Chapter 14 : Fraud and Firelight
Chapter 14
“This is a scam!”
Accusations of a fraudulent marriage, of trying to swindle money—Pin Schneider was yelling at the top of his lungs, but none of that mattered.
All I could think was how unreal this situation felt. Especially with the small house now crawling with navy officers.
So, was I considered a witness in this? I sat beside Johannes Schultz, facing Pin Schneider and Pavid across the table. It was an uncomfortably strange scene.
To be proposed to and then immediately be involved in a criminal investigation with my would-be husband—romantic was the last word that came to mind.
“Even if you give her money, it’ll just be stolen! A proposal in this situation—truly shocking!”
Pin Schneider kept ranting, even going so far as to try intimidating Duke Schultz.
“I will report all of this during the official investigation!”
“Why do you think this is a fraudulent marriage?”
“Well, obviously…!”
“I don’t seem like the type to throw away a fortune for someone I barely know, do I?”
“But to someone from House Schultz, that amount isn’t much!”
Schultz’s cold stare shut him up.
“Banux, the loan company. They usually work in pairs, targeting women who live alone.”
Breaking the silence, Johannes Schultz straightened in his chair, his commanding presence pressing down on even me.
“They subtly alter old contracts.”
Pin Schneider bowed his head, silent. Sir Fret answered instead.
“Yes. One of them is usually charming—a bait—and the other, like Pavid, is meant to intimidate.”
“Charming?”
Schultz’s eyebrows arched as he glanced between Pin Schneider and Pavid. His look said, ‘Which one exactly is charming?’
“They aim to disarm the victim. I didn’t expect the boss to pose as the manager, though.”
“Must’ve really wanted to save on salaries,” Fret muttered.
“Though, Miss Prim, you must have pretty low standards. That one doesn’t look charming in the slightest.”
“I see.”
Even Duke Schultz added his agreement, and I waved my hands frantically.
“Absolutely not! He just looked… kind, and his attitude was polite…”
“Criminals are often charming. Though, these two hardly qualify,” said Fret with a mischievous grin.
He began carefully examining the old loan contract.
“The scent’s mostly gone… we’ll need to test it further.”
I swallowed hard.
“It’s simple to alter a loan document using special ink. Chakra ink, extracted from rare coal mined in Chakrasa.”
Fret pulled out a fountain pen, dipped it into an ink jar handed to him by an officer, and wrote. The peculiar smell hit immediately.
“The ink disappears with heat, making alterations easy.”
As he wrote with the special ink and applied a lighter, the letters vanished before our eyes. Several officers, myself included, gasped.
“Then, you rewrite the numbers using regular ink… and voilà.”
No sign of tampering at all.
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
Fret beamed at Duke Schultz, eyes gleaming like a puppy seeking praise.
“Clear fraud. And human trafficking too. A hefty sentence awaits.”
Schultz responded dryly. Fret looked satisfied.
“Wh-where’s the proof I used that ink?!”
Pin Schneider yelled, desperate. Technically, he was right—the heat had already erased the special ink.
But Fret ignored him.
“50% interest is absurd. Even with no legal cap, the unspoken limit in the market is 24%.”
He pulled out another item: a small dropper bottle filled with a clear liquid.
He dropped the liquid on the document—letters began turning red.
“Seems you forgot something important.”
“…”
“Evidence of tampering. That ‘5’ now looks like a ‘6’ due to red staining. Originally, the interest rate was 10%.”
“Then…”
“It means Miss Prim’s father already repaid the full amount.”
Fret clicked his tongue in mock pity, though amusement sparkled in his green eyes.
Schultz remained composed, though his voice turned slightly harsher.
“Running a business with this kind of filth.”
“It’s not the first time, is it?”
“N-no!”
Everyone turned to the large man—Pavid. He had been eyeing Pin Schneider nervously, and now, sweating profusely, he confessed everything.
They had used chakra ink, kept old repaid contracts hidden, and targeted women living alone.
“We’ve already collected enough evidence. With this confession, we can take it to trial.”
Fret slammed the table, beaming.
“How many women did you sell, you bastard?”
“Ugh…”
Pin Schneider glared at Pavid as if he wanted to kill him, but didn’t dare move under Schultz’s watch.
“What now?”
Fret asked plainly, turning to Duke Schultz.
“P-please! Just don’t let my father find out. I’ll do anything you say!”
Tears streamed down Pin Schneider’s face. But I felt no pity.
This was the man who tried to steal my house and sell me off.
With a gentle expression, as if offering great mercy, Schultz said:
“He must face justice for his crimes. Crimes lower than that of an animal.”
He signaled Fret and stood up without hesitation.
“Let’s be off.”
Then he extended his hand to me—a remarkably gentlemanly gesture.
I blinked at his large hand, then quickly reached for it, remembering I had accepted his proposal.
It seemed important to appear convincingly in love, at least for now.
“And the house…?”
“Fret will tidy up.”
“Me…?” Fret tilted his head.
“…Yes, of course.”
He walked off grumbling, tossing a sarcastic comment over his shoulder.
“The noble Duke—no, Colonel Schultz—plans to hand you over to the capital police. Maybe you’ll get a medal for bravery. Is there such a thing as a ‘Brave Colonel’ award? I want a ‘Best Assistant’ trophy.”
I could picture his smirk.
Outside, the navy stood in a tight formation. A large crowd had gathered too—so many had ignored me before, and now they couldn’t look away.
It stung.
Even Mrs. Fensler had woken from the commotion. She spotted me and called out.
“Edith, Edith!”
A plump hand waved above the heads of the crowd.
As I moved toward her, Schultz stopped me. I looked up at him, confused, as his lips finally parted.
“This isn’t a good time. Returning to the manor would be wiser.”
He glanced around us.
“It’s not exactly a pleasant scene.”
He was right—everyone’s eyes were on him. I even heard camera shutters clicking.
“Ah. Right. He was officially missing, wasn’t he…”
“Is this because of me…?”
“No.”
His voice was flat, his blue eyes now looking away.
“I think I’ve hidden long enough. It might be early, but the situation isn’t bad.”
Without another word, he led me toward a waiting carriage marked with the navy’s insignia.
Before climbing in, I found Mrs. Fensler in the crowd and gave her a silent, apologetic look. She seemed confused but nodded.
“Take care.”
I grasped his hand and climbed into the carriage. Sitting across from him, Schultz tapped the wall. The coachman shouted for the crowd to part, and slowly, they did.
We didn’t speak.
The carriage rumbled forward, heading toward Evanstein Castle.
