Episode 12: The Spoils Brought by the Beast
The storm left by the Imperial Foundation Day Ball was immense.
The following morning, the entire social circle of the Imperial capital seethed with three shocking pieces of gossip.
First, Lady Liliana, who was thought to be a social outcast, had made a spectacular debut as the Empire's most beautiful woman. Second, the Young Duke of Castillo, who had crashed the ball with his mistress, had been abandoned by his mother and thrown into an underground dungeon. And third. Grand Duke Cayeln, the continent's shadowy figure and the heartless 'Tyrant of the North,' had sworn an oath of chivalry while kissing the back of the hand of Duchess Eleanor, a married woman.
The Duke of Castillo's estate was also thrown into uproar.
"E-Eleanor! What have you done! To lock the only heir in that damp dungeon!"
Duke Valdemar shouted, veins bulging, as he stormed into Eleanor's office early in the morning. However, having heard of the cruelty Eleanor had displayed at the ball yesterday, his voice trembled slightly, mixed with clear terror.
Eleanor, sitting at her office desk wielding a quill, replied coldly without even raising her gaze.
"An heir? Are you referring to that beast who dragged a prostitute into the Imperial Family's most sacred ball and attempted to assault my daughter-in-law?"
"Th-that...! Still, he is a Young Duke, the family's honor...!"
"It is you who threw the family's honor into the gutter, you who secretly smuggled that son out of his confinement through an illegal passage."
He flinched. Eleanor's red eyes slid up and fixed on Valdemar's forehead. At that icy insight, Valdemar gasped and took a step back.
"Did you think I wouldn't know the key to the secret passage? The crime of nearly making our family a laughingstock in front of His Imperial Majesty and the Great Nobles. If you hadn't been wearing the guise of the head of the family, you would have been the one hanging side by side with Claude in that prison last night."
"Ugh...!"
Valdemar's face turned as white as a sheet. Completely broken, he fled the office as if escaping for his life the moment Eleanor rang the silver bell on the desk.
"Now that the trash is cleared, I must start the real cleaning."
Just as Eleanor muttered languidly, the door to the pantry inside the office opened, and Liliana entered carrying a stack of ledgers. Unlike her glamorous appearance yesterday, Liliana, dressed in neat loungewear and wearing glasses, had the face of a perfect accountant.
"Mother, just as you said, I have tracked down all three years' worth of double-entry ledgers of the Southern merchant guilds that colluded with Father."
Liliana spread the ledgers on the desk and began her report without hesitation.
"The funds siphoned out to gambling dens and entertainment clubs within the capital amount to a staggering 500,000 gold. The problem is that because these funds were laundered through an illegal currency exchange called the 'Black Rose Guild,' we lack clear evidence to forcibly seize this money under current Imperial law."
Eleanor smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to her daughter-in-law's flawless briefing.
"That is accurate. If we want to turn those pieces of trash into beggars and demote them to commoners, we absolutely need the 'Black Rose Guild's' illicit ledgers."
"However, that place is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Underworld. The Knights of Castillo are hesitant to storm in by force because of the Imperial House's reaction."
"Don't worry, Liliana."
A seductive, relaxed curve formed on Eleanor's lips.
"Because the master of that Underworld is wagging his tail and approaching me right now."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the sound of knocking on the office door was heard.
"Madam. His Highness the Grand Duke of the North has come to formally visit and apologize for the discourtesy at yesterday's ball."
It was the trembling voice of Hans, the head butler.
"Tell him to come in. Liliana, you go and recover from the fatigue of yesterday's ball."
"Ah, yes, Mother."
Liliana hurriedly sorted through the ledgers, bowed, and left the office. Then, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps, a massive man impeccably dressed in a dark black suit walked into the office. It was Caelon Argentus.
"Isn't it too early to come here under the pretext of an apology, Grand Duke?"
Eleanor greeted him in a languid voice without rising from her seat. Click. Without a word, Caelon pushed the thick oak door of the office behind him, closed it, and locked it.
A space where only the two of them remained. As the outside light and noise were cut off, the air in the room instantly settled thick and heavy. Caelon approached the desk slowly, with elegant strides like a beast strangling its prey. His imposing physique, radiating from his towering frame of over 190 centimeters, and the taut muscles stretched beneath his well-tailored vest, created a visual sense of intimidation. He stepped right up to the desk, placed both hands on the corners of Eleanor's desk, and leaned deeply toward her.
"I have not come to apologize, Madam."
A low, rough voice, like a beast's growl, burrowed into Eleanor's ears as if licking them. Caelon's golden eyes met Eleanor's red ones. The terrible thirst she had witnessed on the terrace last night gleamed even more intensely under the bright daylight.
"I have come to pay the first advance for the contract signed last night."
He pulled a thick envelope from his bosom and tossed it onto the desk. The outer surface of the envelope bore the crest of the 'Black Rose Guild, the illegal currency exchange office Liliana had mentioned just moments ago. An intrigued glint flashed in Eleanor's eyes.
"This is...?"
"These are the original ledgers and nominee accounts totaling 500,000 gold that your wretched husband has laundered in the Empire's underworld over the past five years."
The head of the Northern Intelligence Guild, who held all the Empire's information in his hands. It was the perfect poison to sever Valdemar's lifeline in a single stroke, something that absolutely no one but him could extract.
"Last night, I unleashed my guild's hounds, twisted the neck of the Black Rose Guild's leader, and snatched him away. Doesn't this make me quite useful as your 'sword', Madam?"
Eleanor silently looked up at Caelon. This ruthless man, who had spent the night turning the underworld upside down for her vengeance, was now craving her praise and touch like a large dog that had brought back its prey.
It was just as Eleanor was about to reach for the document envelope.
Thump.
Caelon's large, hot hand grasped Eleanor's white hand. The rough, calloused touch of his palm rubbed against her thin skin with a thrilling sensation.
"I have handed you the item; isn't it my turn now?"
Caelon tightened his grip on the arm resting on the desk, pressing a handspan closer to Eleanor. His hot breath swirled dizzyingly over Eleanor's collarbone.
"Grand Duke. This is the sacred office of Castillo, but..."
Eleanor did not pull her hand away; instead, she propped her chin on her hand and smiled languidly, provoking him.
"Aren't there too many ears outside the door to enjoy a secret rendezvous with a stranger in broad daylight while deceiving my husband?"
"Husband."
At the mention of that word, Caelon's eyes contorted menacingly. He snarled, gripping the armrest of Eleanor's chair and completely trapping her.
"Do not call that piece of trash your husband. Every time that bastard's name comes out of your mouth, I want to barge in right now and rip out his tongue."
Caelon's free hand slowly parted the air and approached Eleanor's nape. Cool, thick fingers gently cupped her jawline, and his thumb traced deeply, very intensely, beneath her red lips. It was a touch so erotic and persistent it sent shivers down her spine.
"I have starved for ten years, Eleanor."
In the voice of the man calling her by her full name for the first time, suppressed lust and desperation were intertwined.
"I will wait patiently until the day you completely smash that trash can and throw in the divorce papers. But..."
Caelon turned his head and brought his lips close to Eleanor's earlobe, brushing against it precariously...
Smooch.
Soft skin met with a breath.
Eleanor's shoulders trembled slightly for a moment. At that single small reaction of hers, Caelon's Adam's apple bobbed violently like a beast's.
"So that I may have some breathing room in the process, you must grant me a leash of this magnitude."
A man who approached with a predatory ferocity yet never crossed the line, stopping to seek her permission. The restraint of this deadly beast, who lay prostrate and panting at her feet despite wielding such overwhelming power, began to uncontrollably grip and shake Eleanor's arrogant heart.
Eleanor quietly lowered her gaze and placed her hand over Caelon's firm wrist, which was cupping her chin. Burying his rough palm a little deeper into her cheek, she let out a seductive sigh.
"Very well. As a reward for this perfect trophy, I will gladly put on the leash you choose."
The secret daylight of Castillo, where the most perfect information and the most dangerous lust intersect. The countdown to destruction began to pick up speed amidst the intertwined breaths of the two.
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