CHAPTER 29 —
Leonard’s eyes went wide with shock.
Count Miles waved his hand slightly, as if telling him not to act rashly.
“Well, since things turned out this way, let’s talk about the dowry again… Hey! Count Elpheus! I’m not finished yet…!”
Leonard didn’t have time to listen to that nonsense.
He didn’t even wait for the servant to bring his horse—he ran straight to the stables at the Miles estate, took out his own horse, and rode off.
“Let’s go!”
“Neighhh!”
‘Brother, I’ll just marry that Miles guy. If he clears our 30 million lark debt, then it’s actually a good deal, right?’
‘Absolutely not. Listen carefully, Jenny. Do you know how many women that scoundrel has ruined already? He even has two illegitimate children.’
‘T-Two illegitimate children…?’
‘If you marry that bastard, those kids will become your responsibility. Jenny, I made a deal with the Countess to make you the next Count Elpheus. I will never let you marry someone like him.’
Bin and Michel had investigated the second son of Count Miles.
Thanks to them, Leonard knew exactly how awful that man’s habits were.
If Leonard had failed to pay the debt and gone back to the Elpheus estate late, that man might’ve already laid hands on Jennice…
“Damn it!”
It normally took a week to ride from Miles territory to Elpheus territory.
‘I’ll get there in four days.’
Clenching his teeth, Leonard spurred his already fast horse even harder.
He completely forgot about Edward, who had passed out and was riding behind him.
Leonard covered the week-long journey in just four days.
He ate dried meat and only slept one or two hours a day, always waking up from nightmares.
‘You’re too late, Brother. Too, too late…’
‘But thank you for trying. I was never lonely because I had you. From now on, live your life for yourself, Brother.’
‘Did you hear? The Viscountess of Faylton is dead.’
‘Who’s that?’
‘The wife of Count Miles’ second son. That scumbag who ruined every pretty girl in the region.’
‘Ah… Did he end up killing his own wife?’
‘They say it was suicide, but who knows. Even if it was, it was probably because he was choking the life out of her.’
The first night, Leonard dreamt of Jennice with tears streaming down her face.
The second night, he dreamt of people talking about her death.
On the third night, he dreamt of avenging her death in a very cruel way.
Even after waking, he was still filled with rage. His eyes were wild as he raced forward on horseback.
Finally, he reached the mansion. He jumped off the horse and stormed through the door.
“Jenny! Jennice!”
As he looked around, he saw something he couldn’t believe.
To pay off some of the debt, most of the valuable items had been sold. But even the few things left behind—vases, furniture—were now gone too.
In their place were scratches and signs of destruction—evidence of someone violently trashing the place.
Leonard’s face turned pale.
Just then, he heard movement inside. It was the head butler, Thompson, rushing out with wet hands.
“Oh, my lord!”
“Thompson! What happened to the house? What’s going on?!”
Thompson, usually well-groomed, now looked messy and exhausted.
Leonard ran to him and grabbed his shoulders.
“Where’s Jenny?! She’s upstairs, right?”
“No, sir. The young lady is not here.”
Behind Thompson’s voice, Leonard seemed to hear Jennice’s voice crying, saying he was too late.
His knees almost gave out—until Thompson added:
“She was taken by a knight from the Blair Marquis family.”
Leonard couldn’t believe his ears.
“What? A knight from Blair’s family? Not the Miles scoundrel?”
“You knew he came here?”
Thompson looked shocked.
“He really came here?!”
“Yes. That crazy… ahem, that man came here and tried to take the young lady by force, saying she was payment for the debt. If it weren’t for Lord Hawke, we couldn’t have stopped him.”
After four days of non-stop riding, Leonard looked like a wreck.
Thompson took him to the drawing room, gave him some warm tea, and explained everything.
That scoundrel and his men showed up early in the morning, without any notice.
If we’d known, we would’ve moved the young lady somewhere safe… But clearly, they planned to ambush us.
Whether or not they were from Count Miles’ family, they were uninvited and unannounced, so the guards tried to stop them. But those thugs beat them up!
Don’t worry—the guards are recovering at home. Lord Hawke paid their medical bills—actually, Marquis Blair paid them.
Where was I? Ah yes, the scoundrel acted like a complete gangster.
He started smashing things as soon as he walked in.
I heard the crash and came downstairs—our guards were already on the ground. They had drawn their swords, threatening us.
They brought four bulky knights. Clearly meant to scare us.
I sent Lady Sarah to hide the young lady on the second floor while I confronted them.
But then… the young lady came out because she heard the crash.
Even now, I tear up remembering it.
She must’ve been scared, but she stayed calm and dignified.
“What’s all this noise?”
“Young lady!”
Jennice stood on the stairs, holding the railing. Thompson groaned when he saw her.
Harry, the second son of Count Miles, who had been playing with lavender flowers, looked up at her.
“Oh… they said she was pretty, and they weren’t wrong.”
He threw the flower away like trash and stared at her up and down.
“Even in that worn-out dress, you’re quite a sight.”
His gaze was so rude it made even the word “insult” sound too kind.
The knights with him laughed.
“Isn’t that dress too shabby for a count’s daughter? It’ll probably tear with one wrong move.”
“That’s the fun of it! Maybe she wants it to rip.”
The way they laughed together made Thompson clench his fists.
If he felt humiliated, how much worse must it have been for Jennice?
But she stood firm, biting her lip just once before speaking.
“I wasn’t told about any visitors today. Thompson, did you forget to inform me?”
“N-No, miss. If someone had sent notice, we would’ve prepared to greet them properly.”
“Hah! Does a creditor need to give notice to visit a debtor? Don’t tell me you don’t have the money!”
“Of course not. Even a five-year-old knows borrowing money and not repaying it is theft.”
Thompson couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Our master is away right now. If you return later and give us notice—”
“He’s away? Today’s the due date. Did he run off because he can’t pay?”
“He left because it’s the due date. He went to the Miles estate to pay the debt. If you’d warned us you were coming, he could’ve welcomed you properly. Or did you sneak in like a thief on purpose?”
“What?! A thief?!”
While Thompson felt a bit proud of Jennice’s boldness, two knights glared and started climbing the stairs.
Thompson and Lady Sarah blocked their way, spreading their arms.
Harry snorted.
“He went to my house to pay the debt? First I’m hearing of it.”
“Of course you are. You must’ve left Miles estate over a week ago to get here.”
“You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes. So innocent, just like your face.”
He smirked at his knights.
“And where exactly did your brother get 30 million larks from? Did it fall from the sky?”
Jennice was momentarily speechless.
“……That’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? I have a right to know—I’m the creditor!”
“That money belongs to your father, not you.”
“Too bad. I’m here as his representative. So I have every right to claim what’s owed. Hey.”
At Harry’s nod, the four knights started walking toward Jennice on the stairs.
Thompson and Lady Sarah quickly raised their arms to stop them.
This guy should be gelded.