When Jeong Taeui muttered with a frustrated expression, Ilay looked at him with a strange
look for a moment before saying - "Oh."
"Oh, I see, there has been a bit of a misunderstanding. Abdul Rahman is indeed that man's
superior, but he has nothing to do with Aramco."
"What?"
"To be precise, that man's superior is Al Faisal. Initially, he was Al Faisal's chief aide. He
didn't work for Al Faisal's enterprise but worked for Aramco. However, in reality he still
remains Al Faisal's chief aide."
"…Can you explain more clearly?"
"There was an agreement between Aramco and Faisal, and Aramco entrusted the negotiation
of the loan entirely to Faisal. So that man temporarily held a position at Aramco. Perhaps
once this job is done, he will return to Faisal."
"Explain it more simply. Even simpler"
Jeong Taeui said, pressing and rubbing his temples.
Ilay took a sip of water and then spoke more straightforwardly.
"That means Al Faisal is actually the true creditor in the repayment of the loan."
"Good. Now that's easier to understand."
Jeong Taeui removed his hand from his temple and took a sip of beer from the glass the
server brought.
Al Faisal.
That man was the half-brother of Prince Ali, who had won the power struggle that had been
going on within the Saudi royal family for several years until last year.
Although he had withdrawn early from the power struggle, his ability to negotiate
independently with such a large state-owned company indicated his power was beyond
imagination.
And at the same time, that man was…
"The guardian of Abdul Rahman…"
Jeong Taeui muttered as he set down his beer glass, feeling a bitter taste."And a very powerful guardian."
Ilay added, as if reading Jeong Taeui's thoughts.
Jeong Taeui scratched his head and sighed - "Haizzzz."
That was the reason.
Despite Malik showing great friendliness to Jeong Taeui, he still couldn't be completely at
ease.
From what Jeong Taeui remembered, Abdul Rahman always hated him. He didn't know why.
From their first meeting, Abdul Rahman had disliked him.
"Even after turning that wonderful mansion into rubble and leaving, he must hate me a lot."
Jeong Taeui nodded to himself.
This time, the person who turned that wonderful mansion into rubble said nothing.
Well, it didn't matter. He just hoped he wouldn't have to see him again.
Jeong Taeui sighed in relief and began to eat again with his fork.
At that moment, the door opened, and Richard walked in late.
He hurriedly apologized and sat down in the empty seat, immediately joining the
conversation naturally as if he had been there from the start.
"Is the food to your taste?"
Richard asked Malik, who smiled generously and nodded.
"Everything is wonderful. It makes me want to live here if I could."
"Ha ha ha, feel free to visit whenever you come to Germany. It's a pity you're only staying
for a few days this time."
Even though the conversation seemed like part of a scripted scenario, from Richard's mouth,
it sounded sincere. That was one of his remarkable traits.
Jeong Taeui looked at Richard with admiration, unable to find any sign of falseness in his
friendly smile. Meanwhile, the social conversation between Richard and Malik continued.
"Before the meal, I took a walk around the estate and found the forest trail to be fantastic."
"Ah, behind there is a mountain. If you go too deep, you might get lost. So be careful.
However, the terrain of the mountain is not too dangerous, so no major issues have occurred."
"Ah, a mountain. Wonderful. When I was younger, I used to go hunting during vacations, but
I've been too busy to enjoy it lately.""Well, if you'd like, during your stay here. Unfortunately, there are plans for tomorrow, but
the day after, we can arrange a light hunt. Around this time of year, red foxes often come
down from the mountain."
"Red foxes? It's been a long time since I've seen them."
Upon hearing the topic of hunting, Malik's eyes lit up, and he looked at Richard with delight.
Jeong Taeui felt somewhat relieved - knowing that at least for a while, Malik wouldn't ask
more about Jeong Jaeui - and focused on his meal. Indeed, shifting the topic to something the
other person enjoyed was the best way to avoid unwanted subjects.
Jeong Taeui was grateful to Richard for changing the subject to an engaging story, even
though it might not have been for Jeong Taeui's benefit. He continued to enjoy his meal.
While eating, he glanced at the door.
He thought that when Richard arrived, Christoph would come with him, but it seemed
Richard had come alone. Taeui thought Christoph might arrive later, but as the meal
progressed and Christoph still hadn't appeared, Jeong Taeui began to feel uneasy.
From what he had overheard earlier, Richard and Christoph had a rather intense fight, and
Richard arriving alone made him feel uneasy.
Although Jeong Taeui didn't think that Christoph - someone as strong as him - could be lying
somewhere dying in a corner, he was still worried.
"Didn't Christoph come with you?"
Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, Jeong Taeui gently asked.
Richard kept his smile and turned his head toward Jeong Taeui. Their eyes met.
"…?"
Was it just his feeling? For a moment, that gaze seemed quite sharp.
But when Jeong Taeui looked back with curiosity, Richard was still smiling warmly as usual.
"He's not feeling well, so he's resting. If you don't mind, please visit him after the meal.
Christoph will be happy to see you. …Though I'm not sure if he will be awake."
Speaking with concern and shaking his head slightly, Jeong Taeui responded - "Ah, yes."
Seeing Richard speak like that, it seemed Christoph wasn't seriously injured. In fact, Richard
had a few wounds on his forehead and neck, but he was sitting there quite well.
Jeong Taeui continued to eat diligently, thinking that after the meal, he would visit
Christoph's room before returning to his own. Beside Taeui, Ilay looked at Richard with cold
eyes."Do you think Christoph will be happy to see him?"
Hearing those gentle words, Richard looked at Ilay with a strange expression. Then he
laughed mysteriously.
"No. Why would I feel uncomfortable?"
"It seems you don't intend to hide this."
Richard sneered slightly, frowning slightly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rick. We all know and pretend not to."
Ilay placed the glass he was holding down. He spoke calmly but firmly.
"I don't care about any of your matters as long as you don't involve those who shouldn't be
involved. I will be very upset if this guy visits Christoph, so don't force it. I understand what
you want to show, but…"
Richard looked at Ilay for a moment, a vague smile on his lips as if pondering something.
Then he chuckled lightly and shrugged.
"Rick, I have no ulterior motives. They are very close, and I think Christoph would be happy
if someone visited him while he's miserably lying in bed."
"If you're really worried, why don't you take care of him yourself?"
Ilay's voice remained gentle as usual.
However, the volume was enough for Jeong Taeui, sitting right next to him, to hear.
A strange conversation was taking place... and it didn't feel very pleasant.
Jeong Taeui wasn't sure what Richard meant or what Ilay was implying.
"Is Christoph okay?"
Jeong Taeui took advantage of the pause in the conversation to ask.
For a long moment, there was no answer.
Just when Jeong Taeui was about to frown in discomfort, Richard answered instead of Ilay in
a deep voice.
"You don't need to worry too much. Lately, he's been exhausted both mentally and
physically, so he just has a slight fever."
"Haa… yes…"
Richard gently wiped his mouth with a napkin while waiting for the new dish to be served. A
brief silence passed.When Jeong Taeui tilted his head, still puzzled by the strange feeling, Richard suddenly
turned and spoke to his uncle sitting nearby.
"Come to think of it. Uncle, I'm planning to take Aunt to Dresden soon."
Richard's uncle, who was conversing with the person next to him, turned with a surprised
expression and asked with a puzzled look.
"Aunt…?"
"It's Aunt Bianca, Christoph's mother."
With Richard's straightforward answer, his uncle was silent for a moment. He frowned at
Richard, then hummed and asked again.
"You mean you intend to bring her back to Tarten?"
Richard smiled and shook his head.
"No. Since the succession day is approaching and Christoph seems unstable, I thought if she
stayed here for a while, he might calm down."
His uncle slowly nodded.
"Yes, the succession day is approaching, and it's almost time for others to gather. Do as you
wish."
Richard smiled reassuringly and ended the conversation.
Jeong Taeui unintentionally paused, not realizing he was staring at Richard.
Christoph's mother.
―When Christoph's mother arrives, he will be even more unstable.
Those words suddenly popped into his mind.
―The way he thinks like others is thanks to his mother. The mother who despised and feared
her own child.
Along with those words, Jeong Taeui recalled the gentle and elegant voice from the other end
of the phone. And Christoph's face when he picked up the phone.
A pale, tense face. Pale blue, trembling lips. Contrasting with those expressions was the soft
and calm voice responding into the phone.
The fragile, glass-like pale face overlapped with Richard's gentle smiling face sitting next to
him.
Jeong Taeui quietly put down his fork. He no longer felt like eating anything.Suddenly, a white finger tapped lightly on the table right in front of him, catching his
attention.
When he looked up, Taeui saw Ilay looking down at him.
"As the succession day approaches, close relatives, unless something special happens, will all
come to Tarten."
Christoph's mother will also come to Tarten sooner or later.
Ilay reiterated the fact gently. Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay thoughtfully, pondering for a
moment, then nodded - "Yes."
As Ilay said, the succession decision day was approaching.
The days in Tarten were also coming to an end.
So was the day that would decide the direction of the future.
[END VOL 3]