Chapter 128

Although there was no other reaction, that alone was enough to confirm Nils was awake.

Iona was at least satisfied that he was listening intently to her story.

Iona continued in a dry voice, “In situations like this, suicide can usually be interpreted in two ways: either as an attempt to prove one’s innocence or out of fear of facing the crimes committed.”

“......”

“You might wish the count’s death to appear as the former, but unfortunately, that’s a less likely scenario. The royal family would not want him to be seen as a martyr.”

Hayden left no will.

This was because his death was not a suicide but a murder, and thus, he was denied even an honorable passage in his final moments.

Since the dead cannot speak, people will speculate greatly about his choice.

And the public is usually more interested in sordid scandals than in the unjust stories of others.

With just a little effort from the royal family, Hayden’s reputation could be irreparably damaged.

“Even if the count is dead, the suspicion has not been lifted, so the investigation will resume soon. Nils, if you refuse to speak up, the situation will only worsen. Insisting on the count’s innocence is tantamount to blaming everything on the royal family. They will feel resentful towards you for trying to shift the blame onto them.”

“......”

“Besides, Nils, you’re not even truly innocent.”

Nils had no excuses left for squandering the family fortune and dragging things to this state.

Nils had made a fatal mistake, and he paid the price along with his father.

A normal person would typically feel guilty.

What Iona truly expected from Nils was his capacity for lowliness that matched his caliber.

She said without fluctuation in her tone, “If you don’t want to rot in prison for the rest of your life, go and say everything was ordered by the count. That you were only following your father’s wishes, not acting on your own volition. That might earn you some leniency.”

It was a monotone voice that oddly did not match the vile temptation.

Iona was advising Nils to abandon his father and trample over his life to carve out a future for himself.

Faced with an offer he couldn’t simply dismiss, Nils finally forced his heavy body to rise.

Nils, glaring fiercely at Iona, spat out an insult as if chewing it.

“Worse than a bitch.”

“......”

“My father made a huge mistake. It’s tragic that he kept someone like you, who repays kindness with enmity, close to him all this time, instead of never taking you in in the first place.”

“Kindness?”

Iona repeated the word as if it amused her.

Hayden had never once given her anything that could be called kindness.

Iona wondered if exploiting a life in exchange for raising a child could also be considered mercy.

Otherwise, she couldn’t understand why Nils treated her as a traitor.

“Well, I’m quite precise with calculations. If you’re not satisfied with what I’ve contributed, maybe you should start by looking at yourself.”

“Shut up! Coming here right after my father’s death to spout such blackmail, you should be ashamed!”

“Where exactly did I speak falsely?”

“Is this how it’s going to be... You think I’m a fool for letting you get away with this? You think I don’t know your filthy motives?”

Nils kicked away his chair and stood up.

He strode closer and wagged his finger threateningly right in front of Iona’s nose.

His bloodshot eyes were close enough to peer directly into hers.

“Blaming everything on my father, huh? Then I’ll be released. And as the eldest son, I’ll have to take responsibility and step back from all my duties!”

Iona almost burst out laughing.

To think he still believed he would inherit the Modrov family after all that had happened.

It was an incredible confidence.

Iona stated coldly, “Nils, you can never become the head of the family.”

“You insolent wench...”

Nils bit his lip and raised his hand high.

His habit of acting impulsively without thinking of the consequences remained unchanged.

Probably, his consistent refusal to testify in the newspapers was not so much a strategy he had thought up as it was following directives from Hayden.

Before Nils could strike her face, Iona lifted her leg and kicked him in the thigh.

Caught off guard, Nils lost his balance and staggered.

Iona then stood up and swung her fist at Nils.

Nils groaned loudly and fell to the ground after being hit squarely on the temple.

As he struggled to get up, Iona stepped on him with her shoe and warned him.

“Stay down.”

Nils reflexively halted his movement.

He gritted his teeth as if outraged by the fact, yet he couldn’t muster any meaningful defiance.

There were no others in the room besides them.

This allowed Nils the freedom to swing his arms at Iona as he pleased, but his martial prowess was nowhere near a level that could challenge her.

If the two were to clash, it was Nils, not Iona, who would need restraining.

“If you have complaints, let’s hear them, Nils. What exactly can you do in this situation?”

Nils had no answer.

It seemed he had yet to find a way out of this crisis.

‘As if Nils could solve what Hayden couldn’t.’

With Iona’s maneuvering, Nils could now never become the head of the family.

Yet, Iona’s attempt to persuade Nils was aimed at making the matter easier to handle.

If Nils stubbornly refused to admit his wrongdoing, the succession of the title would be indefinitely postponed.

“Do you want to end up dying a dog’s death like your father, clinging to the hopeless hope that you can become the head?”

Iona’s mocking made Nils’s face contort.

With a trembling voice, Nils said, “You... It was your doing.”

Looking at the whole situation, his accusation wasn’t entirely off base.

Iona did not respond but merely raised her eyebrows slightly.

Perhaps that ambiguous attitude turned speculation into conviction.

Nils’ anger, previously aimless, seemed to find a familiar target and poured out towards Iona.

“It’s impossible that my father died so vainly. You must have orchestrated it with your accomplices. How else could my father have hung himself overnight!”

“Talk sense. Do you think the royal knights are such an undisciplined lot?”

Nils struggled to rise in response to Iona’s cold retort, ready to resume the fight right then and there if he could.

Iona pressed down with her legs, pushing Nils back to the floor.

Nils, unable to escape her hold, cursed in frustration.

“Do you have any idea how your superior has been treating us? Fuck, you expect me to believe that?”

It then occurred to her that Nils was overly pained by merely being pressed against his chest.

It seemed Saskia had taken her request more seriously than expected.

She was somewhat curious about the wounds that might remain on his body but not to the extent of bothering to undress him.

Instead, Iona shifted her foot’s direction and stomped down on Nils’s solar plexus.

“Argh!”

“Watch your language, Nils. The commander is not your friend.”

“You, you crazy... Damn bitch...”

Nils, clutching his abdomen, glared at Iona with eyes flickering weakly.

Struggling to breathe from the impact of the blow, he gasped for air with labored breaths.

Iona watched him for a moment before bending her knees and lowering her body.

Merely squatting in front of him, the mere proximity of Iona caused Nils to flinch noticeably.

It seemed he instinctively feared another physical rebuke.

In a voice that became noticeably softer, as if to soothe Nils, Iona said, “Come on, try to be honest for once.”

“What, what are you... Hah, huff...”

“You’re just scared, aren’t you? Scared because the protective shield around you is gone. But why act as if you’re so concerned about the count’s honor?”

His father, who never acknowledged him,

His father, who let his mother die in agony,

His father, who threatened and tamed him by introducing a bastard into the lineage, posing a threat to him as the legitimate son...

These were the emotions that surfaced when Nils thought of his father.

Nils hated his father. That was an unchanging truth.

Yet, he had spent his life yearning for his father’s approval and feeling a sense of relief under his protection.

Even as Hayden lorded over Nils, solving his dilemmas, Nils, despite being trampled by Hayden, longed for his father’s protection.

But Hayden was now dead.

Nils could no longer seek help from Hayden, and gratitude always faded sooner than resentment.

Iona, as if awakening the real feelings deep within Nils’s heart, gently prodded, “Nils, you actually hated your father, didn’t you?”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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