When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 77

“To be honest, if it weren’t for this news article, I wouldn’t have come looking for you at all. I don’t want to keep accumulating debts.”

Vivian, who had been sitting quietly beside Ricardo, sighed and muttered. Enrico’s eyes flickered with annoyance as he watched the two seated side by side.

“Madrinde Dicap, daughter of a viscount from the Carnet Kingdom and part of Princess Vivian’s entourage, has been missing since five days ago. Since she wasn’t officially listed as part of the group, they’ve been conducting a covert investigation to avoid provoking the kidnappers—if it is indeed a kidnapping—but somehow the press got hold of it and published the story first.”

“Have you tried contacting the journalist directly?”

“A royal aide approached them already, but they refused to cooperate, saying the matter had full authorization from higher-ups and there’s nothing more to discuss.”

Articles involving foreigners could easily escalate into diplomatic issues unless they concerned something positive, so confirmation from superiors was necessary—and permission had already been granted. It was now an awkward time for Ricardo to intervene.

Ricardo had been away from the Treano Kingdom for so long that he practically had no close aides left, and the biggest problem was his lack of freedom under Alessandro’s surveillance.

He had always assumed Alessandro would naturally inherit the throne, so he obediently left on the study-abroad journey Alessandro essentially forced upon him, leaving him with no means to prepare alternatives.

Perhaps it had been a mistake from the start to trust Alessandro despite knowing his cruel nature. Alessandro, whose polished exterior hid a rotten core, would never have let Ricardo remain unharmed.

Constant assassination attempts by Alessandro’s subordinates had worn Ricardo down to his limits, and just as he was contemplating returning to settle things once and for all, the unexpected hand reaching out to him belonged to none other than Enrico.

“Honestly, I currently have no real power, and given that it’s still inadvisable for me to appear openly, I simply had no viable way to respond.”

Ricardo spoke calmly, then quietly observed Enrico, who had seemed in low spirits since entering the room. Enrico crossed his legs and lazily held a cigarette between his lips.

His violet eyes, usually indifferent, now carried a distinctly somber weight—too ambiguous for Ricardo to interpret, leaving him no choice but to watch cautiously.

Enrico exhaled a puff of smoke along with a sigh. Ricardo, watching the hazy white smoke drift, glanced subtly toward Vivian seated beside him.

“May I offer you my handkerchief?”

Read full content of this chapter on r e d c a t t y . c o m