“…”
A hellish silence flowed within the Union.
Arendt sat with his legs crossed, half leaning against the table, looking at Drayton, who was trying to control the muscles in his face that were about to spasm.
Drayton’s efforts to sohow save face did not have very good results.
In the end, he was unable to control his expression, which had begun to distort terribly.
After a long while, he finally opened his mouth.
“…You are still the sa, Lord Arendt. I will take back the ntion of you having grown up. You haven’t changed much since your childhood.”
That one sentence, which seed to have provoked him, was a reaction that Arendt found quite agreeable.
Well then, it should be the sa. Who was acting?
Arendt let out a snicker inside, rested his chin on his hand, and replied arrogantly.
“People don’t change that easily. By the way, who are you to pretend to be close to ? Do you know ?”
“…”
Arcus had a gut feeling.
It’s obvious that he knew, but he was just pretending not to know.
Arcus opened his mouth, rubbing the back of his neck, which was starting to get stiff.
“He is in charge of one of father’s businesses.”
“Father? I don’t have a father.”
“…Among Count Eckhart’s rchants, he is the most prosperous one. I often saw him when I was young. You didn’t like having guests over, so it’s understandable that you don’t rember.”
Only then did Arendt nod when the title changed from father to count.
“I think I know, but I also don’t think I know. It doesn’t seem like he’s particularly important.”
“That’s nonsense…”
Henry, who was listening, unconsciously spoke, but then snapped his mouth shut after receiving Arendt’s fierce glare.
But he couldn’t stop grumbling inside.
‘You even sent Karin on purpose.’
Arendt had not shown much interest in the East rchant shop until now.
But today of all days, he ordered an employee to be sent there.
And Karin ca back with Drayton.
Henry and Arcus couldn’t dismiss that as a re coincidence.
Drayton, who had no way of knowing the minds of the Union Leader and Vice Leader, glared at Arendt with intense anger.
“That’s right. As you said, it’s not really that important. I’m not here just to exchange jokes.”
Although a rather murderous tone flowed out, Arendt was not one to blink an eye.
“Then why did you co? As soon as you arrived, you started saying things like ‘I’m glad to see you’ and other such nonsense. Did the Count tell you to try persuading my brother? Or what?”
Arendt, who had been speaking indifferently, subtly curved the corners of his mouth.
“Are you here to brag? I heard you’ve decided to take over the East rchant Group’s store.”
“…!”
For a mont, Drayton’s eyes widened.
Henry and Arcus also took a short breath, as if they had never expected such words to co out.
Arendt looked at Drayton with pity.
“You look like you want to ask how I knew that. Do you think I’m an idiot? You seem to be trying to brag about knowing the faces of all the employees here.”
His golden eyes landed on Karin, who was standing stiffly, and then fell away.
She, who had been blankly staring, muttered in a daze.
“Now that I think about it, how…”
“It’s obvious. You’ve sent people to the Union several tis. You must have gotten to know their faces over the years. Anyway, you’re not the only one who knows about this and that.”
As soon as Arendt finished speaking, Arcus took a big step forward.
“Mr. Drayton, what do you an by taking over the store?”
“It’s no use regretting it now. If you had obeyed the Count a long ti ago, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Drayton snapped, his face flushed red.
“As you said, I will take over the East rchant Group’s tea shop. If that happens, the Khan Union will no longer be able to survive.”
The mont the store falls into the hands of Count Eckhart, the grand picture created by the East rchant Group would be completed.
There was no reason for the East rchant Group to keep a store that was created for a short period of ti.
But if they handed the store over to the Count, they could make a pretty big profit.
It wasn’t a bad story for the Count either.
The company had not yet established a base near the palace, but it would be able to expand its business area based on the newly acquired store.
At the sa ti, it was also a move that completely cut off the lifeline of the Khan Union.
If Count Eckhart’s business completely took hold around here, the Khan Union would never be able to recover even if the East rchant Group did not step forward.
No, it was the sa not only for the Khan Union but also for any new business.
Count Eckhart, who had obtained a watchtower here, was sure to follow Henry and Arcus to the end to ensure that they would never be able to establish themselves there again.
Arcus clenched his fists without realizing it.
“…Do you know that this is a despicable act?”
“You say it’s despicable? It’s proper discipline.”
Drayton glared at Arcus with calm eyes.
“But I have co to give you one last chance. I don’t think you would want to cause trouble for Lord Henry either.”
“…”
“Please return to the Count’s family. If you do so, the Khan Union you cherish so much will be able to survive.”
He said that it was a chance, but the content was clearly a threat.
When Arcus didn’t answer right away, Drayton continued speaking in a slightly softened voice, perhaps interpreting the silence as sothing.
“It doesn’t change the fact that I’m taking over the store anyway. I’ve already signed the contract. However, it’s entirely possible to run the business in conjunction with the Khan Union.”
“…”
“I will also allow you to stay as the Vice Leader of the Union if you return to the Count’s family. Starting a separate business outside of the household will also be a good experience for the Count’s successor.”
He spoke a tone as if comforting a child.
Even after Drayton finished speaking, Arcus remained silent for a while.
Henry couldn’t even breathe, just looking back and forth between his friend and his visitor.
Arendt also sipped his tea and stared blankly at Arcus.
Arcus finally opened his mouth, fully accepting the gazes gathered around him.
“Then I also have a condition.”
“Please speak.”
As Drayton nodded kindly, Arcus blurted out with a blank face.
“My father will kneel and apologize in front of Arendt with .”
“…”
It was a single remark that carried the chill of a biting northern wind.
Drayton’s face, which had briefly softened, hardened again.
Arcus looked straight at him and added.
“If you do that, I might consider it. Of course, I’m only saying I’ll think about it, I can’t give you a definite answer.”
His steadfast eyes showed not a hint of wavering.
Drayton, who had been frozen for a long ti, doubted his ears and asked again, stumbling over his words.
“…Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. It would be aningless to inherit the title of Count in this state.”
“Why are you going that far?”
Drayton’s voice rose again.
“I don’t know about Lord Arendt, but you shouldn’t be doing this, Young Master. There is sothing that you and the Count have built together! You know how much the Count trusted you!”
“The problem starts with you saying that you don’t understand, Drayton! My father’s way was wrong.”
But the next mont, when Arcus shouted, he flinched and closed his mouth.
Arcus, who had lost his composure, began to speak in an unexpectedly fierce manner.
“Do you think this is right? Is it sothing a father would do, using the East rchant Group just because he can’t admit that he was wrong?”
Arcus strode towards Drayton and spoke sharply.
“He threw out Arendt, who was disobedient, without even the slightest protection, but are you saying that I, who have lived obediently all my life, must live forever as his puppet? If my mother had seen this, she would have cried tears of blood!”
“Arcus…”
A groan escaped Henry’s lips.
Although he didn’t show it because of his characteristically indifferent personality, a series of events led Arcus to realize belatedly that he was also greatly disappointed in the Count.
Drayton, who had not expected such a reaction, just stood there blankly, blinking like a startled rabbit.
Unable to control his emotions, Arcus bit his lip tightly, then took a deep breath to try to suppress his anger.
At that mont, a leisurely voice, completely out of place with the situation, pierced his mind like a blade.
“Quite the big brother you are. You’ve made your point, so now get a hold of yourself.”
It was Arendt.
Arcus unconsciously turned around.
His only brother was looking at him with an indifferent expression, just like usual.
“…”
“By the way, Vice Leader, you haven’t done much good either. If soone saw you, they would think that your brotherly love is incredibly strong.”
When his eyes t with Arendt’s cold golden eyes, it felt like ice water had suddenly poured into his mind, which had been full of heat.
Arcus’ tension slowly eased from his body.
Even his clenched fist relaxed.
“…Sorry.”
As Arcus stepped back, shoulders drooping, Arendt took over the conversation naturally.
“Well then, Mr. Drayton, let’s stop with the boring family history and get to the point.”
“Yes?”
“You’re a rchant. I’m, well… just an apprentice knight for now. But since Lord Neumann has acknowledged that I have a rchant’s spirit, I’ll treat you with the mindset of a rchant for now.”
Drayton, who had lost his mind for a mont, began to gradually co to his senses as Arendt continued to speak calmly.
“That… what do you an?”
“Let’s have a conversation as rchants. It would be a sha to co all this way and just argue and then go back.”
Arendt lifted the corners of his lips and sat up in his chair, looking straight up at Drayton.
Drayton’s stomach twisted at the blatantly contemptuous look in the other person’s eyes.
“Ha! A rchant? Lord Arendt, are you saying that you, a child who has not even had proper social experience, is calling yourself a rchant?”
“You, who will spend your whole life just cleaning up after others and end up growing old with a stiff mind, call yourself a rchant, so what is it that I can’t do?”
Arendt responded to the blatant slander with ease.
“Anyway, you’re the last card for the Count and the East rchant Group, right? And you’ve already completed the contract to take over the shop.”
“…Yes.”
Drayton answered stiffly, his face flushed red.
On the contrary, Arendt continued to speak in a casual tone.
“Taking over the shop and continuously following those two around to harass them isn’t such a bad idea, though…”
Arendt slowly scanned the interior of the Union.
Drayton glared at him as if he was going to eat him, Arcus beca dispirited after venting his anger, and Henry was awkwardly observing the situation, unable to figure out the timing to intervene.
And there was Oliver,who was shocked by the absurd family affair that suddenly unfolded before his eyes.
To this extent, he was quite satisfied with the casting.
Arendt added lightly.
“I’ve also prepared sothing on my end. It’s about ti the bait is starting to bite.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the attendant waiting behind Drayton flinched.
Drayton, who was very sensitive to the movent, shouted.
“What!”
“Sir, that is…”
The attendant, who had been moving around in a hurry, searched through his pockets and took out a communication device with a soft light.
“It’s, it’s a communication.”
Drayton, who had been staring blankly at the communication device shining on his subordinate’s hand, realized sothing and quickly turned his head to look at Arendt.
Arendt t his eyes and smiled brightly.
“It seems like an urgent call. Why don’t you answer it?”
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