Episode 12

Lucerne took her words casually.

“First. Give me the map to the secret passage.”

“Yes. Okay. But please take credit for this too. As far as I know, it's information that only I know.”

Lucerne nodded her head. And next time Elisha pricked up her ears, as if she didn't know what to ask for.

“Second.”

“Yes.”

Elisha resolutely nodded her head.

“Marry me, tonight.”

“…….”

Elisha's expression collapsed, she gave Lucerne a new joy.

“Yes……. I beg your pardon?”

“I need a bride.”

“Are you coming now?”

“Come now. Do you know me?”

“That is.”

Elisha pursed her lips. She lowered her head.

“If you are a count, you are a hereditary aristocrat. I need a hereditary noble wife. Besides, if she's a woman that makes me horny like you and she'll do anything, then she's perfect. Marry me and make me your son-in-law. That's what I want.”

“However…….”

Elisha had a puzzled expression.

“Why. Doesn't she hate marrying an illegitimate child?”

Lucerne asked without hesitation.

“That's not it, I know why you need a bride from hereditary nobility. But isn't it too much of a loss for you to marry just for that reason?”

“…… What?”

“Even if you paid only 1/10 of that, there would have been plenty of brides who would throw away their names as well as their families. It is worth paying the enormous price of 30,000 gold coins.”

Lucerne smiled.

“Seeing that you are already worried about me, I must have chosen well.”

“…….”

“Elisha, the reason you become my bride is the basis. The next need and interest is the 'information' you claim to have. The collateral is your body.”

“…….”

“If you prove necessary, you will act as my wife and receive appropriate rewards. It will be mainly money or things you want. It will take some time, but if you want, I will give you a divorce if the conditions and timing are right, by the way.”

“…….”

“If you cheat on me or you're Jacob's spy, you're going to see a terrible sight.”

Lucerne saw Elisha's hands tremble slightly.

“What if I disappoint you?”

“At that time, I will be able to handle the collateral as I please.”

The collateral was Elisha's body.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No way, how could I kill a woman like you?”

Lucerne's tone was sarcastic.

“Think more in terms of common sense. What will the bride and groom do when they get married?”

Elisha shut her mouth. Lucerne continued in a tone that was as sweet as it was sweet.

“If you were Jacob's spy, you would be locked up in my bedroom, crawling on all fours. You will live with your body, not your head.”

Elisha's eyes twitched. But she could see in her eyes that she was trying to stay calm.

“So, I hope it's not just Jacob's spy. You can do well Elisha.”

” …… Yes.”

She nodded her head with her calm eyes. She wouldn't have been calm if she knew how much pleasure those aloof eyes gave to Lucerne.

“Then I'll have to play with my collateral until you give me the information that you're valuable. I.”

Lucerne whispered. Elisha averted her eyes.

*​ *​ *​

“I can't forgive you for embarrassing me!”

Jacob jumped up and down. Carol was equally upset.

'What do I have to do with a bitch who does the laundry?'

Lucerne, who has been working hard for a long time, is possessed not by her, but by one of her maids.

Besides, Jacob had a look of resentment on the maid, as if he were his lover. Carola felt that she had been deprived of both men's attention and had been victimized.

“This really needs to be made big. Let's ask the head of the family.”

Jacob said. Carola nodded beside her.

“Poor you. Carol is so sad too! I will go with you and beg the head of the household.”

*​ *​ *​

Once upon a time, a maternal relative of the Cartier family said. In a few days in the Cartier family, all kinds of events that would happen in a year for the royal family of a small country happen.

The main dish for today's family breakfast was Jacob with an angry face.

“Is the head of the household coming to dinner today?”

“Yes, you're not feeling well, but……. He said he would come out anyway.”

“That's right, um. It should be!”

Jacob said arrogantly. Soon Jacob's cousin, Marco, came out to the restaurant. Arien, his wife, was not visible for some reason. Marco smiled cunningly and spoke to Jacob.

“Hey, I heard you. I heard you were hit by an illegitimate son last night?”

“This bastard……. It's just that the girl who was doing the laundry was taken away. I can't see him elated over something like that.”

“Anyway, he's crazy. Huh? What kind of family in the world has an illegitimate child running around like this.”

“I can't help it. Doesn't the head of the family look at him pretty now? Let's see…….”

Marco and Jacob exchanged glances.

Marco's father, Merha, was the only surviving son of the family head. However, he was a priest who took refuge in the temple. He was aiming for the position of the great pope, the pinnacle of power in the temple, so he could not aim for the position of the head of the temple.

It was the result of judging that he would not be able to overcome the greedy father of Jacob and the father of Lucerne, the youngest son of the family head who was called a genius. So Merha was hitting the ground.

He had never dreamed that Jacob and Lucerne's father would both die tragically. He said that if he stayed still, he would have missed the chance to become the family head, and he was giving Marco all his strength.

However, Jacob, the eldest son, and Marco, who inherited such a desire, had the same opinion on the Lucerne issue. Inferiority, fear, and the desire to subjugate Lucerne.

'When we become the head of household, we'll get rid of that illegitimate child first.'

*​ *​ *​

Eventually, when the householder arrived at the restaurant, Lucerne's seat was empty. The head of the family was a dignified old man. The stubborn corners of his mouth retained the dignity of a powerful man who once held everything in his greedy grasp.

“Luzerne is here.”

Said the butler. Soon the door burst open, and Lucerne walked slowly inside. Having already heard the news last night, the brow of the housekeeper frowned.

“What's your habit of being late for family dinner?”

“I'm late for work.”

Lucerne calmly sat down in the chair. The butler glanced at Jacob and Merha looking nervous.

The meal, as always, was gritty and quiet. The formal silence was soon broken. Because Jacob made a loud noise.

“Household, how long are you going to pretend not to know about the embarrassing things that happened in this family?”

“What do you mean?”

The family head's eyebrows twitched.

“Lucerne, he stole the woman I was protecting. And they say he scared a woman he didn't like. They say that a woman's moaning mixed with crying echoed through the mansion all night. Are you pretending not to know about it?”

Marco added cautiously.

“I'm not on anyone's side, but I think I went too far this time. There are rules in high-ranking aristocratic families, right?”

“A rule?”

Carola didn't miss her moment and blinked her eyes. Marco cleared his throat.

“Why……. Usually in aristocratic families, when an illegitimate son takes away the wealth of the family deficit……. Me really I can't bear to say it with my own mouth.”

Marco sighed softly. Jacob raised the pit.

“My lord! According to the law, Lucerne, who coveted mine, must be whipped and his arm cut off.”

A faint hint of annoyance appeared on the family head's face. There was not a day without incident in this house.

“Lucerne, is it true that you stole Jacob's?”

Lucerne held out his glass with an expressionless face. The servant hesitantly poured the dark red wine into the glass. He took a sip of wine.

“Yes.”

“What are you so brazen to admit? What the hell is on your mind?”

“I am really curious. What's the matter?”

“What?”

“I only embraced the woman in order to follow the instructions of the head of the household.”

Jacob and Marco looked like they had heard a strange noise.

“The head of the family has long instructed me to marry a woman with an appropriate title of nobility. Coincidentally, among the women that Jacob works as maids, there is a woman with the title of count, so they promised to marry him and made love last night. I'm impatient because I'm on the battlefield. Today's Jungin can also become tomorrow's corpse. We just had the first night under the agreement.”

“Are you going to get married?”

Even the head of the household trembled. Clink. Carola dropped her fork, unable to hide her hand behind her back.

“Then, if you slept with a woman of aristocratic status, of course you should take responsibility and get married. That is my education in this family, so how come no one thinks of such basic things?”

Jacob's face turned red.

“My lord. That guy makes some weird excuses. That woman is the girl I used to cherish!”

She said, “I heard that she is a woman who owes Jacob's future. She was brought in at fourteen to do her laundry and her hands were swollen. Does she have a man who makes such a labor for a woman dear to her? You learned that from your grandfather, didn't you?”

Lucerne spoke softly and continued eating. Jacob's face turned red and blue. He didn't even think of lifting a fork,

“Don't play with words! It's true that you stole women!”

“Lucerne, if you want a woman, you should have negotiated with Jacob. You are playing with words to cover up your sins.”

The family head said something that made sense.

“Besides, there must be some women I arranged for. After insulting the women and sending them away, you suddenly did this. Are you making fun of this family?”

Gazoo banged her table. At that momentum, everyone around the table looked numb.

“The women my grandfather sent were not up to par.”

“What? Are those women lacking?”

“No, they have a very high status and are precious.”

“…….”

“I give me the status of a nobleman, and I can turn him into a ghost whenever I don't need it. I want a woman who is just that precious. She is one of the most desperate women I have ever seen. Besides, Jacob didn't treat the count with respect. If other people's trash is my jewel, why wouldn't I want it?”

“Ha, this guy…….”

Ga-joo had an expression full of spirit.

“Besides, isn't it good for Jacob, too?”

Lucerne said lightly, tossing her cherry and putting her down.

“She said she was about to be sold to her brothel. She thought there was no way to pay off the debt of 30,000 gold coins by selling a woman, so Jacob would benefit if I paid the debt instead. I acted too hastily because I thought of Jacob.”

“This, this child…….”

The shamelessness made Jacob faint. Hearing Lucerne's words, the patriarch wriggled his eyebrows.

“Lucerne, you are really arrogant. By the way…….”

The housekeeper slowly turned her head and looked straight at Jacob.

“What do you mean by debt of 30,000 gold coins? How can a woman pay such a large sum of money in debt?”