Try Begging

Chapter 87

“I like this one because it’s particularly ferocious.”

The inspector’s face hardened at the word ‘ferocious.’
.
“Bite, scratch, kick… Besides, it’s a terrible one who only picks and bites vital parts.”

…With her lower mouth, as if he was going to cut it off.

“I saw a lot of blood before taming it.”

“Captain, are you threatening me now?”

“A threat? I don’t know if it’s possible for a captain to dare threaten the inspector.”

Of course, the inspector was proving with his whole body that it was possible.

“Captain Winston, the army is not a club for rich men who are bored with life. Your superiors seem to be turning a blind eye to the Captain’s unfaithful actions because of the family name and your father’s shadow, but tricks like that don’t work for me.”

“Inspector.”

Leon’s voice, which had been light all along, sank heavily.

“I hope you know that it is an insult not only to me but also to my family and to my deceased father.”

He was genuinely outraged by the accusation of being an inept officer who had coasted through the army on the coattails of his father’s influence and noble status.

He took immense pride in his achievements, having graduated at the top of his class from the military academy, earned the rank of captain at a young age, and received numerous accolades—all attributable to his own abilities.

To insinuate that his military service was merely a leisurely pursuit was an indescribable insult.

Leon never treated his duty as a soldier, especially in the extermination of rebels, with anything less than utmost seriousness. While he did derive some personal satisfaction from the interrogation process, where his private cravings intersected with public goals, what harm was there in finding enjoyment in one’s work?

To him, it wasn’t solely his wealth and influence that granted him leniency within the military. Even if there were some allowances, they didn’t impede his consistently exemplary performance.

He glared at the reckless uninvited guest.

“I’ll give you a chance to take your statement back and apologize.”

The middle-aged man had a sinking feeling that he had committed a grave error by getting himself entangled in this mess. He had slandered the nobility and insulted a deceased hero. If news of this incident spread among the military and noble society, things could spiral out of control.

Nevertheless, as the inspector appointed by the King, he couldn’t back down in the face of the Captain’s demeanor.

“It is the captain who needs a chance to apologize. I will report to Commander Davenport as soon as I return to the command of this disastrous incident, including today’s uncooperative and disturbing attitude.”

However, even as the inspector mentioned the commander, the captain simply burst into derisive laughter.

“Let’s go together. I also have a story to share.”

I’ll make you like this soon.

Leon stroked the commander’s daughter, who was trembling in fear and curled the ends of his eyes.

º º º

Inside the commander’s secretary’s office, the intermittent sound of a typewriter filled the air. Leon stood by the window, occasionally glancing outside, and rolled up his shirt sleeve to check his watch. It had been over thirty minutes since the inspector entered the commander’s office.

He shifted his gaze towards the antique door of the commander’s office and erupted into laughter unexpectedly.

How childish.

He felt like a child who had gotten into a brawl in class and was now waiting for his turn to speak in the principal’s office. Just like any informant, the inspector must be exaggerating Leon’s alleged misconduct. Still, it didn’t matter to him. Even if he were to eliminate the inspector, he held a card that would grant him immunity so he was merely enjoying the situation.

Suddenly, the sound of the typewriter came to a halt.

“It seems like it will take a long time…”

The young female secretary who had been glancing at him for half an hour spoke to him.

“Shall I prepare some tea, Captain?”

As Leon stared into the secretary’s eyes, the cheeks under the eyes were stained red though he wouldn’t not know.

The woman he was looking at was not a secretary.

As soon as he saw the sparkling eyes towards him, Leon remembered the blue-green eyes filled with tears. It was the moment she was put back in the torture chamber before he came to the headquarters. She gazed at him with the eyes of a woman betrayed by the lover she trusted.

Why do you have eyes like that?

Why do you look at me like that?

There was no such thing as betrayal between them. There was no trust.

It was absurd.

…However, those absurd eyes kept wandering in front of his eyes.

“Captain, if you need anything else…”

As the secretary provocatively stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, Leon’s train of thought was abruptly interrupted. He was on the verge of turning his gaze towards the window, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

The office door swung open, revealing two men who appeared to be on good terms. The inspector glanced past him, his eyes brimming with triumph as if saying, ‘You are now dead.’

Leon suppressed a laugh.

The commander escorted the inspector to the door of the secretary’s office. It seemed to take quite some time to calm him down as occasional words of stern reprimand could be heard.

“Then, I will only trust the commander.”

Once the persistent inspector departed, the commander entered the secretary’s office.

Leon saluted him, and the elderly man narrowed his eyes, casting a stern gaze at him before entering the office and issuing an order.

“Come in.”

Leon picked up the folder he had left on the coffee table and went inside.

“Captain Winston, the whole world looks ridiculous in your eyes. I don’t know if the former commander backed you up, but not me.”

Unlike the inauguration party, when he only had excessive hospitality, the commander started to reprimand Leon while standing in front of the desk.

“I would have instructed you to cooperate actively in the letter, but you treat the inspector with disrespect. You dare to treat him harshly.”

“….”

“If you’re going to ignore ranks and regulations, the military isn’t for you! If you don’t want to take off your military uniform in disgrace, then now…”

The commander, who watched the captain’s attitude, gritted his teeth.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The captain did not make excuses or respond, only listening to the criticism. However, he did not look like he accepted the reprimand nor did he reflect.

“If you came to me about the audit, then it would be a waste your time. There is a line you must not cross, even if you are offended!”

Bang.

His fist slammed the desk, causing the picture frame to topple over and make a deafening noise. Nonetheless, the young man standing in front of the desk did not blink an eye.

“To think that a rebel is privately imprisoned without even reporting them to the military!”

“You have the rebel’s eyes.”

The captain’s first words since entering the room shocked the commander.

“…Are you insulting me?”

“I am only telling the truth.”

Even if he was wealthy or noble, it was not enough to not be downhearted in front of a commanding officer of a far superior rank when he was just a captain, he even insulted the commander arrogantly. The commander’s anger rose.

He picked up an ashtray and threw it at the captain.

Bang.

The marble ashtray smashed against the wall. Leon straightened his head, which had slanted to the side, and raised a corner of his lips.

That woman’s brash temper must also be hereditary.

Then, he approached with a leisurely pace and placed the file on the desk. When the commander’s eyes landed on the outer cover of the file with his name on it, he raised his head. Eyes full of bewilderment and displeasure stared at the young man.

“Those blue-green eyes… It’s not of the Davenport family. It’s just the Commander’s characteristics.”

The displeasure in the commander’s eyes grew even more intense when Leon suddenly mentioned that he had investigated private matters behind the scenes.

“But since one of your sons is born with the same eye color, it has been proven that it is an inherited trait.”

“What do you want to say?”

“I know another person with those eyes.”

The commander’s eyes changed when he understood at once that he had an illegitimate child. Leon opened the folder and pointed to a black-and-white picture.

“Nora Watson.”

As he called Angela Riddle’s younger self by a completely different name, the commander’s eyes began to shake, finding the face familiar.

“About 28 years ago, a blonde, hazel-eyed woman named Nora Watson was hired as a personal secretary to the Commander, who was a member of the Royal Guard.”

Leon began to covertly put a leash on the commander.

“The scope of work of a personal secretary was quite wide. The driver at the time proved that, so denying it would be a waste of your time.”

He sarcastically borrowed the commander’s expression. As he flipped through a few pages and unfolded the transcript of the interview, the commander snorted.

“Do you think you can blackmail me with something like this?”

“Yes. Enough.”

The elderly man narrowed his eyes fiercely and glared at Leon.

“I thought you were smart, but it seems like you weren’t. That’s unfortunate. Where is a man without a mistress? Something so common is no big deal. You know better than anyone that your father did the same.”

The corners of Leon’s mouth twitched slightly as the commander pointed out that Leon’s father died at the hands of rebels whom he thought were his mistress—not knowing in his dreams that his father’s mistress and the commander’s past mistress were the same woman.

…What kind of face would he make if he knew?

Pleasant ecstasy crept through Leon’s veins.

“Please listen to the end of the story.”