Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 63

Revenge Has Interest 63. The Invisible Battle (63/200)

The Invisible Battle

2023.10.02.

Leah had a lot of worries and concerns before going to see Theresa. Of course, she was also scared.

But she couldn’t just avoid it. Her relationship with Theresa was very important for her business.

More than anything, a sense of pity for Theresa welled up from deep within her heart.

‘Leah Hamilton, are you going to meddle again?’

If it were just meddling, that would be fine, but the other party is the Emperor of Galdenia, and incurring her displeasure would only be disadvantageous to herself. So, she had to make a huge decision in a short amount of time.

“Get out if you don’t want to die.”

Theresa said in an indifferent tone.

To come all the way here on her own two feet and then just blink like a frightened rabbit in front of her, did she want to apologize while sobbing? If so, it would be best to send her away quickly.

“Your Majesty, I still don’t think I did anything wrong.”

Leah took courage.

“I was just trying to pick up the fallen veil and return it, but that’s not a big enough crime to have my tongue cut off, is it?”

“So, you came to blame me? Did you want to argue that I’m a twisted and difficult person?”

“No. Everyone has unspeakable secrets, wounds they don’t want to reveal, or weaknesses that explode like the detonator of a bomb if you just touch them.”

At Leah’s words, Theresa put down the glass she was holding on the table. She laughed hollowly, crossed her arms, and stared at Leah.

“You’ve lost your fear. Are you acting so arrogant because you trust your fiancé?”

“This has nothing to do with my fiancé. I came to Your Majesty of my own will. Even the great Emperor must apologize.”

“Haha! Apologize? You really want to die!”

Theresa strode towards Leah and grabbed her neck roughly.

“Ugh…!”

“Sometimes immature brats go crazy. In the end, they’ll beg for their lives.”

Theresa’s hand, which was holding Leah’s neck, tightened.

“Gasp…!”

Leah’s face turned red and veins popped out on her forehead as her breath was cut off, but she didn’t beg for her life. She endured even as her vision blurred and her mind became hazy.

Thud-! When Theresa released her hand, Leah collapsed to the floor and gasped for breath.

“Tell me the real reason you came to me. If you play games, I’ll really kill you.”

“Cough, cough, no one stakes their life on wordplay.”

Theresa stared intently at Leah, who was still saying everything she wanted to say even in this situation.

She looked so fragile that she couldn’t even catch a fly, but where did she get such guts? But seeing as she made Vivian’s riding suit, she was clearly not a foolish woman.

“Please apologize to me first.”

“Should I have just killed you? No, you have another reason for coming to me. Don’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then convince me. That’s the only way you’ll get out of here alive.”

Finally, Leah had a chance to gain the trust of Empress Theresa. A single chance with her life on the line. So, she had to be careful from now on, even with a single word.

“I know that you came because you are worried as the owner of Hamilton Haberdashery throughout Galdenia. No one in their right mind would want to be on bad terms with me.”

“That’s right. Perhaps that is the biggest reason I came to see Your Majesty. But that’s not all.”

Leah no longer trembled. Instead, she stared directly at Theresa’s eyes, which were hidden behind the veil.

“Why don’t you try, Your Majesty?”

“What…? Ha!”

Theresa burst out laughing at Leah’s words. Theresa couldn’t hide her embarrassment at Leah’s bold remarks. Why don’t you try, out of the blue?

“You didn’t do your best to fix your face, did you?”

“Shut up! What do you know?”

“I know too. You may not believe it, but I also live with pain that is difficult to heal. But I’m trying to overcome it.”

“Hmm, get to the point.”

She had tolerated Leah’s rash remarks enough.

“I’ll find a way.”

“What way?”

“It is impossible to get rid of the scars on Your Majesty’s face. But I will find a way to hide them perfectly.”

Theresa stared at Leah for a while without saying a word, then laughed loudly.

To find a way, she had suffered from smallpox and had done everything for ten years, but Leah was too confident in her problem, which was pathetic.

She had no choice but to give up because there were limits to current medical and cosmetic techniques.

“I want to develop. Rather than settling for where I am, I want to constantly try new things.”

“So, you’re saying that I’m the subject of the experiment you’re trying to do?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know what your words mean right now?”

“Of course. If I can’t find a way to remove Your Majesty’s veil, I will gladly give up my life.”

Ha! Where does that spirit come from? Theresa filled a glass with whiskey and drank it in one gulp after slightly lifting her veil.

Leah sensed that Theresa was hesitating.

“Apologize.”

“!?”

“If you solve my problem.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“There’s no need to thank me. Whether you will hear an apology from me or your head will fly off remains to be seen.”

Theresa pointed to the seat opposite her.

“Let’s start negotiating.”

Leah sat down across from her without hesitation.

* * *

Terron waited anxiously for Leah to come out. It had been quite a while since she had gone to see Theresa, but there was no sign of her coming out.

“Duke, don’t worry. My mother won’t eat the young lady,” Salame said, sneering at Terron.

“Lord Roberto, the world is not so easy,” Terron didn’t like the way Salame acted so arrogantly just because he was a member of the imperial family.

“Do you think it’s impossible for me to win the young lady’s heart?”

“Grace likes me.”

“There are many kinds of love. You can love several people at the same time.”

He was like a young boy who had never experienced failure. That boy would think that if he set his mind to it, he could move people’s emotions around like leaves floating on water.

“Well, humans grow when they experience failure and frustration.”

Terron shrugged at Salame’s words and made a nonchalant expression.

Salame glared at Terron with a stiff face.

Terron just felt sorry for Salame, who was so reckless.

There are definitely impossible things in the world, but it was ridiculous that he was acting so arrogantly just because he was a member of the imperial family.

He was the only one who ignored the fact that there were no eternal secrets in the world.

“Is it healthy to covet another man’s woman? Can you love several people at the same time when one is so overwhelmingly superior? Of course, the superior one is me, not you.”

Salame’s expression hardened at Terron’s harsh words. Just then, Allen and a VIP were seen approaching, talking to each other.

‘There’s another bastard coveting another man’s woman.’

Before he knew it, Salame had left his seat, and Terron was unintentionally confronted with Allen.

Since this was a public place, there was no need to growl and fight.

He would pretend not to know that Allen was bribing the employees of the Duke’s residence to gather information, like a rat stealing cheese.

Allen was enthusiastic about his conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Galdenia.

“President McDowell, invest in the Bertan Railroad project in the East Continent. It has abundant human resources and the imperial family has outstanding financial resources, so you can earn more than twenty times the profit.”

“Isn’t Bertan the largest country in the East Continent?”

“It’s truly a goose that lays golden eggs. Even the chamber pots used by the imperial family there are sold here at enormous prices.”

“I heard that several empires are fiercely competing.”

“I will help you. I am very close to the Bertan imperial family.”

While the two men were talking enthusiastically about business, Terron waited for Allen to approach without getting out of the way.

Finally, they were close enough to recognize each other.

“Duke Courtois, it’s nice to meet you.”

Allen greeted him first with a bright voice and offered a handshake. However, Terron just gave a bitter smile as he looked Allen up and down, and didn’t respond.

Allen introduced Terron to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and formal greetings were exchanged.

“President McDowell, I received the flowers you sent.”

“Is that so?”

Allen was about to lower his hand, which he had offered for a handshake but was rejected, feeling embarrassed.

“I don’t know if the flowers pleased Young Lady Bizac.”

“She liked them very much.”

“That’s a relief.”

Allen smiled and answered, but he didn’t really believe Terron’s words.

“I made a flower path on the lobby floor. As a way to bless the future of me and Grace, I trampled on the flower path.”

‘Trampled on?’

Allen was flustered, but he tried to pretend to be calm.

“Perhaps because they were expensive flowers, they were crushed very well under my shoes. Seeing President McDowell’s sincerity, I stepped on them very hard.”

Terron smiled with his mouth, but his eyes were full of murderous intent.

They exchanged sharp words back and forth. Soon, Allen pursed his lips into a straight line and trembled.

‘Next time, I’ll crush your windpipe.’

As expected, Terron and he were enemies. He realized that there were people in the world who could not coexist. He had to destroy Terron as soon as possible…!

‘As soon as Rivet becomes the Crown Princess, I’ll get rid of Hamilton Haberdashery first.’

Even though he acts so high and mighty, Terron was an incompetent man who didn’t even know who was behind the damage to the riding suit.

‘You should always be careful where you step. You arrogant bastard.’

On the other hand, Terron saw Allen’s expression and knew what sinister plot he was planning inside.

‘Don’t you think I don’t know what you did?’

If so, it wouldn’t be fun to fight.

‘Wait, I’ll give you an even bigger blow.’

Terron was going to enjoy the upcoming fight with Allen.