Try Begging

Chapter 88

“The following summer, the previous King went on a summer vacation with only the immediate royal family. On the way to the royal palace, the royal family visits a certain monastery. You know what happened next, even if I don’t tell you.”

An explosion rocked the chapel, claiming the lives of the former King and several of his heirs in an instant. This devastating event left a lasting impact and remains a topic of discussion even after nearly three decades.

Given that the previous King’s body was discovered amidst the wreckage, specifically beneath a fallen cross, rumors circulated suggesting divine wrath upon the royal family. However, it was ultimately revealed that the attack was orchestrated by the rebels.

“How the hell did the rebels know the King’s movement, which is top secret?”

For decades, the current king has been trying to figure it out, but it’s still a mystery.

“I was curious, so I researched it. The Commander was among the people in charge of security at the time.”

“What is wrong with that? I’ve already gone through an official investigation and haven’t faced any charges. Accusation is a felony.”

Leon ignored the Commander’s order and continued in two incidents that seemed far apart: the mistress and the assassination.

“Shortly after the incident, Nora Watson went back to her hometown to take care of her ailing mother, and disappeared. The woman, who was in fact married, gave birth to the Commander’s daughter and raised her as her husband’s child.”

The Commander’s eyes began to shake again.

“Her husband would have known that he was not his child. He must have been the one who instructed the woman to become Commander’s mistress.”

Leon asked, pointing at the woman’s photo with his index finger.

“Do you know this woman’s real name?”

The moment he put her real name on his lips, the blood disappeared from the man’s face, who foresaw that his fate would change. Leon clearly pronounced the name, which he always chewed through and gnashed his teeth on, tone by tone.

“Angela Riddle.”

The blue-green eyes were stained blue with fear. It was no different from the eyes he saw in the annex before he came here.

“The one who killed my father is also Riddle.”

The Commander suddenly tried to close the file. However, his hand, which was trembling enough to be clearly visible to Leon, could not pick up the paper and kept slipping.

Even his fingertips were as pale as his face.

“There is a line that must not be crossed, even if we commit a crime. That’s a really good thing to say.”

Leon leisurely collected the evidence of the Commander’s infidelity, which was far more deadly than his own, and fastened the invisible dog collar around the Commander’s neck.

“Yes, that’s right. I kept a rebel locked up in the torture chamber and used her privately.”

“….”

“A rebel with rare blue-green eyes… proof that the Commander unknowingly participated in the King’s assassination.”

When it was revealed that the rebel Leon had imprisoned was his illegitimate child, the Commander had a face of a man who was thrown a grenade with the pin pulled out in front of him.

“D*mn it…”

Soon, the elderly man’s face contorted and he groaned, clutching his brown hair, which had been straightened with pomade.

“Captain…”

The voice that had sounded like a roaring beast a moment ago was now as thin as that of a rat.

“I have a report to send to the King, and I should send this along with it. The King will also be very curious about the truth about how my father died.”

As the intimidated Commander slowly brought his hand under the desk, Leon twitched his lips and gave a warning with a smile.

“I hope you don’t believe that killing me will solve the problem. We have a safe in our house. A safe where if I get killed, what’s inside will be exposed.”

Saying so, Leon shook the folder in his hand.

“This is a copy, and I left the original in the safe before coming here.”

“Captain Winston. Please sit down.”

The Commander, visibly shaken and frail like a stroke-stricken old man, gestured towards a seat in front of his desk. However, Leon remained towering and resolute, looking down upon the pitiful figure before him as if he were a god.

Wasn’t God omnipotent and held the power of life and death?

At this moment, Leon was a god.

Daisy, Sally and Grace Riddle… anything. The d*mn woman who turned him into a fool made him a god.

“In fact, do you know that the King sent the inspector to press me over the report? It was quite difficult because of that, but if I submit this…”

Every time Leon shook the file, the Commander held his breath as if he had met the dancing blades in the executioner’s hand.

“The audit will stop immediately, and I will become a hero.”

“Wa, wait…”

“Of course, that won’t happen if the Commander stops the audit.”

“Of, of course.”

A father who was easier to tame than the daughter.

“Oh, no… I wanted to be a hero, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

Leon smiled with satisfaction in front of the dog with its tail gently lowered, unlike when it barked ferociously a moment ago.

º º º

As the Commander and his aides ascended the stairs, a group of officers descending quickly made way and offered a crisp salute in unison. The Commander, who had been responding with a friendly demeanor, abruptly averted his gaze the moment his eyes met the young officer standing apart from the crowd.

‘He acts like someone who has seen a ghost.’

As the Commander passed, Leon lowered his hand and curled his lips.

Continuing his leisurely stride, Leon passed by the group of lieutenant-level officers, sensing the envious glares that trailed after him. He was well aware of the brewing tension among the officers. Rumors circulated that the Captain, in his pursuit of the Commander’s favoritism, had resorted to underhanded tactics.

Some even went so far as to suggest that Winston was nothing more than Davenport’s lapdog.

Leon just laughed.

Who was the dog?

Commander Davenport was a pretty good guard dog. From that day on, he kicked out everything that annoyed him. He never saw the inspector’s face again, either at the mansion or at headquarters.

However, Leon’s retaliation didn’t stop there.

Upon hearing that the inspector had arrived, Leon’s mother became restless. He was well aware of her concerns.

News of the conflict between the military and the parliament quickly spread. As a result, rumors reached the social circles of the royal capital, where the military was constantly monitored. The King, compelled to consider their sentiments, dismissed the inspector.

Excessive loyalty often met such a fate.

In due course, the Winstons received a rather polite letter of apology from the former inspector, who had now become a warden. Undoubtedly, the sudden change in the Commander’s attitude must have left him dumbfounded.

But that was how connections work—the one with the stronger ties was bound to emerge victorious.

Thanks to that, the woman remained within his grasp. Leon managed to maintain an appropriate emotional distance quite smoothly. Although he desired to have her completely under his control, he occasionally found it vexing when she tried to stand on top of his head once in a while.

‘…Grace, look a bit like your father.’

After transmitting Sinclair’s investigation report to the Grand Duke, a considerable amount of time passed without any further communication from him.

The situation seemed to have been resolved, and a sense of tranquility settled.

However, the fleeting peace was shattered the moment he entered the underground investigation room after receiving a call from his superior.

“Captain Winston, you’re here at last.”

“….”

Leon, who was about to salute Lieutenant Colonel Humphrey, who had arrived first, stiffened.

‘…Why is that person here?’

The man sitting at the interrogation table with both hands cuffed was Geoffrey Sinclair, the eldest son of the Sinclair family.

Leon passed the table and approached the lieutenant colonel, who was leaning against the wall.

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah, while you were away in the morning, an emergency arrest order suddenly came down from above.”

Urgent arrest? So suddenly? It was all nonsense.

“Is this in our jurisdiction?”

The stronghold of the Sinclairs was in the East, not the West.

“It just so happened that this guy was visiting Winsford today.”

In the Lieutenant Colonel’s leisurely reply, Leon read a lot of truth.

The ‘above’ that issued the arrest order was clearly the king. The lieutenant colonel would have been given orders in advance to arrest Geoffrey Sinclair on the day he came west. They deliberately instructed him to work outside, then ordered an officer.

The Lieutenant Colonel approached Leon, who turned his gaze to his subordinate, who was sitting across from Sinclair.

“Captain Winston, a special order has come from above to entrust you with the interrogation.”

Special. Above.

It was clear that it meant for Leon to finish what was ordered.

“It’s a good opportunity to get ahead.”

He didn’t need to get ahead.

“I need a confession.”

The Lieutenant Colonel lowered his voice to give an insinuating order, and he disappeared from the interrogation room.

“Please let me make one phone call. I need to call a lawyer.”

When Geoffrey Sinclair demanded it, the lieutenant sitting across from him snorted.

“You don’t know much about the law, but a person arrested by the military for rebel activities cannot be accompanied by a lawyer during interrogation.”

Rebel activity…

Leon picked up the folder spread out in front of the lieutenant. Tucked away in the file folder was a pile of evidence. It was even stamped with the seal of the Western Command Intelligence, certifying that the investigation and verification had been completed.

‘Investigation? Who?’

In the Western Command’s Intelligence, the investigation of the rebels was the responsibility of Leon’s Domestic Intelligence Division. It was impossible that all this was going on without his knowledge.

‘This also came down from above.’

When they said that they needed a confession, it meant that since there was evidence, they only needed him to accept the confession. While flipping through the papers, looking for a connection between Geoffrey Sinclair and the rebels, Leon narrowed his eyes.

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