Time Healer Ceres

“Don’t worry too much, Grandfather.”

At that moment, a gentle voice reached him as though trying to ease his unease.

“I’ve already taken care of everything.”

Marquis Merial shuddered at Veilks’s voice. With his dark eyes curved softly, he whispered in the same sweet tone he had used when they first met.

“...Taken care of?”

“I made sure that anyone who tried to reveal the mastermind would die the moment they spoke.”

“Who?”

“Everyone who knows what happened that day.”

“......”

Marquis Merial swallowed nervously. It was then that he was reminded again of Veilks’s true nature. He knew very well what this being, hidden beneath the appearance of his own grandson, was capable of.

He had seen it countless times. The unfamiliar magic that defied all knowledge and the impossible ways Veilks resolved problems.

“Haa...”

Letting out a long sigh, Marquis Merial sank heavily into his chair. If Veilks’s words were true, there would be no immediate trouble.

“No one can testify that you are connected to this, so you don’t need to worry, Grandfather.”

“That may be true...”

Even so, he couldn’t simply relax. It was Duke Schweiss they were dealing with. The Duke had certainly figured out that Marquis Merial was the one behind Mirror. Even without evidence or witnesses to bring him to court, Duke Schweiss wasn’t someone who would sit back and do nothing.

Knock. Knock.

“My lord!”

His aide hurriedly opened the door and rushed inside.

“The deal with Kingdom Bike has fallen through!”

“What?”

Marquis Merial shot up from his seat. It was one of the biggest ventures he had been working on recently. After spending more than six months negotiating with Kingdom Bike, everything had finally been arranged. All that remained was to sign the contract.

“They said they would be signing with someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“With... with House Schweiss...”

“......”

“That’s not all. The other businesses as well...”

The more his aide continued, the heavier Marquis Merial’s sigh became. He expected this, but he never imagined Duke Schweiss would act this quickly.

This was clearly the declaration of war. A warning that he already knew everything about his crimes. From now on, he would interfere with everything Merial did, slowly tightening the noose around him.

“First, I’ll deal with Kingdom Bike.”

Marquis Merial hurried out of the office. He couldn’t afford to sit around and let himself be cornered.

“Hmm.”

Watching Marquis Merial leave in a hurry, Veilks shook his head.

“He’s not as capable as I thought.”

He had plenty of ambition, though. Veilks found his willingness to put himself above everything else rather interesting. After all, he was willing to sacrifice even his grandson to protect himself.

But when it came to actual skill, Merial was less impressive than expected. Perhaps a little foolish.

“Still... that makes him easier to control.”

A faint smile appeared on Veilks’s lips before disappearing.

***

“Who is it?”

“The young lady of House Drow has come to see you.”

“...Drow?”

Viscount Micro’s brows furrowed slightly. However, he quickly hid his reaction before anyone could notice.

“Let her in.”

Putting on a welcoming smile, he gave the servant his order. The servant stepped outside and soon returned with someone behind him. The person who entered the room was Ceres.

“Welcome, Ceres.”

“Hello, Uncle.”

Ceres greeted him with a smile of her own.

Viscount Micro. He was Agne’s ex-husband, which made him her former uncle by marriage.

“What brings you here?”

Ceres smiled at Viscount Micro’s gentle question. There was only one reason she had come here today.

“To get back the money.”

“Money?”

“The money Aunt Agne gave you. I came to take it back.”

Ceres’s smile widened.

“...Money? What do you mean?”

Viscount Micro’s expression briefly hardened, but he soon chuckled as though he found her words amusing.

“Aunt Agne told me. She said she left all of her money with you, Uncle.”

Before coming here, Ceres had visited Aunt Agne in prison.

“Ce-Ceres! Please, save me! I was wrong. I was wrong about everything. Please... save me!”

...She was barely holding on to her sanity.

What did those three do to her?

When Ceres asked the prison guards, she learned that Agne had been like this ever since the three dukes came to see her. She could barely sleep at night, and she would scream over and over again as if trapped in fear and pain.

Still, I got the answers I needed.

After giving her a herbal remedy to calm her mind, Ceres was able to hear the details from Agne once she had regained some of her senses.

She said she gave all the money she received from the three dukes to her ex-husband.

That was the first thing Agne did after her crimes were exposed. It happened on the day Ceres confronted her after retrieving the poison the director had been secretly feeding Julia.

Agne had hidden away her assets in preparation for the day she was released from prison. The person she chose to hide them with was her ex-husband.

No, to be more precise, she used their divorce as a way to conceal her wealth.

After all, the property of divorced spouses can’t be touched through legal action.

Agne had transferred everything she owned to her husband, leaving herself with nothing. Because of that, she wasn’t able to provide legal compensation to her young niece and nephew.

What was she thinking?

Ceres was speechless when she heard this from her aunt. Seriously, after cheating on her husband, did Agne really think he would wait for her until she was released from prison?

“He... he said he still loved me. He said he would wait for me! He told me not to worry and that he forgave me for everything!”

...She never imagined her aunt was the type who would cling to love this much.

Even after everything the director of the recuperation house did to her.

Ceres sighed.

Didn’t Agne see it with her own eyes? The man who had once promised her a future had pushed all the blame onto her the moment things went wrong to save himself.

And yet, she still believed in love.

“Ceres, I truly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

...Well, she couldn’t say she didn’t understand her aunt’s feelings at all.

The man who used to be my uncle did have a good reputation.

He had a pleasant appearance, a kind personality, and everyone around him considered him genuine. Their marriage even became a hot topic at the time. After all, he had spent years pursuing Agne before finally winning her over.

That must be why she trusted him so much.

Enough to hand over every bit of her money without hesitation. All while firmly believing that he still loved her.

But unfortunately for her...

The truth Ceres uncovered was nothing like what Agne believed.

Sky really is good at what they do.

The intelligence guild Sky had uncovered everything about her former uncle.

There were four other women.

Even before his divorce from Agne, he was already living with four other women separately. He was still maintaining those relationships to this day.

“Money? I never received any money from Agne.”

“You didn’t?”

“That’s right. Ah, you mean the money she gave me before she went to prison? That was mine to begin with. She only borrowed it for a while. I suppose she still had a little conscience left, since she paid it all back before leaving.”

“Oh... I see.”

Ceres almost laughed. So that was how he had used that money to buy jewelry for his mistresses.

He really thought it was his money.

She never expected him to hand the money over willingly anyway.

“I must have misunderstood what my aunt told me.”

Ceres lowered her head as if apologizing. Seeing her like that, Viscount Micro’s expression softened.

“That can happen. How is Agne doing?”

At his gentle question, Ceres tilted her head and murmured to herself.

“So that was a lie too.”

“Hm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Ceres smiled faintly, saying that she must have heard something ridiculous.

“My aunt said she couldn’t completely trust you, Uncle... Ah, no. Never mind. I must have misunderstood. She said you had another woman. Geez, Auntie...”

“A... another woman?”

Viscount Micro’s gaze shook for a moment. The smile on his lips faded.

She knew? She knew about that?

From the way Ceres hesitated and pressed her lips together, it seemed she still had more to say. Viscount Micro felt uneasy but forced himself to remain composed.

“...What did Agne say? Can you tell me?”

“Um...”

“It’s alright. Go ahead.”

Ceres deliberately let her words trail off, as if she struggled to say them. After Viscount Micro urged her again, she sighed and slowly opened her mouth like she had no choice.

“She said she’d given you a medicine...”

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