**Chapter 14**
—
A year had passed since Count Cain Dormund left for war under the Emperor’s orders.
As he gazed upon the capital upon his return, Cain thought to himself.
In just one year, the atmosphere of the capital seemed to have changed significantly.
Whether it was the circulating rumors or the city’s bizarrely evolving policies, everything felt drastically different in just that short time.
And it felt like even things that should never have changed had indeed changed.
Cain let out a dry laugh at the report from his chief steward.
“So, what’s your conclusion?”
“…”
“Are you saying that all the spies we’ve planted for decades have been exposed, driven out, and killed? Is that it?”
At his question, Dormund’s chief steward broke into a cold sweat.
Unable to utter a single word under Cain’s fierce gaze, he could only bow his head deeply.
“…Leave me. And bring Ian here.”
“Yes, sir.”
The steward bowed and exited the room soundlessly.
Left alone, Cain tapped the table with his fingers.
Tap, tap—at steady intervals.
The longer the tapping continued, the deeper the lines etched themselves into his forehead.
As silence weighed heavily in the room, broken only by his faint breaths, Cain spoke in a low, sunken voice, calling out a single name.
“…Hollan Leverkusen. That old man is the problem after all.”
With those words, Cain recalled the reports he had received before coming here.
The Lion of the North.
Or the man known as a Sword Master.
Stories said that after he visited House Bayern, a massive purge had taken place.
During that purge, some had confessed to being Dormund’s spies, and there were rumors that Hollan Leverkusen himself had personally led the operation.
That alone brought a bitter smile to Cain’s lips.
‘What a cunning fox. He always acted so noble, yet he was moving in secret all along.’
Knowing the relationship between Hollan Leverkusen and the Bayern family, Cain had anticipated that this day would come eventually.
But he had never imagined it would come so soon—or with such boldness.
After all, the spies who had been eradicated were men he had spent over ten years preparing and inserting.
Even with Hollan’s influence, it shouldn’t have been possible to identify them all so quickly.
‘How did they find them? We erased every trace of their origins, their identities, everything. They were practically ghosts in this world.’
Cain closed his eyes as he pondered.
Sudden problems erupting.
A situation entangled in a complicated web.
As he took in the strange circumstances, he murmured to himself.
‘This crisis has brought problems, but it’s also offered clarity. Now I finally understand.’
Sebastian, the steward of Arthur Bayern.
The most critical spy of all—only now did it make sense why his identity had been uncovered and why he’d been turned into an invalid.
‘If Hollan Leverkusen himself moved, then it’s not unreasonable. He must have discovered Sebastian’s identity and dealt with him.’
With his thoughts organized, the corners of Cain’s lips curled upward.
‘In that case… it’s best to accept what’s happened and focus on how to clean up the aftermath.’
Cain opened his eyes.
Just then, his eldest son’s voice came through the door.
“Father, may I come in?”
“Enter.”
With his permission, Ian stepped into the room and bowed respectfully.
Cain wasted no time issuing his orders.
“Go to the Imperial Palace immediately and meet with Prince Khan Madrid.”
“…You mean the Second Prince?”
“Yes. Explain everything that’s happened in detail and tell him we’ll restore things to how they were.”
Ian hesitated before asking,
“I heard you’re going to the Duke’s estate. Shouldn’t I accompany you?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll take Jane with me instead. The more pressing matter is to resolve this misunderstanding with Prince Khan Madrid.”
Ian bowed.
“I will depart immediately.”
Seeing his dependable eldest son, the deep lines on Cain’s brow smoothed slightly.
After double-checking the situation in his mind, Cain rose from his seat.
“There’s no point in delaying any further…”
Trailing off, he strode out of the room.
“I must clean things up myself—so no new sprouts rise from what’s already been burned.”
—
—
A heavy silence blanketed the Bayern estate.
It was all thanks to the man who had brazenly walked through the main gates of House Bayern—Count Cain Dormund.
Yet even amid the suffocating atmosphere, Cain exuded perfect composure.
He sat leisurely in the drawing room, sipping tea as he waited.
Receiving the report, Yonel curled her lips into a bitter smile.
“I always knew he was shameless, but I never imagined he could be this brazen.”
With that, Yonel gestured with her hand.
“Go summon him. Let’s see that thick face of his.”
The butler departed.
Soon, Cain strode confidently into Yonel’s office.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”
“It has, Count.”
“I’ve been kept away by matters requiring my attention.”
“It would’ve been better had you stayed away forever.”
Cain let out a low chuckle at Yonel’s venom-laced words.
The old woman, who once couldn’t even meet his eyes, was talking back to him now…
‘If that’s the case, there’s no need to show courtesy.’
Cain walked over and sat down in the chair opposite her without waiting for permission.
His blatant breach of decorum made Yonel’s eyes narrow sharply.
But Cain’s rudeness was only beginning.
“Shouldn’t I apologize? My spy was discovered.”
“…!”
“If I had no conscience, I wouldn’t have bothered visiting. But since I do, I came in person.”
Yonel’s mouth fell open.
A mixture of disbelief and fury twisted her features.
Meanwhile, Cain continued calmly.
“But I hope you won’t misunderstand. As you well know… planting spies in other noble houses isn’t exactly unusual.”
“W-what did you say?”
“For example, I’ve hidden spies in many families besides the Bayerns. Identifying those spies is a sign of the family head’s competence… and keeping them undetected is my competence.”
“…!”
“So in that sense, this incident happened because of my incompetence, and I’ll offer appropriate compensation.”
Yonel slammed her palm onto the table, unable to hold back.
But Cain seized the moment to warn her.
“I’d advise you to act prudently.”
“…!”
“If you reject my proposal here… I will accept your refusal gracefully and prepare countermeasures.”
Yonel’s eyes trembled.
Cain’s eyes glinted coldly.
“And the final form of those countermeasures… well, even I don’t know how far they’ll go. So I suggest you choose wisely.”
Cain leaned back, arms folded leisurely.
Yonel’s hands shook violently, but she was powerless to act against his brazen provocation.
Cain studied her with a calculating gaze.
‘She’s changed, but… not nearly enough.’
He had come prepared to provoke her deliberately to gauge how much Yonel had grown into her role as head of the house.
But what he saw now was disappointing.
She’d changed, yes—but too quickly and too clumsily.
‘She’s not yet a threat… so was it Hollan Leverkusen who engineered everything?’
As he pondered, Cain suddenly remembered his youngest son—Bill Dormund, who had been beaten so badly by Arthur Bayern that he lost an eye.
He also recalled that Arthur had stopped stuttering about six months ago.
With those thoughts, a sly smile formed on Cain’s lips.
Since he was here, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to resolve all his lingering questions.
“And House Bayern owes us a debt, doesn’t it?”
“…What?”
“My youngest son, Bill. He was beaten by Arthur Bayern and lost an eye.”
“….”
“I let it slide, calling it a childish scuffle… but if I wanted to press charges, there’s plenty of reason to do so.”
Cain’s lips curled into a nasty grin.
“So how about we both make concessions? I’ll offer compensation for my spy being discovered. And Your Grace can offer an apology for my son losing an eye.”
“….”
“And you don’t need to apologize personally. I’ll take the apology directly from Arthur Bayern. That should allow you to save face, don’t you think?”
Leaning back with smug satisfaction, Cain made it clear he would brook no argument.
Yonel fell silent, visibly shaking with rage.
As the silence stretched longer than he expected, Cain’s curiosity grew.
Finally, Yonel’s icy voice shattered the stillness.
“Count Dormund. I can tolerate your insults toward me.”
“…?”
“But I cannot forgive you for touching my son. If you’re going to make such ridiculous demands, get out of my house this instant.”
Cain’s eyes twitched.
He didn’t show it, but he was genuinely surprised by Yonel’s response.
‘She might be a poor duke, but she’s a fine mother.’
He chuckled inwardly as his mind raced.
‘Annoying. How do I break that naive woman?’
Then the answer came to him almost immediately.
According to his reports, Yonel still didn’t know why her eldest son had been rendered mute.
If he revealed the source of the poison now… what kind of reaction would she have?
Cain smiled thinly, preparing to speak.
But before he could open his mouth, an unfamiliar voice rang through the room.
“Mother. It’s okay.”
Both Cain and Yonel whirled around in shock.
Standing in the open doorway, Arthur Bayern entered with a bright smile.
“If I did something wrong, I should apologize. I did, after all, put out Bill’s eye.”
Arthur’s gaze turned to Cain.
Cain stared back, unable to hide his shock.
‘This is… Arthur Bayern?’
A physique rivaling his own.
Speech so clear it was impossible to believe he’d ever been mute.
And an aura of unmistakable power.
Cain found himself at a rare loss for words, his mouth slightly agape.
Yonel, stunned by Arthur’s sudden appearance, hurried to him.
“Arthur! What are you doing here!”
Arthur finally broke his stare with Cain and turned to his worried mother.
With a gentle smile, he whispered,
“I’m sorry, Mother. I overheard everything outside the door and couldn’t help myself.”
“Leave at once! This isn’t your place!”
Arthur chuckled.
“You’re right. This isn’t my place… but may I be a little stubborn?”
Yonel’s eyes widened in shock.
Arthur continued calmly,
“You asked me what I wanted for my birthday gift. I’ll take it now. I want to talk with Count Dormund.”
Yonel looked horrified.
She tried to protest, but Arthur spoke before she could.
“Please, Mother.”
His soft plea caused her mouth to slowly close.
Seeing this, Cain finally spoke up, his curiosity piqued.
“I’ll revise my proposal. Not an apology, but a conversation.”
“…Count!”
“I want just five minutes alone with Arthur Bayern. If you agree, I will withdraw from the negotiations to seize the mineral-rich Cheolsan mines in Bayern territory.”
Yonel froze at his words.
‘What? He’ll give up the Cheolsan mines?’
The Cheolsan mines were the backbone of House Bayern’s finances—and were on the brink of falling into Cain’s hands through a debt negotiation.
If Bayern lost the empire’s fifth-largest mine, their finances would collapse.
But Cain was now offering to let it go.
‘The only reason I’m at his mercy is because he’s already entangled himself in our industries. And now he’s offering to give it up himself?’
Unable to answer immediately, Arthur leaned in to whisper.
“I’m fine. I want to talk with him.”
Yonel looked at him with worried eyes.
Arthur’s bright smile brought tears to her eyes before she finally nodded.
Click!
The door shut, leaving only Cain and Arthur.
Their eyes locked with an unspoken intensity.
Unable to contain himself, Cain spoke first.
“…Incredible. Who could have imagined the mute boy would change like this? Your physique alone… I’d believe it if someone told me you were a knight.”
Arthur slowly shifted his gaze.
He walked casually to Yonel’s chair and sat down, facing Cain directly.
Cain’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected move.
Arthur spoke.
“Hmm… I’ll be honest, Count Dormund.”
“…Honest?”
“Yes. So please listen carefully and answer me.”
Arthur smiled brightly.
“How would you like to die? I can’t offer you a peaceful death, so please suggest something else.”
—
