PT | Chapter 6.5

He had tried to be clever and avoid causing any further problems, but it wasn’t easy.

If it were that easy, he wouldn’t have struggled so much in past cycles. With that thought, Aubrey looked at his father. He wanted to complain about the pain in his back from the whipping, but instead, he would make up an excuse that his stomach had been upset.

“Father-.”

“Did you plan to leave the house right after graduating from the academy?”

It wasn’t immediate, but he had planned to leave this damned place when the opportunity arose. Just getting away from this mansion and the people related to it would make his life easier.

But even though he felt that way, he couldn’t speak those words aloud.

“Would I really do that? Why would you suddenly ask such a thing…?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to leave, but it seems you’ve been hiding quite a substantial amount of money in your bank account.”

“……”

“I knew you were quick with money, but I never expected you had accumulated so much without me knowing.”

This was a critical moment. Aubrey had no idea what his father was going to say, so he feigned confusion. He blinked his eyes, trying to look like he had no idea what was going on, but his father wasn’t fooled.

The Marquis lightly shook the bell on the table. The door opened, and a few people entered. One of them was very familiar. It was the banker Aubrey had been paying off to manage his account for the past few years.

In an instant, Aubrey realized what was about to happen and stood up.

“You-.”

Filled with betrayal, Aubrey pointed at the banker, but the man turned his head, pretending not to notice. His expression was tense as he passed Aubrey and stood next to the Marquis, bowing politely with his hands clasped together.

“Yes, your son came to see you yesterday.”

Upon hearing the Marquis’s question, the banker’s shoulders stiffened.

For the past few years, Aubrey had been discreetly paying off the banker to manage his secret accounts. Thanks to that, the banker had lived comfortably, but now, betraying that kindness would come back to haunt him. But he had no choice—if he upset the Marquis, he couldn’t survive in Toroso. With a deep breath, the banker pulled out an envelope from his coat.

“Yesterday, he withdrew some profits. This is the account I’ve been managing for him.”

Aubrey was shocked as he rushed over to the banker.

“Wait a second. Is it really okay to just hand over customer information like this?”

The banker, alarmed, immediately stepped behind the Marquis.

Aubrey wanted nothing more than to slap the banker and snatch the papers his father held, but instead, he stood beside the Marquis, examining the papers in his hand. The documents contained everything about his secret account, including the new profits from his recent investment.

To the Marquis Johan, it probably seemed like a small amount, but for anyone else, it was a considerable sum of money. The Marquis carefully studied the papers, and when his gaze met Aubrey’s, Aubrey forced a smile.

“I just made a few investments for fun with the money I had lying around. I’m sure it’s just pocket change to you, Father.”

To the Marquis, it must have seemed like a child’s little game. Aubrey reached out to take the papers back, but the Marquis pushed his hand aside and held the papers out of reach.

“You have some skill, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s nothing special. I just got lucky…”

“You only invested in businesses that were trending upwards and you call it luck?”

“……”

Yeah. Who can deceive someone like my father?

Seeing the disbelief in his father’s eyes, Aubrey smirked.

“Well, it seems I inherited the knack for sensing money, just like someone else.”

“……”

At that moment, the Marquis narrowed one of his eyes.

It could have been seen as a compliment by some, but to him, it was not. Back when he had less influence, people had mocked him as a “hound that only sensed money,” and now, that very talent had brought him to his current position. He had proven those who mocked him wrong by ruthlessly taking revenge on them.

But now, Aubrey’s words felt like mockery. No matter what, calling someone “a hound for money” was no compliment.

Gray and Danvers, sensing the Marquis’s displeasure, exchanged glances, their faces stiffening. It was clear they were both cursing Aubrey in their heads. Though Aubrey had always been reckless in front of his father, they hadn’t expected him to go this far. It was as if he were testing whether his father might snap and break his neck. Danvers, not wanting to get caught in the fallout, cleared his throat softly.

“Father, I’ll take my leave.”

“I’m done eating as well, I’ll excuse myself.”

Following Danvers, Gray stood up from his seat.

Normally, it would have been unthinkable for them to leave before the Marquis, but given the situation, they wisely made their exit. Even the banker, sensing the tension, backed away, and soon the dining hall was left with only the Marquis and Aubrey.

The father and son, who resembled each other yet were so different, wiped the smiles off their faces.

The Marquis placed the paper he had been holding onto the table and clasped his hands together before calmly asking.

“With this much money, you could be independent. But tell me, do you really think you can leave this house and live however you want?”

“…… Why do you think I would leave the house? You should just think of that money as something I needed to have in case I want to live comfortably.”

“That doesn’t explain all the bizarre behavior you’ve been showing since you were a child.”

“……”

“Ever since you were little, it always felt like you didn’t belong here, like you were some untouchable, despicable person. At first, I thought it was inevitable. I didn’t expect you to get along with the other three. I didn’t care if you spent your life as an outsider.”

The Marquis continued calmly, but his voice grew lower with the next words.

“But leaving here and doing whatever you want—that’s another matter.”

“……”

“You’ll never escape from my grasp. So, stop harboring pointless thoughts and just do what I tell you. If you don’t, I won’t just let you be anymore.”

The Marquis’s warning left Aubrey breathless.

He knew this wasn’t an empty threat. If Aubrey stubbornly resisted, the Marquis would take actions that were already decided. A mental hospital, confinement, constant whippings—his father would make sure he obeyed, because to the Marquis, Aubrey was nothing more than a possession.

No matter how exceptional his children were, they had to follow the roles he assigned to them. It was like running a business, setting positions for each child and molding them to fit those roles. And based on that, he would expand his influence further.

It wasn’t just a problem for the Marquis. Most people who chased money operated this way. They created stronger bonds by forming tighter family ties.

And Aubrey, with his hair and eyes resembling his father’s, who had been a gifted child in his youth, might be the one his father was most obsessed with.

If Gray or Danvers had acted like Aubrey, they would have been discarded long ago, and Aubrey muttered under his breath.

“Just give up. I can’t be the kind of person you want me to be. No matter what you do, I won’t change. I’ll just live like this…”

“Nonsense. I gave up on expecting anything from you a long time ago.”

The Marquis said calmly as he stood up. He moved toward the candleholder on the table, placing the paper he’d received from the banker on top of it. Aubrey’s stomach churned as he watched the paper burn to ashes. He understood what his father meant by that gesture.

“Don’t think you’ll ever escape from my control and live freely.”

Before Aubrey could even calm the pain of losing his nearly decade-long savings, a cold murmur reached his ears, causing him to turn his head. The Marquis, who had placed the now-burned paper on his plate, stood with his hands behind his back and spoke.

“Attend the social gathering in a few days and try to lift Madeleine’s spirits. If you fail again, it won’t just end with a slap on the back.”

“…What do you intend to do then?”

“Since you seem to have inherited my knack for sensing money, I’m sure a little discomfort in moving around will be just fine for you.”

Aubrey couldn’t believe what he was hearing and pointed to himself in disbelief.

“Are you saying you’re going to cripple me?”

“Now that I think about it, I might have spoiled you too much after bringing you here. I should have let you grow up more in that place and made you struggle a bit.”

“…”

“You grew up comfortably in a good house without realizing the lack of life’s hardships, which made you forget your place. You should have been in a much lower position, probably even lower than this floor.”

The Marquis’s eye narrowed as he looked at Aubrey. Aubrey could read the unspoken words in his father’s gaze.