, it must be seen to its end (2)

In an instant,

Barco's expression twisted into a menacing grimace.

Roman Demetri's words had completely crossed the line, even in a hostile relationship.

"You scoundrel! Do you know where you are to dare speak such nonsense?!"

Barco and Roman Demetri.

Their social standings are different.

While Barco is the head of a family, Roman is merely a young man from a baron's family who has yet to inherit his title.

And yet, he had the audacity to attack me with his words while looking me straight in the eye.

Even a toothless tiger cannot tolerate such insolence in front of others.

"I will tell you what you have done wrong. You, a lowly man who knows nothing of the nobility's code, thought you could interfere in someone else's war without any just cause, but such actions are not permitted in the Kingdom of Cairo. Do you think Barco only declared the war now? If we followed your logic, we could have attacked Lawrence before he was ready, but we adhered to the nobility's code, presented a just cause, and obtained approval from the central government to proceed with this matter."

The war with Lawrence.

It was a long-planned operation.

By forging documents and publicizing the dispute, they emphasized the just cause to prevent anyone from interfering.

It was perfect.

Even if Barco's actions were distasteful, there was no room for others to intervene.

But why,

Barco could not understand why Roman Demetri had appeared on the battlefield.

"The nobles of Cairo are not fools. A war without just cause deserves to be buried in the noble society, and I will hold the Demetri family accountable for your actions. The Demetri family cannot avoid this responsibility. No matter how powerful your family is, a family that violates the nobility's code will be brought down by the united efforts of surrounding families. If you had shown a little interest in the history of the nobility, you would have known that there are many such examples."

His voice grew agitated.

Seeing Roman's calm expression despite his harsh words made Barco feel even more twisted inside.

"Claiming ignorance of the nobility's code is no excuse. Do you understand now? How foolish your actions were. The Baron Demetri will suffer greatly because of you. Because of your incompetence, the Demetri family, which could have lived in peace, will now face the criticism of the nobles in the northeast!"

Bang!

He slammed the table.

Rising from his seat, he breathed heavily, while Roman merely looked up calmly.

"Are you finished?"

"What?!"

A calm voice.

Facing the storm of anger, Roman looked around at the other nobles with a composed expression.

"Then I will now explain why I interfered in the war and the just cause for it."

The atmosphere grew tense.

Roman's sharp voice cut through the tension, piercing the ears of the nobles.

"Lawrence and Demetri were originally engaged. However, they decided to break the engagement for reasons that were not made public, and I became the fool who was dumped. What do you think was the reason for the breakup? My reputation? My womanizing? Or simply because Flora Lawrence did not like me? None of these are true."

Tap, tap.

He tapped the table with his fingers.

The sound, which grated on everyone's nerves, made people swallow hard.

"Barco's eldest son, Anthony Barco, threatened me to break the engagement."

"…?!"

"The time was at Barco's social party. I, who had a friendship with Anthony Barco, attended the party despite being engaged to Lawrence. And I fell into a trap. Drunk, I woke up in a room with Barco's distant relative, Emily Barco, and realized that Anthony Barco had set the trap to break Lawrence and Demetri apart. As expected, Anthony Barco used this incident to threaten me to cancel the marriage with Lawrence."

Roman's words.

The nobles were shaken.

If Roman had decided to break the engagement due to Anthony Barco's threats, the grounds for holding Roman responsible became ambiguous.

'Once a secret is revealed, it is no longer a secret.'

During the time when he walked on thin ice due to the succession struggle in the Black Sect,

Baek Jung-hyuk suffered all kinds of slander.

Roman Demetri's reputation had fallen to the level of trash, but at that time, Baek Jung-hyuk boldly confronted the rumors and resolved the issues.

What if he was trash?

His people trusted him, and as he dealt with his enemies one by one, the rumors gradually faded away.

Therefore,

Roman first cut off the grounds for the threat.

He had nothing left to lose in terms of reputation.

Barco, sensing the situation was not going well, shouted angrily.

"Nonsense! Do you expect us to believe such lies! Fine, I will immediately call Emily Barco to verify the truth. Everyone knows how trashy the head of the Demetri family has been, and it is truly disgusting how you try to cover up the truth with your lies."

"I knew you would say that. If you were someone who would admit the truth, we wouldn't be meeting like this. I have a clear fact to reveal here. The reason I interfered in the war between Barco and Lawrence is not for revenge due to the threat, but for another reason."

"Another reason…?"

The more he spoke,

the more Barco felt like he was sinking into quicksand.

Everything he said, every attitude he showed, was moving like a puppet within Roman's expectations.

Roman said,

"Everyone knows that Anthony Barco pursued Flora Lawrence. In the process, Anthony Barco crossed the line. He attempted to assault Flora Lawrence but failed, and the shock of this incident led Flora Lawrence to choose to break the engagement. The reason for the breakup was that she could not show her face at the wedding after such an experience."

"Wh-what?!"

"Do you think this is not the truth? Fine. Then call both Emily Barco and Flora Lawrence to verify the truth."

He shifted the focus.

Anthony Barco had set a false trap.

Then,

he would do the same.

If Emily Barco falsely accused Roman of assault, Flora Lawrence could make the same statement.

The truth?

It didn't matter.

As long as he had a just cause to dismantle the opposition's criticism, Roman's plan would be a perfect success.

And,

'After all, Anthony Barco did repeatedly assault Flora. Even if it wasn't as severe as what he did to me and Emily Barco, he had already crossed the line before the marriage. Because these actions were known, even Barco, Anthony's father, would not believe the truth.'

He mixed truth with lies.

Finally,

Roman completely crushed his opponent.

"Anthony Barco touched my woman when I was engaged to Lawrence. I ask the Barco Viscount and everyone here, do you really think I had no just cause to interfere in the war? I did not use the power of my family but only my personal strength to interfere in the war. This is the only recompense I can offer to Flora, who accepted the breakup without knowing the truth."

It was perfect.

He had shifted the focus and secured a just cause.

Barco,

was cornered.

Barco was speechless.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his mind raced with a thousand thoughts, trying to find a solution.

'There is no way. Roman Demetri's just cause is perfect.'

Anthony Barco's threats.

Assault.

And revenge.

A perfect just cause.

Moreover, Roman had meticulously avoided involving the Demetri family, fearing that it might be seen as an issue, and acted on his own.

There was nothing to say.

The moment Roman's just cause for avenging Flora Lawrence was brought to the surface, Barco would face backlash and criticism.

Dizziness set in.

His mouth was dry.

'Monster. The nobles who came to help me are swayed by Roman's words.'

The nobles who sought Barco.

They turned their backs on Barco.

If Roman's words were true, Barco was a rotten rope, and they did not want to fall with him.

Now,

the truth battle was meaningless.

Even if he clung to Emily Barco, Barco knew he would gain nothing.

'There is only one way for Barco to survive. To buy time. Rather than giving the opponent a perfect just cause, I must avoid this situation and seek a new solution.'

He forced a smile.

As if nothing had happened, Barco spoke calmly.

"I do not believe your words. Just as you deny your relationship with Emily Barco despite your reputation, I believe Anthony Barco is no different. Therefore, I will verify the truth and contact you again. I apologize, everyone. I did not call you here for this…"

His words were lengthy.

He appeared flustered and tried to hold onto the nobles, not wanting to lose the connection.

Roman smiled.

A day earlier,

Roman recalled his conversation with Chris.

"Are you really going to Barco?! That's suicide. The Barco Viscount will not let you live!"

Roman's plan.

When Chris heard that Roman was going to Barco, he was shocked and tried to stop him.

It was understandable.

After Roman completely ruined Barco's plans, hoping to survive in Barco was an excessive expectation.

Roman said,

"Chris, what do you think will happen to the relationship between Barco and me in the future?"

"…Barco will see you as a mortal enemy. If you hadn't interfered, they would have crushed Lawrence and had a smooth path. However, even so, there is no reason to provoke an enemy who has nothing to lose. If possible, it's best to avoid a fight."

"No."

In his rise to the top of the Black Sect,

Baek Jung-hyuk established a principle through many battles.

"If it has begun, it must be seen to its end. We know that Barco will bear a grudge against me. This is the perfect opportunity to root out the source of revenge while they are in a precarious position."

And now,

Roman looked at Barco.

"Barco Viscount."

All eyes were on him.

Barco, who had been trying to calm the nobles with a flustered face, and the surrounding nobles, looked at him with curiosity.

Looking at them,

"Choose one now. Will you resolve this as a personal issue between Anthony Barco and me, with Anthony receiving appropriate punishment, or will you escalate this into a family matter?"

A choice.

Roman placed a knife under Barco's chin.