TYWAUOM 128

Chapter 128

“Count, are you feeling dizzy?”

“Ugh…”

“Please forgive us. We’re pressed for time.”

Though the words were polite, the gestures were anything but. The man who had seated Graham on a stiff wooden chair swayed on one leg, patting Graham’s shoulders—who hadn’t slept properly for two hours at a time over the past three days—with casual indifference.

“I’ll ask again. How were you able to reach the accident scene so quickly?”

“I… I received a letter… and went, didn’t I?”

“The letter that the servants and butlers delivered? Then where is it? I’ve searched even your wife’s dressing room, but it wasn’t there.”

“It was nothing important. I burned it right then…”

“Ah, you burned it? Fascinating. Do you usually burn letters immediately?”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Hmm… Then what do you make of the marks on the marquess’ neck and wrist? And according to our investigation, the marquess’ wife appears to have suffered fatal skull fractures from the impact… yet poison was detected in her blood. Do you happen to know what kind of poison it was?”

“I don’t know. I said I don’t know.”

The same questions and answers they had repeated over the past three days went back and forth once again. The man, holding the investigator’s documents, deliberately stepped on Graham’s foot as if by accident, making the exhausted man cry out sharply. The boot was hard, the man’s full weight pressing down, and Graham’s bloodshot eyes widened as he stifled a short scream.

“Ugh!”

“You and the late marquess were always close, weren’t you? But lately, things seemed strained. And there have been… many strange rumors. Is it true you had an improper relationship with the marquess’ wife?”

“—Nonsense.”

“Affair with a friend’s wife… Did the marquess ever threaten to report you for that? If true, the motive would be clear enough.”

“Do you even have proof? If not, then you… hngh!”

As Graham’s curse sputtered out, the man smirked, placing a heavy book on Graham’s chest and slamming it down. The impact, large and unrelenting, struck Graham hard. He bit his torn lips as his upper body, tied along with his arms, collapsed forward.

“You… you call me that…”

The man seemed irritated at some strange point. His eyes gleamed with madness as he grabbed Graham’s hair and yanked it upward.

“I may not be a noble, but someone of high standing backs me. And to them, you and I are both just common blood!”

Thud.

Graham’s forehead hit the thickly piled clothes on the desk. No cut appeared, but the shock left his head throbbing. He rolled his eyes and exhaled harshly. Yet the man did not flinch. Instead, he pressed Graham’s head down further, whispering:

“What makes me inferior to you? We’re born of the same blood, yet you’re a count and I—”

Although the man was not a noble, he was supposed to avoid seriously harming Graham, a noble. Yet he had been doing this for over ten years—inflicting non-lethal but cruel punishments—and had a solid backing to support such acts. Under the guise of an investigation, he subjected Graham to all sorts of torture, leaving minor wounds here and there.

Just as he lifted the book to strike again, someone burst into the interrogation room with knights.

“Stop immediately.”

A sharply dressed man in a neat uniform shouted at the tormentor. Graham, freed from the man’s grip, slumped forward, and the uniformed man immediately commanded the knights:

“How dare you harm a noble! Arrest him!”

“What—what is this! Who gave you the right to interfere?! You think I don’t know who assigned me this task?! Fetch the duke! Your excellency—”

The man who had been torturing Graham struggled as he was restrained. A stern figure approached him and whispered sharply into his ear:

“By imperial order.”

The clash between the old nobility and the new aristocracy had intensified over whether Graham would be investigated for the Cliff incident. Yet because of the accident’s first-hand witness, the circulating social rumors, multiple physical clues on the Cliff couple, and ultimately the dominant power of the old nobility, Graham endured an unusually harsh investigation for a noble.

“Isn’t the basis for investigating Count Parden weak? Moreover, weren’t there acts during the interrogation that shouldn’t have been done?”

“Your Majesty, but—”

“Enough. I won’t hear more.”

“…”

“Hear me all. The accident involving the marquess couple is a deep wound for the young heirs. Anyone speaking carelessly of this will be punished directly by me.”

When Graham’s life was nearly in danger, the emperor sided with the new nobility. In front of the released Graham, he tossed something down:

“Consider this your salvation.”

It was an old document, prepared shortly after Edward and Ian were born. It resembled a will.

“The marquess designated you as the children’s guardian and had it notarized.”

The handwriting clearly reflected trust, ensuring that if anything happened before the children reached adulthood, Graham Parden, Count, would be their guardian. Holding the document, Graham’s tears fell freely.

The emperor, sighing at Graham’s tears, looked pained. Entrusting one’s children like that…

“I don’t believe baseless rumors, Count. But you should be careful, or this could happen again.”

Graham bowed deeply, wiping his tears at the emperor’s stern words. The emperor glanced at William and Jared playing outside and sighed once more, then coldly explained why he had supported Graham:

“Diane… that woman from the Todome Kingdom, interfering in the marquess’ lands—I won’t allow it. I’ll back you. With that document, you shall hold the guardianship of the marquess’ children. Understood?”

The emperor released Graham and pressured the old nobility because Diane had appeared as a self-proclaimed guardian immediately after Cliff’s death. To prevent Diane from taking control of the Lachira Desert, the emperor strengthened the new nobility, maintaining balance in society.

“Yes. I will obey.”

For Graham, it was a duty he had to fulfill. From what Marisa had relayed, Diane, grandmother to Ian and Sophia, seemed to lack affection for the bloodline.

Under imperial sanction, investigators involved in the case were either removed from the capital or dismissed entirely. As a result, no one again questioned the circumstances of the marquess couple.

“Ian, Sophia, from today, you will stay here with us.”

“…Yes, thank you, sir.”

“Ian, you don’t need to be so stiff. And if you need anything, just say so. I’ll take care of it.”

After the situation settled, Ian and Sophia remained at the Parden estate. Though they didn’t know the full truth of their parents’ deaths, the siblings’ expressions were somber, and Graham, aware of everything, was consumed by guilt that grew daily. His overly gentle demeanor toward them also caused minor conflicts in the Parden household.

Marisa often warned Graham that being too lenient with the siblings was unwise. Edward felt stress competing with Ian, Daniel sulked over losing a father figure, and Arthur, already feeling weak within the family, became even more withdrawn.

Young Aisha was confused by the changes brought by Ian and Sophia, yet what struck her most was seeing the once-mature boy shedding tears before her.

“…Father and mother… are gone.”

“…”

“Aisha, I don’t know what to do. The world feels so frightening. I feel like I can’t do anything. Really, nothing…”

“Ian… don’t cry… huuuaahh!”

“Aisha, don’t cry. If our little lady cries, I can’t behave like a gentleman.”

“I… I’ll always like Ian. Really. So don’t be sad. Don’t cry, Ian.”

Under the lemon tree, the young girl’s heart was pure and wise beyond her years. But the promise of eternity would eventually shatter, broken by the relentless unkindness of the boy-turned-man.

Chapter 12: Late Regrets

“…Those business ventures were intentional. In transferring debts to the Parden estate, I feared if it became known, it could cause problems. So I made it appear as though I had purchased profitable companies. Still, the debts were too much. Some Lloyd family assets had to be disposed of, taking on some debt, or the Parden estate couldn’t have survived.”

“…”

“The important things were kept, and by acquiring the Arca Trading Company, I extended the debt terms… but I didn’t expect that it would arouse your suspicions. Looking at this, you can see. When Marisa said to keep records of everything, I thought it unnecessary and risky… now, I’m glad we did.”

Graham explained every detail starting with Cliff’s letters, clarifying all misunderstandings Ian had. Ian’s blue eyes trembled constantly as he absorbed the truth. Unlike the ambiguous evidence he had previously trusted, now everything fit perfectly, backed by irrefutable proof. Ian, speechless and occasionally clenching his teeth, seemed pitiable.

“This is all I can tell you.”

“…”

“The fault for things reaching this point is mostly mine. I hid everything. But Ian, your mistakes aren’t insignificant either. Especially regarding Aisha…”

“Lies!”

The moment Graham mentioned Aisha, Ian’s shoulders shook, and he screamed so loudly it seemed the villa itself would shake. His bloodshot eyes made him look like a demon freshly risen from hell.