Hmm, Daniel, who was stroking his chin, soon instructed the butler to escort the unfamiliar visitor to the drawing room.

“No, is this your house?”

As the unwelcome guest behaved like the master of the house, the astonished Count Théodore retorted, and he smiled smoothly, placating the count.

“It wouldn’t hurt to meet him since he says it’s an important matter, right? He might even be the monk from that monastery.”

Hearing those words, the count clicked his tongue.

He wasn’t clueless enough to not guess which monastery Daniel was referring to.

Certainly, considering the possibility he suggested, it would be unwise to chase the visitor away without hearing him out.

“There’s no choice. Bring him to the drawing room.”

At the count’s directive, the butler hurried out of the garden, and the count placed the pruning shears in the toolbox before heading in the direction of the drawing room.

As for Daniel Rowens, he naturally followed the count.

Count Théodore didn’t stop the rude young man as he found it tiresome to argue with him again.

In fact, until then, there was only a slight uneasiness, just in case, but the count didn’t really expect the new visitor to have brought a remarkable story.

It was because he had seen countless swindlers pretending to be clergy, selling goods or begging for money.

Surely, this time would be one of them. With that thought, the count faced the self-proclaimed monk in the drawing room, and before long, he had to gape his mouth wide open.

“Greetings. I am Monk Emil.”

The man with a distinctive aquiline nose seemed like an extremely sincere person, not someone who would engage in fraud.

Moreover, the introductory words from his thin lips were enough to astonish the count.

“I currently reside in Pavela Monastery, and the reason I have taken the liberty to visit here today is because I have an urgent matter to discuss with Your Excellency regarding someone’s sin.”

It couldn’t be, he was really from Pavela Monastery. And sin…

Sensing that the situation was unusual, the count tried to give an order to Daniel, who was leaning against the wall, to drive out the guest.

However, he was one step ahead of the count.

“Sin? Whose sin are you referring to?”

Daniel rushed to the monk vehemently, his eyes wide open.

“What? Well, that is…”

The monk named Emil was visibly flustered by his sudden intrusion.

He seemed to have not anticipated such a fierce reaction from Daniel, whom he had assumed to be the count’s attendant.

“Shall I take a guess? Seyerd Hillan, that very Duke Hillan, right?”

And the moment Daniel mentioned Seyerd’s name, the monk’s face turned pale white.

A smile of victory appeared on Daniel’s lips.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

At that moment, Count Théodore stepped in between the two and pointed at Daniel.

“This person is my guest! From now on, I will have a conversation with him alone, so you should leave!”

Now, he deeply regretted not preventing the third party from coming.

“Why are you doing this, Count? Between us.”

Daniel Rowens was not someone to be fazed by the count’s warning.

“Think carefully. This is an opportunity given by heaven. You’re not saying you’ll gulp down this good thing all by yourself, are you?”

The man’s face, muttering low enough for only the count to hear, resembled a wolf that had caught its prey.

“Is it okay if I go to the capital and blabber about it? We’re already in the same boat. Please keep that in mind.”

Damn annoying bastard. The count swallowed a curse inwardly.

If only he weren’t the eldest son of Marquis Rowens, he would have had people beat him black and blue and chase him out.

He ground his teeth furiously but soon sighed as if there was no choice.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be no solution for now.

Before hearing the detailed story, Count Théodore first dismissed the servants nearby and firmly locked the door of the drawing room.

Then, with a friendly smile, he sat across from the monk again.

“You said your name is Monk Emil? All right. Please tell us your story. Ah, this person is trustworthy. I guarantee it.”

Monk Emil glanced sideways at the wall, seemingly concerned about Daniel, but as if determined by the count’s assertion, he moved his chapped lips.

“I, I… Long before a year ago, I happened to witness two people… Plotting a, a crime so wicked that it’s hard to even put into words…”

The monk’s eyelids trembled as he struggled to continue his words.

“And to my shame, fearing that they might harm me… I’ve been hiding that fact until now for my own safety.”

And the next moment, when the monk opened his eyes, his two eyes were filled with a resolute light.

“But I no longer want to ignore my conscience and the Great One in heaven. I will now reveal their sins to the world, even belatedly.”

About an hour later, Count Théodore and Daniel faced each other in the corridor.

They had explained to Monk Emil, who was left alone in the drawing room, that they needed a moment to discuss between themselves.

“Damn it.”

Loosening his cravat with a rough gesture, the count frowned and uttered a low curse.

That’s how shocking and terrifying the monk’s story was.

“What do you think of that story?”

Finally, unable to endure the silence, the count asked Daniel, and the man rubbing his chin opened his mouth.

“What is there to think? I think it’s good material to bring down Seyerd Hillan.”

“A claim without a shred of evidence?”

“Do you think it’s a lie, Count?”

“That’s…”

Honestly, it wasn’t.

At least, the monk named Emil didn’t seem like someone who would lie.

Rather than a matter of morality, it was a matter of ability. Monk Emil seemed too pure to the point of having no talent for deceiving others.

Didn’t he reveal his inner thoughts when Daniel mentioned Duke Hillan earlier?

Having more wealth than others also means, in a sense, that one has met many scoundrels trying to leech off of them.

In the eyes of the count, who had the ability to discern swindlers to some extent, Monk Emil had only told the truth a little while ago.

“Still, there’s no evidence. You don’t think you can raise criminal suspicions against Duke Hillan, the ruler of the world, with just the testimony of one monk, do you?”

That would be insane. Even the count, who was convinced that Seyerd Hillan had murdered his brother, had no intention of committing such insanity.

But unfortunately, unlike the count, Daniel Rowens was a madman. A madman who threatened the homeowner despite living in someone else’s house.

“We can find evidence from now on. I have a good idea.”

He stared at the count and laughed ominously.

“For that, I need some cooperation from you, Count.”

“What? I don’t want to. Don’t think about involving me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll do all the dangerous work. You can just watch from a safe place and reap the rewards when Seyerd Hillan falls.”

“Easy for you to say! What if something goes wrong?”

“Come on, Count. Everyone knows that you’re already on that guy’s bad side.”

Daniel’s hand patted the count’s shoulder.

It was a gentle yet threatening touch.

“Do you understand? You’ve earned the hatred of a man who even killed his own brother to seize the family. Moreover, you suspected him and investigated his past. You’re the one who looked into his whereabouts during the time Vishark Hillan died.”

The count unknowingly gulped.

“That guy knows it too. How long do you think that murderer will leave you alone?”

Daniel leaned closer to the count, who was stepping back, and glared at him.

“Inheritance, marriage, now is the perfect opportunity while that guy is distracted by other things.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by those manic eyes.

“…”

The count just bit his lips without making any response.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and stepped back.

“I believe you understood the meaning of my words well. Ah, and please prepare to leave for the capital as soon as possible.”

“…The capital? Why?”

“What’s the point of staying here even if there’s evidence in the capital?”

“But it’s still winter. It snows frequently, and the roads are frozen, so when spring comes−.”

“Count!”

The count thought his heart dropped at the sudden shout.

“Wh-why are you doing this!”

“Please, I beg you, just prepare without further ado. I’m telling you, I don’t have much time left.”

“Not much time left?”

For a moment, the urgency that didn’t make sense.

It had been almost a year since Vishark’s death.

If the evidence was going to disappear, it would have long disappeared by the time they waited until spring.

But the count soon realized why Daniel was so impatient.

“Is it because of the woman? Come to think of it, Seyerd’s bride-to-be was originally your fiancée.”

At those words, Daniel turned his head with a snort.

“She’ll be my fiancée again soon. That’s why we need to go to the capital as soon as possible.”

Before Kisa becomes that guy’s woman.

He growled low and swallowed the next words.

As the sunlight squeezed through her eyelids, Kisa slowly lifted them.

Strangely, her body felt heavy like water-soaked cotton, and dull pain was felt here and there.

A sensation as if her whole body had been beaten with a thick cloth-wrapped club.

“You’re awake.”

Then a familiar voice was heard, so Kisa turned her stiff head to the side.

“It’s already lunchtime.”

And the moment she saw Seyerd without his top, her blue eyes widened.

The heat that had swept her away last night instantly revived in her mind.