Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“It is I who murdered him, so please let Liden go. You can kill me or turn me over to the police. You can even use me as a human subject in your black magic experiments.”

“I have no need for human subjects. That is but a rumor,” Kallen said. “In any case, you devised quite a clever plan.” He put his hand to his chin and lapsed into silent thought.

That was when Ryan’s eyes met mine. “I have one last question to ask you, my lady. How did you know that Liden and I had agreed to meet at this location? I don’t understand.”

Jade and Kallen’s gazes pricked me like glass shards.

“I’m from the back alley, remember?” I began hesitantly. “I assumed that if you had an accomplice, they would have either remained hidden on the island until the police left or escaped first in order to meet up with you somewhere else. It was my first time visiting Lenoch Island, but I’m familiar with the nearby bridge.”

“Do you speak of Pinell Overpass?”

I nodded.

“The overpass is close enough to reach by swimming, even against the river current. Beneath it, there’s an entrance to an underground passage.”

“And this is where the passage leads?”

“That’s right. Every kid in the back alley knows about it.”

“You’re incredibly clever, my lady,” Ryan said, his face pale.

“You managed to deduce the meeting location from such a small hint?” Jade then muttered, biting his lip.

“Yes, that’s right.”

It’s all thanks to the vision I had, as well as all the mystery novels I read in my past life.

“But I was also curious… I wondered what kind of circumstance would drive an older brother to murder his late sister’s fiancé.”

I understood his justifications, which made me pity him even more. I stared up at Kallen quietly.

“What will you do now, Your Grace?”

Will you kill him mercilessly, as you usually do? I hoped he wouldn’t. That was the reason I’d wanted him to hear the twins’ story in the first place.

“To be honest, I’d already suspected that Percy’s death was a murder. I intended to conduct a thorough investigation into Jax and Ryan later, and then identify the perpetrator between the two in order to pursue them.”

“I can’t say about Liden, but Ryan does meet your requirements, Father.”

The twins looked confused, but I knew exactly what His Grace and Jade were referring to.

“What is your opinion, Jade?”

Jade steepled his fingers and placed them to his mouth, so it was from behind his hands that he spoke. “I sympathize with them.”

His Grace raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Yes, because I’m now an older brother as well. If someone ever dared to lay a finger on my sister…”

A shiver ran down my spine.

What is this feeling? As if I’d swallowed something cold, and it’s resting in my stomach. But that feeling quickly passed.

“I don’t wish to imagine such a thing, but at the thought alone I feel enough rage to believe killing one of these two identical bastards right now would be acceptable.”

Ryan and Liden paled in fear. I felt sorry for them as I watched the two sweat and fidget.

“My point is that I can relate to them,” Jade said. “I think we can let them go this time.”

Kallen then unexpectedly turned to face me. “How do you feel, Leticia?”

“Me?”

The duke gestured to Ryan and demanded, “Do you wish to take his side?”

“I’m sorry?”

Am I… not allowed to?

“If so, I’m not sure I want to let him live.” He smirked. “I’m an intolerant father, you see.”

That made Jade shrug. “Well, in that case, I also vote to kill him.”

Can you just vote on someone’s life like that? What’s wrong with my taking his side, anyway? Don’t tell me Kallen’s jealous and acting childish.

“Don’t take anyone’s side but mine,” is that it? I shook my head, feeling it throb with confusion.

A young Eliza. If I hadn’t seen that vision, I might have felt differently, but right now my heart breaks for her.

I laid a hand on my aching chest. “Your Grace,” I said carefully. “I never met Eliza, but I feel sorry for her.”

Kallen met my gaze and smiled faintly.

Why is he smiling?

“I just hope Your Grace doesn’t do anything you’ll come to regret.”

I know what kind of person Kallen is. He’s a dark hero—the Byronic hero of this novel. I don’t want to tarnish his reputation. Ryan and Liden are different from the criminals he typically kills.

“All right then. Before we continue, I’d like to thank you, Leticia,” Kallen said. “Without you, I would have overlooked a very important detail.”

“Oh…”

As expected, Kallen possessed at least a hint of empathy. He must have had a change of heart after hearing Eliza’s story.

I was preparing to suggest that instead of killing the twins, he should turn them over to the police, but his next words left me speechless.

“Now, Ryan, do you recall the names of Percy’s good-for-nothing friends? The ones at that summerhouse.” His tone was gentle.

“Pardon?” Ryan’s eyes widened.

“You must remember, no?”

“I could never forget, even if I tried.”

“I suspected as much. Then could you please introduce me to those scoundrels?”

The duke spoke as if he were asking the boy to introduce him to his friends. But Percy’s friends? The ones who forced themselves on Eliza? Is His Grace asking Ryan to gather his prey?

“If you provide me with their names, I will let you go. And you’d better thank my daughter,” Kallen whispered.

Jade then plopped down beside Ryan and draped his arm over the other boy’s stiff shoulders.

“Hey,” he said in a friendly manner.

“Uh, yeah?”

“The next time we meet, please feel free to say hello. I’ve actually taken a liking to you.”

“Um…?”

Ryan leaned away slightly, his eyes still wide with shock. Jade smiled gently and murmured, “But if you ever come near my sister again, I will kill you. Also, I’d say you brought your and your sister’s enemy to too quick an end. If I were you, I would have bestowed upon him a slow, painful death.” Jade licked his lips as he spoke.

Huh? Meanwhile, all I could do was watch with a gaping mouth. I guess I underestimated these two…

“They don’t smell as bad as the other trash they told us about. Disposing of trash is my specialty, so don’t worry. Percy’s old friends will be punished for what they’ve done,” Kallen said sweetly.

Oh, right. Kallen’s rules. Rapists and murderers were equal in Kallen’s eyes.

He absorbs mana from others’ bodies, referring to them as his “meals.” He would make a meal of someone under three circumstances: one, if the person is a murderer; two, if the person has recently died; and three, if the person has violated innocent women. Because to him, rape was a crime more severe than murder. I also believe the people who assaulted Eliza deserve to die, but…

The twins looked around like they were dreaming. The moment was surreal to me, too.

* * *

Before we knew it, the sun was setting outside.

“We’re alive?!”

“I can’t believe it!”

Ryan and Liden walked out of the moldering warehouse, their faces awash with relief.

“Are you truly letting us go?” Ryan asked, glancing back at us while clutching his brother’s hands.

“Yes, but those who have once tasted such violence are forever altered,” Kallen said. “I shall leave my mark on you both. If you ever cause trouble again, I will be the first to find you.”

The twins blanched as their eyes roved over their bodies. They appeared to be searching for the duke’s so-called mark.

“You can search all you want, but you won’t see it,” Jade scoffed.

I blushed, having also examined their bodies. The mark must have been made using black magic. I guess it isn’t visible to the average human eye then.

“This way, Leticia,” Kallen said, gesturing with his hand. When I neared him, he slung me up in his arms. Jade opened the carriage door.

“Oh, right.” His Grace turned around. “Thank you for the meal.”

What now?

The twins stared blankly at the duke.

“Wh-what do you mean, Your Grace?” Ryan asked.

“Percy’s corpse was still relatively fresh when we discovered it,” Kallen said, his voice low and devilish.

My stomach felt like it was full of lead.

“I feel better knowing Percy was human garbage. I was uncomfortable with you feeding on someone I knew, Father.”

“Pardon? What is that supposed to mean?” Ryan asked again, unsure what the father and son were discussing.

The carriage door closed with a final clack. Only then did I put the pieces together.

“Go over there and count to three. Then walk ten steps and shout. Remember to keep your back turned. We’ll take care of the body.”

That was what Kallen had said on the island.

His second rule for choosing meals… If he comes across a dead body, he will absorb its mana. To him, the recently deceased Percy was like a dead salmon washed up on the river bank—something to be scavenged and eaten.

Kallen sat me on his lap as I struggled to voice my thoughts. “It appears that following my daughter’s hunches will lead me to discover such fascinating things,” he said. “It’s so rewarding cleaning up trash, you see.”

The carriage then rumbled into motion.

“Oh, and Leticia…”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“I know what you are now.”

My body stiffened, and I looked at the duke with wide eyes.

He knows what I am?