A few days later, Hugo went to the safe house and into the underground secret chamber where Philip was confined. Before Hugo went into the room, his knights had already tied Philip to the chair like previously.
Hugo stared at Philip and slowly sat down on the opposite chair. Philip looked like he had aged drastically in a month. He had only been fed enough to satisfy his hunger and hadn't seen the sun in a long time. Hugo's gaze was only filled with ferociousness as he looked at the haggard old man.
"Seeing as I haven't seen you in a long time, you must have gone to the North."
Hugo's eyebrow twitched.
"And I'm sure you couldn't find anything."
The Duke's only response was to silently stare at him, but Philip was convinced that he had seized a chance at victory.
Philip had absolutely no intention of doing anything to harm the precious little miss that would be born soon, but the Duke would not believe Philip. Although he would not believe Philip, the Duke was in a disadvantageous position. He would not refuse a proposal that concerned the Duchess' safety.
"You want something." (Hugo)
"I will make medicine that will guarantee the safety of the Duchess and the little miss." (Philip)
"I have no intention of letting you see even a strand of my wife's hair."
"Do as you wish. You can also give her the drug I make yourself."
Philip smiled with ease, looking at the Duke's eyes which were filled with distrust. He hadn't forgotten the proverb that a cornered mouse would bite the cat.
The Duke's cruel and ferocious nature could burst open at any time. If he was driven to a dead end, he could kill Philip without thinking of the aftermath because he couldn't endure the humiliation of being controlled by Philip.
Philip needed to set up conditions that could sufficiently accommodate the Duke.
"I will not approach the Madam, nor will I approach your daughter. I will follow your intention to raise the little miss and young master Damian as siblings."
"Whether you will follow or not, is not something for you to decide. I can only hear that you are so deluded, you cannot even grasp your own position."
The Duke spoke bitingly but his voice had audibly softened. The corner of Philip's lips curved in a thin smile. He began to make a deal with the Duke.
"It is not exactly necessary for young master Damian's bride to be born from the Madam."
"Are you saying another woman should bear my child?"
Philip was silent as if admitting to it.
'The old man has a clever head on his shoulders.'
Hugo thought to himself that if the old man had advanced in the business world, he might have made a name for himself as a business tycoon.
His opponent was tense about what enormous demand he might make for the safety of both his pregnant wife and baby, but he caught his opponent off guard by proposing something seemingly minor in comparison to that, relieving the burden on his opponent's mind. It was an excellent way to make a deal.
However, Philip made the most fundamental mistake of not knowing his opponent well. A proposal to sleep with another woman, under the pretext of doing it for his wife and his soon-to-be-born child, was not a proposal accommodating, or acceptable, for Hugo.
Hugo had no intention of breaking his promise to be a faithful husband and above all, he still loathed his blood. His soon-to-be-born child was only special because it was from his wife.
The mere thought of a woman other than his wife, bearing his blood, was nauseating. When he thought of a situation where he had to hold a strange woman to propagate his species, the biggest problem was that it was physically impossible.
'I don't think it will stand.'
Hugo folded his arms and fell into thought as he lowered his gaze to his lower abdomen. He wondered how Philip would look if he told him that he couldn't meet his demands due to physical issues.
It was a frivolous thought that didn't match the seriousness of the situation. Nothing had been solved, but he strangely felt at ease. It was a good feeling as if everything would turn out well.
Since the time Hugo captured Philip, he ordered a search into Philip's residence in Roam, and Philip's residence at the northern border, and was still searching for Philip's hideout.
As expected, nothing was found in Philip's residence, and the effort to find Philip's hideout was indefinite, like trying to find a needle in a desert.
However, a few days ago, Hugo got a few clues that narrowed down the scope, and was able to give concrete instructions. By now, the order must have already been delivered. He did not expect to find the hideout easily. He could find it within a few months or it could take even longer than that.
He couldn't wait indefinitely until he found Philip's hideout. If he didn't go to meet Philip for a long time, he didn't know what schemes might form in the old man's head. Hugo judged that now was the best time to catch the old bastard off guard.
The current Hugo was no longer in a unilaterally disadvantageous position. He had obtained the sole but powerful information that was Philip's prescription.
Having this information, Hugo had more time to take a back seat and look at the situation from afar. He realized that his biggest mistake was getting enticed by Philip's deliberate words.
Philip's remark about his wife being in danger when she gave birth, had a loophole.
It was impossible for Philip not to know that with Hugo's personality, if the child had killed its mother on its way out, he would have sent the child after its mother. If it failed, the precious miss of Taran bloodline dies.
With the old man's craziness about the Taran bloodline, he didn't seem like someone to gamble.
'This old bastard lies every time he opens his mouth.'
Hugo decided to make a decisive move. Philip watched the Duke's eyes cool down and judged that the Duke was willing to make a deal with him calmly.
"I cannot understand your proposal." (Hugo)
Hugo tried to find out a little more about Philip's plans.
"What might you mean?" (Philip)
"Is it so easy to get a child? What if there are no issues until the child is born? If my wife gives birth safely, you're dead." (Hugo)
Philip didn't even blink despite the murderous intent that filled that last sentence.
"The Madam will have to keep taking my medicine until a bride for young master Damian is born. Why? Because until then, the medicine I give, will be less effective."
Philip had no intention of harming the Duchess' life for the still unborn little miss, but he planned to alternate between a drug that deprived the Duchess' energy and one that restored it.
If she was confined to bed and recovered her energy after taking Philip's medicine, the Duke would have no choice but to listen to Philip to get the drug.
"Let's assume the child is born as you intended. What about after that? Do you think I will let you and the child live?" (Hugo)
"For that issue, you simply have to make a promise to assure my safety."
"Promise?"
Hugo broke out in a sneer.
"Do you believe I will keep that promise?"
Was this bastard that naïve? Hugo felt amused like he was watching a scene from a comedy skit.
"I want to believe but unfortunately, this is a world where trust can be found lacking. Does Young Master think that the heads of the Taran family were obediently convinced, that something as crucial as continuing the Taran family line, was in our family's hands?"
For many generations, every single head of the Taran family wished to know how to continue their bloodline after they came out of the secret room.
The ancestors of Philip's family held onto their secrets very tightly so they did not bring danger upon themselves. They released most of the facts that the Taran heads were curious about, according to their demands.
In exchange for the head of the Taran family satisfying the curiosity, he had to promise not to tell anyone nor leave any record. Of course, it was not just a verbal promise. There was a way to make promises compulsory.
* * *
"There is a treasure passed down in our family for generations. It is a magical tool that binds its contractor." (Philip)
"Interesting. And how do you plan on getting that magical tool? You can't get a foot out of here."(Hugo)
"I've kept it in a safe place for safekeeping, but you can ask someone to bring it. No one else can use it anyways. It is an exclusive contract, so one of the contracting parties must be one of our family members."
Hugo lost interest in the unique magical tool. Philip was the only one remaining out of his family. The old man was basically saying that once he dies, the magical tool becomes garbage.
According to his investigations, Philip did not get married again after his wife and son died, and he was continually alone after his father died. Now that he thought about it, it was strange that the old man had no descendants to inherit his will, even though he was so obsessed.
'Well, this bastard's private situation is none of my concern.'
He decided that he must kill the old man. Philip's family would come to an end with Philip's death.
"What about the woman? Not any woman can have my child, no?"
"That is prepared."
"It is prepared?"
When Philip mentioned holding another woman, Hugo anticipated this, but to really hear Philip say that there was a woman, made him speechless. How much had the old man pulled wool over his eyes, scheming and deceiving him?
"So you mean you did such a thing arbitrarily, without my permission."
"It is a mission our family has done for generations. It is not something done after getting permission."
"And if the woman you prepared can't get pregnant?"
"There is a readied replacement."
"It's not just one or two women prepared, huh. You've set up a training camp."
Hugo burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"There's a limit to treating someone like a stud."
Hugo mumbled, irritatedly. He thought to himself that the heads of the Taran family who accepted such treatment were crazy bastards.
"Let's summarize this. In exchange for you giving my wife medication, I will share a bed with a woman you've prepared and have a child. You'll raise the child and I'll sign a contract, promising not to touch you. And what about after that? Do you think Damian will move the way you want?"
"I do not know much of the distant future. I simply do what I can do right now."
"You do not look at the future."
Hugo got an important clue. He seemed to have found the reason for Philip's confidence. When Philip was speaking about his wife not being safe after giving birth, his attitude wasn't confidence based on the truth, but recklessness, like a tiger moth running into a campfire.
"Old man. I understand what you want. When should I make a decision?"
"The Madam has to take the medicine at least a month before she is due, for strengthening of the body."
"Oh? So the more my wife's stomach grows, the more restless I will be. You know how to strike cleverly, old man. Is this also a method passed down in your family for generations?"
"…"
Philip's expression slightly stiffened. It wasn't that the Duke's provoking tone was bothering him. Philip was rather confident that he was in an advantageous position. If the Duke couldn't abandon the Duchess, he had no choice but to be drawn into his proposal.
However, that belief was beginning to crack a little. No matter how he looked at it, the Duke's attitude wasn't that of someone with an unfavorable contract ahead. He couldn't shake off the strange feeling of incongruity.
'What might have gone wrong?'
He might have crossed the line that bordered the Duke's pride. If the Duke valued his pride more than the Duchess and refused to make a deal with Philip, regardless of the Duchess' safety, then the plan was a failure. The Duchess would be fine even if she gave birth to the baby when she reached full term. If the Duke discovered Philip's lies, Philip was as good as dead.
'No. Even if the affection is briefly passionate and nothing but lust, it is not yet time for the fire to go out.'
When someone's momentum was suppressed, that was the end of it. Once you lost your footing, it became a situation where you were standing at a crossroads, plunging down an endless depth.
"I am going to need a definite answer. Will my wife die after giving birth if she does not take the medicine you give me?"
"For the Madam's safety…"
"Answer 'yes' or 'no'."
"…That is correct."
"What is 'correct'?"
"The Madam will not live long."
Philip tried to keep a calm expression as he faced the red eyes staring at him like they could see right through him. When the Duke's lips slowly curved and he began to laugh, Philip felt chills on his back.
"You know, the reason I came to see your bastard face today is because I was curious what bullshit you would spout. You do not disappoint."
The moment Philip's expression distorted, Hugo sensed that it was his victory. And he was confident of it.
"What do you think I found in the north?"
"…"
"Mugwort, it's called. Such an interesting thing. To think such a common weed was the secret to continuing the Taran bloodline."
[[[Park Jong-an: Confession; the mugwort was entirely made up! We dunno what the initial word was meant to say and instead translated it in the most literal way. Haha...cough.]]]
Philip's expression was unchanged. But his mind was furiously spinning. The Duke was bluffing. Philip had already anticipated this much. He had no intention of being trapped.
'He got clued to the mugwort through Anna and is making a vain guess.'
Philip gave a relaxed smile like usual and said.
"I do not know what you're talking about. I am aware of the Madam's absence of menstruation symptom due to intake of mugwort. That's why I said I would give her treatment."
Hugo chuckled and began listing off the names of herbs, one by one. These were the contents of the prescription that Lucia had received from Philip in her dream.
The smile on Philip's composed face began to stiffen. It was the complete mugwort prescription that was never to be revealed to the head of the Taran family. Indeed, it was the vision that was passed down only to the descendants of Philip's family for generations. He couldn't be sure without reading his family's secret notebook.
"I found your hideout, you bastard."
Philip's face completely collapsed. His distorted expression had turned black and his face was twitching. Hugo made his last verification, catching Philip off guard before he could put his brain to work properly.
"I looked through the records quite thoroughly, but I didn't see anything about something going wrong after giving birth."
Hugo watched Philip carefully. If it was true that his wife would die after giving birth, then Philip would immediately realize that Hugo was lying. Seeing Philip's dark complexion remaining unchanged, Hugo breathed a long, silent sigh.
It was a lie. His wife was safe. Once he put down his fear of possibly losing her, a strong desire to kill Philip surged within him.
"I will let you experience pain that will make you wish for a peaceful death."
He would never let him die peacefully. Hugo gazed at Philip with a piercing look in his eyes and spoke drearily.
"After Damian, no boy with black hair and red eyes will be born again."
Philip who had been looking spiritless abruptly lifted his head. Hugo was pleased to see Philip's eyes full of despair.
"This is the end of this cursed blood."
Philip's face, which always had a relaxed look and a polite smile, was hideously twisted. He glared at Hugo through eyes filled with resentment, anger, and despair then he began wailing with strange sounds.
Hugo looked at the convulsing sight of the bastard whom he wouldn't see again after today, then he turned around and left the room.
"Monitor him thoroughly, just in case he isn't willing."
One of the knights replied in affirmative and went into the room. As the stone doors closed, the racket coming from inside stopped. Hugo planned to leave Philip alone for the time being, for safety's sake. It was only until his wife gave birth safely and the search party found Philip's hideout.
The fear that he would receive pain worse than death, despair that his family's secrets were all revealed and destroyed, or Hugo's last words declaring the end of the Taran line.
'What would torment that bastard the most, among these three?'
Hugo's steps were light as he climbed up the stairs. He felt like he could breathe now. This feeling was like he had finally escaped the shadow of the Taran family that had been suppressing him.