Chapter 63

She didn't fully trust the story that Fin had been told by her aide. It was because it was impossible to verify the authenticity of each one.

Even if it was true, his crimes were too heavy to be sympathetic for pity's sake.

There were many things in the world that couldn't be solved simply by saying it couldn't be helped, and Fin was not exceptional enough to be an exception for Iona.

"A rat bastard that devoured the family's assets dares to attempt a transaction with the evidence?"

Iona threatened in a terrifying voice.

It was an attempt to frighten and make him speak up, but Fin's attitude was consistently firm.

No, rather, he seemed to be completely engrossed in only one thought, without the capacity to care about anything else.

In the first place, the reason Iona had personally intervened and cornered him was because he kept repeating only one claim.

"Regardless of what you think, it doesn't matter. Find my father. I will speak after that."

"I could just kill you right here."

"But it would be much simpler to listen to my request."

Everything went exactly as he had said.

The decision to speak only after finding his father, and Iona's flattery that it would make the task much simpler.

Fin remained silent to the end, and Iona's subordinates failed to find the hidden ledgers.

In the end, Iona judged that she couldn't waste any more time and ordered her men to inquire about Fin's father. She had to resolve the territorial issue and return to her lord.

There were no loyal followers who would devote themselves to a fugitive.

Iona was able to find Fin's father shortly thereafter.

No, whether she could say that she found him or not was uncertain.

***

Iona closed her eyes for a moment and spoke.'

“Fin, your father is already dead.”

As Iona finished speaking, Fin abruptly stood up with a pale, horrified face. It was the first dramatic reaction he had shown since sitting in this place.

"No matter how important it is to uncover the truth... how can you say such a thing!"

"Do you think I'm lying?"

Iona could read Fin's thoughts without bothering to hear an answer.

He wanted to believe so desperately.

“Didn't the baron move him to another region when your father became seriously ill about three years ago? With the excuse of treatment.”

Iona said, searching for distant memories.

At that, Fin was visibly flustered.

"That may be true... but... I have seen my father even after that. I saw him alive with my own eyes!"

"Your father couldn't last another year and died."

"That's impossible. I consistently received letters, even just recently...!"

"Handwriting can easily be forged. Do you remember when was the last time you met with your father?"

The exact date was hazy. But one thing was certain, it was earlier than the time Iona mentioned.

Since then, Robert has not allowed Fin to leave the estate any longer, using the excuse that he was busy with work.

Because he could only meet his father under his supervision, Fin had to be content with occasional letters.

“I can't believe it.”

Fin gritted his teeth. It seemed that he could not bear to accept his father's death.

Iona didn't say anything and just stared at the desk. She was there to give him time to accept the reality.

Did he also realize that fact?

Fin's eyes, which were glaring at Iona, gradually relaxed.

Fin groaned and murmured, finally biting his lip to shut his mouth.

Soon, his expression completely crumbled.

With a trembling jaw, he managed to speak.

“…Is that true?"

"If I had thought of deceiving you, I would have allowed you to meet your father."

"But then, why didn't you...?"

"I didn't want to deceive you like Baron Franz did."

Fin sat helplessly in his seat.

He raised his hand and covered his eyes. But he couldn't stop the tears from flowing from top to bottom.

Moisture seeped through his dry fingers.

As if unable to suppress his emotions, he blurted out suddenly.

“Every day I thought I wanted to die.”

“…”

“I guess I can do it now…”

His voice withered away, like a squeezed-out sponge, as it reached its end.

He had cried like this before as well.

Hiding his eyes and cowering like someone committing a shameful act, he endured the overwhelming sadness that rushed over him without uttering a single sob.

Only after witnessing that sight did Iona realize that he was someone who could endure such sacrifices for his father.

Iona asked quietly.

“Are you planning on getting revenge?”

"...Revenge?"

"Or perhaps, atonement."

Fin looked at Iona with misty eyes.

If it was revenge, was it a promise to give him a chance to repay what he had suffered from the baron?

If it was atonement, was it a statement that he could cleanse the sins he had committed until now?

Neither of them felt real.

Fin was well aware of the weight of his actions. It was because what he had seen today was the result of his own mistakes.

As if reading his inner thoughts, Iona asked.

“Have you seen the faces of the serfs captured today?”

“…”

"I asked if you saw the pitiful state of the territory's people who have suffered due to the consequences of your actions."

Fin nodded slowly.

Until now, Fin had hardly left the lord's mansion. He spent his days buried in documents from early morning until the next dawn, consumed by his administrative duties.

Robert had entrusted Fin with not only dirty tasks such as maintaining double ledgers but also all the various responsibilities assigned to the acting lord.

He became accustomed to his wrongdoing.

At first, he must have been tormented by the thought of being involved in crimes, but as time passed, he only thought about completing his work quickly.

People appeared as mere numbers when he stared at them.

Fin intentionally turned a blind eye to the fate that awaited the peasants he had signed off on in the documents. That was the only way he could survive.

Fin opened his mouth after a long silence.

"If you need a testimony, I'll provide it. I'll hand over all the evidence I've kept."

Now that he had learned of his father's death, Fin had nothing left to protect. Further denial was futile.

No, in fact, he wondered if he had been rebelling meaninglessly from the beginning.

The woman who had been able to clearly see the situation within the Modrov domain even from a distance.

She had called him not to investigate the baron crimes or anything like that, but merely because she needed evidence to make her work easier.

Unlike him, who had held onto all the evidence and continued to suffer, he felt that she would be capable of setting everything right.

It was the only thing he looked forward to in the future he would see.

“I haven’t promised you pardon yet.”

"I don't want that. Please punish me like everyone else."

“After serving your sentence, how do you plan to live?”

“Is there anything like serving my sentence? I dared to deceive and betray the owner of this land, so I must repent by dying.”

By speaking of death, Fin was able to calm his restless mind.

It was the first time his troubled thoughts had become clear.

However, Iona didn't admire his solemn determination but instead ridiculed him without hesitation.

"Do you know why the world is filled with shameless people?"

"...."

"It's because they never feel remorse for their mistakes. They have no guilt, so they don't think they should lose anything in return. They confidently lift their heads as if nothing happened and shamelessly continue to live. Only people like you are broken and crushed, becoming the scapegoats."

Upon learning of his father's death, Fin had cooperated with Iona even in his previous life. And now, he wanted to pay the price and die.

Despite the fact that it was Franz, the Baron who caused all of this, who knew nothing of responsibility and fled.

"You know what? If you get caught, the charges will be embezzlement and forgery of official documents. The plight of the poor territory's people who were sacrificed because of the baron won't be mentioned at all. The count I know will only continue to exploit after finding the baron's secret funds because it's profitable."