Episode 148. The Truth I Don't Want to Believe
Rose looked at Doana, who was speechless, and kindly repeated her words.
"Tell me again? The land and real estate you own. They sold it all off in a forced auction."
"... Auction? What did you just say?"
Doana asked, as if she couldn't quite believe Rose's words.
"Are you kidding me? Are you crazy!?"
"I came all the way here to joke with you?"
The moment she heard Rose's words, Doana's heart sank.
Really...
My land and building... They sold it off in a forced auction?
Judging by Rose's expression, it seemed like she wasn't just saying that.
Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped her lips.
"Ah... ha... hahahaha."
She couldn't believe it.
She didn't want to believe it.
"That's ridiculous... All the assets I worked so hard to build..."
It was as if they had all vanished in an instant!
Even in this situation, Doana had no idea what she had done wrong.
First, attracting investment in a business built on a mountain of debt was nothing short of fraud.
And second, Doana had evicted existing business owners without paying a single penny to build a department store.
She demanded twenty times the original rent, confiscated their key money, and forced them out.
She even carried out forced evictions, claiming several lives.
“...Who are you to touch my private property!!”
“Private property? Was that building and the land ever yours in the first place? You unjustly seized someone else’s property.”
“That building was bought entirely with my own money! Debt or not, it was legitimate property purchased in my name! How could you sell it at a forced auction?”
“Compared to your forced eviction, which didn’t even follow the proper procedures, this is a perfectly legitimate method. Justified? Are you really serious? You weren’t justified, Doana. You can pay the debt. If you had done that, it wouldn’t have gone to forced sale.”
Rose looked at Doana with a cold expression, her smile fading.
“But you didn’t return the key money to those people. It’s clearly legal to seize and sell a debtor’s property.”
Rose, undeterred by Doana’s glaring gaze, retorted forcefully.
“The people you’ve victimized don’t know this. So, I helped them get back the money you stole. I sold the land and buildings under your names so you could recoup the money.”
Doana’s blood pressure rose as she listened to Rose.
Whether Rose’s words were legal or not didn’t matter to her.
What mattered was that Rose, she, had embezzled her assets without permission.
“The existing key money plus a claim for damages. You’re going to be in deep debt. What kind of business can you run when you’re broke? No, more than that...”
Rose, who had been blustering, trailed off and glanced at Doana.
“Are you even going to get out of this prison?”
Doana pursed her lips in disbelief at Rose’s words. And then,
“Hey!!!”
Doana, losing her mind, shook the iron bars and screamed. If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have torn Rose’s head off.
The iron bars rattled and shook fiercely. Doana, who was causing a ruckus, looked no different from a gorilla.
Rose smiled leisurely in front of the agitated Doana and called Gwen and her lawyer.
They had been waiting outside the door and came in at Rose’s signal.
“These are the lawyers I hired. And this is my steadfast ally, Gwen.”
“!”
Doana frowned when she saw Gwen, whom she had kicked out, with Rose.
“It’s been... a long time since you’ve seen Gwen, hasn’t it?”
As Rose spoke meaningfully, Gwen and Doana’s eyes met in mid-air.
Gwen simply stared silently at Doana, the decisive factor in her expulsion from the Count of Wence.
Of the two, it was Gwen who spoke first.
“You’ve been doing well, as expected, Doana.”
Doana flinched at Gwen’s words.
Seeing her locked in a prison cell with her hands tied, he thought she was doing well. He had never said anything so outrageous.
“If you had just lived within your means, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
Gwen sighed softly, as if he had expected that.
“..Do you think I’d even feel sorry if you said that? You guys... This is clearly illegal.”
Doana trembled, unable to continue speaking, as if she wanted to deny the reality that had befallen her.
One of the lawyers listening interrupted Doana.
“Lady Doana. We simply handled everything according to the law. If you have anything else to say, please do so in the courtroom, not here.”
“You heard that, Doana? We set the trial date as quickly as possible. It’s better for both parties if things get done quickly.”
Rose slipped a piece of paper with the trial date written on it through the bars.
Doana didn’t take it. Rose, too, raised the corners of her mouth, as if she hadn’t expected it. Then she dropped the paper she was holding to the floor with a clatter.
“It must be uncomfortable bending over when you’re pregnant. Anyway, you’ve put yourself through so much trouble, Doana.”
Rose shrugged and turned her back on Doana.
“I have nothing more to say, so I’ll be going now.”
Rose looked at Doana, who was speechless, and kindly repeated her words.
"Tell me again? The land and real estate you own. They sold it all off in a forced auction."
"... Auction? What did you just say?"
Doana asked, as if she couldn't quite believe Rose's words.
"Are you kidding me? Are you crazy!?"
"I came all the way here to joke with you?"
The moment she heard Rose's words, Doana's heart sank.
Really...
My land and building... They sold it off in a forced auction?
Judging by Rose's expression, it seemed like she wasn't just saying that.
Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped her lips.
"Ah... ha... hahahaha."
She couldn't believe it.
She didn't want to believe it.
"That's ridiculous... All the assets I worked so hard to build..."
It was as if they had all vanished in an instant!
Even in this situation, Doana had no idea what she had done wrong.
First, attracting investment in a business built on a mountain of debt was nothing short of fraud.
And second, Doana had evicted existing business owners without paying a single penny to build a department store.
She demanded twenty times the original rent, confiscated their key money, and forced them out.
She even carried out forced evictions, claiming several lives.
“...Who are you to touch my private property!!”
“Private property? Was that building and the land ever yours in the first place? You unjustly seized someone else’s property.”
“That building was bought entirely with my own money! Debt or not, it was legitimate property purchased in my name! How could you sell it at a forced auction?”
“Compared to your forced eviction, which didn’t even follow the proper procedures, this is a perfectly legitimate method. Justified? Are you really serious? You weren’t justified, Doana. You can pay the debt. If you had done that, it wouldn’t have gone to forced sale.”
Rose looked at Doana with a cold expression, her smile fading.
“But you didn’t return the key money to those people. It’s clearly legal to seize and sell a debtor’s property.”
Rose, undeterred by Doana’s glaring gaze, retorted forcefully.
“The people you’ve victimized don’t know this. So, I helped them get back the money you stole. I sold the land and buildings under your names so you could recoup the money.”
Doana’s blood pressure rose as she listened to Rose.
Whether Rose’s words were legal or not didn’t matter to her.
What mattered was that Rose, she, had embezzled her assets without permission.
“The existing key money plus a claim for damages. You’re going to be in deep debt. What kind of business can you run when you’re broke? No, more than that...”
Rose, who had been blustering, trailed off and glanced at Doana.
“Are you even going to get out of this prison?”
Doana pursed her lips in disbelief at Rose’s words. And then,
“Hey!!!”
Doana, losing her mind, shook the iron bars and screamed. If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have torn Rose’s head off.
The iron bars rattled and shook fiercely. Doana, who was causing a ruckus, looked no different from a gorilla.
Rose smiled leisurely in front of the agitated Doana and called Gwen and her lawyer.
They had been waiting outside the door and came in at Rose’s signal.
“These are the lawyers I hired. And this is my steadfast ally, Gwen.”
“!”
Doana frowned when she saw Gwen, whom she had kicked out, with Rose.
“It’s been... a long time since you’ve seen Gwen, hasn’t it?”
As Rose spoke meaningfully, Gwen and Doana’s eyes met in mid-air.
Gwen simply stared silently at Doana, the decisive factor in her expulsion from the Count of Wence.
Of the two, it was Gwen who spoke first.
“You’ve been doing well, as expected, Doana.”
Doana flinched at Gwen’s words.
Seeing her locked in a prison cell with her hands tied, he thought she was doing well. He had never said anything so outrageous.
“If you had just lived within your means, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
Gwen sighed softly, as if he had expected that.
“..Do you think I’d even feel sorry if you said that? You guys... This is clearly illegal.”
Doana trembled, unable to continue speaking, as if she wanted to deny the reality that had befallen her.
One of the lawyers listening interrupted Doana.
“Lady Doana. We simply handled everything according to the law. If you have anything else to say, please do so in the courtroom, not here.”
“You heard that, Doana? We set the trial date as quickly as possible. It’s better for both parties if things get done quickly.”
Rose slipped a piece of paper with the trial date written on it through the bars.
Doana didn’t take it. Rose, too, raised the corners of her mouth, as if she hadn’t expected it. Then she dropped the paper she was holding to the floor with a clatter.
“It must be uncomfortable bending over when you’re pregnant. Anyway, you’ve put yourself through so much trouble, Doana.”
Rose shrugged and turned her back on Doana.
“I have nothing more to say, so I’ll be going now.”
Rose strode away without a backward glance. Before she could completely leave,
“Coward! Do you think you can live well like this?”
Doana's voice, filled with malice, was heard.
"I curse you for ruining my life! I will ruin your business too!! I will never let it be just me!"
Despite Doana's curses, Rose's expression remained calm.
Her words had no impact.
"Doana, it was you, not me, who ruined your life."
With those words, Rose closed the door. The sound of the door slamming was unusually loud.
Doana glared fiercely at the exit that had closed with a bang. Tears flowed from her wide eyes.
They weren't tears of anger.
Like that closed exit, her life felt blocked, with no escape.
- Squeak, squeak!
The tower where the Grand Duke of Artaeum was imprisoned.
A field mouse sniffed its nose and approached the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke sat down, his back against the iron bars. Then, he covered the field rat with his body, creating a blind spot where the guards couldn't see him.
"Yes. What news do you have today?"
The Grand Duke gently stroked the head of the field rat that approached him.
The field rat looked around and then cautiously spat out a note.
The Grand Duke was about to use magic to unfold the paper like last time, but hesitated.
"...It would be best to be careful for the time being."
He decided to minimize the use of magic. Because of the curse, he wasn't in his usual condition.
The Grand Duke picked up the paper with a reluctant expression.
The damp paper felt so unpleasant that he involuntarily frowned.
A faint smile spread across the Grand Duke's frowning face.
There was quite good news written on it.
It said that Doana's lawsuit was going very well. The Grand Duke, who had been looking down at the note with a pleased expression, said,
"Dinner is here. Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
He flinched involuntarily at the voice behind him.
Grand Duke Artaeum rolled up the note he was holding and stuffed it back into the field mouse's mouth.
"Your Highness?"
The guard called out to him again, wondering if the Grand Duke hadn't heard him.
Having destroyed the evidence by stuffing the note into the field mouse's mouth, the Grand Duke finally turned around.
He tried to hide the twitching corners of his lips and stood up with his usual indifferent expression.
Meanwhile, Count Wence was holding Cedric's funeral.
Tercia, looking at Cedric's portrait, looked like someone who had lost everything in the world.
'You... Are you really leaving me... like this?'
She couldn't tell how much she had cried.
Even if she collected all the tears she had shed in her life, they wouldn't be as many as she shed at the funeral.
Tercia, staring at Cedric's portrait with a haggard face, didn't even have time to look around her empty surroundings.
Although everyone knew that a funeral was taking place, few nobles had come to pay their respects.
When Cedric was alive, everyone wanted to impress Tercia without a second thought.
However, when Cedric died, the nobles' attitudes changed in an instant.
The nobles who had been friendly with her made all sorts of excuses to not come visit.
Not only Duke Flice, but even the Emperor, whom Cedric had served and upheld his entire life, did not show up.
'If only His Majesty had come... the Count of Wence's family wouldn't have been in such a ridiculous state.'
By not coming, the Emperor had shown his abandonment.
"Mother, how are you?"
"...I'm fine."
Tercia nodded feebly. Eric and Tercia quietly comforted each other. Then, a faint sob came from behind Eric.
Eric glanced back. At the end of his gaze, he saw Serun, a knight of Count Wence.
"That little brat. He hasn't stopped crying for days."
Serun's eyes were red, and he wept incessantly.
At first, he thought he was simply more loyal than the others, but as one day passed, two days passed, and then three, Serun's tears became increasingly irritating.
Eric felt strangely uneasy that Serun cried more than his own son.
He was just a loyal knight, so why did he care so much?
Eric's intuition was quite sharp.
He didn't know Serun was his half-brother, but his instincts knew something was amiss.
Serun stared at Cedric's portrait with complex eyes that defied words.
He thought he'd given up on Cedric.
He'd let go of his hand, exhausted by his coldness, no matter how hard he tried. He'd never once held his hand tenderly, and when he felt love for his half-brother, Eric, he felt envy rather than jealousy.
He longed for the love of his father, Cedric.
He longed to be loved, but he never received it.
Though they were blood relatives, he'd never once been acknowledged as his son.
It was a bond he'd already let go, and his heart ached uncontrollably. It felt like a hole had been ripped through his heart, and he felt like she could die from the agony.
Just once, he wanted to let out a loud cry.
He wanted to cry out, "Father," and hug Cedric's portrait.
'... Ah... Father.'
Father... My father.
Serun fought to suppress his emotions.
If he didn't control them now... he would truly burst into tears, crying out for Cedric.
Swallowing back tears, Serun suddenly felt someone staring at him.
He wiped them away with the back of his hand and turned his head.
It was Eric who was staring intently at Serun.
"Come on, let's get this straight. I had something to tell the Count."
Lost in his grief, he almost forgot.
Serun trudged toward Eric. Eric met Serun's gaze squarely as he approached.
His discomfort was palpable, and he didn't avoid Serun's gaze.
"Count, I'm sorry to be saying this during a funeral, but..."
"What?"
"Lady Rose insisted on telling you this."
Eric, who had been staring at Serun with a cold expression, immediately changed his expression when Rose's story came up.
"Ross is coming here?"
"No. That's not true."
"Lady Rose requested to see the Count."
"Rose ...me?"
Eric's face lit up with an unconcealed anticipation.
“Coward! Do you think you can live well like this?”
Doana's voice, filled with malice, was heard.
"I curse you for ruining my life! I will ruin your business too!! I will never let it be just me!"
Despite Doana's curses, Rose's expression remained calm.
Her words had no impact.
"Doana, it was you, not me, who ruined your life."
With those words, Rose closed the door. The sound of the door slamming was unusually loud.
Doana glared fiercely at the exit that had closed with a bang. Tears flowed from her wide eyes.
They weren't tears of anger.
Like that closed exit, her life felt blocked, with no escape.
***
- Squeak, squeak!
The tower where the Grand Duke of Artaeum was imprisoned.
A field mouse sniffed its nose and approached the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke sat down, his back against the iron bars. Then, he covered the field rat with his body, creating a blind spot where the guards couldn't see him.
"Yes. What news do you have today?"
The Grand Duke gently stroked the head of the field rat that approached him.
The field rat looked around and then cautiously spat out a note.
The Grand Duke was about to use magic to unfold the paper like last time, but hesitated.
"...It would be best to be careful for the time being."
He decided to minimize the use of magic. Because of the curse, he wasn't in his usual condition.
The Grand Duke picked up the paper with a reluctant expression.
The damp paper felt so unpleasant that he involuntarily frowned.
A faint smile spread across the Grand Duke's frowning face.
There was quite good news written on it.
It said that Doana's lawsuit was going very well. The Grand Duke, who had been looking down at the note with a pleased expression, said,
"Dinner is here. Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
He flinched involuntarily at the voice behind him.
Grand Duke Artaeum rolled up the note he was holding and stuffed it back into the field mouse's mouth.
"Your Highness?"
The guard called out to him again, wondering if the Grand Duke hadn't heard him.
Having destroyed the evidence by stuffing the note into the field mouse's mouth, the Grand Duke finally turned around.
He tried to hide the twitching corners of his lips and stood up with his usual indifferent expression.
***
Meanwhile, Count Wence was holding Cedric's funeral.
Tercia, looking at Cedric's portrait, looked like someone who had lost everything in the world.
'You... Are you really leaving me... like this?'
She couldn't tell how much she had cried.
Even if she collected all the tears she had shed in her life, they wouldn't be as many as she shed at the funeral.
Tercia, staring at Cedric's portrait with a haggard face, didn't even have time to look around her empty surroundings.
Although everyone knew that a funeral was taking place, few nobles had come to pay their respects.
When Cedric was alive, everyone wanted to impress Tercia without a second thought.
However, when Cedric died, the nobles' attitudes changed in an instant.
The nobles who had been friendly with her made all sorts of excuses to not come visit.
Not only Duke Flice, but even the Emperor, whom Cedric had served and upheld his entire life, did not show up.
'If only His Majesty had come... the Count of Wence's family wouldn't have been in such a ridiculous state.'
By not coming, the Emperor had shown his abandonment.
"Mother, how are you?"
"...I'm fine."
Tercia nodded feebly. Eric and Tercia quietly comforted each other. Then, a faint sob came from behind Eric.
Eric glanced back. At the end of his gaze, he saw Serun, a knight of Count Wence.
"That little brat. He hasn't stopped crying for days."
Serun's eyes were red, and he wept incessantly.
At first, he thought he was simply more loyal than the others, but as one day passed, two days passed, and then three, Serun's tears became increasingly irritating.
Eric felt strangely uneasy that Serun cried more than his own son.
He was just a loyal knight, so why did he care so much?
Eric's intuition was quite sharp.
He didn't know Serun was his half-brother, but his instincts knew something was amiss.
Serun stared at Cedric's portrait with complex eyes that defied words.
He thought he'd given up on Cedric.
He'd let go of his hand, exhausted by his coldness, no matter how hard he tried. He'd never once held his hand tenderly, and when he felt love for his half-brother, Eric, he felt envy rather than jealousy.
He longed for the love of his father, Cedric.
He longed to be loved, but he never received it.
Though they were blood relatives, he'd never once been acknowledged as his son.
It was a bond he'd already let go, and his heart ached uncontrollably. It felt like a hole had been ripped through his heart, and he felt like she could die from the agony.
Just once, he wanted to let out a loud cry.
He wanted to cry out, "Father," and hug Cedric's portrait.
'... Ah... Father.'
Father... My father.
Serun fought to suppress his emotions.
If he didn't control them now... he would truly burst into tears, crying out for Cedric.
Swallowing back tears, Serun suddenly felt someone staring at him.
He wiped them away with the back of his hand and turned his head.
It was Eric who was staring intently at Serun.
"Come on, let's get this straight. I had something to tell the Count."
Lost in his grief, he almost forgot.
Serun trudged toward Eric. Eric met Serun's gaze squarely as he approached.
His discomfort was palpable, and he didn't avoid Serun's gaze.
"Count, I'm sorry to be saying this during a funeral, but..."
"What?"
"Lady Rose insisted on telling you this."
Eric, who had been staring at Serun with a cold expression, immediately changed his expression when Rose's story came up.
"Ross is coming here?"
"No. That's not true."
"Lady Rose requested to see the Count."
"Rose ...me?"
Eric's face lit up with an unconcealed anticipation.
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