C154
"How could Dad do this to me?"
Liena's voice, tinged with shock and betrayal, echoed throughout the interrogation room.
Duke Cassius simply lowered his head.
"I'm sorry. If I had known you would surrender like this, I wouldn't have gone so far as to break our relationship."
"Surrender? Who said I surrendered? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"You didn't surrender?"
The investigator cleared his throat under the duke's gaze.
"...Yes, there was a mistake due to the report that she came alone. Currently, the suspect denies all charges and claims that Isaac Cassius committed fraud on his own."
The expression on Duke Cassius distorted.
"I thought you attacked Isaac by accident and then felt guilty and surrendered."
His voice trembled slightly.
"Not only that, but you came here to blame your uncle for your sins."
"Dad, investment fraud was really done by my uncle!"
"How can you blame Isaac, who hid and took care of you until now?"
"What?"
"I just met with Isaac, and he was worried about you even when lying in the hospital bed. He thinks you probably did it because you were mentally stressed, so he doesn't want you to blame yourself too much."
"Do you believe that, Dad?"
Liena was so embarrassed that she felt like she was going crazy.
"Isaac, that person is the one who imprisoned me and starved me. If I wanted to escape from that hellish place, I had no choice but to hit him!"
Despite Liena's shout, the duke asked disdainfully.
"Do you really need to insult him with such absurd comments just because Isaac advised you to surrender?"
"Ha, who said I surrendered?"
"The people working in the mansion have already testified. Isaac was worried about you and urged you to surrender, but they said you hit him with a blunt object."
"There was no one there! All those people are scammers conspiring with Isaac!"
However, not only the duke but also the investigator looked at Liena as if she were a complete liar.
"...you chose someone to blame again. Elliot Rudd last time, my brother this time."
"Why do you only believe what others say and not what I say?"
"Do you really not know the reason?"
Liena hesitated and took a step back under the duke's dry gaze.
"I don't understand. I should be angry right now, but Dad blames me."
Tears welled up in Liena's eyes.
"It's true, I deceived you at first, but once you adopted me, you have to take responsibility to the end. How can you abandon a relationship so easily as if throwing something away?"
"It wasn't easy. And the only responsibility I can take is to provide relief to the victims who lost their properties because of you, who were once my daughter. They are innocent."
Edman Cassius turned his head even in the face of his daughter's tears, who always acted as if the world would collapse whenever she saw him.
"But if you show no reflection or remorse and simply pass your mistakes on to others, I have nothing more to do for you."
"It's not too late! Cancel the decision to break our relationship and return me to my original state right now!"
"I can't do that."
"If my father abandons me, I won't be a noble anymore. If falsely accused of doing this as a commoner, even if the victims are compensated, I'll rot in prison for the rest of my life! Are you okay with that?"
"Of course, I'm not okay with that. But if that's the price you have to pay."
"I really wasn't responsible for the investment fraud!"
"...I hope that someday in prison, you admit your mistakes and sincerely reflect on them."
The duke closed his eyes tightly and took a step back.
"Dad! Where are you going?"
Liena jumped and tried to run towards the duke, but the inspector stopped her.
"Go back! This is your last chance! If this continues, our relationship will really end!"
Duke Cassius, striding towards the door, never looked at Liena.
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"For some reason, does it look good...?"
The location is the Royal Capital Hospital. I was watching a man sitting on a hospital bed, drinking wine elegantly.
"Oh, Viscountess Lucibiu. Did you come for a visit?"
Isaac Cassius, looking well and very excited, looked at me calmly.
"Can a patient drink like this?"
I sat in the chair next to the hospital bed and placed the fruit basket I had brought on the floor.
"It's no different from torture if you don't drink alcohol on a happy day like this. Is that a visiting gift?"
"Yes, I came to visit the hospital."
"Then I'll have a good snack."
I asked Isaac, who was happily unpacking the fruit basket.
"Well, I expected it to be exaggerated, but I'm surprised that the person who is said to have miraculously survived death looks so healthy."
"Haha, if I hadn't done that, I would have already been criticized for hiding Liena."
As he said, public criticism of Liena is currently soaring.
Not only the duke Cassius, who had already severed ties with Liena, but also Prince Mikhail, who had been her lover for a long time, was being randomly evaluated.
Fortunately, in the case of the duchy, the duke announced a few hours ago that he would compensate all damages, which eased the criticisms a bit.
"In this moment, Cassius's warehouse may be empty, but it is not lacking substance to the point of collapsing," Isaac said, seeming to have similar thoughts to mine when he spoke about the duke.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Isaac asked when I stared at him.
"I was wondering what you were going to do with the money you obtained through fraud from now on."
"Well, since Cassius is compensating the victims, I can use this money for Cassius, right?" Isaac tilted his head.
"Is that so? It seems like you're giving up more willingly than I thought."
"Money was not the original goal anyway, and I have earned enough apart from that."
"Then I'm glad."
However, unlike me, there were others who opposed Isaac's decision.
"That is not allowed! Why are you wasting your money and giving it to that guy? Edman will use it for nonsense again!" came a shout from behind me.
When I turned my gaze to him, Roland Cassius appeared, lying in a hospital bed like his son.
"I was doing my best to ignore him, but I guess I have no choice but to ask. Is he also unwell?" I asked Isaac.
"Oh, he came to see me and also met my brother. But when my brother said he would compensate the victims, he grabbed his neck and passed out."
An image vividly appeared before my eyes.
"At first, my hospital room was private, but I asked for an extra bed for my father," Isaac explained.
"It's the fault of those who were deceived, so why does he have to compensate each one?" Roland's character was also clear. He ignored his son, who committed fraud, and blamed the victims.
"I still thought that Roland and Isaac, father and son, would soon go to prison with Liena. It's a waste of thought!" I opened my mouth because I felt a lot of pity for Roland, who seemed on the verge of dying.
"Hey, it's not like I'm stealing your money and giving it away," Isaac responded to Roland's accusation.
"All of Cassius's property is mine! Isn't that going too far, Viscountess Lucibiu?" Roland shouted, showing his disappointment towards me.
"Why do you enter the hospital room and only greet Isaac and ignore me?" Roland complained.
That's because since I arrived, he has been muttering and snorting to himself. I pretended not to see him because I was afraid that if I tried to talk to him alone, I would only hear bad things about him.
"He gave the fruit basket only to Isaac! I'm incredibly disappointed!" Roland expressed his disappointment.
"Yes, yes, here, I'll give you an apple to make you feel better," I responded, trying to let it go.
"No! If you want me to feel better, go on a date with Isaac!" Roland insisted.
"What? A date with him?" I was surprised.
"What's wrong with my son?!" Roland defended Isaac.
"I guess this person has not given up on his absurd dream of connecting Isaac and me. Also, it seemed that everything he said about being sad was just an act for our date to happen."
"A person who deceives is not fit as a husband," I commented.
"He just won't do it anymore from now on. Isn't that right, Isaac?" I turned to Isaac for confirmation.
"I'll try, but I wonder if I'll please Viscountess Lucibiu if I do that," Isaac responded, tilting his wine glass.
"If only you would give me a chance, I would try to be reborn as a new person," Isaac added dramatically.
"It's useless even if you are born as a new person. That's what I was going to say."
"Unfortunately, I don't think I have any chance," Terence, who had just entered the scene, commented.
Terence shrugged and leaned on the open door of the hospital room.
"Terence! Did something happen?" I asked him.
"I came to see the viscountess," Terence replied.
He gestured to Cassius and his son, who were trying to be courteous at the sudden appearance of the prince, to make themselves at home, and then approached me.
"Yesterday Ethel arranged a meeting with the person she wanted to meet. The other person is not someone with much free time, so it would be better to go now."
"Already? You arranged it too quickly."
"Since it was your request, I must do my best," Terence said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm Terence Belver Asteroth. This is the first time I've seen you. This is Isaac Cassius. It's an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness," Terence introduced himself to Isaac.
"I heard from Ethel. They cooperated with our plans in many ways," Terence added.
"It seems that Viscountess Lucibiu has talked a lot about me," Isaac remarked.
"Sure. We always talk a lot about each other's daily lives," Terence responded with a smile.
Despite Isaac's strangely provocative attitude, Terence's smile did not break.
Even after the greetings were over, the two men stood facing each other without releasing their handshake.
"What is this impressive atmosphere?"
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