Chapter 90
“This is the Count’s mansion. As you know, our estate has a long-standing value—”
“I already have plenty of mansions like that.”
“Then how about using the casino building itself as collateral—”
“Collateral, you say. What about using a person instead of a building?”
Under imperial law, it was possible to take a person as collateral, not just property. After all, slavery still existed in the empire.
The destitute would sometimes offer their own bodies as collateral—if they couldn’t repay their debts, they would “become slaves.”
But there was no way Shion Kleist would ever do such a thing. Everyone knew how hard this man had fought in the noble assembly to abolish that very law.
“Haha, quite the amusing joke.”
Thus, the Count brushed off his words as nothing more than humor.
“…I’m serious, Count Albrecht.”
Shion deliberately added a touch of intimidation to his voice, ensuring the Count could feel his sincerity.
“What do you think of handing me your daughter, should you fail to repay the debt?”
“I-I’ve never even imagined using my daughter as collateral…” The Count’s hand trembled as he held his teacup.
“Of course. Only beasts who value money over their daughters would stoop to that.”
A high-ranking noble with a perfectly fine estate had no reason to offer his daughter as collateral—especially one with a reputation for being a doting father.
“In that case, it’s settled. The Kleist Bank will not be investing.”
But Shion knew the Count’s true face. When he really stood up to leave without a second thought, the Count panicked and grabbed at him.
“Y-Your Excellency!”
Shion was already looking forward to it.
What kind of expression would the girl wear, when sold off in place of her father’s debt? Would her eyes blaze with anger again, like before? That explosive vitality, that defiance?
“Y-Your Excellency.”
“I’ll take that as your consent, Count.”
“…I did agree, but, Your Excellency, it’s not because I don’t love my daughter—”
Excuses not worth hearing.
“We’ll discuss the details later, slowly, at the hunting grounds. You can explain your reasons for offering her then. For now, I’m busy.”
Brushing at his hunting clothes as though they’d been stained with filth, Shion left the greenhouse garden.
“Your Excellency.”
“Enough. I’ll go alone.”
He took the umbrella from Max, who had been about to hold it over him.
“Oh, and add anyone foolish enough to invest in that Albrecht bastard’s casino to our bank’s blacklist. Idiots like that pollute the very air inside the bank.”
With his orders finished, Shion leisurely walked in the direction Odette had gone.
‘Didn’t she leave with that woman called Madam Becker?’
The maid who had followed her earlier was nowhere to be seen; the woman now stood alone in the middle of the garden.
Seeing that composed figure stirred an unexpected self-loathing in Shion.
‘What am I even doing? What’s the point of taking her as collateral for a debt?’
He admitted it—just now, he had acted recklessly. Even if he took Odette as collateral, she was of little practical use.
The imperial family would never allow the empire’s only Purifier to be reduced to slavery, and even if she truly did fall that low, Shion wouldn’t feel joy in it.
His move just now had been nothing more than throwing money into the dirt.
Not that the money mattered.
The Kleist Marquisate’s secret reserves exceeded even the imperial treasury; no matter how much Count Albrecht demanded, it was like scooping a single cup of water from the sea.
The problem was that even Shion himself couldn’t understand his own actions.
The woman was gazing quietly at her fingertips.
‘Ah. A butterfly.’
Only then did he notice it. What had looked like background decoration now revealed itself as life: a butterfly perched delicately on her finger, being carefully studied by her.
A few white butterflies from the greenhouse had escaped into the open garden, most of them hiding beneath flower petals.
Odette, cautious and gentle, was shielding them with her umbrella.
Standing there, platinum-blonde hair fluttering, she looked to Shion like one of those very white butterflies.
“Beautiful,” he breathed before realizing.
Not long ago, he would’ve been startled at himself for uttering such a word. But no longer.
Since the moment he had seen her resist brainwashing. Since the moment he’d witnessed her weeping, stifled until it burst out. Since the day he had watched her dance with Johann, leaving him seething.
Every day since, he had dreamt of her—dreams filthy, tangled, desperate.
He could at least half-understand what he felt for her now.
Possessiveness. Animal desire. Something that could never be called love. The same rotten feeling his father had once held for his mother.
‘So I do carry my father’s blood. I swore I’d never feel such disgusting emotions, yet—’
His mother had once called love the purest and noblest of feelings. Shion had never experienced it, but he had read enough classics to grasp its definition:
Unwavering respect. Perfect consideration. An ideal bond that lifted both sides higher.
But what he felt for this woman was the exact opposite.
Before her, he was impulsive, petty, pathetic. Even his barest reason abandoned him. This was not love.
And then, in that moment—
With a light movement, she tucked her hair behind her ear and looked back at him.
For an instant, it was as though time froze. The patter of rain, the chatter of birds, the drops striking the umbrella—everything fell silent.
“…Your Excellency.”
Her calm turquoise eyes furrowed slightly.
‘As I thought. A smile suits her much better. It carries… so much more weight.’
Shion thought it, spellbound. Then realization struck: what he wanted most, after possessing her, was to make her smile.
“Hah…”
Dumbfounded by himself, he watched as the woman—fluttering free as a white butterfly—politely lifted her skirt and curtsied.
The moment her bow ended, she turned to return to the greenhouse.
Her demeanor was a wall, declaring she wanted no part of him.
Swallowing his irritation, Shion strode forward and seized her wrist.
Under his umbrella, she looked pinned—like a butterfly trapped and mounted.
So much for wanting to see her smile. His mood soured bitterly.
‘Damn it. Why is Shion here again?’
I’d gone through all the trouble of shaking off Madam Becker, only to end up stuck with something worse.
‘And of all times, when I’m on my way to meet Karl, this bastard shows up?’
After endless hassle with Demian, I had finally managed to smuggle Karl onto Athena Island.
Now, the last step was freeing him.
…Though the problem of his “pressure” still remained.
『But, my lady. Staying near the human you sent was extremely unpleasant and difficult.』
『Lady Odette, I strongly oppose the use of this Karl. Merely riding with him in the carriage for a short while was enough to make me feel like vomiting under that oppressive aura. There seems no reason for you to tolerate such discomfort.』
That was Gisella and Goetz’s report on the matter of his “pressure.”
“My lady, how can you even look after him face-to-face?”
Even Lise had said the same thing.
Unless the issue of pressure was solved, today’s plan would collapse. I had plenty to worry about already—
And then of all moments, this wretched man had to show up.
“Let me go.”
I spoke to Shion, who had tilted his umbrella over me.
His body was well-proportioned, his clothing sharp and calculated. From a distance, he looked lean and sleek, but up close I realized how large he really was.
‘A great hulking brute, that’s what he is.’
“Where’s the maid who came with you?”
“…Why do you care, Your Excellency?”
Of course I had told her not to spy and to get lost. Madam Becker was already in the palm of my hand.
From the moment she agreed to collude with me over personnel decisions, she had given me leverage. A woman aiming to become the Countess could never risk exposing her dealings with me.
But none of that meant I had to meekly report it to Shion.
“You’re going to leave your umbrella behind, aren’t you? Then wouldn’t it be better to share mine? You’ll get wet otherwise.”
“So I’ll get wet. Big deal.”
“Insects can’t be rained on, but you can?”
“Butterflies are fragile.”
“To me, you don’t look much different.”
The corners of Shion’s lips quirked upward slightly.
‘Infuriating man.’
Ever since our last confrontation, I had grown utterly sick of him.
“Better to get wet than to share an umbrella with you, Your Excellency.”
I said it with a polite smile. His eyebrow twitched upward at my words.
“Is that so?”
With that, he suddenly released my wrist—only to instantly reach into the bush where the butterflies had been.
In a flash, one was trapped in his hand.
Of all things, it was the very butterfly that had perched on my finger just moments earlier—the one with the tattered wing I’d been worried about.
“What are you—”
