WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
YOU'RE TELLING ME NO CARRIAGESWENT TO AMOR PARK AT THAT TIME?
THAT'S WHAT I'M TELLING YOU. IT WAS POURING RAIN, SO NOTHING WAS RUNNING THEN.
BUT THAT CAN'T BE...
AYY, YOU'RE A PERSISTENT ONE!
JUST THINK OF IT AS A LUCKY FREE RIDE AND LET IT GO, MISS!
YOU WERE JUST LUCKY, THAT'S ALL.
RIGHT?
LUCKY, HUH...
IF ONLY I COULD LET IT GO THAT EASILY!
I CLEARLY REMEMBER GETTING INTO A CARRIAGE THAT DAY.
EVERYTHING IS BLURRY... MAYBE BECAUSE I WAS OUT OF IT FROM THE FEVER.
I DEFINITELY REMEMBER HOW DARK IT WAS INSIDE BECAUSE OF THE STORM...
AND SOMETHING ELSE...
...OTERO.
DUKE OTERO...
THAT SON OF A BITCH.
...WAIT.
WHAT IS THIS MEMORY...?
THOSE PIERCING SILVER EYES THAT GLOWED IN THE DARKNESS.
THE MAN I'VE SEEN A THOUSAND TIMES IN NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATIONS...
IT WAS DUKE OTERO!!
TH-THERE'S NO WAY I ACTUALLY GOT INTO DUKE OTERO'S CARRIAGE...
DUKE OTERO... YOU SON OF A BITCH.
AND THERE'S NO WAY I CURSED HIM OUT TO HIS FACE, RIGHT...?
TH-THAT'S RIGHT, ISN'T IT?
THE OTERO GRAND MANSION.
...HIS DEBT IS 3 BILLION CROWNS?
YES. AS YOU REQUESTED, I LOOKED INTO THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY.
FIVE YEARS AGO, THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY COLLAPSED AFTER THE BARON WAS FRAMED IN A RAILROAD INVESTMENT SCAM.
THE BARON AND HIS WIFE WERE KILLED BY A MOB OF VICTIMS,
AND THE LEAD SUSPECT, RUSSO PETER, WHO WAS VIOLETTA HERNANDEZ'S FIANCÉ, FLED THE COUNTRY.
CONSEQUENTLY, THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY WAS LEFT TO SHOULDER THE ENTIRETY OF THE DEBT.
WHICH TOTALS 3 BILLION.
YES, YOUR GRACE.
BETRAYED BY HER FIANCÉ, AND HER FAMILY DESTROYED BY THE DEBT...
WHAT A TRAGIC LIFE.
BUT WHY DOES THIS FEEL SO FAMILIAR?
I'VE NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE...
AND YET, HER FACE...
I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD.
THAT WOMAN... DOES THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY HAVE ANY CONNECTION TO US?
A CONNECTION?
AH, ACTUALLY, YES! DO YOU REMEMBER THE DEBT EXECUTION NOTICE I SHOWED YOU LAST MONTH?
DO YOU REALLY THINK I REMEMBER EVERY SCRAP OF PAPER THAT CROSSES MY DESK?
RIGHT, OF COURSE...;;
AH, WAIT A MOMENT. I'M SURE IT'S RIGHT HERE...
FOUND IT. THIS IS THE ONE!
...FIVE YEARS AGO.
THE BARON AND HIS WIFE BORROWED MONEY TO PAY OFF THE VICTIMS.
THEY USED THEIR MANSION AND RAILROAD RIGHTS AS COLLATERAL.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE DEADLINE HAS PASSED, BUT THE DEBT REMAINS UNPAID.
I ASKED PREVIOUSLY IF WE SHOULD PROCEED WITH THE 'AUTOMATIC TRANSFER' OF ALL COLLATERAL ASSETS.
...I SEE. SO THAT'S WHY SHE LOOKED FAMILIAR.
DOES THE FAMILY KNOW ABOUT THIS?
NO. THE LAWYER IS STILL DOING A FINAL REVIEW. IF ALL GOES WELL, IT'LL BE DELIVERED WITHIN THE WEEK...
DON'T DELIVER IT.
...WHAT?!
A DEBT OF THIS MAGNITUDE...
I SAID DON'T INFORM THEM.
WOULD BE MUCH MORE VALUABLE AS A CARD IN MY HAND.
I'LL HANDLE THIS PERSONALLY.
OH, Y-YES...
WHAT ON EARTH IS HE PLOTTING NOW...?
OUT OF MY WAY!!
W-WAIT A MOMENT, PLEASE!
I NEED TO ANNOUNCE YOU TO THE MASTER FIRST...!
OH, HELLO. IT HAS. BEEN. A VERY LONG TIME.
MY FIANCÉ, LEO?
PRINCESS ERICA...
TH-THEN, I'LL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW.
...WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?
OH, "WHAT BRINGS ME HERE"?
YOU'RE ALWAYS SO BUSY, SO I, YOUR WIFE, DECIDED TO PAY YOU A VISIT MYSELF.
AND WHO EXACTLY IS MY WIFE?
WHO ELSE BUT ME?
WE'RE PRACTICALLY MARRIED ALREADY.
YOU'RE QUITE BOLD. FEARLESS, EVEN.
GO AHEAD, STRUGGLE ALL YOU WANT. THERE WILL NEVER BE A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN US.
YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE ANYWAY...
YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THE LITTLE LEVERAGE I HAVE OVER YOU, HAVE YOU?
YES, YOUR MOTHER.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE HER ROTTING IN A CELL, YOU'D BETTER BEHA-
EEK?!
WHY DON'T YOU TRY SAYING THAT AGAIN.
L-LET GO!!
PRINCESS ERICA.
UGH...!
HA, I SEE YOU STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION.
WHY DO YOU THINK MY FATHER SUMMONED US TODAY?
RIGHT NOW, WHEN YOU'RE ONLY A YEAR AWAY FROM OFFICIALLY INHERITING THE TITLE!
THE CONDITION THAT YOU MUST MARRY ME THE MOMENT YOU BECOME DUKE...
DON'T TELL ME YOU'VE FORGOTTEN?
IT MEANS WE NEED TO START PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING.
WELL, WHETHER IT ENDS IN A WEDDING OR AN ANNULMENT REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
HA, STILL WITH THIS...!
SINCE THE NOBLE PRINCESS SEEMS TO BE IN A FOUL MOOD BECAUSE OF ME,
I THINK IT'S BEST WE HEAD TO THE PALACE SEPARATELY.
WHAT? WAIT-!
NOW THEN, I'LL BE GOING.
AS FOR YOU, PRINCESS...
I TRUST YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN WAY.
LEOPOLD OTERO!!
A woman who learns there were no carriages going to Amor Park on that rainy day recalls the dark carriage she boarded while feverish: she realizes with horror that the man with silver eyes gleaming in the darkness was Duke Otero, and that she had cursed at him. Meanwhile, Otero learns of the Hernandez family's debt of 3 billion kron; he decides to keep the debt as leverage. Then his fiancée, Princess Erica, storms the mansion, threatens him through his mother, and reminds him of their marriage condition.
