CH 54

‘Uh, but…….’

Why does she feel so weak? Riett’s head feels hazy too.

“Do you know why there are no windows in this room?”

The Marquis’ question struck Riett’s temple with force.

‘How would I know that, you bastard!’

Harsh words poured into her mind, but her voice failed to come out. Her body slumped like a soaked sponge. Even the hand holding the dagger went limp.

“To keep secret things that no one should know.”

As the Marquis pushed Riett’s hand away, clang!

The dagger fell to the ground, powerless.

“Did you enjoy your meal? It had a sleeping potion in it, so you must be feeling drowsy.”

“…You damn…”

As expected, she couldn’t finish her fierce words. Her body trembled. It was clear from the beginning that she was called for this very reason.

“When I speak kindly, you will willingly consent.”

The Marquis looked at Riett and licked his lips.

“After a good night’s sleep, you will find your signature on the marriage contract. At that point, even if you were your father, you won’t be able to deny it.”

Amidst Riett’s hazy consciousness, the word ‘marriage contract’ clearly reached her ears.

‘Damn it.’

Riett forcefully opened her eyes, trying not to lose consciousness.

Thunk!

At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside.

“Who is it? I’ve said that no one should come up to the second floor!”

The Marquis’ voice was sharp, on the brink of an important moment.

However, bang bang!

What returned was an even bolder knock.

‘It’s not just knocking… It seems like they’re trying to break the door.’

In her hazy state, Riett thought the maid was quite audacious.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, get out of here right now!”

Perhaps the Marquis’s words had an effect, as the outside became quiet. But soon after, crash!

The brief silence seemed to have been for gathering energy for a powerful strike. The door shattered with a loud noise.

“Looks like there’s a fire inside.”

Accompanied by an absurd excuse, the person who appeared was not a maid but Evan. Despite the blurry vision, his black hair and tall silhouette were distinct.

As Evan made a motion with his hand, he approached.

“You… You should be asleep by now!”

“I suffer from insomnia, you see.”

Evan’s voice was chilling.

Whack!

And in an instant, he struck the Marquis’ face.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but I had to put out the fire on the Marquis’ head.”

Please understand.

As Evan looked down at the unconscious Marquis on the floor, he turned his gaze to Riett.

‘Evan…’

Riett’s lips twitched at the approaching silhouette, but soon her vision cut off.

* * *

‘Ah, my head hurts.’

Riett, who had just regained consciousness, grasped her head in a terrible headache. It seemed like the aftereffect of the sleeping potion.

Struggling to open her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar space.

‘Oh… I fainted in the Marquis’ room.’

As her awakened mind followed suit, her body gradually regained strength. Under her arm, she felt a soft texture.

As her vision cleared, Evan appeared before her.

“You’re awake?”

“What happened?”

The place she was lying in was still the Marquis’ room.

“Where is the Marquis?”

Riett had seen him collapse after being hit by Evan.

“There.”

Evan pointed with his finger, and Riett saw the Marquis tied up. He was sprawled on the cold floor, still unconscious.

“Do you feel any discomfort or pain?”

“Uhhh…….” 

Her head hurts a little, but that’s not important right now.

“Evan, did you find anything downstairs?”

“I searched again while you were asleep, but there was nothing.”

“Is there anywhere we haven’t checked? Like a locked room.”

Evan shook his head with a dark expression.

“I paid careful attention to this room on the second floor because it seemed the most suspicious, but I didn’t find anything.”

Riett’s mouth dried up. Although his father was convinced that the document had been forged, it was still his father’s intuition.

‘Maybe… My father was mistaken.’

However, Riett quickly shook her head.

No.

As someone who had been observing the Marquis for a long time, his father wouldn’t make such a reckless assumption. Riett trusted his father’s judgment and searched the room once again.

And then, her gaze stopped at the sunflower painting that had left an impression earlier.

‘When I was admiring this painting earlier, the Marquis had a strange reaction.’

Riett got out of bed and approached the painting.

A secretive room with no windows and even the servants were unable to enter freely. It was highly likely that it was used for orchestrating secret affairs or storing important items.

Riett examined the sunflower painting closely and exerted force to push the frame aside.

‘As expected.’

An unparalleled iron door was hidden behind the wall.

“Evan! Help me move this painting.”

Evan, who noticed the suspicious wall, quickly approached. With combined strength, they easily removed the frame.

“How did you know there was a door here?”

“It’s thanks to my exceptional insight.”

However, the smugness lasted only for a moment, as the iron door was firmly locked and couldn’t be opened.

Riett searched the bound Marquis’ body in various places, hoping for something. Fortunately, she found a small key in the back pocket of his pants.

When she inserted the key into the hole below the lock of the iron door, a click sound followed, and the iron door opened.

Nice!

Riett hurriedly entered the iron door. 

Inside, as expected, there were stacks of documents, gold bars, and valuable paintings stored. 

“Evan, I’ll search here, you watch over the unconscious Marquis.” 

Evan nodded and disappeared to keep an eye on the Marquis.

Riett took a seat and quickly scanned through the stack of documents. Among them, she discovered a suspicious contract. 

‘Employment contract. Two individuals from Meriato, starting midnight on November 30th. They will wear the provided outfits and act as merchants. However, all details of this arrangement must remain strictly confidential. In case of a violation of this clause…’

As Riett finished reading, she clenched the paper tightly. 

‘Father was right…! It wasn’t a genuine deal after all.’

It was indeed a staged performance orchestrated by the Marquis to trap his father. With just this document, there would be no need for her Father to pay any compensation. It was all a fabricated transaction from the beginning.

But that wasn’t enough.

‘I need something more concrete to firmly grasp his tail.’ 

Her hands flipped through the documents faster. After a while, she found another bundle hidden deep within. 

‘Transaction records.’

Finally, she discovered the most crucial set of documents. Riett read through the transaction records. 

‘No way… No way.’

Most of the transactions listed were for iron, silver, copper, tin, and other metallic materials used for tableware. But when there were only a few pages left in the transaction records, she found something unexpected. Riett’s eyes widened. 

‘Could it be that he used this as tableware material…?’

He had committed an incredibly audacious act. Thankfully, though. What he intended to produce wasn’t illegal weaponry. 

‘Perhaps it’s even more deadly…’

Riett gathered a few pages of the paper, knowing that this evidence was sufficient. It was time to go back home. 

“Evan, I’ve found what I needed.”

Evan, who had been watching over the Marquis from a distance, asked, 

“What about the interest?”

The Marquis was still out cold, unaware of what was happening.

‘When he wakes up, he’ll probably want to remain unconscious forever.’

Riett looked down at the bundle of documents containing an immense secret. 

‘Should I wake him up and threaten him?’

It wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it wasn’t the best solution.

“Just a moment, leave it as it is.” 

Riett said, and she went back into the secret space behind the painting to tidy up the scattered items, making it appear as if no one had ever been there. 

Although she had gathered evidence from the secret space, the Marquis would never suspect that Riett had entered this hidden place. It was concealed very discreetly.

So even if a few papers were missing, it wouldn’t be noticed if other aspects seemed untouched. After closing the iron door, Riett hung the painting back in its original position. 

“How does it look, Evan? Does the room look the same as before we searched?”

“What are you doing…?” 

Evan asked, puzzled, not answering the question.

“We’re going to leave here as if nothing happened and slip away.”

“Isn’t it better to wake him up now and resolve the situation?”

“I have a lot on my mind. Hurry and see if the room looks the same as before. You have a good memory, don’t you?”

Evan still seemed unable to understand Riett, but without saying a word, he scanned the room.

Sure enough, Evan remembered the appearance of the room before it was disturbed, like a photograph, and was able to restore it to its previous state before searching around.

‘Good.’

Finally fully prepared, Riett approached the Marquis and untied his bound arms and legs. Evan, observing the scene, asked again.

“What exactly are you thinking?”

“Because I can’t enjoy this exhilarating moment alone.”

Riett raised her hands on her waist and curled up her lips.

“I’m going to publicly execute this old dog.”

* * *

Riett and Evan rode in the carriage and smoothly left the villa. Riett looked at the receding villa and spoke.

“The Marquis must be very angry by now.”

Once he regained his senses, the Marquis would likely be in a fit of rage upon discovering the disappearance of his guests. 

In any case, the scheme to secretly administer a potion to her and have her sign a forged marriage contract had completely failed.

Moreover, Evan barged in and struck the Marquis hard enough to make him unconscious, so he could only tremble with anger.

‘But I have no regrets about it.’

Rather, the more the Marquis goes into a frenzy, the better for Riett.

As Riett smiled ominously, Evan’s voice reached her.

“What was that guy trying to do earlier?”

“I think he wanted me to sign a marriage contract when I was still groggy.”

Hm. Just as the answer was finished, a chilling sound was heard.

“…Did he propose to you?”

“It was a proposal close to a business transaction. For the money my father owes him.”

That would have ignited his fury. Evan muttered quietly. Not hearing his muttering, Riett asked another question.

“By the way, Evan. Didn’t you eat anything earlier? Why am I the only one affected by the potion?”

“Because I didn’t eat.”

Evan leaned his elbow on the carriage window and rested his chin on his hand. Riett looked at him in confusion.

“Why?”

Although the food looked tempting, Evan couldn’t bring himself to touch it.

“I have a bad feeling about it.”

Riett burst into laughter at his nonchalant response.

“What bad feeling?”

He was certainly quick-witted. Who would have expected someone like the Marquis, who was practically a nobleman, to have tainted the food like a criminal?

Still, thanks to Evan’s quick thinking to avoid the sleeping pill and his timely appearance, they were able to avert the crisis.

“What was the Marquis secretly producing in the factory?”

Riett recalled the transaction records she had read earlier.

When she thought about what the Marquis had been doing, something far more dangerous than she had imagined, laughter burst out uncontrollably.

She had caught a big fish. No, not just a big fish, but perhaps a whale.

“It’s a secret.”

It wouldn’t be fun if she told him so easily.

However, it seemed that Evan wasn’t particularly curious. He quickly threw another question.

“What if that guy denies the documents? What do you think?”

“That’s not important, Evan.”

The documents were supplementary evidence. Clear evidence would be presented on the day of the public execution.

‘Marquis, I’ll show you clearly what happens if you dare to touch me.’

Riett smiled with a victorious expression as she looked at the deepening night sky.