PLMYP 30

Chapter 30 —

“What… what are you doing?!”

“Did you forget what I told you before? If the debt isn’t paid by today, I’ll take the dowry instead. Tsk, you should be thankful. What other woman brings a 30 million Larque dowry with her?”

“Move aside!”

“You rude people! Where’s your sense of chivalry—ugh!”

“Thompson! Kyaa!”

“Madam Sarah!”

Even though they were determined to fight back, Thompson and Madam Sarah were easily pushed aside.

Laughing, the knights walked up the stairs and grabbed Jenice’s wrists. She struggled with all her strength, but it was no use.

“Let go of me! How dare knights touch a lady without permission!”

“You should’ve paid the debt earlier.”

“I said, let go!”

She tried her best to fight, but she wasn’t strong enough to break free from the knights.

Harry stood there smugly, watching his knights drag Jenice away, sneering as if it was amusing.

“No matter how pretty, I don’t like strong-headed women.”

Jenice glared at him with hatred.

“As if I care what you like!”

“Good. Making fierce women behave is my specialty.”

Harry smiled and gently tapped her cheek.

“Try to last long. You’re worth 30 million Larques, after all.”

“You—!”

“You rude bastards! Let go of her!”

Thompson shouted, coughing up blood, but Harry just ignored him.

“Let’s go, boys.”

“No, you can’t take her!”

Thompson clung to one knight’s leg but was kicked hard and rolled across the floor.

“Young miss…!”

“Thompson! Madam Sarah!”

Jenice looked back in desperation as her feet were dragged across the floor. Madam Sarah had fainted, and Thompson couldn’t get up.

‘Lord Count…!’

Just then, the half-open door suddenly burst open, flooding the room with bright light.

“Ugh… What’s that?”

As Harry squinted in the light, a voice came from the doorway.

“So this is why no guards were at the door.”

“Young miss!”

“What are those bastards doing?! Take your filthy hands off her!”

“Michel! Bean! Heath!”

Michel? Mercenaries?

Hearing those names, Thompson looked up and widened his eyes.

“Aagh!”

“Ugh!”

A young man with silver hair rushed past Harry and into the knights. Instantly, four knights were knocked down, all groaning and holding their stomachs.

Thompson couldn’t even tell what happened—it was all too fast.

“Oh my…”

Jenice was just as shocked. Though she was now free, she trembled in fear. The silver-haired man politely bowed before her.

“Hawk Nester, knight of Blair, greets the Lady of Elpheus.”

“Knight of Blair…?”

Though confused, Jenice reached out her hand almost without thinking. Hawk gently kissed the back of her hand.

Then, still calm, he kicked the shoulder of one groaning knight nearby.

“I’ve come to escort the lady by order of my lord.”

“Oh my! Sarah!”

“Thompson! Are you okay?”

The mercenaries helped the injured Thompson and Madam Sarah. Bean approached Jenice.

“Young miss, are you alright?”

“Ah… yes, I’m okay…”

Though she said she was fine, Jenice’s body was lightly shaking.

Then Hawk noticed the bruises on her wrist. Jenice quickly hid her hands behind her back, but Hawk had already seen the marks.

“You, what the—huh?”

Ignoring Harry’s words, Hawk bent down and stared at the fallen knight’s face.

Then…

SLAP

“Agh!”

SLAP, SLAP, SLAP

“Aaah! Ugh! Agh!”
With each slap Hawk delivered to the knights’ faces, loud cries followed. One of them even fainted.

Hawk didn’t care. He looked over all the fallen knights.

“Hawk Nester of Blair challenges you all to a duel.”

A duel? That was a duel?

Harry’s mouth dropped open.

“This guy’s insane! He just beat people up and now calls it a duel?”

“Did I do it wrong? I heard if you want to duel, you slap them with a glove.”

Hawk adjusted his gloves smugly.

“You’re supposed to throw the glove at their face,” Bean said in disbelief.

“Well, either way, I hit their faces with a glove. That works, right?”

Hawk turned to Harry.

“Since I’ve won the duel, kneel and apologize for harming the lady.”

“What?!”

“If you don’t accept the result, duel me.”

As if remembering suddenly, Hawk removed his gloves before raising his hand again.

Harry turned bright red with anger.

“You arrogant brat! Do you even know who I am?! I’m Harry Miles! My father is the Earl of Miles, who owns all of Olbia Plain!”

“I’m Hawk Nester. My lord is the Marquis of Blair, who owns the Deborah coast, Siorra port, Filiona mountains, and several plains and mines.”

“You think this is a joke?!”

“Isn’t this the part where we introduce ourselves before dueling?”

Hawk’s sword let out a metal clang as he unsheathed it.

Harry flinched at the sound, ashamed at his own reaction and raised his voice louder.

“I don’t care if you’re the emperor’s knight! That woman belongs to me as a debt repayment. She’s legally mine!”

Jenice and Thompson turned pale, but Hawk calmly tilted his head.

“Legally yours? You must be mistaken. Count Elpheus went to pay the debt.”

“What…?”

“Is that true, sir?!”

Jenice grabbed Hawk’s clothes desperately.

He looked away shyly.

“My lord said he did, so I believe him.”

“Ha! You expect me to trust that? If I leave and they escape, who’ll repay my 30 million Larques? Blair?”

“We can.”

“What?”

“You said the debt was 30 million Larques?”

Looking resigned, Hawk pulled out a checkbook and pen, wrote the amount, and stamped it with Blair’s seal.

“Here you go.”

He handed it over like it was nothing.

Harry blinked, staring at the number, the bank’s seal, and Blair’s mark.

Still not believing it, he shouted.

“This is nonsense! A mere knight can’t pay this much!”

“I didn’t. My lord did. Take it to the bank if you doubt it.”

“If he doesn’t believe Ray paid the debt, just give him the 30 million.”

“What if he wastes all that money?”

“That’d be great. I want him to spend it.”

“But listen carefully. If the Count already paid and you use this check, Blair will charge you with fraud.”

“No way…”

Harry looked stunned. He clearly didn’t care about the money to begin with.

Hawk clicked his tongue, remembering what Irene had told him.

“Why is Blair interfering in a matter between Elpheus and Miles?!”

“Why? Because Count Elpheus is going to be my lord’s husband.”

“Husband?”

“My brother…?”

Everyone looked at Hawk in shock—they hadn’t heard the news.

“That bastard’s marrying the Marquis of Blair?!”

“Watch your mouth…”

Jenice’s furious voice suddenly stopped. She had noticed Hawk’s expression.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s continue where we left off.”

“Wha—ugh!”

SLAP

As Hawk slapped Harry with the glove, someone burst out laughing in the background.

Hawk turned around, not to find the source of the laugh, but to confirm something.

“Did I do it right?”

Jenice nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! Though I liked the first method better.”

“Right? So it wasn’t wrong?”

Pleased that she agreed, Hawk’s smile widened.

Then he cracked his knuckles.

“Let’s settle this with fists. I can’t spill blood in front of a delicate lady.”

The duel that followed wasn’t clean or polite at all.

But since the lady enjoyed it so much, no one complained.

 

Not even Thompson.