I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

Duke Drua saw perfectly well what deceit lay in those green eyes opposite.

"Do you want to kill Ellie Croft and her son? This is crazy."

The reason for this was the honor of Duke Croft.

The murder in the family of such a prominent nobleman will be investigated directly by the royal family. Besides, the target was no longer some seedy viscount, but a former Empress.

Investigators will turn the whole country upside down, and it would be difficult to turn things around without noise and dust.

"Then we just put our hands down and watch?”

"So what to do? Shall we report to Croft at the estate and finish off his daughter?"

"Lady Croft and her son don't live with the Duke. She hides the child in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts. And I know this place."

"No matter how distant the place is, openly attacking a mansion is crazy."

"Who said to attack openly?"

Lisa laughed a conspiratorial laugh.

The Duke stared at her again blankly. If you think about it, Lisa's position was quite solid before.

But now Lisa fussed as if she was holding the most deplorable outcome before her eyes.

Who would have thought that she would resort to extreme measures such as murder so soon.

"Anyway, what I have to do with it?"

"Yes, you has nothing to do with it. The whole plan falls on my shoulders. The Duke just needs to trust me and follow me."

Lisa's lips drew a smooth line.

Her smile was mesmerizing, but suddenly Jeremy's words hit the Duke in the head.

‘Sios can’t be trusted.’

Now it wasn’t even the Marquis, but his daughter, who came here and brazenly demanded to blindly trust her?

Lisa read the suspicion in his eyes.

She moved her lips without flinching.

"You don’t seem to believe me. You shouldn't. I don’t believe the Duke either."

The Duke laughed at her rustic statement, as if it were absurd at such a moment.

"But we have the same enemy. And that's very important, sir. If a new prince arrives and everything goes to dust for Sios, will that make the Drua House happier?"

The Duke's eyes trembled at the thought.

"Only history will remain of the Drua family."

To complete her plan, Lisa held out her hand to him.

"Take my hand, sir, because we are now entwined into one."

Seeing the horror on the Duke's face, Lisa smiled smugly.

* * *

Two days later.

Jed showed up in the morning at our old hideout.

"Lumont found a nice mansion. We will organize everything no later than in three days."

"Thank God. Any progress from Sios?"

"Nothing. They even say that no one comes to visit the Marquis."

"Is it sure?"

"Hmm… We are watching all the doors, but there is still no movement."

The house of Marquis Sios was huge.

A house of this size could well have had something like a secret passage through which one could escape from danger.

But it’s not easy to recognize it.

"What news we have about Duke Drua?"

"Well, it is reported that he also showed no signs. Well… have you contacted Jeremy Drua? For example, by letter…"

"No."

Jed winced a little at this.

"The heir of the Duke is also busy with his own business. And the Duke has many eyes. It will be costly to send a letter."

"Okay. Maybe yes…"

"Did you drink again?"

It's been two days since that moment, but he still reeked of alcohol. So much so that it seemed to me that I was about to fall exhausted.

Yesterday he, too, drank a bottle of alcohol and was lying like dead on the couch.

Jed averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

"You sit with Carlisle all day. What should I do then?"

As soon as I wanted to sneer in response, a servant came up to us.

"My lady, pigeon."

"Pigeon?"

I looked at the package.

"With no name…"

I suspected a new message from Lisa, but the sender's name wasn’t listed.

Jed said:

"Could it be from Jeremy? Come on, open it."

Unfolding the paper, I saw the familiar handwriting.

[Ellie, Duke Drua wants to capture Carlisle. He's preparing a team of mercenaries right now, so it's best to leave the mansion immediately.]

Duke Drua.

The hand holding the letter gained strength.

[There is a shelter that I have prepared urgently. So leave tonight. Duke Drua seems to be watching the mansion, so move as quietly as possible. I'll be waiting. We'll meet there.]

"What is there?"

Seeing my serious face, Jed asked.

"A letter from Jeremy."

"Why are you frowning so? Is there something wrong with his father?"

Instead of answering, I handed Jed a letter. Jed, who read the entire contents of the letter, also had a grim face.

"Duke Drua is ​​aiming at us."

"What?! Shit, is Sios planning to set the Duke on us? No, now isn’t the time to speculate."

He was right. Before Duke Drua is ​​under our doors, we must get to the mansion that Jeremy was talking about.

"Jeremy said he had a hiding place and he was waiting there."

"I think this is where the mansion is," Jed said, pointing to the back of the letter.

A detailed map was drawn on the back of the letter.

It wasn't very close.

"Then we…"

I stopped in mid-sentence.

Duke Drua was confusing at the moment, but how then did he plan the assassination attempt?

"Is this letter real?"

I looked at the letter again.

"What are you suddenly talking about? It is said that from Jeremy Drua."

"But it's strange that Jeremy suddenly sent a letter… If things were bad, he would personally come."

"No. This letter is from Jeremy Drua. I myself…"

"What am I to him?"

Jed suddenly fell silent.

He rolled his eyes and said:

"Never mind. It seems that everything is clear here. Don't you know Jeremy's handwriting?"

"His handwriting… that's right."

"Then the matter is small. You have to rush at all your feet until it gets hot here."

The mansion was guarded, but this is why it is unsafe here if the raid is large-scale.

And I couldn't even drag the guards into this secret hideout.

But somehow everything here is suspiciously simple…

Jed said as he fumbled with the letter:

"Ellie, trust Jeremy."

While my head was bursting with what was happening, I heard the sound of horseshoes.

The man who got off the horse stopped in front of the mansion and jumped inside.

"Lumont?"

"Ellie, Jed!"

"Lumont, what's going on?"

"The informant sent something important!"

Lumont took a breath and laid it out.

"Two days ago, Duke Drua secretly gathered mercenaries. He chose those who would kill and ask no questions. In addition, they say that he openly said to prepare for the raid."

"Mercenaries, raid…"

This is exactly what was said in the letter.

"You see! The letter is real!" shouted Jed.

"Letter?"

We looked at each other in turn.

However, now the most important thing is that this letter was actually sent to Jeremy.

"Give me Jed's carriage and some escorts. I'll pack my things right now."

"Okay. I'll go get ready too."

"No, this carriage is too noticeable… We don't know…" I said in confusion, grabbing Lumont by the shoulders.

"Lumont, Duke Drua is ​​about to attack this place. Go ahead and get Carlisle out of here."

* * *

The roof of the imperial castle gleamed beautifully under the crimson sunset.

A blinding crimson light hit the window. Carter was reporting to Raymond at this time.

"Weirdness from Duke Drua?"

"Yes sir. According to our information, the Duke is secretly assembling a squad of seasoned assassins. And he's leading them to a house tonight."

As soon as Carter's narrative ended, Raymond's face froze.

Two days ago a letter came from Drua’s heir.

It indicated that Jeremy was suddenly disappearing westward on business, but I had a strange premonition. That is why I have ordered to keep an eye on the Duke.

Someone found out about Carlisle's existence, so I ordered Carter to follow the whole story.

Raid on a mansion.

Underworld mercenaries are not civil war knights.

They won’t fight in formation, but they are ready for all sorts of dirty things.

Things like kidnapping or murder.

And what did you think to do when collecting mercenaries?

"Your Majesty, the location of the mansion was found when one of the aforementioned mercenaries was captured."

Carter put the directions map on the table.

Raymond winced when he saw the spot on the map.

There was an X mark surrounded by forests.

If not for this mark, no one would have imagined that there is a mansion in such a place.

There was only one reason to call mercenaries to such a place.

To kill somebody.

Jeremy Drua suddenly leaves, and his father's mercenaries prepare a raid on a distant mansion.

"What are your instructions?"

The moment Raymond considered the probabilities, a chill went down his spine. He instinctively sensed danger.

Ellie and Carlisle.

Two people appeared to him.

Raymond jumped up and screamed.

"Prepare the best from the elite. Let's go immediately."

The sun went down in the blink of an eye. Grabbing his sword with a fierce face, he ran out of the office.