Chapter 10

I could only complain inwardly at his attitude.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“I was.”

So, why did you call me?

“……”

Rupert and I just stared at each other in utter silence for a moment.

Followed by a short silence that enveloped the office.

“What are you up to these days?”

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been observing me lately. ”

“……”

Normally, I would have yelled at him, but considering the current situation, I couldn’t even laugh it off. It was true that I was observing him.

Looking at me with my mouth sealed, Rupert asked suspiciously.

“What else are you trying to do?”

“… how did you notice?”

I tried to observe him unnoticed. Besides, he wasn’t interested in me at all, so I didn’t think he would notice.

“You’re not even trying to hide it.”

Did you notice my interest without even intending to? You are not an ordinary human.

I decided to be shameless and shrugged.

“I didn’t have any special reasons, absolutely non.”

“For no reason?”

This was the ideal method.

“It was to see if the Marquis got along with Leah.”

Rupert asked as if he didn’t expect this.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

I spit out all of the complaints that I had accumulated during the past three days.

“A while ago, Leah drew a family picture, but she didn’t draw your face. When I asked her why, she said she wasn’t sure what her own father’s face looked like. So I tried to find out how much time you spent with Leah. You don’t even care about Leah. Oh my God, why can’t you even see how cute and lovely daughter our is?”

At first, I was calm, but in the end, my true intention came out.

His reply was absurd.

“Just because of that?”

That sounds terrible.

“Is ‘just’ spending time with your daughter really that hard?”

My anger started bubbling up. I tried to be sarcastic, not wanting to lose the opportunity.

“Haven’t you also been uninterested in her so far?”

“……”

I gnawed my lower lip slightly. He wasn’t wrong.

It was true that I had done nothing for Leah so far.

“… I know that I’ve been neglecting her so far, so I’m going to do my best in the future. I told you last time that I will change, even if I may not be the best parent, I’ll still do my best.”

I added carefully afterwards.

“So shouldn’t you also increase the amount of time you spend with Leah in the future? I know you hate me, but the child is innocent.”

“Well…”

Rupert looked like he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.

“I still don’t know why you care about her so suddenly. Do you want to play the part of a good mother now?”

Play? Are you crazy?

“No, I’m asking you sincerely because it doesn’t matter if you continue to treat me like you do now. But not to Leah, at least a little-“

“I don’t understand why you made such a request, Leah has a nanny, maids attend to her, she has food, clothes, toys, tutors – everything that she needs as she grows up, what else does she need? Do you mean she needs me now?”

Rupert stared at me with a dry gaze.

“Even if I leave her alone, she will grow up well.”

At that moment, I was speechless at the cold words.

“……”

I wasn’t talking about material things. I meant that the child needed love, interest and affection from her parents.

But I felt like Rupert couldn’t understand my words at all. He thought that if Leah was brought up in an environment where she wouldn’t starve, she would grow up well.

He was really indifferent to his daughter.

I was a little disappointed at his attitude. I felt sorry for Leah.

“No, it is not… are you, do you have any awareness of the fact that you are a father?”

“I don’t know what you mean to say. This meaningless conversation is nothing but a waste of time.”

Meaningless conversation.

Waste of time.

It was a shocking choice of words.

Those words clearly revealed what he thought of Leah.

It felt like I was talking to a wall.

“… okay, you look busy, so it’s better to have this conversation again later.”

Suddenly, my energy ran out.

I turned and grabbed the doorknob.

Nevertheless, I was honestly disappointed.

I hoped that he would be thinking about Leah, even if he did not express it.

In the end, I turned my head just before leaving, and expressed my unpleasant feelings for the last time.

Rupert’s gaze met mine.

“Think about the conversation earlier, just one more time, not just for Leah, but for yourself too.”

Children grow up in an instant, and regrets after that are useless.

He frowned and opened his mouth.

“Wait a minute.-”

-Bang-

I ignored him and closed the door.

While walking on the corridor, the conversation I had earlier with Rupert kept circulating in my head.

My anxiety had risen. His way of thinking was completely different from that of ordinary parents with their children.

At least it was difficult to understand with my common sense.

A skeptical question came up in my head.

‘… is it impossible for Rupert to be Leah’s father?’

* * *

After Noel left, Rupert worked until late at night.

Eventually, an unknown irritation grew, causing him to throw his pen.

“Damn it.”

What the hell was she saying?

“……”

Until now, Noel’s behavior had been easy to understand.

It was just because she was an arrogant, extravagant, and stupid woman.

But now I can’t even figure out the intention of that woman.

What do you want?

What the hell is it?

Rupert remembered Noel’s words.

[…please pay attention to Leah…]

‘I don’t understand.’

He didn’t really know what parents were supposed to do with their children.

He had never been loved by his parents, so he had no opportunity to learn anything like that. However, even in such an environment, he grew up to be an adult.

Although his father already had a family, he tricked and touched another woman. It was the same for Rupert’s mother.

His mother was an innocent woman, but she was captivated by the twisted mouth of the former Marquis of Ainel.

And so she conceived Rupert. Of course, by then the former Marquis had been abandoned by his mother, who didn’t even care about that fact.

If it had ended here, this story would have simply become a woman’s tragedy.

But his mother didn’t just cry and promise to take revenge.

Originally, his mother’s paternal family was a family of scholars. Long before he was born, old books were piled up in the house, perhaps because of the remnants of the past. His mother found a special book there.

It was a book about curses.

Rupert’s mother read the book completely. And she chose one of the most vicious and powerful curses.

It was a curse about being a ‘living weapon’.

She put the cruel curse on her newborn Rupert.

Of course, his mother who placed the curse was also not safe.

His mother died slowly and painfully over the years. Her beautiful skin rotted slowly, and after about seven years it emitted a nasty smell of death.

She whispered sweetly into the ear of her young son just before her death.

[Grow up to be the worst human being ever, Rupert. One who kills, steals, and covets others. Be a covetous person and increase your notoriety, drop the good name of your family, defile them, and destroy them.]

It was the first and last of his mother’s gentle voice.

After saying that, his mother’s breath was cut off.

Later, young Rupert, who had no relatives, traveled here and there, and eventually was entrusted to the Iville family, where his father was.

At the time, it was hard for the Marquis of Ainel to pretend like he didn’t know him because he inherited his silver hair and red eyes that were no different from the symbol of the Ainel family.

If you think about it now, that was probably the prelude to his mother’s revenge.

“-Marquis.”

Then, Ordin knocked on the office door. Rupert woke up from deep thoughts.

“Come in.”

The aide who came in through the door bowed his head politely.

“The prisoners are ready. Would you like to go now?”

“Okay.”

Rupert glanced at the watch.

‘It is already the promised time.’

“There are three people today.”

“Who?”

He got up from his seat and replied.

“The thieves.”

“Due to rumors that our property is endless, security has been increased, and crime rates have fallen sharply.”

Rupert did not keep the criminals in his estate alive. It wasn’t because of a great sense of justice or belief.

It was just because he needed an offering to suppress the curse.

He couldn’t kill innocent people at random, so he only killed criminals in the name of death.

In fact, executions of prisoners were not publicly carried out. The place of execution was at a place known only to Rupert and Ordin. It was a place that could only be reached through a secret passage of the mansion.

“Where is the key?”

“Here it is.”

Receiving the keys to the prison from Ordin, Rupert unlocked the door.

Even in the darkness, he could see the three men clearly.

Ordin, standing behind him, declared calmly.

“He is the owner of this estate, Marquis of Ainel. Get down on your knees.”