Chapter 66
Walter walked straight towards the third son of Marquis Pattison. Without a word, he stared down at the man’s bare fingers before speaking in a quiet voice.
“Hand.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Give me your hand.”
“I, I didn’t grope her, I just touched her very lightly….”
Walter, who hated making people repeat the same words, took a breath and snatched the man’s wrist.
“Ugh!”
He gripped the wrist as if to break it and said to the man who was groaning in pain with calm eyes.
“Six months in prison, or me touching you very lightly. Choose.”
“S, s, six months in prison!”
The answer came back, as if he believed in his parents quite a bit, but Walter ignored him and grabbed his index finger and broke it.
A scream like a death rattle echoed through the wide hall.
Now no one looked at the Duke and his fiancée as if they were an amusing spectacle. Only the rustling of the hems of the clothes of those who hurriedly turned their bodies, lest they meet their eyes, could be heard.
Walter took off his dirtied glove and threw it at the feet of the man who had collapsed on the floor with just a finger fracture. It was a nonchalant gesture, as if throwing trash in a trash can.
“I won’t allow you to report it to the police, or tell your father, the Marquis. Tell him clearly that I broke your finger.”
Then he looked at the men who were frozen stiff. The warning he gave them was also excessively calm.
“Witness statements are welcome anytime.”
The people who had become statues could not say a word. None of them were in a position to shout at a man who could not be reported or retaliated against, asking what he was doing to them.
There wasn’t a single person here with the status to demand an explanation from Walter.
Walter was on a different level from them in terms of physique. Rather than feeling inferior, it was better to revere him as an unreal figure from another world.
And what about that strong hand that was revealed when he took off his glove? The calluses embedded in each knuckle must have been caused by hitting something, or someone, a lot for a long time.
The courage that had soared to the sky against the illegitimate child of the Count’s family disappeared cowardly in front of Walter. They wanted to disappear from this place with the courage that had left them.
The Duke finally turned his body and returned to Hermia. The mad dog… no, the Duke’s fiancée was baring her fangs and growling at them.
Scary. The Duke was the Duke, but they had never seen a woman as fierce and scary as her. Are all illegitimate children like that?
The Duke went to his fiancée and asked, “Who else?” and she whispered in his ear as before.
‘Please don’t let my name come out.’ Everyone except the two of them prayed fervently, and the Duke, who had taken his ear off, nodded calmly and said so that everyone could hear.
“Ah. All of them.”
* * *
“…I’m sorry.”
Hermia, who was walking with Walter to the lounge, hesitated for a long time before speaking.
The big, strong hand that wrapped around her shoulder was still there even after leaving the banquet hall. Hermia liked the warmth and stability that Walter gave her. So much so that she shamelessly wanted him to keep holding her.
“It’s all because of me…….”
“You don’t have to worry about it. If something like this happens again…….”
“You even threw away a perfectly good glove. It looked expensive.”
Oh. It was about the glove.
He closed his mouth, about to tell her that she could act like she did today without worrying about what others thought. Hermia added, as if she had forgotten.
“And I’m sorry for causing trouble. Did I cause you any trouble?”
“Not at all.”
He denied it immediately.
At least no stupid family would make an issue out of what happened today. Only families who would be happy if he didn’t bother them by apologizing were gathered there.
After thinking for a moment about how to explain it, Walter spoke gently.
“Rather, they’re the ones who are in trouble. Most of the young masters who gathered today are the second or third sons of families. By law, they’re all supposed to serve in the military.”
“And none of them went?”
“Their families pulled strings for them.”
Hermia scratched her chin with her finger. The highest-ranking official in the military was Walter, wasn’t he?
It didn’t quite add up. She couldn’t imagine him turning a blind eye to such blatant corruption.
Walter continued to speak smoothly, as if he had read her thoughts.
“There are ranks higher than me, so I tend to overlook things that the higher-ups tell me to overlook, as long as they are within acceptable limits.”
“You? I heard you’re a strict perfectionist.”
“That’s… it might be a saying that came about because there are more times when I don’t overlook things. But who said that?”
“Prince Gerald.”
“…….”
The royal guards who were guarding the front of the lounge saluted Walter with stiff movements. It seemed that there were royals inside, probably Elisabeth and Gerald, who weren’t in the banquet hall.
‘A strict perfectionist?’
He recalled Gerald coldly, nodded briefly in response to the greeting, and naturally passed the lounge and opened the door of another reception room.
After letting Hermia in first, he approached the knight in plate armor that was set up as decoration in the hallway, before entering. He pulled out a sword from his waist and came back and placed it on the floor before closing the door.
Then, returning to the room, he set it down on the floor before closing the door—leaving it open just enough for a single finger to slip through.
Now, there were only two people in the room.
“…Tsk. You’re so meticulous.”
“Hm?”
“I said you’re very thorough, Your Grace..”
Walter smiled and turned over a glass placed on the console and poured water. He placed it on the sofa table and was about to go to the opposite side when the end of his coat was pulled.
“The door isn’t closed properly, so come over here. Like you did in the dining hall.”
“…….”
It wasn’t as wide open as the dining room, and it wasn’t close to the entrance, but he hesitated for a moment before sitting next to Hermia.
Hermia, who had taken a sip of water, was interested in the story from earlier and asked.
“So, what’s your standard for when you do and don’t allow special treatment?”
Walter took the glass she handed him and put it back in its place.
“Um. It depends on the war situation. The front lines are relatively quiet these days, as the Crown Prince of the Western Empire has been married for only a short time. They’re also in a festive mood right now, and they’ll probably be quiet until they have an heir.”
“Oh. You’re a little lenient when it’s peaceful?”
“Since it’s a matter of life and death after all. But in return, the money they pay for their exemptions is used to increase the salaries of volunteers.”
‘You’re more flexible than I thought…’
Hermia looked at Walter with satisfaction and asked without thinking.
“What about the Eastern Empire? Is it quiet there too? I thought there were spy articles every day before.”
“…The Eastern Front is a more peaceful place to work compared to the Western Front.”
Walter skillfully changed the subject.
The words ‘spy of the Eastern Empire’, which had become fixed like a pronoun and were now used like a joke, were actually a false charge.
The truth was, when spies from the Western Empire were caught conducting espionage in the kingdom, they usually had two choices: take their own lives or pretend they were from the Eastern Empire.
The Western Empire, having already swallowed up Müller and now setting its sights on the East, lived in constant fear that the kingdom—rich in resources—might one day align itself with their enemy.
Therefore, they had been continuously framing the Eastern Empire for the past few years, and the ‘spy of the Eastern Empire’ was also part of that effort.
Even the infamous Shadow Brothers, Eagle and Bear—operatives from the Western Empire—had been caught in their lies during Walter’s interrogation. Eagle, realizing he had been cornered, attempted to take his own life, but Walter stopped him. In exchange, the man lost his voice forever.
Regardless, this wasn’t the kind of information he could share with a civilian. So, Walter kept steering the conversation elsewhere.
“The Eastern front has been quiet ever since that unfortunate incident a few years ago. That’s why most noble families with money send their sons there.”
“Unfortunate incident? Ah… You mean that sudden battle at the front lines in the middle of the night… Oh, damn it.”
Hermia covered her face with both hands and lowered her head.
The person who had lost his life in the battle that had broken out so suddenly after a long period of silence was Walter’s father, Major Harry Rockford.
When she had scolded the women or cursed at the men, she had been surprised, but she hadn’t regretted it… But this time, she felt like she had stepped on a landmine.
“It’s okay. My father just died protecting the country.”
Walter said calmly, but Hermia still looked like she was about to cry.
“I was too young at the time to know the details, but looking back now, it’s a bit surprising. I remember the relationship with the Eastern Empire was so good that there was talk of a declaration of the end of the war, but suddenly there was a surprise attack…….”
His voice trailed off. He had sensed something strange while speaking.
Because he happened to be thinking about the Western Empire right before that, a faint connection was created between the two conversations.
“…A setup?”
Walter, who was muttering to himself, turned his head. Someone was walking towards them.
“What are unmarried men and women doing alone in a place like this at this late hour?”
The person who pushed open the door, imitating a stern voice, was none other than Gerald.
“I went back to the hall, but Miss Hermia wasn’t there and the atmosphere was like a funeral home, so I asked around and came here.”
“Where’s the Princess?”
Hermia narrowed her brow and asked. Gerald had a troubled face.
He crossed his arms and hesitated before reluctantly getting down to business.
“That’s… Lady Hermia. I’m sorry, but could you lend me this guy for a little while? For my sister.”
“What? Why would I?”
She jumped up and protested, and Gerald sighed deeply.
“She says she has one last thing to say. She’s going to give up completely today.”
“That’s her problem…….”
“12 years. Her unrequited love has lasted for 12 years. She obviously couldn’t confess, and she has hundreds of letters that she couldn’t deliver.”
He smiled bitterly and said, putting aside all pretense.
“Give Liz a chance to be properly rejected. I’m asking you for a favor.”
It was the first time Hermia had seen Gerald so serious.
