Atonement, About it's Cruelty - Chapter 10
Oscar, holding the whiskey bottle, slowly turned his head towards the Grand Duke.
The woman, desperate to escape, twisted her body and forcefully pulled away from the grip that held her tight. It was something she would never dare under normal circumstances, but now, the only thing left in her was a burning desire to escape from Oscar.
“You, you wretch! Can’t you come here?”
The Grand Duke shouted as he reached out towards the woman trying to flee to a corner. However, he failed to catch her. A dark shadow sprang forward, and the hand he stretched out ended up being trampled underfoot and smashed into the sofa.
“Argh!”
As if no other action was necessary, Oscar lifted his right foot and pressed the Grand Duke’s hand into the sofa, then casually sat on the table. He placed his left foot on the sofa, blocking the Grand Duke’s right side, and resting his elbows on his knees, trapping the Grand Duke completely.
In that position, Oscar smiled and took a puff from his cigarette.
“I wonder what kind of complaint letter you would send?”
The end of his cigarette began to glow red.
“Spent billions to entertain?”
“You, you…!”
“Stop stuttering like an idiot and speak up. What else is there?”
Cornered, the Grand Duke remembered something his brother had once said.
“Never bite Oscar’s bait. His laughter, his breathing, his gaze—everything about him is bait.”
It would be better not to meet him at all.
“Ma, Marquis, I will tell you what I know!”
Oscar took a deep puff of his cigarette while looking at the Grand Duke who pleaded desperately. A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth as he nodded for the Grand Duke to continue.
“The person who has the safe key is a woman, and, well, she’s not the one who set up the safe. She submitted identification, but…”
“It’s indecipherable.”
“…!”
“You think I’ve only planted you in the bank?”
The Grand Duke shivered, his eyes widening as if making a last desperate effort.
“That, that may be, but I’m the president! If you want to open that safe, this isn’t the way to do it!”
“Well, Felpe bank has acknowledged the woman who brought the key as the rightful holder, and the news has already been reported to the king.”
The Grand Duke and the trembling woman in the corner felt that the only reason Marquis Reinhardt remained calm until now had shattered. Chills raced up their bare skin.
In that room, the only movement was the smoke curling from the cigarette between Oscar’s fingers.
As a second stretched into an eternity, Oscar eyed the half-empty bottle in his right hand. Swirling the contents dangerously, he took a drag from his cigarette and then, with deliberate slowness, reached out with his left hand to grasp the Grand Duke’s throat.
The Grand Duke’s face flushed deep red as he struggled against Oscar’s grip.
“You seem to be under some misapprehension, Grand Duke.”
“Guh, guh…”
“You might think it beneficial if that safe were opened, but honestly, how much of a setback would it be for me if it weren’t? It’s not like I’ve lost anything. After all, it hasn’t been opened in 25 years, right? Think of it as nothing more than an insurance policy.”
“But, but I thought I could be of use…”
“What use could you possibly be?”
“……”
“Having placed you in the Norfolk Royal Union Chamber and even made you a president of the bank. Instead of spying as told, you’ve been reporting my movements back to the king of Luxen.”
The Grand Duke’s thick neck slumped back helplessly, his alcohol-laden breath gushing out as his mouth fell open in despair.
“At least try to justify the effort I made to get you Felpe Bank’s presidency.”
Oscar then poured whiskey down his throat.
“Huh, urgh, urgh!”
The Grand Duke flailed with all his might, but there was no escaping. Oscar dominated him with the ease of an adult holding a child.
As he casually filled the Grand Duke’s mouth with whiskey, Oscar continued softly.
“The moment that key appeared, you became utterly worthless to me. My expectation was that you would manage to open that safe without needing a key, maybe manage a little thievery. Turns out, I was the fool for thinking you were capable.”
The robe slipped off, and as the spilled whiskey soaked his bloated body. The woman in the corner clearly saw the Grand Duke’s eyes rolled back and turning stark white.
On one side, there was someone desperate gasping for air, and on the other, a disturbing calm. The disparity was more frightening than any violent, loud altercation.
Uncertain whether he had passed out or died, the Grand Duke’s body gradually collapsed.
Oscar then discarded the Grand Duke’s neck as if dropping trash on the floor. He stared down at the sprawling figure and tossed the empty bottle onto the sofa as well.
“To think I didn’t know you were this much of a fool.”
He chucked half-heartedly and brushed his hair back with a casual hand.
Then his icy gaze that had been focused on the fallen Grand Duke shifted to the woman.
“…!”
He looked straight at her, then slowly lifted his leg off the sofa, stretching as if he had just woken up.
Please, save me.
As if hearing her silent plea, Oscar looked down at her and said.
“It seems the Grand Duke had a bit too much to drink, wouldn’t you agree?”
The woman nodded vigorously with a pale face.
“They’ll ask what happened. After drinking to the point of losing his senses, one tends to forget everything.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
With his right hand still in his pocket and a cigarette in his left, his tone was casual but his eyes were sharp and cold.
Then, with a smile he asked.
“So, can I count on you?”
Yes, please trust me. Yes, Your Excellency.
She repeated her answer, not fully grasping what she was agreeing to.
Oscar listened to her parroted replies for a moment, then turned and leisurely walked across the room.
The woman watched his retreating figure in terror.
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