Chapter 200: Dancing with the Wolf
Adele had never imagined...
That her situation could become even worse than being forced into marriage.
The man who intended to marry her...
Her future husband...
Was actually the very Inquisitor before her who had left countless psychological scars on her, and who was now deliberately toying with her like a cat playing with its prey!
Absolutely not!!
“Stop struggling, Miss Adele. Falling from a moving horse could easily break your neck...”
Leon wrapped one arm around Adele's waist to stop her from struggling.
When he saw that she was still too agitated to listen, his voice sank as he spoke beside her ear.
“Behave yourself.
“Don't force me to get rough!”
“Eek!”
Adele shivered violently and no longer dared to move recklessly.
“Very good.
“Be obedient.
“It'll be better for both of us.”
Seeing that Adele had stopped struggling, Leon continued.
Adele trembled for a while, shrinking into Leon's embrace with her shoulders hunched as she asked tearfully,
“Wh-What exactly...
What exactly are you trying to do to me?
“Why are you suddenly doing something like this?”
Previously...
Leon had only asked her to turn a blind eye to whatever was happening on the other side of the island.
At most...
He had merely kept her under a little surveillance.
At the very least...
Leon had never shown the slightest interest in either her or her family's title.
Yet now...
Out of nowhere...
Leon was telling her he wanted to marry her and seize her family's title!
Could it be...
That this man had been planning all of this from the very beginning?
Adele could hardly bear to imagine what he intended to do with her next.
“Don't be nervous, Miss Adele.
“The reason I came after you was because I wanted an opportunity to speak with you alone.
“I want to...
Discuss a business deal with you.”
Leon spoke slowly.
“A business deal?”
Still shaken, Adele asked in confusion.
“This all happened rather suddenly.
“But I have my own circumstances.
“To put it simply...
“I only need to borrow your family's title and territory temporarily.
“I'm not actually planning to marry you for real.”
Leon explained.
“Temporarily borrow it?”
After thinking for a moment, Adele seemed to understand a little.
“You mean...
A fake marriage for a period of time?”
“Exactly.
“At this stage, I need a noble title and the administrative authority over your family's territory.
“Meanwhile, your family needs money to repay its debts.
“We can each get what we need.”
Leon began explaining in detail.
“The arrangement is this.
“First, we'll officially register our marriage.
“Then I'll legally inherit your family's title.
“I've already acquired your family's debt from the Watcher Merchant Company.
“Once we've completed the title inheritance procedures, I'll inherit your father's debt as well.
“I'll settle it immediately.”
“What do you intend to do with our title and territory?”
Adele remained somewhat wary.
She suspected Leon was involved in illegal activities.
Once Leon inherited the title...
The Viscount Arend family would become directly tied to everything he did.
If one day he were brought down...
Her family would be dragged down with him.
Its reputation would be utterly destroyed as well.
“You're still worried about your family being implicated by me?
“With all due respect, Miss Adele...
“Your family is already on the verge of disappearing.”
Leon said calmly.
“You're already in an extremely dangerous position.
“With your father's current condition...
“You won't even need to wait until he dies.
“Just the Watcher Merchant Company...
“No.
“Now that I'm your creditor...
“The moment I initiate debt liquidation...
“The Viscount Arend family will go completely bankrupt, and the title will be confiscated, won't it?”
Adele was rendered speechless.
Indeed...
The Viscount's household was already effectively bankrupt.
The only reason it hadn't formally collapsed...
Was because the Watcher Merchant Company had never begun liquidation proceedings.
After all...
There was virtually nothing left to recover even through bankruptcy.
The crucial point was...
Leon now claimed he possessed the family's debt.
If that were true...
Then the continued survival of the Viscount's household now rested entirely in Leon's hands.
Of course...
Leon had no intention of truly forcing the family into bankruptcy.
Even if liquidation allowed him to obtain some of Arend Island's assets...
The title itself would still be reclaimed.
“Furthermore, Miss Adele...
“I hope you understand something.
“This isn't me asking for your opinion.
“I'm merely informing you.
“If you insist on resisting to the bitter end...
“You'll only make yourself suffer for nothing.
“The dungeon beneath my territory is rather spacious.
“Would you like to take a look?”
Leon continued.
“No!
“I don't!”
The hairs all over Adele's body stood on end.
As a noble young lady who fainted even at the sight of blood...
Merely imagining the kinds of torture Leon might employ was already unbearable.
From beginning to end...
She had never truly possessed the right to refuse.
“Good.
“It's best if you don't.
“I'd much rather you cooperate voluntarily.
“That would save me a great deal of trouble.
“And in return...
“I can treat you better.
“In business, the most important thing is understanding reciprocity.”
Leon patiently continued persuading her beside her ear.
“Actually...
“Your father understands this better than you do.
“Since neither of you can change the situation anyway...
“You might as well accept it and enjoy what you can.
“Pointless resistance will only bring needless suffering.”
“But...
“After you've inherited the title...
“You won't kill both my father and me... will you?”
Adele asked with a trembling voice.
“If you cooperate sufficiently...
“What benefit would killing you bring me besides inviting suspicion and investigation?”
Leon replied.
“The only prerequisite for killing you...
“Would be if you caused me enough trouble.
“And honestly...
“I don't think you should overestimate yourself that much.”
“Then...
“What about the time limit?
“Surely...
“I won't have to remain tied to your side for the rest of my life...?”
The mere thought of spending the rest of her life as Leon's possession filled Adele with despair.
“As for the duration...
“Let's say until I obtain another noble title.”
Leon thought for a moment before answering.
Within the Empire...
If someone legally obtained the right to govern multiple territories...
They could simultaneously hold the corresponding noble titles.
If Leon later acquired another title through different means...
Then even if he divorced Adele and lost the title of Viscount Arend...
He could still retain the new title and territory.
However...
Since he needed to ensure the security of the Labyrinth on Arend Island...
Even after obtaining the title of Viscount Arend, he had no intention of giving it up easily.
There was simply no need to explain all of that to Adele right now.
“Obtain another noble title...”
Adele pondered the idea.
Noble titles were hardly something one could simply obtain whenever they wished.
Her grandfather had only been granted one decades ago because the region urgently needed funding during its frontier expansion and city-building.
Through generous donations...
Leading investment efforts...
And careful cultivation of connections...
He had finally earned his title.
However...
The eastern regions were still undergoing development.
Because of the historical legacy of Ailand...
The area could hardly be called stable.
The threat of war still lingered.
Yet hidden within instability...
Were opportunities.
As long as one made sufficient contributions to the central government...
Whether through military achievements or financial support...
One could become one of the new nobles of the East.
Leon was still so young...
Yet he had already accumulated such wealth and status.
Regardless of whether his methods were legitimate...
They proved he possessed considerable ability.
For someone like him...
Once he had the advantage of a noble title...
Obtaining another one in the East no longer seemed impossible.
The only problem...
Was whether Leon would truly honor his promise to release her family once he gained another title.
Seeing that Adele was still hesitating...
Leon spoke again.
“Miss Adele...
“Do you remember the question I asked you before?”
“What?”
Adele responded in confusion.
“How much are you willing to sacrifice...
“To save your family?”
Leon asked.
Adele turned and stared blankly at Leon.
“Do you know why you failed to escape today?”
Leon glanced down at her.
“Because you lacked the resolve to take risks.
“Did you really think climbing out of a second-floor window and sneaking away counted as resistance?
“If you'd found a weapon upstairs...
“Charged into the stables...
“Stolen a horse...
“And ridden your way out...
“You might actually have escaped.
“When you're thrown into the sea...
“You need the resolve to fight the waves.
“When one of your arms is pinned down...
“You need the resolve to cut it off in order to survive.
“Surely you don't naïvely believe your family's current predicament can be escaped through ordinary means?”
“I...”
Adele had no rebuttal.
She understood business.
Starting from nothing and earning thirty million Fenni was already beyond the capability of ordinary people.
Trying to recover while burdened with thirty million Fenni in debt...
Was even more difficult.
Without taking desperate risks...
It was almost impossible.
She herself had never even found an opportunity to take such a risk.
But now...
“Now...
“The opportunity is right in front of you.”
Leon spoke in a low voice before her.
Adele blinked.
His meaning couldn't have been clearer.
The conditions Leon offered...
Were her family's opportunity to struggle out of despair.
The price...
Was allowing Leon to obtain their title and make use of everything their family possessed.
From this day onward...
She would have to dance with the wolf.
The risks were undeniably enormous.
But if she truly wanted to change her circumstances...
Taking risks was only natural.
“Th-Then...
“Then...”
The thoughts in Adele's heart had already begun to waver.
But one question still made her hesitate.
“We're really...
“Only going to have a fake marriage?”
“Yes.”
Leon looked down at the nervous Adele in his arms.
A mischievous thought suddenly surfaced.
He leaned closer to her face and whispered,
“If you want...
“It doesn't have to stay fake.”
“N-No!
“Please don't!”
Adele immediately shrank her neck away from him.
“I was joking.
“Right now...
“I only need your family's title and territory.
“At least for the moment.”
Leon straightened himself again.
“'At least for the moment...'
“After that...
“Wouldn't everything still be up to you...?”
Adele still couldn't set her mind at ease.
She realized...
From now on...
She would live entirely under this man's control.
Even if he claimed he had no interest in her in that way at the moment...
He could change his mind whenever he wished.
Leon suddenly darkened his expression.
He abruptly pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt before dismounting.
“Get down.”
Leon said to Adele.
“Huh?”
Adele failed to react.
“Get down!”
Leon repeated as he reached up and pulled Adele off the horse.
“Ow...”
When she landed, her injured foot was jolted painfully.
Her knees buckled.
“Miss Adele...
“If I were willing to shoulder your family's debts because I genuinely wanted to marry you...
“You ought to feel fortunate instead.”
Leon stared directly at her.
“Do you know how many people in this world exhaust themselves simply trying to stay alive?
“A happy marriage...
“A life with enough food to eat...
“Many don't even get the chance to choose one of those.
“You don't actually think you're suffering more than everyone else, do you?”
“Miss Adele...
“The truth is...
“I don't like you.
“Because that part of you really irritates me.”
At that moment...
Adele felt as though she had been struck.
Her mouth remained half-open.
No words came out.
“I'm negotiating with you now...
“Asking you to cooperate honestly.
“That's me giving you an opportunity.”
Leon mounted his horse again and looked down at her.
“If you want to seize it...
“Then follow me back of your own accord.
“We'll continue our discussion.
“Or...
“You can keep running.
“But if I reach the estate gate and turn around without seeing you...
“I'll send people to drag you back.
“When that happens...
“You won't receive this kind of treatment anymore.”
Without waiting for Adele's reply...
Leon flicked the reins.
The horse immediately began trotting forward.
Adele stood there blankly, staring at Leon's retreating back.
Only after a long moment did she finally snap back to her senses.
Gathering up her skirt, she limped after him.
“W-Wait!
“I'm willing to talk!
“Please stop...
“At least don't ride so fast!”