Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 4

Revenge Comes with Interest 4 (4/200)

4.

2023.08.04.

Leia Hamilton’s funeral was scheduled to be held at the largest church in Rebon, the capital of Lubeck.

Leia arrived at the church two hours before the ceremony began.

It took some effort to shake off Pauline outside the church. She couldn’t let anyone see her grief.

‘Don’t tremble, face reality.’

Leia clasped her hands, covered in black mesh gloves. *Could* there be anyone else in the world watching their own funeral as someone else?

A subtle vibration traveled up her body from her toes, as if an earthquake had started from the floor. It was clearly the beginning of despair, about to face a tremendous sight.

‘You have to be strong. You’re still alive.’

Leia encouraged herself endlessly, as if chanting a mantra. Soon, she steeled her heart and entered the church without hesitation.

The scene was no different from any other chapel. A magnificent and sacred cross, with colorful light pouring in through the stained-glass windows behind it.

But Leia’s eyes were fixed only on the coffin where her body lay.

Leia didn’t stop walking and headed straight for the coffin, finally facing reality.

“Oh, God!”

Leia, who usually believed in science rather than God, found herself seeking God when she saw her own body.

A coffin filled with white lilies. Inside, she, barely twenty years old, was asleep.

‘Can it be this terrible?’

People had tried to fix her up, but her face was so disfigured that no one could recognize her. Leia couldn’t even make a sad expression. She just shed tears silently.

‘I’m sorry, I killed you. Leia Hamilton.’

Who knew the price of loving a man would be so harsh.

“I promise, I will kill you and Father…….”

Leia couldn’t continue speaking because she was overwhelmed with emotion. But now she had no time to wallow in despair. She didn’t even deserve to.

“I will definitely take Allen to the gates of hell. Only to that place.”

She had heard that humans tremble in extreme fear before entering the gates of hell. They must be made to suffer terrible pain, unable to die, unable to live, and unable to return.

“I will gladly become Allen McDowell’s hell.”

Leia wiped away her tears with her hand. It was too early to sob yet. The makeup she had painstakingly applied for today must not be ruined.

“Once it’s over, I’ll follow soon. Goodbye, Leia Hamilton.”

Leia said goodbye to herself in a calm tone.

Then she examined the body. She had to find the necklace her father had given her. But the necklace was nowhere to be found.

‘Why isn’t it here? Was it lost?’

Just then, an elderly priest appeared in the church. He seemed to be the bishop in charge of the funeral.

“Bishop, were there any other belongings of the deceased?”

Leia asked bluntly.

“Ah, the Duke Courtois’s people who found the body took the belongings separately. They have to be delivered to the family.”

‘Duke Courtois?’

Things had become difficult.

* * *

It was almost time for the funeral to begin. Even the person who would play the funeral march was already there, but Leia was the only mourner.

“Are there no mourners yet?”

The bishop seemed puzzled and approached Leia to ask. He must have been wondering about the empty funeral hall.

“Just me is enough.”

“Yes?”

“You can start the funeral.”

The bishop, who had been looking around the hall, soon agreed, as if he didn’t think any more mourners would come.

‘I know, Allen McDowell will definitely come.’

Leia prayed with her hands together.

Hoping that Allen would come.

Finally, the bishop in charge of the funeral prayed for the poor Leia, who had passed away early.

Just as his earnest prayer reached its peak, Leia felt a presence at the door, as she had expected.

Finally, he had come.

“Leia!”

Unlike the agitated voice, the footsteps were calm.

The bishop stopped praying and turned his gaze to the door, but Leia was still praying.

She knew too well who was there, so she tried to remain calm rather than panic.

“Who is it?”

The bishop asked politely, but his voice contained discomfort towards the stranger who did not observe etiquette.

If he were a mourner, it would be polite to sit quietly and watch the funeral.

Leia adjusted her black veil and prepared to stand up and face him.

And finally, she saw him.

A man with shining blonde hair and glamorous features.

Also, her wrong choice, covered in indelible sins.

“Mr. Allen McDowell?”

“Yes, I am Allen McDowell, but who are you?”

“I’m Grace Vizak.”

He must be racking his brain right now.

*Who* is this woman?

Leia didn’t have friends like this.

Leia could hear Allen’s memory circuits turning rapidly.

He was a man who knew everything about what Leia liked and disliked in her lifetime, and what accessories and dresses she wore each day of the week.

“How do you know Leia……? Are you a friend?”

“Friend…… no.”

“Then who are you?”

“My family and the Hamilton Trading Company had a relationship a long time ago, so I couldn’t help but come.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Only then did relief fill Allen’s face.

Leia bowed her head slightly and expressed her condolences to him.

Soon, she stepped aside, and Allen staggered towards the coffin.

“Leia.”

Allen lifted the thin cloth covering the body.

Contrary to his trembling hands, his eyes were full of desire to confirm.

The final confirmation needed on the path to becoming the new owner of the Hamilton Trading Company.

“How could this happen……!”

The body lying in the wedding dress was undoubtedly Leia Hamilton.

Allen sank down as if unable to contain his grief and shed bitter tears.

“You should have listened to me. Why were you so reckless……!”

The veins on Allen’s hand, which was holding the coffin, stood out.

He sobbed, his shoulders shaking as if he couldn’t bear the tragic end of his fiancée.

Leia, who had been waiting for that moment, approached Allen and comforted him by patting his shoulder.

“I don’t know what words of comfort to offer you.”

Leia was surprised that she could comfort the enemy who killed her in a dignified tone.

‘You are Grace Vizak now.’

She kept repeating it in her mind to avoid making mistakes with Allen.

Grace’s body was impeccably beautiful, except that it was unusually small and delicate.

Shining golden hair, white skin, and bluish-purple eyes shone like jewels.

Moreover, her breath was as cozy as a breeze.

Enough to fall in love *with her* even if the same woman saw it.

Allen turned back to Leia, pretending to be a fiancé who had barely regained his composure.

“Thank you for watching over my fiancée’s last journey.”

“You’re welcome. It’s just a pity.”

“No. You did something I couldn’t do. I also searched for Leia’s whereabouts in every way, but in the end, I couldn’t prevent this tragedy.”

Allen briefly explained to Leia why she had run away and what the situation was like for the Hamilton Trading Company in her home country.

“I tried to persuade Leia and her father to the end, but the merchant said that he had to sell anything that made money, and he ignored me.”

“Oh, dear……!”

Leia realized miserably that she herself was an arrogant human being who mistakenly thought she knew everything about one person.

‘In the end, I didn’t know anything about Allen.’

“It was against my beliefs and morals, so I took courage. Still, I never dreamed that Leia would abandon even me and run away like that.”

He continued to shed tears while speaking.

Leia took a handkerchief out of her small handbag and handed it to him. She felt an urge to strangle Allen right away, but she bit her lip and endured it.

“Save your tears.”

Leia’s voice cracked without her knowing it. She was disgusted by him spewing lies and pretense in front of her.

“I think I would hate it if the man I loved was sad for a long time because of me.”

“I see. Thank you for your comfort.”

“The deceased Miss Hamilton will also fully understand her fiancé’s heart.”

“But I think I will regret for the rest of my life that I didn’t persuade Leia more actively that day.”

Allen wiped away his tears with the handkerchief Leia handed him and continued to speak.

“Leia was very stubborn and didn’t listen to me well.”

Leia looked at Allen pitifully and turned away.

Then he grabbed Leia again in a soft tone.

“Miss Vizak, I’m sorry, but I want to know about Leia’s last moments. When will you make time for me?”

“Yes?”

Just as Leia, who had turned around, was about to answer, another man’s voice echoed softly in the chapel.

“Grace.”

Leia’s gaze followed the voice, like an instinct responding to a stimulus.

A man in a black uniform was walking towards Leia and Allen.

A man who was tall and burly enough to fill the narrow aisle, wrapped in black, exuded a fiery energy on his ice-cold face.

The black eyes, which overwhelmed people at once, made anyone feel intimidated.

Above all, the man, who was full of masculinity, looked absolutely stronger than Allen.

“Duke Courtois.”

As Leia approached him with a delighted expression, he naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“!?”

Leia flinched at his actions without realizing it.

‘Why is this man like this again? Doing things he never used to do.’

“Finally, Miss Hamilton’s fiancé has arrived.”

Leia said softly, raising her head gently.

Allen tried to analyze Leia and Terrence as he watched them.

He probably thinks they are lovers.

“It’s a relief that the chief mourner has arrived. I was wondering if she would be buried in a common cemetery as an unidentified corpse.”

His words contained a reproach towards Allen for appearing late.

“He was very sad.”

“Then, have we done everything we need to do, Grace?”

“Yes.”

It was then. Allen, who had only been watching the situation, approached Leia.

“Miss Vizak, please introduce me to the person next to you. I would like to thank him.”

“He is Duke Terrence Courtois.”

“Yes……? Ah, you are the famous Duke Terrence Courtois. I am Allen McDowell. Thank you for holding my fiancée’s funeral. I will definitely repay this favor.”

Allen seemed more surprised to have actually met Terrence, whom he had only heard of in rumors, than the fact that his fiancée had died.

But Terrence stared at him with an indifferent face and turned his head to look at his fiancée.

“Let’s go.”

Terrence turned around with Grace’s shoulder around him.

However, Allen did not let the two go easily.

“Excuse me, please tell me one more thing.”

He strode up and asked her, not Terrence.

“What would you like to know?”

“Did Leia leave anything behind? Um, a necklace, or something…….”

“A necklace?”

“Ah…… no. I’ll take a look.”

At Leia’s puzzled reaction, Allen quickly opened the way.

“Is it an important necklace?”

Leia was curious about what Allen would answer.

“It’s something that has been passed down through the family for generations, so I wanted to keep it safe.”

“If it’s such a necklace, it must contain the history and secrets of the trading company. But I don’t know anything about it.”

Leia said to Allen, but her gaze was directed at Terrence. The person who has the necklace must be someone else.

“I…… see.”

Leia turned away from Allen with a sorry face and quietly suppressed the anger that filled her chest.

“His fiancée will be buried in the church cemetery here.”

“Duke Courtois, I can’t leave Leia abandoned in a foreign land.”

“Wouldn’t it be better than being abandoned in her home country?”

Terrence said to Allen in a calm tone.

“What do you mean by that?”

Allen was greatly surprised, as if Terrence had seen through his intentions.

“You already know what I mean without me having to explain it.”

“But I can request the repatriation of the body to Galdenia.”

Grace, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, interjected.

“Don’t you want your beloved fiancée to rest in peace?”

Leia’s body would be safe, at least, if Allen didn’t insist.

At those words, Allen closed his mouth.

Allen wanted to dispose of Leia’s body in Galdenia for perfect cleanup.

But now that he had confirmed her death, there was no need to insist.

‘The dead have no say.’

Just then, a mournful funeral march echoed in the church.

Leia’s gaze naturally turned to the coffin and then moved to Allen.

‘This is a requiem for you. You bastard!’