Chapter 22

Come to think about it, there was no way Veronica could have just Louise, who had such rare beauty, go easily.

If she picked up what Henrietta had thrown away, she would be playing with her like a toy.

‘It is not like she did not do it, it is that she could not.’

Rodion looked down at the trembling Louise, and carefully reached out his hand.

Her hair, tied up in a high ponytail, was scattered and flowed down a few strands above the nape of her neck. As if a golden retriever puppy with its tail and ears lowered and his body painted softly had been draped over Louise, he unknowingly put a hand on the messy hair on the nape of Louise’s neck.

That moment.

Bang!

“Ah!”
​​
Surprised by the sudden gunshot, Louise jumped up, just like when Veronica’s voice resounded.

At that, Rodion put his hand on Louise’s neck, not her hair.


And, he saw it.

Louise, who used to fight with him in the office, who was trembling like an aspen a while ago—was now frozen still like a statue of ice. She could not move, could not resist… She could do nothing but just freeze still.
​​
Feeling the sunlight rolling down on the dewy lawn, Rodion hurriedly released his hand.

“…Hey, calm down.”

“…Ah.”

“You, you have been working with Lichpen, but you are startled by gunshots?”

“…Everyone is bound to be flustered when they find themselves in a sudden situation.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Because I was also embarrassed by this sudden situation where the maid was talking back to their master.”

“… I am sorry.”

“No, I am not asking for you to apologize…”

It meant that he was wondering what kind of nerve line you had to have in order to be able to respond well as an employee while being surprised by a gun.

It seemed that his words had been twisted.

Eventually, Rodion took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.

“…If I tell you to go out alone, you will not, right?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah. Well, let’s go out together.”

“Yes? How could a patient get out like that!”

“Let’s go secretly.”

Louise’s eyes sparkled again.

By now, Rodion began to have an ominous feeling that whenever Louise shone her eyes like that, he would be swept away by unknown anxiety.

“Is that so…!”

“What?”

Louise clapped her hands excitedly. Her eyes were shining with ecstasy like never before.

“Infiltration?!”

“No.”

“Spy!”

“Hey…”

“Wiretapping!”

“…No.”

“This is awesome!”
​​
“….”

In the end, Rodion gave up his explanation.

“Let’s go!”

“Ugh, yeah…”

Contrary to his intention of throwing Louise to Veronica, the two of them somehow hid themselves on the railing. It also meant that Rodion and Louise were watching the situation for these few minutes side by side.

‘What the f*ck is the matter with her?’

Rodion made an impression by swearing inwardly. It was because, with both arms, he held and shut Louise’s mouth, who was struggling as if she was going to run to Irene at any moment.
​​
In fact, if he could, he would have already run out sooner before Louise.

If only Rodion could just be an immature young man.

In one way or another, Rodion was Knox’s hitman and an executive. And, it was not simply because of his status or fighting capability that gained him the executive position at a young age.

The ability to quickly grasp situations.

In other words, sense—or the sixth sense.

And, Rodion’s sixth sense was shouting strongly. Now was not the time to go out.

As proof of that, both Ahibalt and Otis were not even moving. However, they could not hide the frightening look on their faces, so both of them stood there in a state of flair.

A tense atmosphere flowing between the person who collapsed and the others watching it…

Click.

The sound of Veronica’s lighter broke the deadly silence that hovered over the mansion. The lighter, lit red at the end of the cigarette, closed again, followed by a long exhalation. Then, the deep laughter of Veronica, who was shamelessly nonchalant.

The piercing and sharp sound of laughter as though it would tear their eardrums, continued for a long time. Veronica shuddered as she wiped her tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Why do you look like that, guys? It was not just a day or two that my cigarettes had a numbing scent mixed with them.”

“…Aunt.”

“Oh, is it fatal to someone who has already inhaled some of the numbing scent? If you do not detox right away, you might die.”

That was right. And, it was Ahibalt and Otis who knew that fact better than anyone else.

Paralyzing incense is a drug that makes people feel stuffy, so if you do not treat it right away, their heart or lungs will stop functioning, and they will die soon.

It was a situation where every minute was seriously alarming.

Rodion could foresee what would happen next.

If it had been normal, the picture would have been quite different from what it is now. Had it been any other time, perhaps as soon as Irene fell, Ahibalt would immediately break the chair leg and hold it in his hand, and Otis would have pulled the trigger one more time.

If only the opponent were not Veronica, but someone who could easily kill and get rid of their affliction.
​​
But, not now.

“Aunt. You are playing too much. Who is this maid for you to do it to this extent?”

“I am. Thanks to someone, I need to clear an invoice, elder brother.”

Otis, who was shooting a while ago, and Ahibalt, who had thrown the teacup, were both silent.

When Irene is in trouble, they act, but when Irene becomes critical, they sit quietly, which may seem to be quite nonsense.

Also because of the law, but of course, there was another reason.

‘Before you completely lose your life to the paralyzing scent, you can still be saved with an antidote. We need to stop Rea from being targeted by Lichpen right now.’

If they make a fuss like they did when they heard the news of Irene’s collapse, then all those who want Lavrenti, in an instant, will target Irene.

It was a cliché that prevailed in this dark world.

Knowing this, Veronica had to bite on Irene, and it was also the reason why Ahibalt and Otis could not do anything now.

The two were rather calmly talking.

“But, as a maid who has worked in this mansion for a long time, I cannot just let her die. Otis, go and call the butler.”

“Yes, I see. Well, I do not know if there is any antidote left?”

“And, aunt, please go away. What is the fuss about coming to a place that is not even your home? Harassing servants like this, too… It is a pain in the neck.”

“…Ha.”

At his words, Veronica was embarrassed.

As she was getting thrown out by Ahibalt’s hand, she dropped the cigarette she was holding. But now, he was not in a state where he could afford to take care of Veronica’s situation.

It was invisible to Veronica, but it was as clever as to Rodion, who was watching them all the way from above.

…How many times did Ahibalt clench his fist behind his back?

“Aunt.”

Sizzle.

Ahibalt’s shoelace trampled out the cigarette, which had been dropped by Veronica.

Because the two were standing by the doorway, Rodion could not see his expression well. Nonetheless, Rodion was able to guess what kind of face Ahibalt was making.

“You crossed the line this time.”

He was smiling as always, though his expression was threatening as if to let her know that her life will be in jeopardy the moment the smile disappears.


The very expression that gave each part of the body goosebumps to those who saw Ahibalt as simply a gentleman and a gentle young man.

“I do not know where and what my aunt heard… Though you have got the wrong idea.”

In front of that expression, no matter how hard you try, Veronica has no choice but to lower her tail.
​​
She was now pushed by Ahibalt and almost pushed out of the garden.

“It would be best to take care of yourself for the time being. This nephew is saying this because he is worried about his aunt’s well-being.”

“…Ha. Yes, thank you.”

In the end, Veronica, who was strong-willed, answered in an unbeatable voice, and—bang! shut the door

So much time had passed since Irene, who was poisoned by her paralyzing scent, collapsed. She was certain of her death, and she could see with her eyes that she would not have lost anything, anyway.

And,

‘Veronica, where the hell did she hear that the Young Masters care about me?’

Irene, who had been lying down all day, finally opened her eyes.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like