Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 63

Lea endured much anguish and worry before meeting Teresa. It was also true that she was terrified. However, she could not simply avoid her forever. For the sake of her business, her relationship with the Emperor was crucial. Above all, a creeping sense of pity for Teresa began to bloom deep within her heart.

‘Lea Hamilton, are you being meddelsome again?’

It would be one thing if it were mere meddling, but the opponent was the Emperor of Galdensia. Getting on her bad side would only disadvantage Lea. Therefore, she had to make a major decision in a very short amount of time.

“Leave, unless you want to die.”

Teresa spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.

‘To think she sought me out of her own accord, only to stand there blinking like a frightened rabbit. Does she want to offer a tearful apology? If so, the best thing is to get her out of here quickly.’

“Your Majesty, I still believe I have done nothing wrong,” Lea said, summoning her courage. “I only intended to pick up the fallen veil and return it to you. That is not a crime worthy of having one’s tongue cut out.”

“So, have you come to rebuke me? Did you want to argue because I am a twisted and prickly person?”

“No. Every human has secrets they cannot speak of, wounds they do not want to reveal, or weaknesses that explode like a detonator if touched.”

At Lea’s words, Teresa set her glass down on the table. she let out a hollow laugh and stared at Lea with her arms crossed.

“You’ve lost your sense of fear. Are you acting this arrogantly because you trust in your fiancé?”

“This has nothing to do with my fiancé. I came to Your Majesty of my own will. Even a great Emperor should offer an apology when one is due.”

“Haha! An apology? You truly wish for death!”

Teresa strode toward Lea and grabbed her neck with a violent grip.

“Ugh…!”

“Sometimes, immature fledglings run wild. In the end, they always end up whimpering for their lives.”

Teresa’s hand tightened around Lea’s throat. Lea’s face turned red from the lack of air, and the veins on her forehead stood out, yet she did not beg for her life. Even as her vision blurred and her consciousness grew hazy, she endured.

Thud! As Teresa loosened her grip, Lea collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

“Tell me the real reason you sought me out. If you play word games with me, I will truly kill you.”

“Cough, cough… No one… stakes their life on word games.”

Teresa stared intently at Lea, who managed to say what she needed to even in this state. Lea looked fragile enough that she wouldn’t be able to catch a single fly, but where did this backbone come from? Looking at the riding habits she made for Vivian, it was clear she was no fool.

“First, please apologize to me.”

“Should I have just killed you instead? No, you have another reason for coming to me. Is that not so?”

“It is.”

“Then, convince me. That is the only way you will leave this room alive.”

Finally, Lea held the chance to gain Emperor Teresa’s trust. A single opportunity with her life on the line. From this moment on, she had to be careful with every word.

“I know you came because you are worried as the owner of the Hamilton general stores across Galdensia. Unless you are a birdbrain, you know there is nothing to gain from being at odds with me.”

“You are correct. Perhaps that is the biggest reason I sought Your Majesty out. But that is not all.”

Lea no longer trembled. Instead, she stared directly into Teresa’s eyes, which were hidden behind the veil.

“Your Majesty, why do you not try?”

“What…? Ha!”

Teresa let out a short, scoffing laugh. She could not hide her absurdity at Lea’s bold statement. To ask, out of nowhere, why she isn’t trying?

“You haven’t done your best to fix your face, have you?”

“Shut up! What do you know?”

“I know. You may not believe me, but I also live with a pain that is difficult to heal. However, I am trying to overcome it.”

“Hmm. Get to the point.”

Teresa had already humored Lea’s childish remarks enough.

“I will find a way.”

“What way?”

“It is impossible to erase the scars on Your Majesty’s face. However, I will find a way to cover them perfectly.”

Teresa looked at Lea in silence for a while before bursting into a loud laugh. To say she would find a way; Teresa had tried everything for ten years since suffering from smallpox. She found it pathetic that Lea was so confident about a problem that seemed so simple to her. Teresa had given up because current medicine and cosmetics had reached their limits.

“I want to progress. Rather than being complacent, I want to constantly try new things.”

“So, I am to be the subject of your experiment?”

“Yes.”

“Do you even realize what your statement implies?”

“Of course. If I cannot find a way for Your Majesty to remove that veil, I will gladly offer my life.”

Ha! Where did such spirit come from? Teresa filled her glass with whiskey, pulled her veil back slightly, and drank it in one gulp. Lea sensed it: Teresa was considering the proposal.

“I will apologize.”

“!?”

“Only if you solve my problem.”

“Thank… thank you, Your Majesty.”

“There is no need for thanks. We shall see whether I offer an apology or whether your head rolls.”

Teresa pointed to the seat across from her.

“Let us begin the negotiation.”

Lea did not hesitate to sit across from her.

Terran waited anxiously for Lea to come out. Quite some time had passed since she went in to meet Teresa, but there was no sign of her.

“Duke, do not worry. My mother won’t eat the Young Lady alive,” Salame said mockingly to Terran.

“Sir Roberto, the world is not that simple.”

Terran did not like the way Salame acted so arrogantly just because he was of the Imperial family.

“Do you think it is impossible for me to win the Young Lady’s heart?”

“Grace likes me.”

“There are many kinds of love. One can love several people at the same time.”

‘What a fledgling who has never known failure.’ This boy probably thought that human emotions could be moved as easily as a leaf floating on water.

“Well, humans only grow once they experience failure and frustration.”

Terran shrugged his shoulders at Salame’s words, wearing an indifferent expression. Salame glared fiercely at Terran, his face stiffening. Terran simply found the reckless Salame pathetic. There were clearly impossible things in this world, and the way the boy acted so high and mighty because of his blood was laughable. To be the only one ignoring the fact that there are no eternal secrets in this world.

“Is a bastard who covets another man’s woman sane? Can you love multiple people when one side is overwhelmingly superior? Of course, the superior one is me, not you, Sir.”

Salame’s expression hardened at Terran’s sharp words. Just then, Allen was seen approaching from the opposite side, conversing with another guest.

‘There’s another bastard who covets another man’s woman.’

Salame soon left, and Terran was unintentionally forced to face Allen. Given the setting, there was no need to growl and fight. Terran intended to pretend he didn’t know that Allen was bribing the servants of the ducal mansion to gather information like a rat stealing cheese.

Allen was deep in conversation with the Galdensian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“President McDowell, you must invest in the Bertan railway project in the Eastern Continent. The human resources are abundant and the Imperial wealth is extraordinary; you can earn more than twenty times the profit.”

“Is Bertan not the largest nation in the Eastern Continent?”

“It is truly the goose that lays the golden eggs. Even the chamber pots used by their Imperial family sell for astronomical prices here.”

“I heard several empires are competing fiercely for it.”

“I will help you. I am on very close terms with the Bertan Imperial family.”

While the two men were heatedly discussing business, Terran waited for Allen to approach without moving out of the way. Finally, they were close enough to recognize each other.

“Duke Courtois, it is a pleasure.”

Allen offered his hand first with a bright voice. However, Terran only looked Allen up and down and gave a bitter smile without responding. Formal greetings were exchanged as the Minister introduced Terran to Allen.

“President McDowell, I received the flowers you sent.”

“Is that so?”

Allen was just about to lower his hand, feeling embarrassed that his handshake had been rejected.

“I wonder if they were to Lady Vizak’s liking.”

“She liked them very much.”

“I am glad.”

Allen replied with a smile, but he didn’t quite believe Terran’s words.

“I made a flower path on the lobby floor. As a way to bless the future of Grace and myself, I trampled over them.”

‘Trampled?’

Allen was flustered but tried to remain composed.

“Perhaps because they were expensive flowers, they were crushed very well under my boots. Out of respect for President McDowell’s sincerity, I stepped on them very hard, over and over.”

Terran smiled with his mouth, but his eyes were murderous. They exchanged sharp, tense remarks. Soon, Allen’s lips were pressed into a thin line, trembling slightly.

‘Next time, I will be the one crushing the life out of you.’

As expected, he and Terran were ill-fated. He realized once again that there were people in this world who simply could not coexist. He had to ruin Terran as soon as possible…!

‘Once Rivette becomes the Crown Princess, the Hamilton general store will be the first thing I destroy.’

Even with all that acting, Terran was an incompetent man who didn’t even know who was behind the sabotage of the riding habits.

‘You should always watch your step, you arrogant bastard.’

On the other hand, Terran noticed the dark, insidious plot Allen was brewing internally just by looking at his expression.

‘You aren’t under the delusion that I don’t know what you did, are you?’

If so, it wouldn’t be a satisfying fight.

‘Just wait. I’m going to land an even bigger blow on you.’

Terran intended to enjoy the upcoming battle with Allen.

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