KFBRV Ch 90
- Feb 22
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 23
[Ulrich] "It is the family manor. As you know, the estate holds immense historical value—"
[Zion] "I have plenty of those."
[Ulrich] "Then, perhaps the casino building itself as collateral—"
[Zion] "Collateral. Not buildings. How about a person instead?"
Under Imperial law, human beings could serve as collateral. Slavery persisted within the Empire's borders. The destitute often traded their freedom for coin, promising their very bodies as "debt slaves" if they failed to repay.
However, Zion Reinhardt von Kleist was the last man expected to suggest it. Everyone knew of his relentless efforts within the House of Lords to abolish those very laws.
[Ulrich] "Haha, what a delightful joke."
Ulrich brushed the comment aside with a nervous laugh.
[Zion] "......I am serious, Count Albrecht."
Zion spoke with a deliberate weight, letting a sliver of his Transcendent pressure fill the air.
[Ulrich] "I... I have never imagined using my daughter as collateral."
Ulrich's hand trembled, the porcelain teacup rattling against its saucer.
[Zion] "Of course not. Only a beast who values gold over his own blood would stoop so low."
A high-ranking Count with a pristine manor had no reason to pawn his daughter—especially not with a public reputation as a doting father.
[Zion] "Then forget it. Kleist Bank will not invest."
Zion knew the man's mask was hollow. The moment he rose to leave without a second glance, Ulrich lunged forward to stop him.
[Ulrich] "Y-Your Excellency!"
Zion felt a spark of anticipation.
What expression would she wear? A woman sold herself to settle her father's debts. Would her eyes blaze with that same defiant anger? Would that intense, bursting vitality remain?
[Ulrich] "Your... Your Excellency."
[Zion] "I shall take that as an agreement, Count."
[Ulrich] "......I agree, but it is not because I lack love for my daughter—"
Zion ignored the worthless excuses.
[Zion] "We will discuss the details and the reasoning behind this collateral later, at the hunting grounds. I am busy now."
He brushed off his hunting attire as if cleaning away filth and exited the conservatory.
[Max] "Your Excellency."
[Zion] "Leave it. I'll go alone."
He snatched the umbrella from Max's hand.
[Zion] "Add anyone foolish enough to invest in Albrecht's casino to our bank's blacklist. Low-intelligence bastards only pollute the air in my lobby."
With his orders delivered, he walked slowly toward the path Odette had taken.
Did she not leave with that woman... Mrs. Becker?
The maid was nowhere to be found. Instead, Odette stood alone in the center of the garden. Seeing her composed figure, a wave of self-loathing washed over him.
What am I doing? What would I even do with her as debt repayment?
His impulse had been irrational. Claiming Odette as collateral served no practical purpose. The Imperial family would never allow the Empire's only Purifier to be enslaved, and even if she fell to such a status, he found no joy in the thought. This was nothing more than throwing money into the dirt.
Of course, the gold didn't matter. The House of Kleist possessed secret hoards greater than the Imperial Treasury; whatever Ulrich demanded amounted to a single teacup dipped from the ocean.
The problem was that Zion couldn't understand his own actions.
Odette stared intently at her own fingertips.
Ah. A butterfly.
Only then did the white butterfly, previously blending into the background, register as a living thing. She held one on the tip of her finger, observing it with careful focus.
A few white butterflies had escaped the conservatory, most huddling beneath flower petals. She held her umbrella over the blossoms, sheltering the insects from the rain.
In the center of the garden, with her platinum-blonde hair fluttering in the wind, she looked like a white butterfly herself.
[Zion] "Beautiful."
The word escaped his lips before he could catch it.
A few days ago, such an admission would have shocked him. Now, he accepted it. He had seen her endure the brainwashing; he had seen her suppressed tears finally burst; he had felt his mood sour at the sight of her dancing with Johan.
Now, he dreamed of her every night—vivid, carnal dreams.
He categorized his feelings with clinical coldness: Possessiveness. Animalistic lust. Something that could never be love. The same trash sentiment his father had felt for his mother.
The same blood flows through me. I never intended to harbor such disgusting emotions—.
His mother had called love the most noble, pristine emotion. He had never experienced it, but he had read enough classics to define it: Unwavering respect, perfect consideration, an ideal partnership that fostered growth.
His feelings for Odette were the antithesis. She made him impulsive, petty, and pathetic. She stripped away his logic. Therefore, this could never be—
Odette turned, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a fluid motion. Time seemed to freeze. The rhythmic drumming of the rain, the frantic chirping of birds, the patter against his umbrella—it all vanished.
[Odette] "......Excellency."
Her teal eyes narrowed slightly.
As I thought. A smile suits her better. It has more... appeal.
He thought like a man possessed. He realized then that once he owned her, his primary desire was to make her smile.
[Zion] "Heh......"
While he reeled from his own absurdity, the woman—fluttering free like a butterfly—lifted her skirts in a polite curtsy.
The moment the greeting ended, she turned to retreat toward the conservatory. Her posture formed a wall; she clearly loathed his presence.
Swallowing his irritation, he closed the distance and snatched her wrist. Trapped beneath his umbrella, she looked like a pinned specimen.
A smile? Ridiculous.
His spite began to flare.
Like a dog. Why is this man here again?
She had finally slipped away from Mrs. Becker, only to be caught by something far more dangerous.
He appears now, of all times, when I need to meet Karl.
She had endured hell alongside Damian to smuggle Karl onto Athena Island. All that remained was to release him. But the issue of his "pressure" loomed large.
[Gisella] "However, My Lady. Living with the human you sent was incredibly unsettling and difficult."
[Goetz] "Lady Odette, I oppose using this man, Karl. Even a brief moment in the carriage made me feel like vomiting from his pressure. You have no reason to use such an unsettling thing."
Gisella and Goetz had both reported on that overwhelming aura. Even Lize had asked how Odette could stand to look at him, let alone care for him. If she couldn't resolve the pressure issue, today's plan was worthless.
To run into this man now, in the midst of her mental turmoil, was maddening.
[Odette] "Let go."
She spoke to Zion, who leaned his umbrella toward her. He possessed a balanced physique and wore his clothes with practiced ease. From a distance, he looked lean, but standing this close, his sheer size became undeniable.
A brainless giant.
[Zion] "Where is the maid you came with?"
[Odette] "Why do you care?"
She had told Mrs. Becker to get lost.
The woman was already under her thumb; since they had conspired to share authority over appointments, Odette held the leverage.
Mrs. Becker, aiming for the title of Countess, would never dare report their alliance to Ulrich. But Odette saw no reason to report this to Zion.
[Zion] "You're going to leave your umbrella there? It's better to share mine. You'll get wet."
[Odette] "I don't mind a little rain."
[Zion] "The insects shouldn't get wet, but you should?"
[Odette] "Butterflies are fragile."
[Zion] "In my eyes, you aren't much different."
A faint smirk played on his lips.
Infuriating man.
After their previous quarrel, she was utterly sick of him.
[Odette] "I would rather be soaked by the rain than share an umbrella with you."
She offered a polite, hollow smile.
His eyebrows shot up.
[Zion] "Is that so?"
He released her wrist and immediately lunged toward the bush. In an instant, his hand clamped shut, snatching one of the butterflies she had been sheltering. It was the one with the torn wing—the one that had just been resting on her finger.
[Odette] "What are you doing—"
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