Becoming Number One with Confession Attacks - Chapter 81

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#81

The butler first opened the manor door for her. As Sonnet entered, she felt the warm air inside.

The surroundings remained unchanged as always. The paintings she saw every time she visited were still hanging in the same places.

The butler guided Sonnet to the drawing room. It was luxuriously decorated. Without a speck of dust and perfectly clean, a maid brought out a teacup as soon as Sonnet sat down.

Sonnet watched the maid setting down the teacup, then asked the butler.

“Is he too ill to even have a conversation?”

“Not to that extent. However, he’s currently unwell and lying down.”

“Then I’ll go see him.”

“I’ll ask the Duke first.”

The butler bowed and turned around. Rather than waiting, Sonnet followed the butler. The butler looked back in surprise.

“If you could wait…”

“I’m in a hurry.”

The butler said nothing more and walked ahead. The Rosefield Duke’s chamber was on the second floor.

He knocked on the largest door in the center, and a thin voice came from inside.

The butler asked Sonnet’s understanding before entering. Strangely, she couldn’t hear what they were saying from outside.

Being a fine manor, the soundproofing seemed excellent.

As Sonnet waited in front of the door, a servant passed by and bowed slightly to her.

Sonnet was returning the greeting when the door opened. The butler’s expression wasn’t very good.

“The Duke says to come in.”

Sonnet entered without hesitation. There was a subtle scent of medicinal herbs. The Rosefield Duke was coughing violently with a handkerchief covering his mouth.

A servant beside him was helping, but it seemed insufficient as he coughed painfully. Sonnet approached the bed.

The Rosefield Duke looked more withered and unsightly than before. The only thing unchanged about him was his sharp gaze.

He removed the handkerchief from his mouth and looked at Sonnet.

“Do you still have something left to come see me about?”

“You didn’t approve my resignation from the research institute.”

“Ha, that’s already…”

The Rosefield Duke coughed as if choking on his anger.

He looked extremely painful even from the outside. A servant helped him and brought water.

The Rosefield Duke barely swallowed the water and looked ahead.

“This will probably be the last time I see you like this.”

The Rosefield Duke looked back at Sonnet.

“Do you know why I disliked you so much?”

When Sonnet remained silent, the Duke spoke.

“Because I thought you would ruin Aiden’s life.”

“…”

“That thought hasn’t changed even now.”

“How strange. I thought my life was being ruined because of Aiden.”

“What?”

“You’re the one who made it that way.”

The Rosefield Duke glared at Sonnet with flashing eyes.

“Aiden told me. That his life had always been tragic.”

“…”

“It had always been tragic, but at least with me by his side, he could forget all of that.”

The Rosefield Duke turned his head away. His face was frowning as if swallowing his anger.

“Aiden also told me about his mother. He said he feared being abandoned most after his mother passed away.”

Sonnet thought of Aiden for a moment. Because he hated being abandoned by others, he seemed to deliberately get along well with friends around him.

Normally, upper nobles would look down on people with their characteristic arrogance and only keep a few who catered to their whims, but he had surprisingly good reputation at Rosefield Academy. Much better than Sonnet’s.

“Did you know that Aiden went to the bare-knuckle fight club every year on his mother’s death anniversary?”

The Rosefield Duke frowned and stared at her.

“Aiden fought there like a vulgar fighter. Like the commoners you despise.”

His eyes trembled slightly. Sonnet looked into those eyes and said.

“Did you really not know?”

The Rosefield Duke turned his head sharply.

“Why exactly did you come here?”

“Stop all the interference you’ve been doing to me.”

“What?”

“This isn’t a request, I came to threaten you.”

Sonnet pulled out the documents she had compiled from her pocket. The Rosefield Duke scanned through each document, his eyebrows furrowing more and more.

Now anger was rising in his eyes. He threw the documents Sonnet brought onto the bed and said.

“With this, you’re now trying to…”

“You can easily fool other people’s eyes, but not mine.”

“…”

“I came here with determination.”

“What?”

“Actually, if this information becomes public, Aiden won’t be safe either.”

The Rosefield Duke’s eyes blazed with fury. Sonnet asked calmly without changing expression.

“What will you do?”

“Do you think I can’t cover this up?”

“Then I’ll give this information to Aiden. Tell him to report it himself.”

The Rosefield Duke looked at Sonnet as if dumbfounded.

“Aiden would gladly use my authority to expose this to the world and face the consequences.”

“Aiden did nothing wrong!”

“Then end it here.”

“What do you mean!”

“Stop everything you’ve been doing to torment me. You even went after people around me.”

The Rosefield Duke glared sharply, then turned his head away.

“Seeing how you tried to marry him to the Princess, weren’t you trying to gain more power through Aiden?”

“…”

“Now without Aiden, you’ll have nothing left.”

The Rosefield Duke coughed with a frowning face. The more violently he coughed, the more his withered body shook.

He barely calmed his coughing and looked at Sonnet. His face, paler than before, still held anger.

“So you want me to break off the engagement with the Princess immediately?”

“Actually, I don’t expect that much. As I mentioned earlier, restore everything you interfered with regarding people around me.”

“Then you destroy all that information.”

“…”

“As if it never existed in this world. Make sure Aiden never knows about it.”

“If you show action first, I’ll do that.”

The Rosefield Duke spoke briefly to the servant beside him, then looked at Sonnet.

“I already approved your resignation from the research position, but the other things will soon be restored to their original state.”

Sonnet felt deflated by how unexpectedly easily things were resolved. Though the Rosefield Duke was ill, his gaze was still sharp and his anger toward Sonnet remained.

Sonnet felt bitterness stirring in her heart.

“Too easy.”

The Rosefield Duke looked back at Sonnet irritably. Sonnet looked down at the documents the Duke had thrown and muttered.

“That everything was possible with just this information.”

“I’m about to die anyway, so there’s no need for Aiden to suffer unnecessarily.”

“…”

“Do you know this? No matter how much you try to dig up this case, once I die, there’s no investigative authority.”

He chuckled and coughed lightly.

“No matter how much you hand over that information to Aiden, and no matter how much Aiden tries to uncover that case, if I, the source of all evil, die, nothing can be uncovered.”

In the end, the Rosefield Duke did have feelings of caring for Aiden.

“Why do you go this far?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you deliberately antagonize him when you care about Aiden?”

The Rosefield Duke only frowned and didn’t answer. Perhaps he couldn’t.

Sonnet looked at the Rosefield Duke for a moment and then said.

“Has Aiden ever come to visit here?”

The Rosefield Duke began coughing roughly. He drank the water the servant gave him, but continued coughing as if retching.

“Aiden probably hasn’t seen you like this.”

When Sonnet guessed, the Rosefield Duke glared at her. His eyes were still sharp, which strangely reminded her of Aiden. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and then said.

“A victory ceremony will be held soon. There, Aiden will return more proudly than anyone. As the greatest hero of this kingdom.”

“….”

“At first, I didn’t approve of Aiden leaving without even marrying the Princess, but still, the boy must have had some sense to send me a letter.”

The Rosefield Duke pointed to the nightstand for the servant. The servant took out a piece of letter paper from the nightstand and gave it to Sonnet.

[To Father

I think I’ll be returning soon.

They say a grand victory ceremony will be held.

We did achieve a great victory.

I want to hurry back and settle things with the Princess as well.

I’ll see you then.

– Aiden]

Looking at the date, it was a letter that came three days ago. Sonnet hadn’t received any letters from Aiden during this time. She had sent letters, but there were no replies coming back.

The Rosefield Duke looked at Sonnet with a faint smile.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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