“I came here to enjoy the game, but it’s a dead end.”

Damion said casually, raising an eyebrow. It was an obvious lie, but Kardian didn’t react. He just stared at Damion intently.

Damion lightly scanned the empty room and moved his steps.

It was unknown whether Ansi had told a completely unfounded lie to Kardian, or if he had locked Dell somewhere other than here.

However, in any case, Dell de Rubels was not here. Then, he had no desire to stay any longer in this disgusting place.

From Kardian’s perspective, he wouldn’t want to cause a commotion here either. It was better for both of them to just ignore it and pass by.

Damion took steps toward Kardian’s direction to go outside. But just as he was about to pass Kardian, he asked a quiet question.

“Looking for Dell de Rubels?”

“…!”

Damion flinched. Not missing that moment, Kardian burst into laughter.

“I already moved him. I knew a rat like you would crawl in here.”

Damion narrowed his brows.

There must be an ill intention behind Kardian purposely mentioning Dell directly. It was right not to get involved in that story now and leave the underground.

“Dell, did you find the corpse of that man your elder brother killed?”

Damion asked back, pretending not to know.

However, Kardian stared at Damion with a smile. He was already convinced that Damion had noticed.

Kardian took a step closer to Damion and whispered.

“Shall I tell you the condition I gave Ansi?”

“…”

“I told her to leave you and come to me within three days. If not, I’d kill Dell.”

“What?”

Damion’s face contorted. He wondered if he had heard the right words. Suppressing his anger, he asked.

“You… what exactly is your purpose?”

“Exactly what I said. I want Ansi. So…”

Damion grabbed Kardian’s collar and pulled him close. Anger filled his violet eyes. He couldn’t bear to hear any more of this nonsensical story.

Thinking that he said this filthy story to Ansi as well, nausea welled up inside Damion.

“You crazy bastard.”

“Moving to obtain what one desires is an extremely normal behavior, Mion.”

“So you killed your wife too?”

“Well. It was you who killed Bekishi. You got away with it somehow, though.”

Kardian shook off Damion’s hand.

With a refined touch, he straightened his collar. There was no agitation or anger felt from him. He spoke in an indifferent voice.

“I didn’t expect Ansi to tell you about Dell’s existence… then I’ll have to give a penalty for this.”

Penalty? Damion’s eyebrows lifted. Kardian raised his gaze to stare at Damion.

“Now Dell de Rubels’ life and death depend on you, Mion. Tell Ansi yourself by tomorrow. That you want a divorce.”

“Ha.”

Damion let out a hollow laugh.

He was wondering what Kardian would say as he spoke so matter-of-factly, but it was a request that was not worth it at all.

Not knowing if Dell was really alive, there was no way he would agree to such a nonsensical demand.

“I can’t do that.”

“Even if it means Ansi’s elder brother dies?”

“Do you have any proof that Dell is in your hands? It’s just words.”

Kardian raised both eyebrows. His golden eyes, which had widened in surprise, were now filled with joy. He smiled brightly and opened his mouth.

“I guess Ansi didn’t tell you? Or… you didn’t earn enough trust to show you the evidence.”

Damion flinched.

There is evidence…?

As Kardian said, Ansi didn’t show Damion anything. Damion also didn’t ask why Ansi thought Dell was alive.

He just thought it was her being irrationally swayed by her elder brother’s matter and didn’t consider that she might have seen clear evidence.

“Go and check with Ansi. The evidence that Dell is with me. And let Ansi go. If not, Dell will die.”

“Don’t joke around. I have no intention of playing along with your demands.”

“Mion, if you don’t decide, Dell will die. You’re the one killing Dell.”

“Even if that man is really in your hands, you’re the one killing him, not me.”

“Is that so? Do you think Ansi will think that way too?”

“…”

“If you reject the opportunity to save Dell. What do you think Ansi will think of you?”

Kardian urged a decision in a subtle tone. Damion knew this was Kardian’s tactic.

He always cornered the other person into an inescapable situation and made them choose the next path themselves. The only choice presented was essentially a single option, but still, a choice was a choice.

Then Kardian would put all the blame for the resulting consequences on the other person. A cowardly and vile method, but one that had to be endured even knowing it.

Damion swallowed dryly. It felt like a snake was gradually tightening around his waist. Did he threaten Ansi this way too? Damion clenched his fists tightly.

“What do you think Ansi will think?”

“Yes.”

“She just has to stop contacting you any further. Then no matter what happens to Dell, she won’t know.”

“You’re saying something cruel, Mion.”

“It’s not cruel at all if you release Dell unharmed. To begin with, we can be happy if you’re just gone.”

“Well, is Ansi really happy by your side? It didn’t seem so today.”

“…”

At the mention of today, Damion’s expression hardened. Is he saying he met Ansi today? When? How?

Confusion rose transparently on his face. Kardian silently stared at that sight.

It was more fun to target Damion after all. This child pretended to be selfish and twisted, but he could never truly be that kind of person. He would surely think and think about Ansi’s position.

And eventually, it would lead to the result Kardian wanted.

Damion brushed past Kardian and strode away. His angry footsteps echoed in the hallway. As if listening to music, a smile played on Kardian’s lips at the sound of the footsteps.

Damion entered the mansion and took large strides. Elma followed behind him as he headed for the second floor.

“Master, well…”

“Later.”

Damion dismissed all the servants, stopping Elma from speaking. Now was not the time to talk to her.

The ominous premonition that rose from meeting Kardian. He wanted to confirm it with his own eyes right away. When did she meet Kardian, what did they talk about?

Until now, Damion hadn’t tried to draw out what Ansi didn’t say. But now he wanted to check everything without leaving anything out.

So that there was nothing she hid from him. So that no secrets existed. So that he was the only one she trusted and clung to.

Damion, who headed to the second floor, immediately opened the door to the couple’s bedroom.

But the bedroom was quiet.

Ansi was not there.

Damion contorted his face.

Did she leave the mansion? Did she go out, meet Kardian, and not return?

The assumption of the worst situation instantly rose and dominated Damion’s mind.

A rational judgment about how difficult it was to break through the watchful eyes all over the mansion was impossible. Damion was just anxious. A face full of dissatisfaction and anxiety twisted grotesquely.

Damion flung open the door and came out. At that moment, his eyes met Simon’s.

“You’re back, Master.”

Simon greeted him, surprised to see Damion’s grim expression. Damion lowered his gaze to Simon’s hand. She was holding a basin filled with water.

“Where is that woman?”

“…She’s in the room. Madam’s room. She collapsed because she wasn’t feeling well.”

“What…?”

A deflated sound escaped from Damion.

Collapsed. It was something he had never thought of.

He flung open the door to Ansi’s room.

Ansi was lying on the bed as if dead. Damion slowly approached her and reached out to stroke her cheek. It was like a ball of fire. Damion froze in place.

“How did this happen?”

Damion muttered as if asking. Simon, who was wringing out a new wet towel to place on Ansi’s forehead, answered.

“She seemed to be unwell these days. Today… on the way back from walking around the rear garden, she had a high fever, so I guided her to the room, and she collapsed as soon as she arrived.”

“…I see. Go out.”

Simon quietly left. Silence flowed in the room where only the two of them remained. Damion couldn’t do anything and just blankly stared at Ansi.

She had been unwell these days. He didn’t know that. Was she struggling to the point of collapsing? What made her so exhausted?

Damion sat on the chair next to the bed and rubbed his face.

As the morbid fear that had risen as if he would die subsided, self-reproach rushed in like a huge wave.

The reason she collapsed would be related to Kardian’s proposal. But… it wasn’t unrelated to Damion himself either. No, rather, it was no exaggeration to say that Damion made Ansi collapse.

Damion reached out and held Ansi’s wrist. Her feverish, slender wrist fell into his hand. It felt thinner than before. Not just her arms, but overall. She was already a skinny woman, but she had lost more weight in a few days.

Suddenly, a fear that this woman might die engulfed Damion.