PLMYP 28

Chapter 28 —

“Was it ten million Larc or twenty million Larc that fool Walter wasted on business or whatever…? Well, it was lucky he made a ‘mistake’ early on. Otherwise, the rest of the dowry would have gone to the Countess.”

Leonard immediately understood what Count Miles meant by “mistake.”

He was talking about Leonard’s birth.

“I only lent that idiot money after I saw the dowry go to the Countess. I’m not dumb enough to give out that kind of money without a plan.”

Leonard already knew what had happened afterward.

Walter Elpheus had borrowed a massive sum—twenty-five million Larc—from Count Miles. But instead of using it for business, he gambled it all away in just one month.

The former Count Elpheus had begged his wife for help, pleading with her to repay the debt.

But the former Countess Elpheus flatly refused. She said she would not pay it and handed him divorce papers instead.

Left with nothing but debt, the former Count Elpheus… ran away. He abandoned his family and his land.

The Countess sent people to find him. But even after months, there was no trace of him.

She never officially reported him as missing.

Unaware of all this, Count Miles sent people to demand repayment. When he found out the count had disappeared, he filed a missing person report with the Imperial Court.

It was a natural move—he had lent twenty-five million Larc, and the debtor was gone.

This put the Countess Elpheus in a difficult position.

After one year of a missing person report, the person is legally declared dead.

The problem? Their daughter was still too young to inherit the title. She had to wait five more years.

Under Empire law, a spouse cannot inherit a noble title.

And although their daughter Janice was the only child, the former count had a grown nephew who could claim the title once it became vacant.

So the Countess Elpheus called Leonard, her husband’s illegitimate son.

‘That shameless man once came to me with your birth certificate, asking me to put you on the family registry. I kept the document as proof of his betrayal… I never imagined I’d use it like this. I’ll register you as an Elpheus and make you the Count. Guard the title until my daughter comes of age.’

Janice had five years left until adulthood. In return for this long-term contract, the Countess promised Leonard ten million Larc.

He got five million as an advance.

It was a lot of money, but not enough to make up for the ridicule he’d face—an illegitimate child and former mercenary becoming a count.

Still, Leonard signed the contract without hesitation.

At that time, the mercenary group he belonged to had been ambushed, and most members died. The few survivors were badly wounded.

Leonard used the entire five million Larc to pay for their treatment—and became Leonard Elpheus.

Until the former Count Elpheus was officially declared dead, he learned noble etiquette and high society manners from the Countess. In other words, she turned him from a mercenary into a noble.

That was the only thing he focused on. He didn’t worry about the count’s debts.

Because the Countess had explained everything to him:

She hadn’t paid the debt in case the missing count heard it had been paid and decided to return.

‘We’ll repay the Miles family debt when Janice inherits the title. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.’

Around that time, Count Miles stopped pressing her and only collected interest. He believed he would eventually get paid.

But just before Leonard could pass on the title to Janice, the Countess died in a carriage accident. It was sudden.

The problem was that no will was found, and all of her fortune had vanished.

There was no gold or silver in the estate. The banks she visited denied having any of her money.

In the middle of this chaos, the day came for Leonard to inherit the title.

But the debt had now grown to 25 million Larc in principal alone. With interest piling up each month, it was impossible to calculate how high it could go.

His employer, the Countess, was dead—normally, that would void the contract. Logically, he should have walked away from a title filled with debt.

Even Janice, whose eyes were swollen from crying every day, pushed him to leave.

But Leonard didn’t.

He stayed—and became Count Elpheus.

He hoped to someday find the Countess’s missing fortune and solve everything…

‘Brother, you’re really not leaving?’

Even though they only shared half their blood, Janice called him “brother.”

His father had abandoned him. His mother had sold him to mercenaries.

Janice was the only family he had in the world. How could he abandon her?

‘If it ever gets too much, you can leave anytime. I’ll handle the rest.’

Janice was raised gently by the Countess, unlike Leonard, who had lived a harsh mercenary life. He felt it was right for him to endure the suffering instead of her.

Leonard had one goal: pay off the debt, find a kind and proper husband for Janice, and return the title to her.

That’s why he endured a year of humiliation in high society.

If any noble family had offered to pay the debt in exchange for him marrying into their house, he would’ve sold himself gladly.

But no one took him seriously. He was just a bastard mercenary.

Women who approached him only wanted one sweet night.

Realizing that his body was worth no more than a glass of wine, Leonard gave up on socializing and returned to being a mercenary.

But the money from mercenary work couldn’t even cover the interest.

And now, the debt had ballooned to 30 million Larc. Neither Leonard nor Count Miles saw a way to repay it.

“To be honest, I used to think you killed the Countess just to take her money.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Well… If that were true, you’d have run away by now. I still wonder, though—was it really just an accident? And where did all the money go…?”

Leonard understood the hidden meaning easily.

–The former Count Elpheus killed his wife and took the money.

But Leonard shook his head.

“Her death really was an accident. There were many witnesses, and they all said the same thing.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess it’s silly to talk about old news now.”

Count Miles finished his now-cold drink in one gulp.

Leonard also drank the last of his glass and remembered a conversation from the past.

‘What, did you think I’d cry or get angry just by seeing you?’

‘There was a time when your existence pierced my heart like a thorn. Back then, I still trusted my husband…’

‘But that’s all in the past. Who cares what that bastard did with another woman?’

‘Honestly, now I think leaving you behind was the only decent thing that fool ever did.’

–Knock knock–

“Count, I’m back.”

“So? How did it go?”

The aide glanced at Leonard and nodded.

“The check is real. Please see for yourself.”

Count Miles checked his account and confirmed: exactly 30 million Larc had been deposited.

He looked at Leonard, shocked.

“Incredible… So, you’re not going to tell me how you got that money?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Since Leonard had come quickly, the news hadn’t reached here yet.

But soon, Count Miles would hear about it—about the scandalous wedding of Marquis Blair in the capital.

“Now please write me a debt repayment certificate.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

But Count Miles’s face looked odd.

He didn’t look happy, even though he’d gotten money he thought he’d never see again. And instead of being suspicious of where it came from, he seemed more unsure—like he had something else to say.

“Here it is.”

Leonard carefully read the repayment certificate.

Soon, he would have to return to Marquis Blair’s estate and begin his duties as a groom. So he checked every detail of the paper.

Thankfully, everything looked fine. Leonard folded the document and stood up.

“Then I’ll take my leave. I doubt we’ll meet again.”

He sincerely hoped that would be true.

“Elpheus will not forget the kindness of House Miles. I wish you good health.”

“Hmm… Before you go, I have something to tell you.”

Count Miles hesitated, looking awkward.

Leonard realized it—this strange attitude was because of what the count was about to say.

“Is there a problem?”

“Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t be able to repay the debt. Thirty million Larc isn’t pocket change.”

“Please get to the point.”

Count Miles sighed.

 

“My son has already left for Elpheus territory. He said he’d bring his bride himself.”