Chapter 36
Caesar wrapped his arms around her shoulders and whispered into her ear.
“It’s all right. Hearing that you went to such lengths to have me only makes me all the more delighted.”
The drawing room was excessively quiet, making Caesar’s feather-light whisper audible even to the earl.
“Ahem!”
Ignoring the earl’s displeased expression, Caesar leaned in closer, his voice growing more intimate as he whispered against her ear.
“I prefer you a hundred times more than Amelia. You are beautiful and also…”
“……”
“Sweet.”
Even though she knew he was merely trying to infuriate the earl, Odette could still taste the lingering sweetness on the tip of her tongue.
However, there was no warmth in the lips that brushed against her cheek.
In the end, instead of putting the earl on trial, they reached an agreement—she would receive alimony.
One billion.
To gather such a vast sum immediately, the earl would have to move swiftly, and Aden had plans to track his every move.
“Only half of the plan succeeded.”
Which meant the other half had failed.
As they stepped out of the earl’s office, Odette glanced at Caesar hesitantly.
“I never expected the earl to set such a cunning trap.”
“A trap, you say…?”
Caesar’s cold demeanor made Odette’s heart sink.
“You—you’re not actually believing what he said, are you? It was all lies!”
“Not everything seemed like a lie.”
Caesar raised an eyebrow, as if reminding her that it was indeed true she had met the two young viscounts at the hotel during the festival.
“Leorahill, whom I grew up with, had come to Hohan District just before his graduation.”
Unfortunately, that day happened to be the festival.
Wanting to make Leorahill happy, Maxcallion booked a hotel, and since there were fireworks, they had gone up to the rooftop to watch.
“It was the last time the three of us would be together. We wouldn’t have another chance to meet after that.”
She felt compelled to at least defend herself against the earl’s attempt to distort their innocent gathering into something unsavory.
“And because I returned after midnight, he’s insisting it was an illicit night out.”
“……”
“I will never meet them again.”
“You’re right. You won’t. Because I’m going to kill them all.”
“K-Kill them?”
Odette’s legs gave out beneath her, and she staggered.
“Dear God! What is he saying?!”
He had agreed to be on her side, to help her in her quest for vengeance.
She had even gone as far as marrying him to ensure he achieved his goals.
And yet, he was now casually talking about killing the people she held dear.
“No. You can’t.”
“That is for me to decide.”
Caesar gripped her shoulders firmly.
The moment their gazes locked, Odette felt an eerie chill crawl up her spine.
That was when she realized—his eyes radiated an unreal, murderous intent.
“Please, don’t. I beg you, spare the two young lords.”
“……”
“I’ll do anything. Please…!”
Of all the people Caesar had ever vowed to kill, not a single one had survived.
No!
Leorahill was a kind soul.
“I may not be able to call you my sister, but to me, you are family, Odette. You know that, don’t you?”
Whenever he received something delicious, whenever he was given an expensive gift—
He had always wanted to share them with her first.
As an orphan who had lost her mother, Odette had only been able to endure her grief because of Leorahill, who had trusted and followed her unconditionally.
“He is like family to me. If they die, I will die too.”
Her only weapon at this moment was her own life.
Because Caesar needed her.
She was an invaluable tool in his pursuit of vengeance against the earl and the emperor.
“Please… spare them.”
Tears spilled hotly down Odette’s cheeks.
“Damn it!”
Caesar suddenly let go of her and ran a hand through his hair.
His lips curled into a smirk, his laughter dripping with mockery.
“You do realize that the way you’re pleading only makes me want to go and kill them right now? You belong to me, and you should be on my side.”
“Yes. Of course, I am.”
“Don’t just pretend to be.”
Caesar clenched his jaw before exhaling slowly.
“Everything—my vassals, my wealth, my family’s honorable name, my servants—all of it was stolen from me. The earl, the Viscount of Saxen, and all those wretched men took what was rightfully mine.”
“Even if the Viscount and his wife were human traffickers… the young lords are innocent.”
“No! In my eyes, they are guiltier than the viscount and his wife.”
“P-Please, don’t do this. I beg you.”
Odette clung to his arm, her lips trembling too violently to form coherent words.
Lowering her head, she let her tears fall.
Caesar watched her silently, his expression unreadable.
A long silence stretched between them.
“There is only one way you can save them.”
“……”
“Never defend Saxen in front of me again. If you do that, at the very least, they won’t die… for the next two years.”
Two years.
The time Caesar had set to complete his revenge.
By then, it sounded as though Maxcallion and Leorahill would meet their deaths as well.
Watching Caesar turn away and walk off into the distance, Odette parted her lips slightly.
“That’s why you were abandoned.”
In the original story, the heroine had loved Caesar, yet she had ruthlessly cast him aside and fled.
The second reason for her decision was because Caesar intended to kill his own father.
I understand Caesar’s hatred toward the earl, his desire to kill him… but to do the same to the two young lords, who are like family to me?
That was something she couldn’t accept.
At the very least, if they were on the same side, he should respect the people she cherished. That was the bare minimum, wasn’t it?
Then again, the first reason the original heroine abandoned Caesar was exactly that.
Revenge. First and foremost, revenge.
His mind was consumed by nothing but vengeance.
To someone like Caesar, the people of House Saxen—who had served as the earl’s minions—were nothing more than pests to be eradicated.
“What do I do?”
Odette shed fresh tears before she even had the chance to wipe the ones that had already fallen.
“I feel like I’ve become the perfect stand-in for the original heroine.”
Like the protagonist of a tragic novel, trapped in a completely sealed-off space, she was drowning in despair.
“Ha! It’s obvious now—Caesar really has lost his mind over a woman.”
The earl smirked as he watched Caesar mount his horse and depart the estate with a hardened expression.
“Bring Odette to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moments later, Odette entered, her expression laced with irritation.
“I heard you called for me.”
“Sit down.”
The earl motioned to the seat across from him, crossing his legs arrogantly.
“I haven’t even unpacked yet.”
“Is that because you’re a mere maid? Getting hung up on something as trivial as unpacking.”
“If you don’t have anything important to say, I’ll be leaving.”
How insolent.
The earl needed to break her spirit now if she was to serve as Caesar’s shackle.
“You don’t actually believe in a man’s devotion, do you? I’m telling you not to get carried away just because Caesar is on your side.”
“……”
“If you refuse to obey me, I could always frame you for deceiving Caesar and having an affair. From what I just saw, it seems he’s quite possessive.”
“Tonight, a hundred lashes.”
“What?”
“Be prepared.”
Odette spun on her heel and left without another word.
“Has she lost her mind?”
Earl Anderson bellowed, but for some reason, an unsettling premonition took root in his gut.
A chill ran down his spine
.
The streets were packed with carriages heading toward the Imperial Academy for the graduation ceremony.
Having finished his work at the palace early, Maxcallion opted to walk through the back entrance of the academy rather than take a carriage.
The distance between the Imperial Palace and the academy wasn’t far enough to warrant such effort.
“Brother!”
“Leo.”
Maxcallion smiled as he approached Leorahill.
“Where’s Odette?”
Leorahill glanced behind Maxcallion as he asked.
“Shouldn’t you ask about our parents first?”
Maxcallion scolded in a low voice.
Leorahill pouted.
“Mother sent a letter. She said Father’s knee isn’t in good condition, so they couldn’t come to the capital.”
“Then shouldn’t you have asked how Father’s knee is doing first?”
