I’m Just a Counselor Chapter 85

“Tsk. I thought VisEarl Asell had told you something, and I rushed to get you off the island, but I shouldn’t have.”

 

“What?”

 

“VisEarl Asell knew that the Earl of Huons was involved in the slave trade, and that’s why he kicked me off the island?”

 

I was dumbfounded by this new revelation. Of course, I hadn’t heard a word from VisEarl Asell about any of this.

 

The VisEarl had long since disappeared when I possessed Vanessa, and I had never seen his face.

 

‘…Perhaps the VisEarl is not simply missing.’

 

With Earl Huons talking like that, it was likely that VisEarl Asell had been dealt with by him.

 

Perhaps he would then harass me by pretending that VisEarl Asell had fled in great debt.

 

My expression darkened as I speculated on the course of events. Even if I didn’t know him, he was still a member of “Vanessa’s” family.

 

“I was new to the business back then, so I was a little cautious. I’ve shed a lot of that rookie look now.”

 

But that wasn’t what mattered now. It wasn’t time to cry.

 

The big question now was how to get out of the situation I was in.

 

At this rate, Jeremiah would be trapped in Earl Huons’s clutches. I bit my lip hard.

 

Just then, Earl Huons pulled a pocket watch from his bosom, glanced at it, and said,

 

“I must be going, then, Vanessa, and I hope the Duke will come to your rescue soon, for you don’t want to stay like that for long.”

 

“Wait…!”

 

Ignoring my call, the Earl left the room.

 

I stared in disbelief at the heartless closing of the door and fidgeted with my bound hands. I couldn’t see, but it was probably rope binding my wrists. My ankles were the same.

 

That was a relief. If the shackles had been made of chains like the last time, I wouldn’t have been able to break free.

 

“If it’s rope, I can cut it.”

 

I looked around the room to see if I could find a blade to cut the rope.

 

Of course, I didn’t see any, but I did see a vase on the nightstand near the bed. I figured if I broke it, I could use the glass to cut the rope.

 

“Let’s try.”

 

I swallowed hard and rolled over to get out of bed first.

 

My body landed on the bed with a thud.

 

“Ouch…”

 

My head hurt like it was splitting. Tears welled up in my eyes again, but I managed to hold them back and crawled over to the nightstand.

 

“If I kick the nightstand and knock it over, I think I’ll break the vase.”

 

I gauged the height of the nightstand and kicked the underside of it with my foot.

 

But the sound was too loud. I could feel a bang outside the closed door.

 

*Thump, thump, thump* 

 

Regular, strong footsteps.

 

“A man’s footsteps.”

 

If those were the footsteps of Earl Huons, I didn’t know what he would do to me now that he had discovered me.

 

I stopped kicking the nightstand and held my breath.

 

‘Even if it’s not the Earl,… I don’t think there’s anyone here who can help me.’

 

I don’t know where the hell this place is, but judging by the Earl’s demeanor, it’s at least favorable to him, so I might as well just pass through, rather than risk the wrong person finding me at this point.

 

I tensed, hoping that the owner of the footsteps would simply pass this room by.

 

The footsteps grew closer and closer, and then, inexplicably, they stopped right in front of the room.

 

After a moment of silence, the doorknob jangled.

 

“……!”

 

I rolled over, trying to get under the bed. But before I could, the door swung open.

 

Standing in the doorway was a dark-haired man in a baggy cloak and a white half-mask.

 

I reflexively opened my lips to scream. But this time, he was faster.

 

He quickly closed the door behind him and approached me, clamping his hand over my mouth.

 

“Shhh. Vanessa, it’s me. Don’t say anything.”

 

The man muttered urgently as he knelt down in front of me. The hand pressed against my lips slipped away.

 

I could finally see the familiar chartreuse eyes peering through the eye sockets of the mask.

 

“Are you okay? Why is your forehead so red, oh my…”

 

“Duke…?”

 

A gentle hand rubbed my forehead, and my tension instantly melted away. I leaned my head against his hand and sobbed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I should have enslaved that bitch myself.”

 

Gale Huons tapped nervously on his desk, grinding his teeth.

 

He hated women who popped their heads in without knowing the subject. Vanessa Asell was his least favorite type of woman.

 

The kind of girl who couldn’t get her head out of her ass no matter how many times she was beaten.

 

‘I thought this would be the time to show her the error of her ways.’

 

As soon as I told his father, the Earl, about Vanessa, he took her away from Gale, saying he had a use for her.

 

He had no regrets about not being able to dispose of her himself, but he didn’t dare confront his father, so Gale had to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t want to risk his father’s wrath by overreacting.

 

“I’ll just have to talk to him again later.”

 

As Gale gathered his thoughts, he realized something.

 

“But is it true? That Vanessa, that wench, is so close to the Duke of Oppenheim?”

 

Of course, she’d seen the Duke with Vanessa at the New Year’s Ball, but it seemed almost impossible for a fallen noblewoman to be in such a relationship with him.

 

‘Although there was a part of me that believed in her, given what she was doing to the crown prince…’

 

Vanessa seemed a little different when they met again after three years. Was it because she had the duke behind her back?

 

‘Hmm. Maybe she was trying to woo the duke with that glowing face.’

 

That was all Gale could think of. There were only so many things a girl could do.

 

Snorting loudly, Gale opened the drawer to do what her father had asked her to do.

 

At that moment, there was a flicker, a light flickered, and the light in the room went out. The room he was in was instantly plunged into darkness.

 

“Wha-what?”

 

Panicked, Gale jumped out of his chair and looked around. The window must have been open, because a gust of wind blew in from somewhere and brushed the back of his neck.

 

Fighting back a chill, Gale reached back to light the candle.

 

But before he could move his arm, someone squeezed his shoulder. It wasn’t a strong hand, but Gale jerked back in his chair.

 

“I’m in the middle of something I don’t do, so it’s kind of awkward for me to do this.”

 

“……!”

 

“Don’t you think we should just sit still before I make it even more awkward?”

 

The tone was light, but Gale felt a sense of menace that he couldn’t ignore.

 

Frozen in his chair, Gale rolled his eyes and looked at the other person. He seemed to be completely buried in the darkness. Only the black eyes stared back at him like glass.

 

“My, do you know who I am and are you…!”

 

“I know, you’re Gale Huons of the Earl of Huons. Oh, and you haven’t been named heir yet, is that because the Earl is too greedy, or because you’re just stupid, or both?”

 

“Profit…!”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry if I poked you where it hurts.”

 

Gale blushed at his not-at-all-sorry tone.

 

“If I call security, you’re going to jail!”

 

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you call them? Am I putting words in your mouth?”

 

Gale opened his mouth, unable to contain his frowning. But for some reason, his voice didn’t come out right away.

 

Gale immediately noticed something strange. No one was running toward him, even though their conversation hadn’t been loud. In fact, there wasn’t even a hint of a rush.

 

“Guards!”

 

“…….”

 

“Hey, hey, hey, there’s an intruder in here!”

 

“…….”

 

Gale shouted at the top of his lungs, but there was still no sign of life outside the door.

 

The silence that followed frightened him. The other person stood there observing him and then asked,

 

“By the way, is that you?”

 

“What, what?”

 

“I heard that Vanessa was being bullied by someone when she was in the islands. Is that you? Did you do the hand-slashing?”

 

“Vanessa? Vanessa Asell?”

 

‘How does this intruder know Vanessa? Did she send him?’

 

Of course it couldn’t be, but Gale’s mind was a jumble of thoughts that began to solidify in panic.

 

He didn’t have an answer, but his opponent seemed to have one.

 

“I don’t necessarily want to know why, but… can I give you some advice?”

 

“What…!”

 

“You don’t want to mess with someone you don’t have the confidence to back up, and if you set it up without realizing it, you’ll get caught by someone like me.”

 

Muttering expressionlessly, Shane grabbed Gale’s right wrist, and with a whoosh, something snapped.

 

“Turn it off!”

 

The screams that followed still didn’t bring anyone running.