Garden of May - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
He was the one being blackmailed, yet the longer they talked, the paler she became. She bit her lip.
“I thought you might refuse. I looked into it just in case… as a precaution.”
“So, if I refuse, the poor gardener goes to prison?”
“Th-that wasn’t my intention!”
Her ears burning crimson, she stammered out an excuse.
“It’s fine if you refuse after hearing it. But it would be troublesome if you spread it around, so I looked into it. I intended to silence you, to prevent you from talking…”
It was surprising that her blackmail was meant to protect a secret, but her naiveté in revealing her plan after a bit of whining was astounding.
“But really, won’t you reconsider? I don’t intend to cause you any trouble. It won’t take much of your time. We could meet a few times first…”
“Vanessa. Shall I give you some advice?”
“Yes?”
“Before resorting to blackmail, you should assess your opponent. What cards you hold, and what those cards mean to them.”
Her naive eyes now looked utterly confused. He wondered if she even understood. Theodore smirked, continuing, “I’d be sad if that old man were dragged away because of your accusation. But what makes you think that’s such a significant weakness?”
It wouldn’t be a substantial amount of embezzlement anyway. In a poor, secluded castle like this, how much could he have possibly taken? A few thousand pounds at best? He could repay that several times over.
It seemed this young lady didn’t know that problems solvable with money were the easiest problems in the world.
“But, Mr. Ross is your uncle.”
“Did it ever occur to you that family might not be such a great weakness?”
She looked strangely shocked. She was the one who made the outrageous and shocking proposal, yet she was so affected by his words.
“So, it’s really a no?”
“Does it seem like a yes?”
“Men… they would do it with me, even if they had to pay…”
The words, uttered with a dazed expression, held a ring of truth. Now he understood the source of her initial confidence. The calculation that with her beauty, she couldn’t possibly be rejected.
Lady Vanessa’s proposal itself was nothing new, just a variation of a tired old story. From the moment he first stepped into society until now, the women who flocked around him all sang the same song.
‘I can offer you more wealth, more prestige, more heirs…’
Presuming he would readily offer himself for wealth, prestige, or the continuation of his lineage.
Compared to the women who professed lifelong admiration or burst into tears about childhood traumas, Lady Vanessa’s offer was, at least, an interesting alternative. Blackmail, no less.
“If you just wanted to sleep with me, you should have confessed your love instead.”
That was why. That was why he wanted to know her.
“I might have been swayed.”
That was why he’d given her the wrong answer, the one she’d never even considered. Vanessa’s eyes widened, as if the thought had never crossed her mind.
Unlike her jaded proposal, her clear, innocent eyes reflected his image.
“But, River. That would be deceitful. Saying I love you when I don’t.”
He narrowed his eyes, as if facing the sun, and stared at her before letting out a hollow laugh. So, seducing him with false love was deceitful, but offering her body for money was a fair trade? She was strangely principled, yet simultaneously unconventional.
“Then the negotiations have failed.”
“W-wait. So, all I have to do is love you?”
Vanessa desperately grabbed his sleeve as he turned to leave. She limped closer, her forehead beaded with sweat. The pain in her sprained ankle seemed to be worsening.
“Perhaps.”
The paler she became, the more beautiful she seemed. Her trembling, red lips and her pitiful eyes stirred a base sense of cruelty within him. Theodore smirked, tilting his head.
“Whether you offer something in return, resort to blackmail, or stubbornly persist… it’s over if I’m not moved, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Whether or not I’m aro*sed by you seems to be the more important question.”
Vanessa blinked her wide eyes, her expression showing she understood little of what he was saying. Theodore took a deep drag of his cigarette, held between his index and middle fingers, and then used that same hand to cup her pale cheek.
The acrid smoke drifted, clouding his mind. Finally, a look of bewilderment crossed Vanessa’s face as she looked up at him. Was he mad if he found that satisfying?
“What are you…?”
He lowered his head and captured her protesting lips with his own.
