Chapter 126 - North Korean rabbit

Chapter 126

Hilia asked, rolling her large purple eyes.

"By any chance, have you committed some great wrong against me that you cannot speak of?"

"......"

Arpad, momentarily speechless, thought that even in this situation, the way she was rolling her eyes like violet candies was cute.

While seriously thinking he was a severe case, Hilia nodded.

"Right! If it weren't that, there's no way you'd be acting this affectionate and gentle!"

What exactly was she agreeing with?

Arpad thought the sunlight streaming through the window seemed unusually bright, as if mocking him.

That sunlight continued to shine on Hilia's face. His heart itched.

'Should I just confess right now?'

Otherwise, he couldn't see a way to break this vicious cycle where this oblivious woman kept making wrong guesses and he was left internally bursting with frustration.

Soon, Arpad could only shake his head.

'Even if she's clueless about romantic feelings between a man and a woman, to this extent... it's highly likely she's pretending not to know.'

Arpad set aside his personal feelings and judged coldly.

If so...

The very fact that she had come out with that meant Hilia had subconsciously noticed his approach and had drawn an implicit line.

If he carelessly crossed that line, this woman might immediately run away.

Moreover, this was Hilia, who had experienced betrayal by her fiancé and friend, and had lived a life with no allies even within her own mansion.

As she had said herself, it was only natural she couldn't easily trust others.

'Making her let her guard down is the top priority.'

Arpad deliberately asked lightly and cheerfully.

"Do I look too kind and affectionate lately?"

"Right. That's why it's strange, isn't it? It doesn't make sense."

"Isn't that verbal abuse for something said to a husband? I'm hurt, you know?"

"I'm sorry about that. But it's the truth."

"......"

He wanted to believe it was one step forward... that she at least didn't laugh at his words about possibly being hurt.

This was all the fault of his past self, who had eroded trust in the beginning.

Skillfully hiding his own thoughts, he spoke, mixing in jokes so Hilia wouldn't feel burdened.

Of course, it wasn't a joke but 100% sincerity.

"I'm the same as usual. If I appear that way to you... might it be because I'm actually affectionate and gentle?"

Even though he had coated his words lightly with a joke, Hilia's expression twisted.

"...If you don't want to say it, don't! No need to make such a creepy joke!"

Hilia shuddered.

"...Ah, I'm genuinely hurt by this."

This was 100% sincere.

Arpad let his shoulders slump and drooped his eyebrows.

Mixing in plenty of playfulness, yet making sure Hilia felt the sincerity wasn't absent.

So they could exchange words softly while smiling.

"Alright. I get it, so don't sulk."

So Hilia could be sufficiently reassured.

So she could set aside suspicion and come in deep enough.

And by the time she belatedly realized it, all routes of retreat would already be blocked.

He was confident.

Because Arpad, the inheritor of the deepest dragon blood, was an excellent hunter.

* * *

A few days later. Arpad visited with a smiling face, holding a document.

"What brings you here?"

"Does a husband need a reason to see his wife?"

Arpad grumbled but soon, with a smiling face, held out a document to me.

"Congratulations. You won."

I realized the meaning of his abrupt words after reading the document he offered.

'Victory.'

It wasn't the case from the last public trial.

It was the result of my previous lawsuit against Ludwig's embezzlement and illegal transfer of ownership.

Originally, it would have taken years, but it seemed the previous victory had an influence, speeding up the result.

Ani, with a flushed face as if moved, knelt.

"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

In succession, the courtiers and knights all knelt to offer me their congratulations.

Of course, I was happy.

I was happier that it would be a strong retaliation against Ludwig than the fact that money was coming into my hands.

Because in the regression before, I couldn't even dream of such a situation.

Actually, thinking about that... I was maintaining quite a calm composure now.

Even though it wouldn't be strange to tremble with the thrill of revenge.

It seems Ludwig's position within me is now only that.

That fact made me even happier.

I didn't stop the emotion from naturally showing on my face. There was no need to hide or distort this.

Thanks to that, I could say to those offering congratulations with a light heart,

"Thank you."

And I also said to Arpad, who had come specifically to deliver this news.

"Thank you. You."

"Don't mention it."

Arpad smiled softly.

It was a gentle and warm expression, to the point where it was hard to believe he was a man who always wore an expression as sharp as a blade and as cold as ice.

'Somehow, his impression seems to have changed a bit, I'd say.'

I asked casually.

"Do you have some good news too?"

"Of course I do. Since my wife won, I can't help but be happy too."

Well, although Ludwig was already politically ruined, he had now fallen to a level where he could hardly be called a member of the imperial family.

Considering he was Arpad's only competitor, it was only natural he'd be pleased.

A seizure order had been issued for all of Ludwig's former property due to losing this trial.

The title he held as a member of the imperial family, being granted by the imperial family, could not be seized.

However, I took all the vested interests attached to it, except for the hollow shell of the territory that came with it.

The rights to taxation and conscription were basic. On top of that, the development rights for all land and forests in the Kieln territory, ownership of the territory's castle, and development rights for its resources.

It didn't matter that the title couldn't be confiscated.

'Because I took all the substance.'

Truly, without leaving even a single grain of wheat.

Now Ludwig was truly an imperial family member in name only. A complete pauper.

The property in his name was truly not a single penny, and all future yields from the territory would also come to me.

'Still, he won't be able to pay all the compensation he owes me.'

It was largely because Ludwig, driven by excessive greed, had aimed for the entire property of the House of Delphin in the first place.

When he was forced to vomit up as much as he had demanded, it tripped him up.

'The remaining path... is truly only penal servitude.'

It looked like we would witness the first case in imperial history of an imperial family member receiving penal servitude.

I skimmed the list of assets scheduled for seizure and coolly remarked.

"The list of assets is smaller than I knew."

Arpad teased from beside me.

"He must have worked hard to siphon them off in that short period."

"We should find and take all of that too."

"Yulken."

As if waiting outside, Felix Yulken scurried in at Arpad's call.

"Finally, I see you, Your Highness! It's been so long! Ugh! I missed you!"

Whether he was being torn between overtime and more overtime, the dark circles under Yulken's eyes were still pitch black.

"What happened? You look like half a person."

Yulken pretended to cry and tattled.

"It's all thanks to being tormented by a master with no blood or tears. Really... really... a lot happened. It was so, so hard."

He wiped away a single tear with his finger and gazed into the distance.

Just how much had Arpad tormented him?

Then Arpad, whether to cut off Yulken's words or because he didn't want to hear me scold him, made the first move.

"I've brought the best talent for my wife."

"Huh?"

"I am indeed the best talent. For what matter, Your Highness?"

Yulken also seemed not to know why Arpad had called him.

A wicked smile hung on Arpad's lips.

"No matter how desperately that Ludwig bastard siphons off assets, the talent who can find them all is right......"

His hand pointed at Yulken.

Then, Yulken's eyes began to gleam.

"Just leave it to me! That's a perfect job for this Felix Yulken!"

"Right. Because you're an outstanding talent in tax evasion, money laundering, smuggling, bribery, embezzlement, and so on."

At that, Yulken flinched but soon made an excuse.

"You mean I'm good at finding such things. It's absolutely not because I'm good at and thus know all about tax evasion, money laundering, etc."

"......"

No, it seems like he'd be very good at it.

But since he was someone who would help me, I decided to let it be.

"I'll be counting on you."

"Leave it to me!"

Yulken, clenching his fist vigorously, looked very reliable.

It seemed like he would dig it all up even if he had to create assets that didn't exist.

Yulken decided to go with the officials being sent to execute the asset seizure at the courthouse.

To that, I added one more person.

"Sir Müzen."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"It's your first mission. Please protect the safety of the judges and Felix. Of course, it's unlikely any hired hands loyal to Ludwig remain, but if there are, I doubt they'd dare think of resisting by force before a Sword Master."

It was essentially saying I was sending him as my proxy.

Aron bowed with a bright, smiling face.

"Since you trust and entrust me with this, I will devote myself wholeheartedly."

He said in a tone full of mischief. The two men entrusted with the mission pledged with enthusiasm.

"Let's be sure to drive Grand Duke Kieln out naked and disgrace him!"

"Haha. I'd really like it if the Grand Duke resisted."

Yulken hummed a tune, and Aron left with light steps.

After that, the gloomy expression of one man left in my office stood out particularly.

'Sir Beltain.'

He was guarding my side to fulfill his duty as a guardian knight.

The shadow that had fallen over his face since the trial ended had not lifted for a moment.

Even though nothing happened between us, being made the protagonist of a scandal... it was only natural he'd feel heavy-hearted.

Moreover, come to think of it, passing over him, the senior, and entrusting the task to Aron might have hurt his feelings.

Guessing his feelings, I said.

"I'm sorry, Sir Beltain. Entrusting this matter to Sir Müzen isn't because I trust him more. He is also my knight, so I should start giving him missions. Still, you are my first and only first knight."

"...Your Highness."

Sir Beltain's face, which had been covered in a deep shadow all along, brightened slightly for the first time since the trial.

Arpad, who had at some point brought a chair and was sitting next to me, clicked his tongue with a 'tsk.'

What? Suddenly?

But I had no leisure to pay attention to Arpad.

Because Sir Beltain's expression, which had brightened just a little, darkened again.

Hesitating for a moment, he seemed to have decided something.

Soon, gritting his teeth, he stepped forward before me, knelt, and raised his head.

And he uttered a request I had never anticipated.

"Please, grant me permission to step down from the heavy responsibility of being Your Highness's guardian knight."