IPBD CHAPTER 11
by Scarlet“Were you upset?”
“A little?”
“But still, wrong is wrong. That day, I—ugh. Anyway, I was worried.”
“I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you before I go.”
“What? So you’re saying there will be a next time?”
Emilina lowered her head to meet Kir’s gaze.
Kir, flustered, looked around nervously and tried to explain.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant. I just meant that if something like that happens again, I’ll make sure to tell you…”
So please, don’t be too mad. Kir mumbled like a child seeking affection.
Then, he buried his face in Emilina’s embrace.
With an exasperated look, Emilina brushed her fingers through his dark hair.
Feeling the gentle touch, Kir thought to himself—
He didn’t want to share this kindness with anyone else.
He wanted to hold on to this ticklish feeling in his chest just a little longer.
***
Two years had passed since the death of Duke Ditrio. His heir, Kirzen Ditrio, had gone missing.
The ducal household was in a state of emergency, and some vassal families had dispatched people to search for the young duke—no, now the rightful duke, Kirzen.
Viscount Kubad Haire was one of them.
But after three months of searching with no news, he had nearly given up.
That is, until today—when a certain visitor came to see him.
“Is that… really true?”
“Yes. Exactly as you heard.”
Kubad looked at the man sitting across from him, visibly shaken.
Heinkel Marcus. He was the knight commander of the Ditrio Ducal House.
Considering Heinkel’s usual conduct, he didn’t seem like someone who would lie.
“But why would Count Monteiro…?”
“Since when do people need a reason to kill? They do it simply because they want to.”
Heinkel sneered, his tone dripping with disdain.
Kubad was dumbfounded.
This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
Assassination. The word left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. He wiped his face, troubled.
‘Could he already be dead?’
It wasn’t a thought he hadn’t considered. Three months was by no means a short time.
And with not a single clue about his whereabouts, the only thing left was a vague suspicion.
But for Count Monteiro to be involved—that was beyond his imagination.
Kubad was taken aback by the unexpected revelation.
“How do you… know that, Sir?”
“Are you doubting me?”
“I’m asking to make a careful judgment.”
Kubad responded with a slight furrow of his brow.
Heinkel let out a short laugh through his nose before replying.
“Well, fine. First, let me make one thing clear—I’m on no one’s side.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The young duke, Count Monteiro… I don’t like either of them.”
“…What?”
Kubad gave him a puzzled look.
If that was the case, then why had he come all this way?
Seeing Kubad’s discomfort, Heinkel continued speaking.
“But if I absolutely had to choose, I’d pick the young duke… since he’s still alive.”
Heinkel mumbled the last part as if biting down on his words.
Kubad didn’t fully understand what he meant, but at least he could tell that Heinkel wasn’t working for the count.
“Now, answer my question.”
“I found the duke not long ago.”
“!”
Kubad shot up from his seat, his eyes wide.
He urged Heinkel in a desperate voice.
“He’s alive? No, more importantly—where is he? Where?”
But Heinkel didn’t give him the answer he wanted.
Instead, he smirked and played coy.
“Who knows?”
“Sir Marcus!”
“Lower your voice. I don’t know what that reckless duke is thinking, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of returning just yet.”
“What do you mean…?”
Kubad sank back into his seat, his face clouded with unease.
Heinkel spoke in a detached tone.
“Do you know why I’m so certain the count is behind this?”
Despite his indifferent manner, his gaze was sharp—almost threatening.
“I caught one of the count’s lackeys sneaking around the mansion like a rat.”
“And what proof do you have that they belong to the count?”
“If you’re going to start demanding evidence, then I won’t bother saying anything more.”
Heinkel’s voice was nearly a threat.
Kubad had no choice but to hold his tongue.
“The butler saw him several times—leaving the count’s office.”
“He could have been a guest visiting on official business.”
“Would there be guests the head butler, who oversees all external visitors, wouldn’t know about?”
“……”
“Try to keep up.”
Heinkel clicked his tongue, as if dealing with a fool.
Kubad responded, irritated.
“Are you here just to pick a fight with me?”
“Of course not. Anyway, since he seemed suspicious, I had him followed for a few days—and I found something quite amusing.”
Heinkel grinned, baring his teeth.
Kubad knew that smile wasn’t one of amusement.
“He was an assassin. And as you might expect, his target was the young duke.”
Heinkel laced his fingers together.
“Want to hear something even more interesting?”
“…What is it?”
Kubad asked, trying to suppress his unease.
“The duke you and the other vassals have been searching for so desperately? Funny enough, that man knew his whereabouts a whole month ago.”
He was weak to pain, so he spilled everything easily.
Even information he didn’t need to reveal.
“Do you see now? Why I’m telling you this?”
There was a sneer in Heinkel’s tone, and Kubad felt a headache coming on.
He understood what Heinkel was getting at.
Even if they had caught a witness, proving that Count Monteiro was the mastermind would be difficult.
The count could simply cut off the loose ends and escape.
This was a warning—to keep the count in check so he couldn’t freely manipulate the ducal house.
That much could be handled by bringing it up in a council meeting.
The real issue was the duke’s safety.
“If what you’re saying is true, isn’t the duke still in danger? We should bring him back and protect him—”
But Heinkel cut him off firmly.
“What’s the point of dragging him back if he doesn’t want to come? Leave him be. He’ll realize the truth soon enough.”
His words were filled with ambiguity. Kubad pressed him for clarification.
But Heinkel simply stood up, as if his business was done.
Then, with a brief nod, he took his leave.
Kubad hurriedly tried to stop him, but Heinkel left the drawing room without hesitation.
His business here was done.
What happened next was up to Viscount Haire.
As Heinkel stepped out of the viscount’s mansion, he recalled his encounter with the young duke a few days prior.
“I like things the way they are now. I’m not going back.”
“‘You like things the way they are’—”
Heinkel let out an amused, hollow chuckle.
Throwing a tantrum when he bore such a different weight on his shoulders.
Wasn’t it truly pitiful?
Not that he had any intention of helping. That only made it all the more absurd.
The boy needed to realize—
That his foolish choices could bring great harm to others.
Looking at the pathetic young duke, Heinkel had made up his mind.
He would wait.
Wait until the boy came crawling back, full of regret.
“Well… as long as he doesn’t die, that’s good enough.”
A smirk tugged at Heinkel’s lips.
At least things wouldn’t be boring for a while.
With steady, unhesitant steps, he made his way toward the ducal estate.