065. Completely collapsed
“...I’m one of the executives there..."
Emilia's eyes closed tightly. Mitch continued speaking as if making an excuse.
“But don’t worry. We made a blood oath. They will never betray me...”
"Stop!"
Emilia was shocked to see her younger brother casually mention the term 'blood oath'.
“Listen carefully. Since you still don’t seem to have come to your senses, there’s only one way. First, you have to quit school. Since your mother agrees, let’s write a letter of resignation first.”
Mitch nodded with his head down. Emilia felt angry and despaired at the sight of him not showing any interest in school.
Just quitting school doesn't make her feel better. Since he said he was a senior member of the Purge Squad, he might be deeply and irrevocably connected.
At the same time, some sinister thoughts began to coil like snakes.
Could this also be Hardius Meyer's doing?
No, that can't be. No matter how skilled that man is at trickery, he can't manipulate people's minds so cleverly.
But you may already know. He's the one who even used her mother's factory...
'There are many ways to break you.'
Just thinking about those words was enough. Something she had been holding on to broke apart.
Emilia began to fall, sliding down the endless cliff without mercy.
‘Your Excellency, you must be cold...'
Pip looked sadly at the blanket lying carelessly on the floor.
The villa right after the rain is so cold that you have to light a fire in the fireplace even in midsummer. But how can you sit on the terrace for hours wearing only a thin shirt like that?
What are you going to do if you catch a cold?
Pip wanted to pick up the blanket and wrap it around his shoulders right away, but something overwhelming was flowing out of his master's body, and he couldn't even open his mouth.
He is truly an incomprehensible person.
Doesn't the young master have everything in the world?
He's standing at the top of a completely different world, one that ordinary people like him can only dream of.
But how can he look like such an unfortunate person in this world?
“Oh my.”
Pip sighed and began to clean out his closet. Life went on regardless of the Master's misfortune, and Pip had to go on with his work.
The hunting season is about to start, so he should prepare his hunting jacket and riding clothes.
Huh? But why are these clothes here?
Pip picked up the jacket that the young master had most recently worn.
And then he noticed a bulge in the front of his breast pocket. Pip's small hand went into the pocket and felt a metal ring. Pip froze for a moment as he realized it was a ring.
One thing that servants were absolutely prohibited from doing was touching their master's belongings, especially jewelry. However, they could not leave it in their clothes.
Pip carefully took out the ring and headed towards the terrace.
“Excuse me, Young Master.”
Hardius glanced away.
“I found this while organizing your clothes. This is it.”
The master's cold eyes turned straight to the ring in his small hand. Pip put the ring down on the table and bowed his head.
When he raised his head again, something shocking happened.
Didn't the young master, who had been silently picking up the ring, suddenly throw it away?
A ring rose far outside the terrace, sparkling in a beautiful parabolic arc. Then it disappeared completely into the darkness.
Pip, who had been following the ring's trajectory, turned his eyes to his master with his mouth wide open.
The young master stood with his back straight, staring silently into the empty space where the ring had disappeared. Something overwhelming was overflowing from his entire body.
“Well, then... I’ll go.”
Just as Pip was slowly backing away from the terrace, a faint light was seen running through the darkness beyond the vineyards.
He had a gut feeling at that moment.
That's the woman.
Pip's blank eyes found their master's face once again.
The young master also found the carriage and stared at it quietly.
There was no messier mess than when he threw the ring away, but everything else was completely different.
The face of the man who had been indifferent to everything was shattered into pieces. It was boiling like lava.
When the door opened, and the small figure was fully revealed along with the cool wind, Hardius was caught in the turbulence. All sorts of emotions began to run wild, along with the anger that blurred his vision.
The short hair that he had become accustomed to, the cool chill that swept over his entire body, and yet her bright blue eyes that set his heart on fire every time without fail.
It's the real Emilia.
Why did she come? To repay a debt? No, maybe it was the opposite. Maybe she realized that he didn't owe more and came running in anger.
The moment he thought that, Hardius became annoyed with himself.
When he had that ridiculous misunderstanding that he had made her mother owe him a debt, he should have just taken it away the day he had incited it. Instead of pretending to be a slovenly gentleman and handing her a gun, he should have given up and discouraged her, and made her spread her legs on her own.
If that were the case, at least he wouldn't have seen her on her knees begging and pleading for him to let her go.
“Why did you come?”
Emilia locked eyes with him.
It was as if he were looking at another woman. It was definitely her, but it wasn't her anymore.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
At the harshly cold voice, Hardius unconsciously checked her hand.
It was clear that she was empty-handed, but it felt like she was pointing a gun at him.
"Say it."
Hardius deliberately leaned leisurely against the desk.
“Among the things you’ve done for me so far, has anything to do with my younger brother, Mitch?”
Oh, he found a link between Mitch Bern and the grandson of Senator Hockney.
Hardius calmly crossed his arms across his chest.
He thought it would be a little bit shocking. But Meyer was pitifully lacking in humanity. His head was full of mean thoughts.
“Yes. I used the grandson of the councillor Hockney to provoke your brother. I intervened until Mitch Bern started spewing out exaggerated and caustic accusations against me and my family.”
The moment he answered, Hardius saw that her two blue eyes had lost the faint vitality that had remained and were completely gone.
Now he thought she would ask about the 'abandoned fiancée of the Meyer family'.
But Emilia asked something unexpected that Hardius had not expected at all.
“What about the ‘Purge Squad’? How far did you get involved in getting a twelve-year-old boy to join a rebel group?”
Finally figured it out.
Hardius thought calmly.
To connect the grandson of Congressman Hockney with Mitch Bern, Hardius delved into the details of the hot-blooded young revolutionary's school life, and the Purge Squad came across it by chance in the process.
“I didn’t intervene. I just knew.”
“...Even though you knew... why didn’t you say anything?”
The trembling voice pierced deep into his chest. For a split second, Hardius hesitated. Not revealing the truth and keeping it in his heart could be a good or bad intention.
The problem with the Purge was both. It was obvious that it would cause trouble, and he planned to make Emilia cry and pretend not to win, because what he wanted was a woman who believed in him and relied on him, as always.
But Hardius lightly suppressed such shallow thoughts.
Emilia Bern never thought of him as a Prince.
Even if he steps in and helps her, instead of being grateful, she will feel hurt by the fact that she received help and will wonder how to get out of it.
She'll get down on my knees and beg again. I'm sick of it...
For a moment, Hardius felt as if his throat was being strangled.
You fucking Prince, you're just a dog.
Dropping a drop of black ink into water that has already turned black will make no difference.
First of all, the woman is alone now. She left Beppy Dilson outside.
The moment he realized what it meant, the blood of the vile Meyer poured out. His heart pumped and filled every branch of his veins.
“Didn’t you know that?”
After confirming that the faint warmth that had remained on her face had completely subsided, Hardius uncrossed his arms and straightened his body.
“I can either get you caught or I can just leave you alone. I’m not fixated on one thing. Again, there are countless ways to break you.”
Hardius watched indifferently as the woman grew from resignation to despair.
“No matter what the method, the conclusion is the same. I will never harm you. Whether or not that ridiculous group your brother joined is exposed to the world.”
Hardius slowly approached her.
What if you knew more of the truth?
Should you thank me for secretly protecting you all this time?
No, that can't be. Hardius knew Emilia well.
She will hate the man who never told her the truth for five long years.
She will never forgive the man who put her life and possibly her family's life in danger, and who has not been able to completely resolve the issue even now.
And then she'll leave. Or run away.
So it didn't matter. Just having Emilia standing there in front of him like this was enough for Hardius to pay any price.
“After all, Mitch Bern will be okay, and you know it. That’s why you came running here. Without Beppy Dilson. Right?”
Only then did Emilia completely break down.
“...Yes. I lost. Do whatever you want.”
Her small feet began to move heavily. Emilia closed the door with her own hands and approached the man.
Her pale face was like a bloodless ghost, and her limp body was filled with endless despair and utter defeat.
“Shall I tell you a fun fact?”
Hardius lifted her chin.
“I thought you would become weak if you stood there like a martyr. You really did, Emilia.”
Emilia faced the man helplessly, like a rabbit with its ears caught.
“But you were wrong.”
“...I’m one of the executives there..."
Emilia's eyes closed tightly. Mitch continued speaking as if making an excuse.
“But don’t worry. We made a blood oath. They will never betray me...”
"Stop!"
Emilia was shocked to see her younger brother casually mention the term 'blood oath'.
“Listen carefully. Since you still don’t seem to have come to your senses, there’s only one way. First, you have to quit school. Since your mother agrees, let’s write a letter of resignation first.”
Mitch nodded with his head down. Emilia felt angry and despaired at the sight of him not showing any interest in school.
Just quitting school doesn't make her feel better. Since he said he was a senior member of the Purge Squad, he might be deeply and irrevocably connected.
At the same time, some sinister thoughts began to coil like snakes.
Could this also be Hardius Meyer's doing?
No, that can't be. No matter how skilled that man is at trickery, he can't manipulate people's minds so cleverly.
But you may already know. He's the one who even used her mother's factory...
'There are many ways to break you.'
Just thinking about those words was enough. Something she had been holding on to broke apart.
Emilia began to fall, sliding down the endless cliff without mercy.
***
‘Your Excellency, you must be cold...'
Pip looked sadly at the blanket lying carelessly on the floor.
The villa right after the rain is so cold that you have to light a fire in the fireplace even in midsummer. But how can you sit on the terrace for hours wearing only a thin shirt like that?
What are you going to do if you catch a cold?
Pip wanted to pick up the blanket and wrap it around his shoulders right away, but something overwhelming was flowing out of his master's body, and he couldn't even open his mouth.
He is truly an incomprehensible person.
Doesn't the young master have everything in the world?
He's standing at the top of a completely different world, one that ordinary people like him can only dream of.
But how can he look like such an unfortunate person in this world?
“Oh my.”
Pip sighed and began to clean out his closet. Life went on regardless of the Master's misfortune, and Pip had to go on with his work.
The hunting season is about to start, so he should prepare his hunting jacket and riding clothes.
Huh? But why are these clothes here?
Pip picked up the jacket that the young master had most recently worn.
And then he noticed a bulge in the front of his breast pocket. Pip's small hand went into the pocket and felt a metal ring. Pip froze for a moment as he realized it was a ring.
One thing that servants were absolutely prohibited from doing was touching their master's belongings, especially jewelry. However, they could not leave it in their clothes.
Pip carefully took out the ring and headed towards the terrace.
“Excuse me, Young Master.”
Hardius glanced away.
“I found this while organizing your clothes. This is it.”
The master's cold eyes turned straight to the ring in his small hand. Pip put the ring down on the table and bowed his head.
When he raised his head again, something shocking happened.
Didn't the young master, who had been silently picking up the ring, suddenly throw it away?
A ring rose far outside the terrace, sparkling in a beautiful parabolic arc. Then it disappeared completely into the darkness.
Pip, who had been following the ring's trajectory, turned his eyes to his master with his mouth wide open.
The young master stood with his back straight, staring silently into the empty space where the ring had disappeared. Something overwhelming was overflowing from his entire body.
“Well, then... I’ll go.”
Just as Pip was slowly backing away from the terrace, a faint light was seen running through the darkness beyond the vineyards.
He had a gut feeling at that moment.
That's the woman.
Pip's blank eyes found their master's face once again.
The young master also found the carriage and stared at it quietly.
There was no messier mess than when he threw the ring away, but everything else was completely different.
The face of the man who had been indifferent to everything was shattered into pieces. It was boiling like lava.
When the door opened, and the small figure was fully revealed along with the cool wind, Hardius was caught in the turbulence. All sorts of emotions began to run wild, along with the anger that blurred his vision.
The short hair that he had become accustomed to, the cool chill that swept over his entire body, and yet her bright blue eyes that set his heart on fire every time without fail.
It's the real Emilia.
Why did she come? To repay a debt? No, maybe it was the opposite. Maybe she realized that he didn't owe more and came running in anger.
The moment he thought that, Hardius became annoyed with himself.
When he had that ridiculous misunderstanding that he had made her mother owe him a debt, he should have just taken it away the day he had incited it. Instead of pretending to be a slovenly gentleman and handing her a gun, he should have given up and discouraged her, and made her spread her legs on her own.
If that were the case, at least he wouldn't have seen her on her knees begging and pleading for him to let her go.
“Why did you come?”
Emilia locked eyes with him.
It was as if he were looking at another woman. It was definitely her, but it wasn't her anymore.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
At the harshly cold voice, Hardius unconsciously checked her hand.
It was clear that she was empty-handed, but it felt like she was pointing a gun at him.
"Say it."
Hardius deliberately leaned leisurely against the desk.
“Among the things you’ve done for me so far, has anything to do with my younger brother, Mitch?”
Oh, he found a link between Mitch Bern and the grandson of Senator Hockney.
Hardius calmly crossed his arms across his chest.
He thought it would be a little bit shocking. But Meyer was pitifully lacking in humanity. His head was full of mean thoughts.
“Yes. I used the grandson of the councillor Hockney to provoke your brother. I intervened until Mitch Bern started spewing out exaggerated and caustic accusations against me and my family.”
The moment he answered, Hardius saw that her two blue eyes had lost the faint vitality that had remained and were completely gone.
Now he thought she would ask about the 'abandoned fiancée of the Meyer family'.
But Emilia asked something unexpected that Hardius had not expected at all.
“What about the ‘Purge Squad’? How far did you get involved in getting a twelve-year-old boy to join a rebel group?”
Finally figured it out.
Hardius thought calmly.
To connect the grandson of Congressman Hockney with Mitch Bern, Hardius delved into the details of the hot-blooded young revolutionary's school life, and the Purge Squad came across it by chance in the process.
“I didn’t intervene. I just knew.”
“...Even though you knew... why didn’t you say anything?”
The trembling voice pierced deep into his chest. For a split second, Hardius hesitated. Not revealing the truth and keeping it in his heart could be a good or bad intention.
The problem with the Purge was both. It was obvious that it would cause trouble, and he planned to make Emilia cry and pretend not to win, because what he wanted was a woman who believed in him and relied on him, as always.
But Hardius lightly suppressed such shallow thoughts.
Emilia Bern never thought of him as a Prince.
Even if he steps in and helps her, instead of being grateful, she will feel hurt by the fact that she received help and will wonder how to get out of it.
She'll get down on my knees and beg again. I'm sick of it...
For a moment, Hardius felt as if his throat was being strangled.
You fucking Prince, you're just a dog.
Dropping a drop of black ink into water that has already turned black will make no difference.
First of all, the woman is alone now. She left Beppy Dilson outside.
The moment he realized what it meant, the blood of the vile Meyer poured out. His heart pumped and filled every branch of his veins.
“Didn’t you know that?”
After confirming that the faint warmth that had remained on her face had completely subsided, Hardius uncrossed his arms and straightened his body.
“I can either get you caught or I can just leave you alone. I’m not fixated on one thing. Again, there are countless ways to break you.”
Hardius watched indifferently as the woman grew from resignation to despair.
“No matter what the method, the conclusion is the same. I will never harm you. Whether or not that ridiculous group your brother joined is exposed to the world.”
Hardius slowly approached her.
What if you knew more of the truth?
Should you thank me for secretly protecting you all this time?
No, that can't be. Hardius knew Emilia well.
She will hate the man who never told her the truth for five long years.
She will never forgive the man who put her life and possibly her family's life in danger, and who has not been able to completely resolve the issue even now.
And then she'll leave. Or run away.
So it didn't matter. Just having Emilia standing there in front of him like this was enough for Hardius to pay any price.
“After all, Mitch Bern will be okay, and you know it. That’s why you came running here. Without Beppy Dilson. Right?”
Only then did Emilia completely break down.
“...Yes. I lost. Do whatever you want.”
Her small feet began to move heavily. Emilia closed the door with her own hands and approached the man.
Her pale face was like a bloodless ghost, and her limp body was filled with endless despair and utter defeat.
“Shall I tell you a fun fact?”
Hardius lifted her chin.
“I thought you would become weak if you stood there like a martyr. You really did, Emilia.”
Emilia faced the man helplessly, like a rabbit with its ears caught.
“But you were wrong.”
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