Chapter 79

I could see the blood drain from his face as he called my name and blocked me, protectively. Especially after what happened yesterday, I didn’t want to suffer another injury. 

“Ricardo!” 

As I wrapped my arms around Ricardo’s, trying to pull him away, warm liquid splashed on my arm with a loud smack! I felt dizzy when I turned my head and confirmed that it was red blood.

“Ricardo!” 

“I’m fine. It’s not me.” 

His calm voice reassured me as I held onto his arm tightly. As I frantically searched his body, Ricardo’s clothes showed traces of splattered blood, but there was no visible wound where the knife had hit him. 

“What’s the meaning of this, Lord Wensbury?” 

Ricardo expressed his anger at Viscount Wensbury, who was still blocking my way. 

“I don’t know who it is, but if a municipal ruffian is committing evil deeds in my name, shouldn’t I take action accordingly, Lord Winkaiser?” 

Feigning innocence, Viscount Wensbury shrugged. The dagger in his hand was stained with blood, and his hand holding it was also covered in blood. 

In a second, he turned his head to look at the captor. 

There was still red blood seeping from the dagger cut that was gaping in the middle of the captor’s neck. The area around the wound was naturally bloody, and the blood that had already trickled down was slowly soaking the beautiful carpeting in the parlor of Wensbury Manor. 

The man’s eyes, which had been staring back and forth between us and the Viscount of Wensbury with a frightened expression a moment ago, were now bulging and unfocused. 

Even I, who knew nothing of medicine or cadavers, knew it was instant death, and the cruelty of it all made me turn my head away. 

“Is it not because you fear he will testify?” 

“Do you think I’m afraid, Lord Winkaiser? Who would believe the lies of such a thug?”

Although he spoke confidently, Viscount Wensbury seemed relaxed and carefree after killing him, as if he had relieved a burden from his mind. 

He casually threw the dagger he held onto the carpet and began wiping his bloodied hands with a handkerchief, still smiling. But no matter how much he wiped, his bloodied hands would never be clean again. 

“Even if you kill him, your crimes won’t disappear. They will only increase.”

“What have I done to deserve this accusation?” 

Despite my glare, Viscount Wensbury shook his head in denial. 

“The stories you two are telling now must all have evidence, right? So you came here so boldly to make such claims?” 

He shamelessly demanded evidence, even after killing the witness we brought. 

“You’re telling me about a contract with them, do I have any such contract? Or do I have any documents instructing them? Do I have a checkbook that I gave them? Or even the kidnapped child, whether it’s Lila or Lily, did they see me?” 

It was a foolish question. 

There wouldn’t be any documents left behind for kidnapping people, and the Viscount wouldn’t have issued instructions in writing. He would have conducted it discreetly and paid in cash. 

And since he had someone else do it, Lara would never have seen the Viscount himself. 

The Viscount wasn’t that foolish. Both he and we knew that. 

No matter how much we searched, there wouldn’t be any evidence linking him to Lara’s kidnapping—nothing at all. 

“You wicked man!” 

“Be careful with your words, Lady Croft.” 

In response to my criticism, Viscount Wensbury replied coldly. 

“Why would you do such a thing? The Wensbury I know was a good person who enjoyed interacting with people regardless of their age or gender. He wasn’t someone who would harm others!” 

“And he was a great mentor to all knights. He imparted good teachings to his juniors and was a respected senior. Lord Wensbury, it’s not them who are tarnishing your name, it’s you.” 

“…” 

In the face of our accusations, Viscount Wensbury remained silent, staring at us with a twisted expression on his face. 

“A good person?” 

The Viscount of Wensberry muttered, as if mocking the word I had thrown at him. 

“Someone you can look up to?” 

Ricardo’s words, too, fell to the parlor floor with a sneer. 

“What does that even mean?” 

The Viscount of Wensbury shook his head, as if he couldn’t stand the childishness of his opponent. 

“A great knight in the past. He’s utterly useless now and even more in the future. The title of the Empire’s Greatest Knight has been taken by a young upstart, and he’s become an old man in the background, reminiscing about past glory.” 

Lord Wensbury, who had always smiled and said he was proud to have Ricardo as his successor, meant it. 

“My son is not half the man I was, but instead a lousy one, and he’s in love with a fool,saying stupid things like he won’t marry anyone unless she’s the one, and the woman who’s supposed to be his wife won’t lift a finger for his own dignity, and the reality is that I have to look on blindly as our family name slips away.” 

With his glittering eyes and sharp words, Lord Wensbury looked like a maniac. 

“So you’re saying you’ve set this up for the sake of your family’s revival?” 

“Do not trap me, Lady Croft. I have done nothing wrong. What I just said was simply imparting life lessons to an ignorant young couple. Reality is not as sweet as you think.” 

The gaze of the malicious Viscount Wensbury alternated between Ricardo and me before settling on my abdomen. At that moment, he chuckled. 

“Seeing you insist on marrying her with that body, I doubt you’ll regain your sense of reality when you wake up from the dead. Does the Duke of Winkaiser realize that his daughter-in-law will break the line of the House of Winkaiser?” 

I immediately understood what he meant by “that body” just by looking at his gaze. He must have found out about my body, although I didn’t know how. 

Of course, it was natural. He must have been curious about the consequences of his actions. 

“You’re the one who set it up, aren’t you?” 

Unlike me, who was tired of knowing that he already knew my weakness, Ricardo shouted at him, fists clenched. He was visibly angry. 

I was the one who grabbed Ricardo’s arm as if he were about to rush at the Viscount. As Viscount Wensbury had just said, we had no evidence. 

“I’ll warn you one last time, Lord Winkaiser. If you continue to accuse me like this without proof, I will not stand for it any longer. I am a man of the House of Wensbury, a man with the title of Viscount, not a child knight who claims to be the heir to the House of Winkaiser but has yet to inherit the title, or a worthless noble who will never produce an heir.” 

Boldly, Viscount Wensbury was threatening us. 

“To come here and insult me like this without any evidence, relying solely on the words of a thug, I am truly disappointed in both of you. After all the kindness and friendship I’ve shown you, this is what I get, tsk tsk.” 

In response to Viscount Wensbury’s words, Ricardo clenched his fists as if he were about to rush at him, and I silently held onto Ricardo’s arm. 

“Well, still, even after the bride’s body has reached that state, seeing the unwavering love between the two of you warms my heart.” 

“Yes. Ricardo is not the same as the despicable unscrupulous man who seduced an unsuspecting maid, got her drunk, made her bear him a child, and then killed her when she became useless to him.” 

“That’s going too far.” 

“Oh, I was just imagining that there might be such a despicable person. Did I say anything that would relate to you, Viscount?” 

“…” 

Viscount Wensbury glared at me through gritted teeth but didn’t say anything more. He couldn’t. If he wanted to accuse me of mocking him, he would have to admit to those despicable deeds himself. 

“It seems we’ve taken up enough of your time, Lord Wensbury. We’ll take our leave now.” 

“Yes, of course. We’ll make sure to thoroughly search for evidence.” 

“Oh! Is that so? Then when you find that evidence, I hope you’ll let me know as well. I’m curious to know who the despicable scum that kidnapped a child is.” 

“Yes. We will definitely inform you as well, Lord Wensbury.” 

While inwardly sharpening my blade against him, I gracefully smiled and adjusted the hem of my dress. Then, I slightly bent my knee in a gesture of courtesy. 

Seeing me like this, Viscount Wensbury hesitated for a moment before snorting dismissively. He must have felt embarrassed that I was leaving so calmly after failing to press him. 

But he needs to know. Bianca Croft is not just someone who lives with failure like this.