PT | Chapter 6.4

“Father, you wouldn’t really send me back to the academy like this, would you? I’m in my final year. If I quit now with just half a semester left, what will people say?”

“They’ll probably say you’re a fool who couldn’t even finish getting your diploma.”

Gray’s mocking words made Aubrey’s eyes gleam.

The idiot had taken the bait, Aubrey thought, and with a bright, innocent smile, he pointed at Gray.

“Oh, are you speaking ill of Father right in front of him? My, you’ve become quite bold while I wasn’t looking.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I never spoke ill of Father…”

“Isn’t that right? If we’re talking about the reason I was born a fool, it’s all because of our father.”

At that, Gray’s face turned pale.

He wanted to grab Aubrey by the collar and yell at him to stop spouting nonsense, but there was something else he had to address first. Gray quickly turned to the marquis and began, “Father, no, that’s not—”

“Enough. Let’s just eat.”

“Father—”

“Be quiet, or do you need me to tell you to shut up to make you quiet?”

Gray, who was usually so arrogant and self-assured in front of Aubrey, was suddenly subdued. With a single glance from the marquis, Gray’s posture stiffened, and he glared at Aubrey, his eyes filled with hostility. But to Aubrey, it only felt like an itch.

What a pervert, thinking about touching someone.

Does he really think I haven’t dealt with him before?

Aubrey, showing no interest in Gray’s glare, turned to the marquis with a sweet smile.

“Father, I’m hungry.”

“…”

The tense atmosphere in the dining room was entirely Aubrey’s doing. The marquis, aware of this, gave no verbal response. Instead, he half-closed his eyes and smiled at Aubrey, before ringing the bell on the table. Immediately, the door on the side opened, and food was set on the table.

While waiting for the food, Aubrey glanced at Danvers, who had been quiet the entire time but now seemed to be in a good mood. He was probably pleased to see Gray get a taste of his own medicine.

Aubrey immediately picked up his spoon, drawn by the aroma of the hearty soup.

At this moment, Aubrey was the only one truly hungry and eating. The other three showed little interest in the food, but as they tried to match Aubrey’s pace, the table quickly filled with more dishes.

Aubrey’s focus was solely on the meat.

After eating nothing but dry bread and cold meat for days, he felt like he might die from the discomfort. Now, with the food warm and tender, he felt like he could finally breathe again. He sighed in relief, only to glance up and see Gray still glaring at him. The sight made his appetite disappear instantly.

Well, to be honest, I’ve already eaten enough to be full.

Sipping on his drink, Aubrey surveyed the table. Danvers was eating calmly, and so was the marquis. The marquis, as always, didn’t like conversation during meals, so Aubrey knew he’d have to wait until the marquis finished his food and took a sip of wine before speaking. But since he was already full, Aubrey didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Father.”

At the sound of his name, the marquis looked up, as if waiting for Aubrey to speak.

It seemed like the marquis had been waiting for this moment, and Aubrey seized the opportunity to speak.

“Please look into the matter with Dalton once more. There’s no way I did anything with that man, especially when I was living in the academy dorms.”

“…”

“You know very well that I’m not the one he stole information from.”

A sharp, screeching sound rang out. Aubrey turned to look at the source of the noise. Gray was glaring fiercely at him, holding his knife and fork in a way that suggested he had just made the sound.

The person who had passed on the information to Dalton was none other than Gray. It was clear that Gray was nervous about his actions being exposed, but Aubrey could tell that his father already knew everything. He was probably just looking for an excuse to get a grip on him.

If things continued like this, Aubrey would end up being swayed by his father’s whims, graduation or not. This was something he wanted to avoid at all costs, so Aubrey opened his mouth again, calling out to his father.

“Well, it’s true that Dalton couldn’t have conspired with someone like you, who never stays at home. He must have been harboring a grudge about what happened with you this time and decided to put those documents in your room.”

“……”

A voice muttered, sounding indifferent, right beside him. Aubrey turned his head towards it.

Danvers, who had thinly sliced some meat and placed a few herbs on top, was looking at Aubrey.

“Then he must have run away because he was afraid of being caught by your father after his actions were exposed.”

“What? Dalton ran away?”

“Yeah, your brother sent someone to check if his broken leg was healing well, and by then, Dalton had already packed up and disappeared.”

Danvers, speaking in a calm tone, popped a piece of meat into his mouth.

He wasn’t the type to say something that wasn’t true in front of the Marquis. That meant Dalton really had run away. The problem, though, was whether that was what Gray wanted. If Dalton had been coerced into running away, then…

There was only one person who could have threatened Dalton.

Aubrey fixed his gaze on the suspected culprit, and Gray, who met his gaze, sneered with an air of superiority. The smug expression on his face, as if he had already taken care of things before Aubrey could act, made Aubrey’s blood boil.

Ugh, this is really infuriating. What should I do?

For a moment, Aubrey considered just swinging his knife recklessly at Gray, but Gray’s swordsmanship was impressive, and it would be dangerous to act recklessly. Furthermore, with his father present, he couldn’t afford to act rashly.

Though he had lived through many cycles, these little changes still left Aubrey flustered. After countless repetitions of life, he had come to understand the personalities of the people around him too well, making him more cautious. If he caused trouble now, it wouldn’t end with just being locked in the attic and whipped.

Aubrey thought to himself.

Anyway, when the day comes, that annoying Gray will burn to death in the flames just like everyone else.

Even imagining that perverted bastard, who lusts after his half-sister, burning and screaming in agony made Aubrey feel a bit better. He had already fallen out of his father’s favor because of Gray’s schemes, so what more trouble could he cause?

With that thought, Aubrey flashed a bright smile, as if unaffected by Gray’s dirty tricks, and spoke cheerfully.

“You see, Father? It wasn’t me. But since we don’t know for sure, please keep investigating. If you look into Dalton’s actions, you might uncover something that piques your interest.”

Just as Aubrey thought the conversation was wrapping up with Dalton’s disappearance, he spoke again. Gray, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation dragging on, spoke in a low voice.

“You’re pretty confident. What will you do if all your actions are revealed?”

“As I said before, I haven’t done anything. I’m confident, so I suggest you dig into him. That way, you’ll know who tried to deceive Father and stab him in the back.”

“……”

At that moment, Gray’s expression and gaze turned cold.

Seeing his obvious displeasure, Aubrey narrowed his eyes, almost as if teasing him.

“If the culprit is clearly identified, wouldn’t it clear up the misunderstanding between my brother and me? Don’t you agree?”

Gray didn’t answer. Instead, he clenched his hand around his knife.

Gray hated Aubrey, but at the same time, he lusted after him. It was a complicated feeling, and Aubrey knew this, so he intentionally provoked Gray. Aubrey smirked, narrowing his eyes. Gray, who knew that Aubrey usually didn’t even show any expression, clenched his teeth in irritation.

“You…!”

It wouldn’t have been surprising if a big argument broke out right then. But the one who stepped in to calm the rising tension was Marquis Johan.

“Everyone, be quiet.”

With the Marquis’s command, everyone fell silent, as if by agreement. However, the silence didn’t naturally lead to a peaceful meal.

Aubrey had eaten enough to fill his stomach and didn’t feel like eating more. Having Gray sitting directly across from him made him feel like he might choke.

Originally, he had planned to smooth things over with his father and return to the academy. To do that, he had to handle the mess with Madeleine properly. He might even be ordered to apologize to her and maintain the damned engagement.

For now, it wouldn’t hurt to keep the engagement on the surface and later work things out with Madeleine to break it off. In today’s world, that wouldn’t be such a scandal.