MLS Chapter 37

“What?”

“The very night my mother hanged herself from the ceiling. I think I was three years old.”

True to his whimsical nature, his story suddenly veered in an unexpected direction.

While Lorena hesitated, unsure how to react, Miguel continued speaking in a monotone.

“I lived there for twelve years. For twelve years, the royal family never once searched for me. Not until I left my father behind and returned to Bessen.”

At that very moment, his adoptive father, the Marquis of Ervatos, had passed away.

Miguel appeared at his funeral, stepping into the extravagant chaos of Motrel for the first time.

He had been fifteen years old.

The entire nation of Bessen enthusiastically welcomed the lost son of Princess Adriana.

“Only then did His Majesty finally start watching me closely. I suppose he was afraid of what his long-lost grandson might say upon returning. The Crown Prince was the same.”

“…….”

“Unfortunately, my birth father was not an ordinary man.”

Lorena, without realizing it, forced herself to relax her stiffened expression.

His mother, Princess Adriana, was known as a royal who longed for freedom more than anything else.

She detested Bessen’s rigid social circles and avoided aristocrats, choosing instead to spend time among commoners.

She had attended a regular university rather than the Royal Academy.

Naturally, she had spent far more time outside the palace than within it.

The people of Bessen adored her—it was inevitable.

On top of that, she had been unrivaled in beauty, a woman so breathtaking that many believed she was an angel sent by God Himself to walk among mortals.

When the princess came of age, she left for Soto’s Holy Temple under the pretense of a pilgrimage.

During her journey, she vanished.

A year later, she returned to Bessen—already heavily pregnant.

The royal family, desperate to contain the scandal, hastily married her off to the over-fifty-year-old Marquis of Ervatos.

But despite their efforts, news of the princess giving birth spread uncontrollably across the kingdom.

The royal court fabricated a story, claiming that Adriana had been assaulted by outlaws during her pilgrimage and that her child was born from tragedy.

However, that story did not align with the devotion Adriana showed to her son.

And above all, the will she left behind when she took her own life shook the kingdom to its core.

She left all her wealth to her child, and beneath that declaration, she had indirectly referenced her unnamed lover, a man the world had never known.

In the end, the Bessen royal family could not escape the disgrace of having oppressed and controlled Adriana’s love, ultimately driving her to suicide.

Even now, twenty-five years later, on the anniversary of her death, protests condemning the royal family’s cover-up still took place in the capital, Motrel.

Lorena had once seen the protesters’ flags from the windows of the Duke’s mansion.

The demonstrators were always forcefully dispersed by the royal guards, but when Adriana’s death anniversary came around again the following year, they gathered at the square without fail.

That was as much as Lorena knew.

It explained why Bessen was so obsessed with a dead princess, and why, even when her son lived a dissolute life, they tolerated him endlessly.

“The Bessen crown, huh? Not a bad idea. As long as I can screw over the royal family in some way, I’ll gladly take part.”

Miguel concluded his statement just like that.

Lorena realized that he had no intention of fully opening up about his birth father.

“So… that means we need to get into the palace.”

Miguel’s gaze searched the empty air, as if piecing together an invisible puzzle.

“The royal family will likely send me a summons within a few days. My name has been making waves more than ever lately—there’s no way His Majesty won’t call me in for a word or two.”

Lorena had briefly worried that this situation might be troublesome for him, but her concern was entirely unnecessary.

Before long, Miguel arrived at a relaxed conclusion.

“Since I’ll be there anyway, I might as well test the waters. Maybe I’ll bring up the Duke’s divorce and ask how that would affect his dealings with Klein Bank.”

“Do you think they’ll take the bait?”

“Well, that depends on how deep our relationship looks.”

Neither the Duke nor the Crown Prince was a fool.

It wasn’t as if they couldn’t guess why Lorena had chosen Miguel Ervatos as her lover.

Naturally, they would sharpen their guard against this side as well.

“I’ll have to make them believe I’m absolutely obsessed with Lorena Levantes. Like I’d sell my soul for her.”

Lorena’s cheeks flushed helplessly red.

Miguel had a habit of saying embarrassing things with no hesitation.

Of course, that was only from her perspective.

She had no idea that, from Miguel’s point of view, seeing her reaction only made him want to tease her even more.

“We’ll need some more provocative gossip. Should I deposit more money into Klein Bank? Or maybe we should get caught in another scandalous photo like last time…?”

“Whatever you wish. I’m fine with anything.”

Lorena quickly chimed in.

Whenever Miguel witnessed this particular side of her, he always felt a dull ache in his lower body.

‘So innocent.’

A face as pure as a child’s, utterly naïve about the ways of the world.

That unwavering expression, as if she genuinely believed that the man before her would never harm her.

Or perhaps, she truly thought that no matter what he did to her, it wouldn’t matter.

These were the moments when she looked most lovable.

No matter how he examined her, she was an untainted, good-hearted person.

And yet, this woman’s deep hatred was entirely directed at the Duke.

Just how much of a bastard was he?

Miguel suddenly found himself curious.

“The Duke refuses to acknowledge it, doesn’t he?”

Miguel thought of the letter he had burned to ashes just that morning.

On a luxurious sheet of paper, stamped with the Levantes seal, slanted letters had been written.

I wish to meet with you regarding my wife.

It was an arrogant message, with no proper title for the recipient, no sender’s name, nor even a signature to verify the sender’s identity.

The Duke must have already anticipated that Miguel would not readily comply with his summons.

The main point of the letter continued below.

Additionally, be sure to familiarize yourself with and procure the following sedative. She will exhibit habitual symptoms of hyperventilation.

What a load of bullshit.

Apologies, but exactly what gives you the right to be so damn confident?

Even as he mocked coldly, Miguel couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

First, the demand that he return the wedding ring—

Then, the unwavering refusal to grant the divorce—

To Miguel, the Duke’s obsession with his wife was not something a man would feel for a woman he intended to use once and discard.

‘And you say that’s not love?’

As if.

After seven years of marriage with a woman that perfect?

Even a man with a heart of solid ice would have found it harder not to love her.

That only made it all more suspicious.

One side loves the other, but the other side hates them enough to want them dead?

What on earth had happened between them?

They were married for seven years—yet why were there no children?

Did that mean they had no physical contact at all?

And if there was, then from where, and how much…

‘Ah, enough.’

Miguel cut off the chain of thoughts spiraling out of control.

He did not particularly enjoy imagining what Lorena Levantes’ married life had been like.

Ever since the Duke had so blatantly claimed ownership over her, Miguel’s mood had been noticeably sour.

As he muttered the names of the drugs listed in the letter, he felt a surge of irritation.

It was true—Lorena’s breathing always grew unsteady whenever she so much as thought of her husband.

He had carefully observed her during that brief moment at the opera house and drawn his conclusion.

And worst of all—as much as he hated the thought—she sometimes saw fragments of Vaye Levantes in him.

Every time it happened, Miguel was so bewildered that his rage boiled over.

Why the hell should I help a woman who is still haunted by another man’s remnants whenever she stands before me?

Why should I waste my time and effort on her?

What if, after using me to her heart’s content, she simply runs back to her husband?

Miguel had never wasted his time or emotions on things that were not enjoyable.

If he wanted something but the process of acquiring it was tedious, then he wouldn’t bother trying.

There were countless other amusements in the world to replace a momentary passing interest.

‘If I want to stop, I have to stop now.’

For a moment, he genuinely reached that cold conclusion.

However, two days later, when he met Lorena again, he had no choice but to change his mind.

Her large green eyes were filled with melancholy, like a lost puppy that had lost its master.

〈Are you angry because of me…?〉

And her voice—so forlorn and pitiful.

He nearly stood up to embrace and console her.

Throughout the meal, she barely touched her food, stealing glances at Miguel.

At times, she even seemed frightened, but it left him with a vague unease, making it difficult to pin down exactly why.

Two days later, when they met again at a small tavern at the entrance of Delgado, he started to understand.

Lorena had a habit of carefully, meticulously observing people’s expressions and moods.

She had told him once—it was a habit born from a lifetime of avoiding mistakes and giving others nothing to use against her.

She would sit quietly, staring at her companion, her gaze intense and silent.

It was enough to make a person restless and impatient.

If one reacted sharply, she would pretend to remain composed but shrink back inside her shell like a frightened hermit crab.

Which only made Miguel even more exasperated.

After a series of frustrating observations, Miguel reached a conclusion:

Lorena Levantes had a natural talent for provoking people’s stubbornness.

To him, she seemed fragile and unstable, as if she had come back from the dead.

And yet, despite being so delicate, she acted recklessly, as if encased in iron armor, constantly forcing herself to extremes.

It made even those watching her uneasy.

The source of her trauma was undeniably the Duke, her husband.

Even in the moment she had proposed their arrangement, she had not yet escaped him.

Miguel abandoned his initial plan of keeping her around for a brief amusement, enjoying a lighthearted performance.

‘If it’s just a hollow act, of course she keeps thinking of that bastard in front of me.’

If he was going to crush every last remnant of the Duke she couldn’t let go of, then he had to mark himself in her mind even more strongly.

Sweep out the useless fragments, and replace them with something more tangible.

Let’s see if she still thinks of him after all this.

Everything Miguel had done for Klein Bank since yesterday—

All of it had stemmed from sheer stubbornness and jealousy.

Was it childish?

Sure. He could admit that.

So what?

“You still haven’t answered my question at all. If you truly intend to go against the royal family, you need to share your plans with me—so that I can find a way to help—”

“Later.”

Miguel cut her off.

“First, let’s fully enjoy this little affair. I’ll tell you what I want from you when the time comes.”

“Hearing you say that is a bit scary. I have no idea what you might demand later.”

“I promised, didn’t I? I won’t bite too hard.”

Miguel suddenly stuck out his pinky finger toward Lorena.

After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously hooked her delicate ring finger around his.

“Oh…”

When Miguel playfully shook their linked fingers, Lorena’s small hand wobbled, making even her forearm tremble.

He had never felt so tempted to sink his teeth into someone before.

He suppressed the urge to pull those slender arms around his neck and pry apart those soft lips.

Instead, he pressed his words firmly into the smiling woman’s mind.

“Let me make one more thing clear.”

“…….”

“You will never regret choosing a man like me.”

“…….”

“In one way or another, Lorena.”

At the end of the day, Levantes was just one of many malignant tumors in Bessen that Miguel would eventually have to remove.

If he was to reshape this country, those diseased growths had to be cut away.

So he would ensure her divorce—

And if divorce meant separation from her husband,

Then, in the grand scheme of things, widowhood was also a form of separation.

‘Sounds good. A nice bonus.’

That was the final destination of Miguel Ervatos’ thoughts, after nearly ten days of contemplation.