Episode 5
It was only a half-promise, but still a promise. I stepped back and gave Karen and the Duke of West room to come inside. Once they entered, I led them to the kitchen table.
“It’s not much, but…”
I was about to offer them a seat, but the Duke suddenly said,
“Indeed.”
Excuse me? I shot him a glare, then turned around and grabbed a cup.
“Please have some patience.”
The atmosphere in the kitchen turned chilly for a moment. Time to warm things up. I filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. As I reached for the tea tin in the cupboard, the Duke spoke again.
“I didn’t come here to drink tea in a place like this. Let’s just talk.”
Now I understood why, despite his stunning looks, people said the Duke of West was a cold-hearted man with no sympathy. I looked straight at him and replied bluntly.
“I was going to drink it.”
“Pfft.”
A soft laugh escaped from someone—it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t the Duke. That left Karen, who sat expressionless. She looked at me and said,
“I’d like some too.”
From now on, that’s the rule in my house: only those who ask get served. I poured the tea and placed the cups in front of Karen and myself before sitting down.
“So, tell me why you kidnapped the mercenary.”
The Duke didn’t seem bothered that I hadn’t served him anything. Just then, there was a creaking sound from upstairs, like someone moving around.
All three of us glanced at the ceiling. I quickly lowered my gaze and looked at the Duke.
“Do you have any proof I kidnapped him?”
“If you didn’t, then why would you demand a guarantee from me?”
He looked at me with a cold, unreadable expression. His violet eyes, black hair, and striking features almost felt unreal.
I looked at Karen instead. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know the Duke’s name. Should I ask? But I probably wouldn’t see him again after today, so I didn’t bother.
“There are plenty of reasons.”
He ruined the peace of this neighborhood, disrupted business, and harassed women. But instead of listing them all, I just said,
“If you give me one promise, I’ll let him go.”
They both stared at me, waiting. I sat up straighter and declared,
“I want your word that the mercenary group won’t come after me.”
If I were them, I wouldn’t let a kidnapper go unpunished either. I’m just an ordinary person. They’re a famous group of mercenaries. If they came for me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
That’s why I insisted on talking to their leader or the Duke.
“That much…”
Karen frowned. She seemed to think I could’ve just asked her instead. But I ignored her and looked at the Duke.
“And I want you to make sure no one in this neighborhood gets hurt either.”
This wasn’t out of concern for others. If I asked only for my protection, and the mercenaries attacked nearby shopkeepers in revenge, that would be meaningless.
People always hate the weaker side. If the mercenaries caused trouble, even if everyone knew they were to blame, I’d still be the one they resented.
And who knows how long I’ll need to keep living here?
“Why did you kidnap him in the first place?”
I listed all the trouble John had caused. Karen shrugged at the mention of street crime, frowned at the disruption of business, and stood up in shock when I brought up harassment.
“What?”
“There are victims.”
I said it proudly. There are at least two—me and Susan. And if Susan hadn’t known I planned to get revenge, she might’ve kept quiet. So there could be even more victims.
“I need to hear John’s side.”
Karen said she couldn’t believe it. I figured as much. John was one of her own, after all. She wouldn’t trust me so easily.
But then the Duke spoke.
“Alright.”
Huh? Karen and I turned to him at the same time. He was sitting calmly, almost lazily, in his chair. Then he looked from me to the floor.
“Fine. I’ll tell the mercenaries to leave you and this neighborhood alone.”
That was… surprisingly easy? I looked between the stunned Karen and the Duke, unable to hide my surprise.
I expected more arguing. But the Duke simply stood up and said,
“Release him.”
“But…”
Karen looked like she wanted to protest, but fell silent when the Duke glanced her way. So the rumors were true—he really did have authority over the mercenaries.
I led Karen downstairs.
“So he wasn’t on the second floor.”
Of course not. I shrugged. I’d made it look like he was upstairs to throw them off. That way, they wouldn’t think to check the basement.
Susan and her friend were upstairs today, making noise on purpose so they’d be distracted. It worked—Karen and the Duke never looked anywhere else.
But the Duke had looked toward the basement. Was it a coincidence, or did he somehow know?
Whatever. He made the promise. That was what mattered.
“Here he is.”
John was tied up in the basement. Honestly, I put him here because I had no other choice. How else was I supposed to drag a grown man up the stairs?
“You idiot…”
Karen cursed under her breath when she saw him. After being tied up for three days, he smelled pretty bad. But that wasn’t my problem. I quickly returned upstairs—I didn’t want to be alone in the basement with two angry mercenaries.
“Is it over?”
The Duke was still sitting in the kitchen. Wait… was that a good thing?
I could hear John muttering curses now that his gag was off.
“Yes. Sorry you had to come for something like this.”
He’s a noble, after all. Gotta show some manners. The Duke stared at me for a moment, then suddenly asked,
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”
Me? I frowned. Did he want an apology?
But if that was it, he would’ve said “apologize.” Instead, he said I had something to say. So I asked cautiously,
“Do we… know each other?”
His brow furrowed. It was intimidating. He already looked serious with his height, black hair, and violet eyes, but when he scowled, the pressure was overwhelming.
“If you’re acting, you’re quite good at it.”
What if he figured out I’m not really Aberdeen? My heart dropped. But there’s no way he’d know that. So I decided to lie confidently.
“I lost my memory after a bad accident. Maybe we knew each other before?”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he didn’t believe me.
“You lost your memory?”
“I almost died a month ago. After that, I couldn’t remember much. Just my name.”
Well, that part was true. So technically, my statement was half true. If more than half is true, doesn’t that count as the whole truth?
I chuckled inside at my own twisted logic. That could be my new motto.
“You almost died?”
He repeated my words. I could tell this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, so I tried to explain slowly.
“Yes. About a month ago. Since then, I haven’t remembered much.”
He folded his arms and stared at me.
“Is that true?”
And then something strange happened. All the windows were closed, but a wind seemed to swirl around me—heavy and spinning. My hair didn’t move, but I could feel the breeze on my skin.
What was that?
I glanced around, dazed. Then I looked at the Duke, wondering if he felt it too.
He was still watching me. His shirt pulled tight against his chest, outlining solid muscles. Is there anything this man doesn’t have?
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
Unless a god actually swapped my soul, of course.
The Duke stayed silent for a moment. Did he really know the real Aberdeen?
I couldn’t read his expression. I didn’t know what kind of relationship they had.
I heard Karen and John coming up the stairs. He was groaning and complaining—probably because his legs were numb after being tied up so long.
“Martin West. You’re saying you don’t know that name?”
“Of course I know the Duke of West’s name.”
I answered quickly. I didn’t actually know it, but who cares? It’s the same last name.
The Duke let out a low laugh. Wow. So he can laugh. Even if it was more of a sneer, it still looked good on him.
I stared at his face in a daze, and he said,
“So you really don’t remember.”
Didn’t we just go over that?
He stood up and said,
“Martin West is my younger brother.”
“Oh, that womanizer.”
Oops. That slipped out before I could stop myself. The Duke stared at me. I grabbed my teacup and lowered my head. I’d heard so many rumors about his scandalous brother that it just came out.
That’s the guy who caused his fiancée to commit suicide, right?
I quickly set the cup down and looked at the Duke again. If his brother looked anything like him, he must’ve used that handsome face to get away with all sorts of things.
Then again, the Duke has zero rumors. Actually, there are rumors that he’s completely uninterested in women. Susan once told me a story about how someone sent him flowers and he returned them without a word.
“Don’t you feel anything at all?”
The Duke asked as he studied me closely.
Feel what? I almost said I felt a bit of disgust for his brother, but stopped myself. It wasn’t personal—just enough to forget the guy after turning around.
“Maybe your brother and I knew each other.”
The Duke chuckled again, a little bitterly. I pretended not to notice. He tapped the table with his long fingers and said,
“You did. Right up until you said you’d rather die than marry him—and then did.”
