Chapter 118

 

Hayden, who had been blankly watching the scene, snapped back to reality and scowled fiercely.

 

It was utterly rude, not only to suddenly break into on private property but also to pick a fight by mentioning family. It was an insolence that couldn’t just be overlooked.

 

Hayden’s neck veins bulged as he demanded an explanation from Saskia.

 

“Saskia-nim, what is this impudence? What urgent matter brings you here to behave so indecently? Let’s hear it then!”

 

Saskia turned her gaze towards Nils, eyeing him coldly.

 

Feeling her icy stare, Nils instinctively flinched and stepped back.

 

While Hayden might have been oblivious, Nils, as the one who had caused the trouble, could easily guess.

 

He knew that the reason the royal knights had come to the count’s residence was because of him.

 

“Since it appears you’ve received no explanation from your son, allow me to clarify the situation.”

 

Saskia shrugged lightly and signaled to one of her subordinates standing beside her.

 

“Sir Hardy, do you have the invoice?”

 

“Yes, right here.”

 

The subordinate knight confidently pulled an envelope from his breast pocket and approached Hayden with it.

 

Hayden reluctantly accepted it, his expression betraying his unease at the appearance of the mysterious document.

 

“This is the compensation claimed for the breach of the tribute contract previously agreed upon between the royal family and the count’s family. It’s calculated based on the estimated reserves to be mined from the Siam mines in the future, converted to market value according to the contract rate.”

 

Saskia explained in a more official tone than when she first appeared.

 

Hayden opened the envelope in his hand as if he were fascinated.

 

He could barely comprehend half of what Saskia had said, but to grasp the situation, he had no choice but to check the documents they provided.

 

With trembling hands, Hayden traced the lines of text on the document, reading it through.

 

And when he saw the amount stated at the end, he nearly fainted on the spot. The sum was so vast that even selling the entire count’s family estate wouldn’t cover it.

 

Hayden mumbled incoherently, his face a picture of confusion.

 

“A breach of contract, compensation... what is all this...?”

 

Hayden was aware of the existence and history of the Siam mines, but he had no clue about recent developments.

 

He hadn’t heard the news that the Siam mines had resumed mining, nor was he aware that his son had long sold the land to someone else, as he had been wandering the provinces.

 

Yet, in this moment, Hayden was certain of one thing: his son had finally caused a disaster beyond their means to resolve.

 

Desperate, Hayden turned to Nils with a pleading look.

 

“Nils, what in the world has happened? Is this your doing? Can you explain what all this means?”

 

“Father, I can handle this. Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

 

Nils hurriedly tried to reassure his father.

 

However, the uncertainty on his own face made his assurances unconvincing.

 

Moreover, Nils didn’t attempt to clarify the situation as a misunderstanding but kept insisting he could resolve it, suggesting the crisis they faced was not due to a simple error.

 

Hayden glanced at the documents again with a look of despair.

 

He groaned, “Even if there were issues, how can they demand such an absurd amount...?”

 

Hayden wanted to scream for this nonsensical joke to stop.

 

But the documents Saskia presented clearly bore the royal seal, lending an undeniable reality to the situation.

 

Hayden didn’t even dare to wipe the sweat dripping down his forehead.

 

‘Of course, claims for damages tend to be inflated, but with such a huge amount, even if we managed to reduce the compensation in a real lawsuit...’

 

Hayden’s face drained of all color.

 

Unless the lawsuit was completely invalidated, the Modrov family’s bankruptcy seemed inevitable.

 

Facing a lawsuit against the royal family, finding someone to help, as in other situations, was out of the question.

 

Hayden cried out in denial of this desperate situation.

 

“There must be some mistake! Everyone, stand aside; I must speak to Her Majesty the Empress myself!”

 

“Since we’ve been dispatched with the royal approval, let’s go together to clarify the details.”

 

Saskia said, signaling to her men.

 

As Hayden tried to push through the ranks of soldiers, he was unceremoniously detained by them.

 

In that moment, as Nils was flustered trying to free his father from the knights, an unmistakable sound of footsteps came from the stairs.

 

Nils, who reflexively turned around, immediately brightened up upon seeing the newcomer.

 

“Iona!”

 

Nils looked up at Iona with a desperate expression, as if she was their savior.

 

Hayden felt the same way.

 

Recalling that those holding him were Iona’s associates, he called out to his daughter in desperation.

 

“Iona! Come here and talk some sense into these people! Yes, send a message to His Highness the Crown Prince right away and find out what all this is about!”

 

Iona didn’t respond.

 

Instead, she descended the stairs slowly with an expressionless face.

 

Her indifferent reaction made Nils and Hayden extremely anxious.

 

They focused their gaze on Iona, waiting for her to say something, anything.

 

Hayden urged her in a half-pleading, hoarse voice.

 

“Iona...?”

 

Stepping forward in front of Hayden, Saskia spoke.

 

“We’ve been ordered to ensure that Yvonne doesn’t escape as well. The royal knights will be stationed outside her room, is that alright?”

 

“Then we’ll need a place for them to rest and eat. Should we move Yvonne to the annex so she can stay comfortably?”

 

“That would be helpful, though they will be rotating in shifts.”

 

Saskia nodded in agreement, her demeanor much more amiable than the forceful attitude she had shown towards Nils and Hayden.

 

It was then that Nils seemed to realize something.

 

He looked at Iona with a face full of betrayal and shouted.

 

“You, you deceived me!”

 

Betrayal.

 

Iona thought it was a feeling he had no right to harbor towards her.

 

Iona smirked and asked.

 

“What?”

 

“You promised me, said you’d talk to the Duke! You assured me you’d handle everything as if it was certain, and now you’re pretending you don’t know?”

 

“Ah... you did ask me to help you get back the land you lost in a gambling bet, didn’t you?”

 

Iona spoke as if trying to recall a vague memory.

 

At this, a soft laughter broke out among the knights, none of them having anticipated that this whole debacle was due to a gambling bet.

 

Saskia sent a warning look their way, and while the noise died down, the unsettled atmosphere couldn’t be fully calmed.

 

Nils’ face flushed red with the pouring mockery.

 

Iona, observing his shameful state, asked pointedly.

 

“But why should I have honored that request?”

 

“You promised! I...”

 

Nils started to recall their conversation but hesitated to speak further.

 

He couldn’t bear to reveal in front of everyone that he had once begged Iona for mercy, even going so far as to kneel.

 

As if anticipating such a reaction from Nils, Iona smiled thinly.

 

“A promise, you say? I have no recollection of that.”

 

“...”

 

“Do you have any proof?”

 

As soon as Iona retorted, Nils froze solid.

 

With shaky eyes, he suddenly lunged forward as if he intended to throw a punch at Iona.

 

Saskia’s eyes gleamed as she shouted.

 

“Take him down!”

 

Nils’ desperate struggle was buried in vain.

 

Before he could even reach Iona, the knights restrained him and forced him to kneel.

 

Struggling pitifully, Nils screamed.

 

“Let me go, release me! It’s not us but her who should be thrown in jail! She’s the one who concocted a vile scheme to ruin our family!”

 

Naturally, no one took Nils’ baseless accusations seriously.

 

Even Hayden turned away from the disgraceful sight of his son, lost for words.

 

Iona stepped forward slowly, approaching Nils.

 

Instead of offering the courtesy of meeting his gaze, she looked down at him with a dry eye, which made Nils flinch and shut his mouth under her intimidating presence.

 

“Nils, I still don’t quite understand what made you think you could expect such mercy from me... But, I think I get the gist of it.”

 

“...”

 

“You either didn’t understand the gravity of your actions, or you thought I wouldn’t dare touch you.”

 

Iona spoke with an impassive face. Looking down at Nils kneeling before her, Iona felt neither a sense of victory nor satisfaction.

 

This was merely the inevitable outcome.

 

“You were wrong on both accounts. Just as much as you wanted me dead, I wanted you gone. The only difference between you and me is that you failed, and I succeeded.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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