North x Northwest

“…”

“I remember him intimidating his subordinates ever since I was young.”

“…”

“If you want to live ‘properly’, start telling the truth.”

At first, Maxwell snorted and stubbornly ignored Lil, but then suddenly raised his voice.

“Why, My Lady, are you going to promise that you will save my family if I testify at the trial?!”

“No?”

His face became increasingly distorted. As his eyes grew red, his jaw muscles moved noticeably as he clenched his teeth.

“Then how is that different from his methods? If I cooperate with you, my family might be safe. But you can’t even guarantee that nothing will happen to my wife and children if you fail! Hah! Since you can’t make that promise, how is your option any better? You may say that’s different, but your option is as good as losing my family!”

“Did I say that?”

As Maxwell’s fist hit the table, eyes filled with thick water droplets looked directly at Lil.

“You’re the same! So stop pretending you’re not!”

“…”

“Your damn clan… We’re the ones who die in the fight between him and you! We were born with the same eyes, nose, and mouth, but you rule over us as if you’re part of a heavenly race who have the right to treat us as if we are mere livestock! You, My Lady, are no different from the Master!”

“If only you had been a little more interested in what kind of person I am, then you wouldn’t have said something like that in front of me. Apart from that, just because you scream that I’m the same as him doesn’t make it true, so stop. Don’t come to me and take your anger you have for my brother out on me and don’t make me repeat myself thrice.”

“..!”

Maxwell, who had turned red to the tip of his head, shook his shoulders forcibly. He then took a deep breath, covering his face with both his hands as if trying to calm his emotions. A breath escaped between his fingers because he couldn’t control his panting.

“Whether you decide to cooperate or not, I won’t stand by and watch Alicia and your children fall unfairly because of my brother. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have cared, but now that I do know, I won’t sit by and watch. Of course, that includes your mother, too.”

Maxwell put his hands down. Despite still struggling to face Lil, he opened his eyes.

“How… how can I trust you?”

‘Maxwell’s heart is already turning. Although his loyalty may not lie with me yet, it seems certain that it has left Venua a long time ago. I had a hunch when I encountered him in that alley. If we only had a little more time back there, then maybe… No, assumptions are useless now.’

“You have the absolute freedom to choose whether or not you’ll trust me. It doesn’t matter to me if you don’t. However, you already said it with your own mouth. That I care too much for those below me*. Maybe that’s not the way I would put it, but whatever. It was when the Devito Harbour was just around the corner, that you threatened me with those words. So, are you truly asking me that now?”

“…”

Lil raised her index finger and tapped her own temple.

“Calculate and judge objectively. Are you willing to endure the shame bestowed on you by the family you hate so much and simply shut up about it? Are you going to allow Venua’s shadow, which hasn’t even been cast down in reality, to control you? Are you going to let your actions convince my brother that his way is right and that you’ll be his loyal subordinate throughout the years to come? Even worse, are you going to stand by and watch dozens or hundreds of people become the same victims?”

“I’m… I’m just a veteran soldier from a family that bought their title. When I make decisions, I don’t think about such a big future.”

“Of course, the decisions you make can have a big impact on your future, so why not make them?”

His heaving shoulders gradually sank, and Maxwell soon let out a desperate sigh.

“Sometimes, it feels like you treat the Master in an absurdly small way.”

“I don’t treat him as big or small, I just treat him as I see him.”

“…”

“After all, we were born with the same eyes, nose, and mouth.”

“…”

Maxwell smiled faintly.

‘Seeing him smile like that makes me think of Ed… and I can feel the human compassion for this man pass over me. I know all too well how much trouble he must’ve suffered while travelling long distances with Venua, and everything my brother might’ve done…’

“I’ve always known that you’re a person with a lot of pride. And you know what? I liked that about you…”

“…”

“You said you hated searching for me and being treated like a hunting dog. In that case, don’t forgive the person who destroyed the pride in your life. Don’t become livestock by subjecting your life to the one who treats you as such. You know as well as me that there’s a great way to cut off the leash, so why do you let yourself still be dragged around?”

“You make it sound like it’s easy…”

“Easy? When did I ever say it would be easy? I never said that.”

With Maxwell’s deepening sigh, he grabbed the kettle from the trolley and poured himself another cup of tea. His hand gestures became much more polite than before and he drank from an angle prescribed by etiquette. He had even offered to pour Lil another cup, but with a simple head shake she had indicated that she was okay.

“What are you going to do, My Lady?”

“What?”

“From here on out…”

“My father is in critical condition, so I have to at least see him in person before he passes. How is he?”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but Dr. Limue said it would be difficult to make it to the end of this year…”

“I see.”

Lil was reminded of the winter she spent with her mother, Henrietta.

‘I remember I could only cry without knowing exactly why. My heart had ached so much that I woke up every night. The pain becomes vivid every time I recall it, but I don’t want to get sentimental in front of Maxwell.’

In the end, Lil just finished her cooled tea in order to regain her senses.

“Once you’ve made your decision, you can let me know through Shail. I’ll face you with a decent amount of respect, but everyone except me will treat you as a criminal who attempted to murder their lord, so you need to be careful. You’ll also need to prepare a few things to show your sincerity. And think about your answers to my other questions as well. For now, we’re done here.”

“…Yes.”

“Oh, and just know that even if you testify in Sesbron, you’ll still have to pay for your crime. But I’ll write you a petition.”

Lil turned her body without further delay. Unbeknownst to her, the drawing room had a painting depicting an angel hanging by the door.

‘I can’t believe I interrogated Maxwell with this door as the background…’

With a shaky heart, Lil grasped the handle carved with the symbol of angel wings.

“My lady…”

Lil turned to face him.

Maxwell, now standing up, was enveloped by shadows of leaves swaying in the wind. His face was speckled with dark red bruises. By the constant swaying of the leaves, his face looked dark at times and bright at others.

“…I’m sorry.”

Lil stood there without answering. Instead, she was sizing him up.

‘Is he sincere… or is he just trying to gain belated favour with his apology? No, it doesn’t matter either way. I’ll judge his sincerity when I look for him again in the future.’

Nodding her head towards Maxwell, Lil slipped through the crack in the door.

***

Enzo Guetin, an old servant and confidant of the Duke of Mireille, walked quickly without taking a moment to wipe the sweat flowing from under his wig. In his hand was a piece of paper that had just been delivered and as though fearing he would lose it, he was holding on to it so tightly that the bones on the back of his skinny hand stood out.

When Enzo finally reached the front of the restaurant, he shouted loudly.

“His… His Grace!”

The servant waiting in front of the door asked the purpose out of curiosity.

“Mister Guetin? What’s going on?”

“Urgent… it’s urgent. Take me to His Grace right away!”

They passed through the hall where lunch was in full swing and entered a private room reserved for special guests. Next to the brightly lit window, the restaurant manager was standing close to Mireille, explaining a variety of wine and dishes. In one corner, a band was playing a gentle piece. When Enzo and the servant came in, the manager’s stern gaze directed towards them.

Mireille slowly turned his head. He was an attractive man with bluish grey* eyes under his neatly swept white hair. Although he didn’t look too happy about having his supposedly satisfying meal interrupted, Enzo knew very well that Mireille wouldn’t show his true personality to outsiders.

Mireille raised his hand to stop the band.

“He must’ve his reasons.”

With a single glance, the manager and the orchestra left the inner room. As soon as the door closed, Mireille put his silverware down as if throwing it away.

“What?!”

“I-I thought you needed to see this… It happened just two days ago.”

Enzo, who had belatedly straightened the crumpled part, held the paper out to Mireille.

Mireille’s cold voice fell on the top of Enzo’s head.

“What happened here?”

“It’s literally like it says. It looks like the Imperial Army has invaded the… ‘forest’.”

“..!”

– – – – –

Reference:

“…However, you already said it with your own mouth. That I care too much for those below me… It was when the Devito Harbour was just around the corner, you threatened me with those words…” = chapter 234 = Lil refers to the pursuit scene right after the prison break when she stayed behind so that the two carriages with crew members could escape. In the conversation between Lil and Maxwell that followed, Lil said: “Have you ever spared those you deem below you?” We now think that we made a translation error and that this was actually Maxwell saying that her care for those below her, will be a weakness. We will revise the text of chapter 234 this weekend. 🙂

Footnote:

Mireille’s eye colour: The people that read or are still reading the webtoon might remember that Mireille’s eyes were green. We did a quick search through the past volumes and the colour of Mireille’s eyes has never been mentioned before. Therefore we assume that for the webtoon they just picked a colour and decided to not stay true to the novel. We, on the other hand, will go with what the author decided and use the ‘bluish grey’ colour.