CH 123

From now on, Findar would wait for her brother, who would not come, and ask him for news of Benjamin as Zagnac would give her false news of him.

She didn’t even know that she would never see Benjamin again. Besides, it was Azela who killed Benjamin that made the two siblings never see each other again, and Zagnac, who needed to lie. Knowing this, perhaps Findar would hate her for the rest of her life.

“Can I not tell her?”

“What do you want to tell her?”

“….”

“If she asked you who made Benjamin like this, what would you say? Are you going to tell the truth, too, that you killed her brother?”

Zagnac asked in a firm voice.

Certainly, that was impossible. Azela squeezed her hands tightly. In the meantime, the tombstone was erected, and the final work of leveling the ground was underway.

“It’s better not to treat human hatred easily.”

“…I know.”

“Besides, this is the path Benja chose. You had definitely shown him a way. Nevertheless, following the Emperor’s order was Benja’s choice, so he must have known that this would happen.”

She turned her head to look at Zagnac.

Although his voice was calm, his eyes looked very sad as he looked at the erected tombstone. Of course, he didn’t seem to know that he was looking like that.

“Will Benjamin be born happily in the next life, just like Irene?”

“No.”

Azela, who had expected an answer of ‘yes,’ looked surprised when he shook his head more resolutely than she thought. As the nearly completed land leveling, Zagnac turned to look at her.

“There is no mercy for the man who tried to kill me.”

“But…!”

“The only way I show mercy is through you. There are no other exceptions.”

The corners of his eyes were moist as he said that. Azela watched as the sun shone strongly over Benjamin’s burial site and turned her back to follow Zagnac.

“You blackmailed him by using Findar as a hostage.”

“Did Benja tell you that?”

“…Leave Findar alone.”

“Well. Benja betrayed me, and there’s no way Findar wouldn’t be like that. In that case, cutting it off from the root…”

“Zagnac.”

As Azela, who had heard his sharp voice, hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, Zagnac gazed back at her with purple eyes wet.

“I promised Benjamin that I would protect Findar.”

“….”

“Leave Findar alone.”

“You have a big heart.”

He frowned as his gaze went over Azela to Benjamin’s tombstone behind it.

“What if I leave her alone?”

“What?”

“If the Emperor makes an offer to Findar this time so that she comes to kill me?”

Asking that, he turned his gaze from Benjamin’s tombstone to Azela. His eyes were full of sadness, but Azela was clearly contained in Zagnac’s eyes more than that emotion.

“Are you going to get blood on your hands again then?”

“….!”

“I don’t want to see blood on your hands again.”

“…Why?”

“Because you are mine.”

He answered without the slightest hesitation. The reason for his cruelty was always her… for Azela’s sake, he always reverted to the devil Zagnac.

“Findar was also hired by you… she’s yours.”

“No, Findar is just my employee, whom I hired. There are plenty of other employees to take her place.”

“….”

“Only you are mine.”

Zagnac raised his hand and gently pulled Azela’s hair from her lips. Did he know the meaning of what he was saying? Azela frowned as she watched him stare down at her. It was obviously a word with the same meaning as ‘contractor.’

“There is no human being who can replace you.”

He left behind heart-warming words and coldly turned away. Azela turned her back to look at Benjamin’s tombstone, then followed Zagnac.

In the end, the path she walked was the path he walked.

The two soon quietly climbed into the prepared carriage. After burying Benjamin, they arrived at a boutique shop run by Zagnac, and he went straight to the point without any introduction after arriving.

“…Benjamin?”

“Yes, it seems that the customers have been waiting for him for quite a while.”

“Without telling me?”

As she heard Zagnac say that Benjamin had gone down to the outskirts, Findar looked in disbelief but nodded her head shyly.

“If the Duke says so, then it must be so.”

Findar laughed dejectedly. The trust in Zagnac within her seemed more than Azela had thought.

“I have a question for you, Findar.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“If someone told you to kill me for giving you a lot of money, would you?”

“Who will give me a lot of money?”

“No, assuming that happens.”

“I still have enough money… If I try to kill the Duke again, I will surely die, so I won’t.”

It was a satisfactory answer, but Zagnac nodded with a firm face before speaking again.

“Then, what if someone gives you the title you want?”

“Who will give me that?”

“Assuming that happens.”

“This is a bit troubling because I feel much sadness for being a baronet.”

Findar, unaware of Zagnac’s intentions, smiled nonchalantly and stroked her chin with facialce expression. If she said that, even as a joke, then he would kill her right away. Azela swallowed her dry saliva.

“Still, there is no way I could kill the Duke because you are stronger than me. I value my life very much.”

“You are wise.”

“Because there is only one life.”

Findar laughed and tapped his heart with a lightly clenched fist. That was right, because there was only one human life. It must have been a satisfactory answer, and Zagnac nodded his head with a faint smile on his lips.

“I hope you will cherish your life like that in the future without risking your life, blinded by wealth and title.”

“Of course… though what’s really going on? Who suggested giving me that?”

Asking that, Findar smiled brightly as she glanced at Azela and Zagnac alternately. For some reason, Azela, unable to look straight at her, turned her head to the side. Her heart was heavy because she couldn’t even ask Findar for forgiveness.

“Benja wants me to tell you that he is busy for the time being and will find it difficult to send a letter.”

“Is he that busy?”

“Yes, since he left the place empty, the guests were furious. How delicious his bread is.”

“I know. He sends them sometimes.”

Findar replied with a proud face and turned her body towards Azela.

“Have you tried it, too? They say the bread Benjamin makes is much tastier than that made by the imperial patissier! Of course, I’ve never eaten the desserts made by the patissier in the Imperial Palace, but that was according to Duke Ferial’s words.”

“It’s true. Benja’s bread tastes better than anywhere else.”

Zagnac’s lying face was calm. As he looked at Azela with a relaxed face and said, ‘Isn’t it?’, he seemed to urge her to participate in this lie.

Azela frowned and nodded.

“I tried it… it’s delicious.”

“You tried it, too! Benjamin is very good with his hands.”

“Yes, he is.”

Zagnac drew a bitter smile.

“It’s so sad that I can’t eat that bread.”

“Because he’s busy? Don’t worry. I’m going to tell Benjamin to prepare some bread for the Duke!”

In the gloomy atmosphere, the bright Findar shouted. Her voice weighed on Azela’s heart even more. After telling Findar about Benjamin, Azela and Zagnac exited the boutique.

“Why are you looking so embarrassed?”

“…The lie is so perfect.”

“It sounds like you didn’t want it to be perfect.”

“Maybe.”

If the lie hadn’t been perfect and was flimsy, Findar might have noticed something odd.

“Just be happy because she was completely fooled. You promised Benja that you would protect Findar, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, you’ve done your job properly since you protected her from sorrows.”

Azela, who was strangely angry at Zagnac’s calm voice and was about to argue with him. As she was about to open her mouth, a familiar voice interrupted her before that.