Love Doesn't Matter - Chapter 117
Translator and Editor: Hue and Tea
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Chapter 117 – Ambush
Enlia Reinen had been one of the busiest people in Norwick in recent days.
With her daughter’s engagement ceremony and her son-in-law-to-be’s birthday party approaching, she had more than a few things to worry about.
Preparing the ballroom, banquet hall, and food was just the beginning. She also had to carefully select the main guests and send out invitations. It felt like she was being put to the test as a hostess.
“Oh dear, I almost forgot about the journalists. Atkins, please contact the newspaper office immediately,” Enlia instructed her butler.
She adjusted her glasses and glanced back at the guest list. Then her brows furrowed for a moment.
“No, it’s better to keep Lord Stinger away from Lord Haleston. They clashed openly in Parliament over the carriage bill, didn’t they?”
She muttered to herself, lost in thought.
“Bianca?”
“Yes?”
Bianca had been resting her chin on her hand and looking absent-minded, now blinked and raised her head.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“Oh, no, not at all,” Bianca replied quickly, smiling.
“What were we talking about?”
Bianca mumbled deliberately, pulling the list closer to her as she did so.
Choosing names wasn’t a matter of personal preference; it required extensive information about each person and a keen sense of politics.
This was where Bianca excelled.
“Perhaps Odelia Lüen should be invited to the main banquet. And Frederick as well.”
“Really? But wouldn’t that be a little beneath their status?”
“Adelia has extraordinary wit and charm, although her rank is somewhat lower. I’ve found that having someone like her around can make the banquet more lively. It may seem a bit unconventional, but… What if we put her between Lord Stinger and Lord Haleston?”
Enlia nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. Young people are different these days, aren’t they? Unlike us old folks who are obsessed with titles and rank.”
Enlia muttered to herself, smiling contentedly at the butler standing beside her.
“I wonder if Hadius knows how lucky he is,” she added.
Bianca couldn’t afford to show her true feelings, so she forced herself to concentrate.
No one knew, but she was on the verge of boiling over with emotion.
She had been acting as if nothing was wrong – playing chess, hosting teas with friends, and preparing for the engagement ceremony.
“Bicki?”
Noticing her daughter’s face clouding again, Enlia raised an eyebrow.
Bianca met her mother’s gaze.
‘Hadius has found someone, Mother. It seems to be this woman.’
What would happen if she told the truth? Her parents would be furious. They might even demand that the engagement be called off.
‘What about me? Do I want the engagement to be broken off?’
Bianca asked herself.
No, that wasn’t it.
Unfortunately, the answer was too clear and immediate.
It wasn’t about her husband or her lover; she would have to overcome this mountain some day. Even if Hadius Meyer married someone else, she would have to accept it.
Then what’s the problem?
Bianca bit her lower lip.
It was the other person’s feelings.
Were they just in love, or was it something deep and irreplaceable?
If the person was really this woman, the conclusion was absolutely desperate.
The depth of his feelings for her was so great that he would have to hide them and deceive everyone.
“Bianca, what’s wrong?”
Enlia asked again, and Bianca forced a smile.
“It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired. I think the tension from the engagement ceremony is getting to me.”
She said, stretching lazily.
“Oh, I should change and get ready. The gentleman who is about to have an incredible stroke of luck will be arriving soon, won’t he?”
Enlia’s eyes went to the clock.
“Oh my, it’s already that time”
Smiling, the two rose from their seats.
“He is not talking easily. He’s admitted to following William Richards, but denies everything else. I’m sorry,” Hutton said, bowing his head, while the captain of the guards tried not to look at the man tied to a chair behind Hutton’s shoulder.
“Fortunately, it seems that some of Mondio’s men, the killers, are willing to talk. I confirmed it myself at the Inspectorate yesterday.”
The contract killers who carried out the coach robbery had all been captured by the Royal Inspectorate.
The reason they had been able to do so before any concrete evidence was available was that Josef had given Hadius special permission to use his own investigators.
Now all they had to do was make a connection between them and the man, Jetson, who was imprisoned here.
Once that was done, the case would be easily solved.
Soon the investigators would come to the Krambitz mansion, and Lady Meyer would be named as a suspect and interrogated. The results of the investigation would also be leaked to the media at the right time.
The mere fact that Lady Meyer was linked to a criminal gang in the slums would be a serious blow to her image. Furthermore, the investigation would be extended to all the servants in the villa, and conclusive evidence would be found.
That should be enough. If Jetson testified, the case would be even easier to solve, but if not, there were other methods.
“What shall we do?” The captain finally spoke after thinking for a while.
“Do what you want. His Lordship said it’s your responsibility to decide what to do with Jetson.”
Hutton’s face showed a moment of satisfaction, and the captain couldn’t help but smile grimly. He found his master, Hadius Meyer, suddenly cunning and deceitful.
Using Hutton’s revenge as leverage, he was passing all the dirty work to the Jetson puppet.
“But we can’t kill him. We need Jetson; everything will be easier with him.”
“Understood.”
Just as the captain was about to turn away, Hutton stopped him.
“By the way, something strange came up during the interrogation earlier.”
The captain hesitated for a moment before speaking reluctantly, “It seems that William Richards called Harrell’s messenger.”
“Harrell?”
At the mention of the name of the criminal organization, the captain’s expression darkened.
“Is that true?”
“Well, it’s not certain… but he kept talking about Harrell even when he was unconscious, saying that Lady Meyer needed to know… like sleep talking.”
Hutton continued, but his words didn’t seem to register with the captain.
If it were true?
If William Richards really had contacted Harrell?
Staring into the void, the captain felt his chest tighten.
Just as he was lost in thought, a footman in the garden caught his eye.
“Kyril! Where’s the master… Where is the master?”
The footman asked quickly, looking puzzled.
“He’s gone to Tobias.”
“Tobias?”
Murmuring to himself, the captain’s head suddenly snapped up.
“Carriage… no, a horse! Get a horse at once!”
When Hannes heard that the future son-in-law had arrived, he rushed into the reception room to greet him.
“It’s really impressive that you handled the Eringer incident so well. I’m really touched,” Hannes said, patting Hadius on the shoulder with an openly pleased expression.
“Everyone is buzzing about your story. It’s as if you’ve taken complete control of Meyer Steel before you even graduated.”
“Thank you.”
“My mother and I were a little worried that you weren’t establishing your position as a representative,” Hannes said, looking over at Bianca. “Now everyone will be jealous. After all, you’re getting the best future son-in-law.”
“That’s too kind of you.”
Hannes held Hadius’ hand tightly and patted it on the back.
“In only three days the engagement will finally take place. You’ll be busy with various events from now on, so let’s relax in our house today. Spend some private time with Bianca.”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
Hadius smiled softly and approached Bianca.
Bianca silently watched him.
His eyes were undoubtedly on her face, but what filled her vision were images of him planting a greedy kiss on another woman leaning against a wall.
“How about a game of chess?” He asked casually as he looked at her.
“Sure.”
She smiled confidently and led him into the study.
While a servant prepared the chessboard, tea and refreshments, Bianca mentally prepared herself.
Over the past few days, she had done everything she could on her own. The conclusion she had reached in the midst of her exploding emotions was clear.
She was tired of torturing herself with pathetic fantasies and delusions. She didn’t want to pursue him in such a shameful way, nor did she want to play mind games like a fox.
That’s not me.
I wasn’t that cowardly.
I have to face it.
This was the only solution.
“Everything is ready,” the servant announced.
The chessboard was set up.
Under normal circumstances, Hadius was someone who had no particular interest in winning or losing at chess. But now Bianca felt the same way.
Who is this woman?
His former fiancée?
Did he sleep with her? Is he in love with her?
In an effort to suppress the boiling questions in her mind, Bianca had to bite her lip until it hurt.
You broke the promise.
It’s a breach of contract.
How could you do that?
Of course, she couldn’t act so childish and pathetic.
Bianca wanted to handle this situation with dignity, without losing her composure.
“Hadii, you see…”
As she began to speak, he stopped moving and raised his head. Her heartbeat quickened wildly.
“…No.”
Bianca’s reply caught some of the words that had been floating around in her mind. For a moment, the nearby servant’s eyes widened.
“Miss.”
Only then did Bianca realize she had voiced the wrong words.
“Sorry.”
Hadius chuckled slightly.
Bianca, realizing her misplaced words, found her tongue stiffening and couldn’t say anything more. She immersed herself in the game, trying to recover from the embarrassment. Of course, much to the servant’s surprise, the game turned out to be a complete mess.
Unable to hold back any longer, Bianca finally said what was on her mind.
“About that woman.”
The words came out with difficulty, and silence filled the room.
“That woman?”
“Your former fiancée.”
Bianca clenched the chess piece in her hand to hide her trembling.
“I’m thinking of going to see her.”
Her silver-gray pupils were momentarily shrouded in mist.
Hadius fixed his gaze on Bianca with an inscrutable expression that hid his sharpness.
“…Okay.”
Answering in a tone that lacked enthusiasm, Hadius moved a chess piece forward on the board.
Bianca had expected more of a reaction and was momentarily confused.
This is strange.
Could I have been mistaken?
Maybe it wasn’t that woman?
Then who could it be?
Should I have done more research?
As the pieces on the chessboard became more tangled, she felt a growing frustration.
No, maybe it’s just his poker face.
I’m sure he’ll bring up the subject of ‘that woman’ again later.
But contrary to Bianca’s thoughts, Hadius didn’t mention the woman at all during the game.
It was frustrating again.
“I… I met with Mr. Richards a few days ago. He said he wanted to investigate the matter further, and even suggested that you remove the woman because of me. Frankly, I was shocked. To go to such lengths… I wondered if something had happened between the two of you…”
Hadius did not take his eyes off the chessboard as he absentmindedly tapped the arm of the chair. But in an instant he reached out and grabbed Bianca’s comment as if to choke her.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
His voice was cold and hard, and Bianca felt her breath cut off, as if someone were strangling her.
“Hadii…”
He raised his head.
“What is it you wish to say?”
With an icy and unyielding voice, Hadius pressed Bianca, leaving her speechless.
At that moment, four masked men arrived in the oak forest. They were all on horseback, and two of them carried bows on their shoulders, while the other two had barrels of oil strapped to their backs.
“They chose a dry and windy day.”
The weather wasn’t the only thing against them; the fallen leaves were piled high as well.
“I’m tired of waiting. I have no interest in the lives of these vermin. Let’s just start by setting the farm on fire.”
A moment later, flames erupted.
Starting from the withered trees, the fire quickly spread to the farm, carried by the dry wind.
“Let’s make sure we leave no survivors in the farm. Even if they try to put out the fire, we won’t just stand by and watch.”
The leader motioned with his hand, and two of the men on horseback dispersed in different directions.
“If things go as planned, they’ll be too busy chasing off the strange men. We should take advantage of the situation.”
As instructed, the men split up and began to move.
“Now, if circumstances permit, we’ll kidnap the woman and bring her here. If things get too complicated, we’ll just set fire to everything without any complications.”
William Richards had given the order to burn the entire forest if necessary. He had also made it clear that he would hold no one responsible for any deaths that might occur.
Flames erupted at every spot they passed.
Their final target was a small hut, the only one where they knew the woman lived.
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Nyxx
This is getting more and more interesting. 🤔
And Bianca, finally your Hadi can no longer maintain his poker😶face in front of you when his ex-fiancée is potentially in danger. ⚠️