Chapter 14
“This is a scam!”
Whether he called it a fraudulent marriage or insisted he absolutely had to collect the money from me—
None of it mattered.
I simply couldn’t process what was happening.
Especially while staring at the small house now packed wall to wall with naval officers.
So… technically, I was a witness now… wasn’t I?
I sat beside Johannes Schultz, facing Finn Schneider and Pavid across the table.
It was an incredibly awkward situation.
To become a witness in an investigation conducted by the man who had just proposed to me…
It was hardly the romantic development one would expect.
“So what if you get money from the Duke? It’ll all be taken away anyway! Ha! To think you’d propose under those circumstances. I have to say, that’s truly astonishing!”
Finn Schneider continued shouting.
He even went so far as to threaten the Duke himself.
“I’ll report every bit of this injustice once an official investigation begins!”
“And why do you believe this is a fraudulent marriage?”
Johannes asked calmly.
“Well…!”
“I don’t believe I appear generous enough to waste such a large sum on someone I don’t even know.”
“But to the Schultz Ducal House, that isn’t a large sum!”
The young Duke stared at him with cold, sunken eyes.
Only then did Finn Schneider seem to realize the situation.
He immediately fell silent.
“The moneylending company Banux.”
Johannes finally broke the brief silence.
Straightening from the relaxed posture he’d been leaning back in, he somehow made the entire room feel heavier.
“You’re known for targeting women who have been left alone.”
“In teams of two.”
“And for cleverly altering old contracts.”
Finn Schneider kept his head lowered, refusing to answer.
Instead, Sir Fret spoke.
“Yes.”
“They usually operate in pairs.”
“One likable man to lower the victim’s guard…”
“And one brute like Pavid to intimidate her.”
“Likable?”
Johannes frowned as he looked back and forth between Finn Schneider and Pavid.
His expression plainly asked:
Which one of them is supposed to be likable?
“So I’ve heard.”
“The friendly one earns the victim’s trust.”
“Though I certainly didn’t expect the owner himself to pretend to be nothing more than a branch manager.”
Sir Fret muttered,
“I suppose he was that desperate to save on payroll.”
“Besides…”
He glanced at me.
“Miss Prim, your standards are surprisingly low.”
“No matter how I look at him…”
“He doesn’t seem particularly likable.”
“I agree.”
Even Johannes offered a short reply.
Startled, I waved both hands frantically.
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
“He just looked… kind.”
“And he was polite…”
“Most criminals are.”
Sir Fret laughed cheerfully.
“Though, admittedly…”
“Not these two.”
Still smiling mischievously, he carefully examined the worn promissory note.
“The smell has mostly faded.”
“I’ll need to examine it more closely…”
“But…”
I swallowed nervously.
“The method for altering a promissory note is actually quite simple.”
“They use special ink.”
“It’s made from Chakra Coal, a glossy mineral extracted in very small quantities from certain mines.”
As he spoke, Sir Fret produced a fountain pen from inside his coat.
One of the naval officers handed him a small bottle of ink.
The moment he removed the cap, an unusual scent stung my nose.
“First…”
“You write using this special ink.”
“It was designed so that its color disappears when exposed to heat.”
“That makes altering documents remarkably convenient.”
He dipped the pen into the prepared ink and wrote several words.
At first…
Nothing seemed unusual.
Then he held a lighter beneath the paper.
Slowly…
The writing disappeared.
Several naval officers—including me—stared with wide eyes.
“And afterward…”
“You simply rewrite the numbers using ordinary ink.”
There wasn’t the slightest trace of tampering.
It looked exactly as though it had been written that way from the very beginning.
“See?”
“Quite flawless, isn’t it?”
Looking thoroughly pleased with himself, Sir Fret turned toward Johannes.
His bright green eyes almost resembled those of a puppy waiting to be praised.
“A textbook case of fraud.”
“And human trafficking on top of it.”
“The sentence should be fairly severe.”
Johannes answered in his usual dry tone.
Apparently that counted as praise.
Sir Fret smiled with satisfaction.
“D-Do you have any proof?!”
Finn Schneider shouted desperately.
“Proof that I ever used that ink!”
He wasn’t wrong.
Even if he had used the special ink…
The color had long since disappeared.
How could anyone prove it now?
Ignoring him completely, Sir Fret continued.
“A fifty-percent interest rate is utterly absurd.”
“Even if the law doesn’t establish an upper limit…”
“There are still unwritten rules within the industry.”
“Charging more than twenty-four percent violates even the most basic business ethics.”
He reached into his coat once more.
This time, he withdrew a small glass dropper filled with a clear liquid.
He let several drops fall onto the promissory note.
Almost immediately…
Red writing began appearing across the page.
“It seems you overlooked something important.”
…
“There’s the evidence of the alteration.”
A thin red line appeared beside the number five.
The “50” now clearly revealed traces showing it had once been altered.
“Proof that special ink was used.”
“This reaction generally appears when acidic water is applied.”
“The original interest rate…”
“Was ten percent.”
“Then…”
“That means Miss Prim’s father repaid both the principal and every bit of the interest.”
Sir Fret clicked his tongue sympathetically.
Yet the amusement shining in his pale green eyes betrayed his true feelings.
Even the curve of his smile looked delighted.
Johannes maintained his relaxed posture.
Only his words became noticeably harsher.
“So…”
“This is how you’ve been conducting business.”
“With methods fit for absolute scum.”
“Well, that’s…”
“You’re not about to insult my intelligence by claiming this was your first time.”
“N-No!”
Everyone turned toward the large man.
It was Pavid.
Having spent the entire time nervously watching Finn Schneider’s reactions, he apparently decided saving himself was the wiser choice.
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, he began confessing everything.
They had written promissory notes using Chakra Coal ink.
Once debts were repaid, those documents were stored separately.
Then…
Whenever a woman was left alone…
They would retrieve the altered contracts and extort her.
“We’ve already gathered sufficient evidence.”
“And now we have a confession.”
Sir Fret slammed both hands onto the table with a loud bang.
Smiling brightly, he continued,
“All that’s left…”
“Is to send everything to trial.”
He glared at Finn Schneider.
“How many women have you sold?”
“You piece of filth.”
“Ugh…”
As though Pavid alone were responsible for his downfall, Finn Schneider glared at him murderously.
Yet under Johannes’s gaze…
He dared do nothing more.
“What shall we do?”
At Sir Fret’s calm question, I looked toward Johannes.
“P-Please…!”
“Just don’t let my father find out!”
“I’ll do anything!”
“I swear I’ll cooperate!”
Tears streamed freely down Finn Schneider’s face.
I felt no sympathy whatsoever.
He had tried to deceive me.
Steal my home.
And sell me.
Johannes wore a remarkably gentle expression.
As though granting tremendous mercy, he said,
“I suppose…”
“You should receive punishment befitting your crimes.”
“After all…”
“What you’ve done is beneath even a dog.”
He motioned lightly toward Sir Fret.
Then stood without the slightest hesitation.
“We should be leaving.”
Finally…
He extended a hand toward me.
It was an impeccably gentlemanly gesture.
I stared blankly at his large hand.
Then I remembered…
I had accepted his proposal.
Quickly, I placed my hand in his.
For now…
The important thing was that everyone here believed we were convincing lovers.
“My house…”
“Sir Fret will see that it’s cleaned thoroughly.”
“I will?”
Sir Fret tilted his head as though hearing this for the first time.
Johannes remained completely unmoved.
“…Yes.”
“Of course.”
Moments later, Sir Fret walked away wearing an unmistakably sulky expression while speaking to Finn Schneider.
“Our great Duke Schultz—”
“Or rather… Colonel Schultz.”
“Has decided to hand you over to the Capital Police Bureau.”
“If you’re lucky…”
“He might even receive an award for outstanding citizenship.”
“Though perhaps they should create an award for outstanding colonels instead?”
“As for me…”
“I’d rather receive an award for being an exceptional aide.”
I could practically picture the expression on his face.
Naval officers had completely surrounded the front of the house.
A huge crowd had gathered outside.
Only moments ago…
Those same people had fled without giving me a second glance.
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Mrs. Pensler had apparently awakened because of all the commotion.
The moment she spotted me, she shouted,
“Edith!”
“Edith!”
Her plump hand waved frantically above the crowd.
Just as I started walking toward her…
Johannes gently caught my arm.
Looking up at him in confusion, I saw his usually firm lips part.
“Now isn’t the right time.”
“I believe returning to the estate first would be best.”
He slowly surveyed the crowd before adding,
“This isn’t exactly…”
“A pleasant situation.”
He was right.
Everyone’s attention was focused entirely on Johannes Schultz.
From somewhere among the crowd came the repeated clicks of camera shutters.
“Ah…”
Officially…
Johannes Schultz was still considered missing.
“Don’t tell me…”
“This happened because of me…?”
“No.”
His answer came in the same calm voice.
Turning those blue eyes away from me, he continued,
“I’ve hidden long enough.”
“It’s earlier than expected…”
“But the timing isn’t particularly bad.”
After saying something I couldn’t fully understand…
He escorted me toward a waiting carriage.
The naval insignia was emblazoned across its side.
Before climbing aboard, I looked toward Mrs. Pensler and silently mouthed an apology.
She still looked utterly bewildered.
Nevertheless…
She nodded.
“Careful.”
Taking Johannes’s offered hand, I stepped into the carriage.
Once we were seated across from each other…
He tapped lightly on the carriage wall.
Outside, the coachman shouted for people to clear the road.
Reluctantly…
The crowd parted.
Neither of us spoke.
Wrapped in an oddly uneasy silence…
The carriage slowly began its journey toward Evanstein Castle.
