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Chapter 15
Final Statement.
It was the last procedure in a trial and the final means by which one could defend themselves.
Even that, Ermia Tekins had let pass in silence.
No false affirmation for the love of her family.
No sincere denial to protect herself.
She chose neither—only silence.
How heartbreaking it is that silence was the final act of rebellion for one person.
“And now that same person, just a few months later, explodes the Tekins estate and flees.”
She even rounded up the sins of the Tekins household and sent them all to prison.
Had she been holding it in for a long time?
Or was it triggered by something?
It was impossible to know—but one thing was certain.
It was now his job to uncover the truth.
“Interesting.”
Leandro bared his teeth in a grin.
Just as he expected—his first impression hadn’t been wrong.
Ermia Tekins was the first spark of intrigue he’d encountered since returning from the battlefield.
“Your Grace.”
His thoughts were interrupted. The smile that had briefly crossed Leandro’s face was long gone.
“What will you do with Preston?” Dean asked.
“He’s a sharp one. Thanks to our swift actions, he doesn’t seem to know yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
They had arrested the embezzler and caught the distributor.
It had all happened in less than a day.
Thanks to that, the news hadn’t yet reached Preston’s ears, but as Dean said, it was only a matter of time.
No—he might already suspect something.
“Shall I send the knights immediately?”
Leandro’s answer came after a brief pause.
“No need for that.”
As if he had finished thinking, the Grand Duke continued.
“Let him walk to this mansion himself.”
He picked up a quill from his desk, pulled out a blank sheet of paper, and began writing in elegant penmanship.
“Will he come willingly? He’s a very suspicious man.”
“Oh, he’ll come.”
Sealing the invitation with a red seal, the Grand Duke handed the letter to Dean.
“He’ll come running like a dog, don’t worry.”
He looked completely confident, as if Preston had already replied.
Dean gave a slight nod without pressing further.
“Then I’ll inform the butler—”
Knock, knock.
Dean’s words were cut off. Both Leandro and Dean turned toward the door.
A cautious voice came through.
“Sorry for the late hour. May I come in for a moment?”
“Come in, Miss Tekins,” Leandro replied.
As soon as he gave his permission, Ermia slipped through the slightly open door.
Dean frowned and took a step back.
“What is it?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“A request?”
Ermia nodded with a bright expression.
“If it’s alright with you, may I accompany you when you go to arrest Preston?”
“Absolutely not!” Dean raised his voice.
“That’s not a place for a young lady! We don’t know what Preston might try to pull!”
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Violence is often the last resort for those cornered.
Even if Leandro could handle himself, someone like Ermia might truly be in danger.
“I’ll be fine!”
But Ermia simply smiled brightly, completely unconcerned.
“And I’m Your Grace’s fiancée, after all. I should be by your side.”
“…!”
Dean flinched. Leandro, watching his reaction, chuckled inwardly.
He acted like he was concerned for her safety, but in truth, he didn’t like that Ermia was inserting herself into such an important affair.
Ermia had seen through his intentions and answered accordingly.
“Very well.”
“Yay!”
“Your Grace!”
“But as Dean said, it may be truly dangerous.”
“That’s okay.”
Ermia smiled, concealing a darker intent.
“Because there’s something I absolutely have to get from Preston.”
“…?”
Her words puzzled both Leandro and Dean.
Leandro quickly showed interest, while Dean remained displeased.
“Oh, and I’m sorry—but may I borrow Milton’s notebook for a bit?”
“May I ask why?”
“There’s one more thing I want to check.”
Ermia grinned.
“I’ll take a quick look and return it to you tomorrow!”
“As you wish.”
Leandro didn’t ask further. He simply handed her the notebook he’d been keeping.
Holding the notebook, Ermia looked pleased. The Grand Duke commented.
“You look like you’re holding a trophy.”
“A trophy?”
Ermia repeated his words a few times before nodding.
“Yes, it does feel like that. Oh, and Your Grace—”
As if she had remembered something else, she spoke up quickly.
“I’d like to hire a language tutor for Veloa. My vocabulary is still quite poor…”
“I’ll try to find a suitable candidate.”
“Can I help look as well?”
“As you wish.”
Just from that small approval, Ermia beamed with satisfaction.
“Then have a good night, Your Grace. And you too, Sir Dean.”
With that, as if her business truly was over, she closed the door and left.
“Your—”
“Dean.”
Before Dean could say more, he was cut off. Leandro turned his gaze toward him.
“I know you’re still suspicious of Miss Tekins. And I understand why.”
Golden eyes gleamed beneath black hair.
His warning tone was especially weighty.
“But don’t forget—Miss Tekins is my fiancée and is here in this house under that status.”
A reminder to respect boundaries.
Dean bowed his head.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
His voice returned to normal.
“Now then, Dean. How is Radney doing?”
“Ah…”
Dean’s expression darkened quickly.
“He’s doing much better, but…”
Uncharacteristically, he trailed off.
“Soon, I’ll send Anette to the Blake estate. If there are any herbs you need, feel free to take as much as you want.”
“Thank you.”
Dean bowed repeatedly and stepped out of the room.
His master was truly a good man.
“That woman…”
Dean bit his lip.
“She must have some kind of charm.”
Otherwise, how could she captivate his master so thoroughly in such a short time?
He had to uncover the truth about that woman.
Absolutely. No matter what.
“Ahh, right. I almost forgot about that.”
I barely held down the corners of my mouth from curving upward as I stared into the mirror.
“Before sending that bastard Preston to hell, I need to squeeze every penny out of him.”
Who was Preston?
A typical early-villain, a man who never acted his age, an arrogant fool.
And most of all, a man who fattened himself with decades of embezzled funds.
Basically, like a piggy bank filled to the brim for decades.
“I can’t just let something like that go.”
Of course, even if I left him alone, Grand Duke Leandro would retrieve a good portion.
He had the embezzlement ledger, and he knew the methods.
So recovering the money would be easy.
“But not all of it, right?”
No matter how careful he was, Preston had more than just one or two hidden stashes.
If we wanted to recover it all, I had to step in personally.
I smirked.
“Preston, I’ll turn your own methods against you.”
