Chapter 80

“I came to save you.”

Aaron spoke plainly.

Perhaps a more fragile person would’ve burst into tears without realizing it. After all, even Maria unconsciously held her breath in this moment.

But who was Maria?

She was someone who had clawed her way up to the position of secretary to the Foundation through the countless trials she faced within the Stingray Conglomerate.

Rather than be swept up in the emotion of having her life spared, she began calmly analyzing the situation.

‘What is he thinking?’

Could he be testing her?

Or worse, was he trying to make her feel hope only to plunge her into despair?

Of course, she was well aware that Aaron had significantly mellowed out since waking from his sickbed, and that he never desired to become someone so cruel in the first place.

However, she had seen too much.

As someone who had served beside the Crown Prince for so long, she knew all too well that she must never show him any sign of vulnerability.

This was a matter tied directly to her life.

When facing him, one must wear a mask of iron. This had become such a deeply ingrained habit that even she couldn’t break free from it.

So—

“……Please, quell your anger.”

She responded calmly.

Suppressing her emotions as much as possible—like a machine.

She turned her head at just the right angle, so that the traces of tears she had shed when alone would not be seen.

“I do not dare ask for forgiveness. The fact that I participated in Young Master Benedict’s plan has not changed.”

“And I understand that the fact I was the one who stabbed you in the back may have made you feel more betrayed than ever. I had been by your side for so long, after all.”

“However, even if you were to torture me slowly, I doubt you would gain much. I will not beg for forgiveness.”

Yes.

Asking for forgiveness was an act reserved for those who were worthy of it. A traitor like herself had no such right.

“I take pride in the fact that I always did my best for our conglomerate. Even if I made mistakes or poor judgments, I do not believe the decisions I made at the time were wrong.”

“You mean you have no regrets?”

Aaron, who had been silently listening, asked. To which Maria calmly replied:

“Yes. That’s right.”

“You’re not even afraid of dying?”

“Of course not.”

“Interesting. If you truly don’t regret it, and you’re not even afraid of death, then why…….”

Aaron crossed his arms and asked,

“Why are you going to such lengths to explain yourself?”

Excuses.

That word struck right to the heart, and Maria momentarily held her breath. She had never thought she was making excuses. As she stood there frozen like ice, Aaron continued in a teasing tone.

“You must have suffered a lot while being locked up, Maria. A single ‘I want to live’ would’ve been enough, but you’ve grown quite chatty. Were you lonely without anyone to talk to?”

“Young Master Aaron, I…….”

“Enough.”

Aaron cut her off firmly.

“Anything more, and I’ll take it as an insult. Just get up quietly.”

“W-What do you mean by that……?”

“What do you think of me?”

“Pardon?”

Maria asked back, but Aaron didn’t answer.

Instead, he firmly gripped the handcuffs that bound Maria’s arms. Pressing his thumb into them, the supposedly sturdy cuffs crumbled as if they were a joke.

First the right hand.

Then the left.

After breaking the cuffs in order, Aaron freed Maria and spoke calmly.

“Did you think I didn’t know what you had done? That I allowed you to carry out a plan with Benedict to kill me simply because I was unaware?”

“Y-You knew……?”

“What a foolish question.”

Aaron dismissed her with just that.

Maria’s strength left her.

He had seen through everything.

From the moment she devised the plan, to the end—when she opposed Benedict’s scheme and ended up in this situation.

And yet—

Aaron said this.

That he would forgive her.

“Now pull yourself together and get up.”

“W-Why? I……!”

“Do I look like the kind of petty man who can’t accept the tearful apology of a subordinate who’s been by my side all her life?”

“……!”

That mischievous tone.

She realized that it was Aaron’s peculiar kind of joke—and at the same time, she picked up on another truth.

‘So he needed a pretext.’

If Benedict considered Aaron a hurdle that had to be removed in order to win the succession war—

Then Aaron must have also viewed Benedict as a thorn in his side, someone constantly annoying him.

After waking from his sickbed, Aaron had quickly and safely returned to his position as the Foundation’s Chairman, but it was clear that Benedict’s existence bothered him greatly. Even if they were rivals, one couldn’t simply eliminate their younger sibling without just cause.

That was why he needed justification.

A reason that would be accepted even if he used force against Benedict—and so, he must have cast the bait.

‘And we fell for it without knowing…….’

That must be why he pretended to trust Benedict, handing over various authorities and allowing him to wield influence within the Foundation.

While playing the role of a toothless tiger, he had simply waited for Benedict to cross the line and fall into his trap.

And now, this was the result.

Aaron coming here likely meant that all the commotion outside had already been dealt with.

‘Was Young Master Aaron always like this?’

As far as Maria knew, Aaron Stingray was someone who acted based on raw instinct. Whatever he desired, he would take, and whatever displeased him, he would destroy.

Understanding people like this, predicting how they would act, and laying out strategies accordingly—this wasn't like him.

When did he start showing this side? After rising from his sickbed? No, perhaps……

‘Maybe… he’s always been this kind of person.’

The violent tendencies forcibly imposed upon him as Stingray’s ultimate weapon must have masked Aaron’s true nature all this time.

To think she had been by his side her whole life without realizing it. Did she truly have such poor judgment of people?

“…….”

But admitting that was too shameful for Maria.

And more than that, the fact that he had seen her cry—that was what truly humiliated her. It felt like the competent image she had worked so hard to build had crumbled in an instant.

In the end, unable to overcome that shame, Maria said something childish—something she normally would never say.

“……I didn’t cry.”

Aaron pointed out, incredulous,

“Tear marks.”

“……I didn’t cry.”

“…….”

“……I’m sorry.”

When Aaron fell silent and looked at her with a baffled expression, Maria finally realized how ridiculous her words had been and bowed her head.

A moment of silence passed.

Aaron soon stood up first and turned toward the entrance. Maria, having come to her senses, quietly rose and followed behind him.

Then, without turning back, Aaron spoke.

“Maria.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“I will become Emperor.”

He declared boldly.

“To claim that position, I’ve judged that I need you. So I’ll overlook this matter.”

“…….”

“But you already know this, don’t you?”

After a pause, he continued.

“There won’t be a second time.”

At Aaron’s low warning, Maria bowed deeply once more and answered with sincerity.

“Of course, Young Master.”

This can’t be.

This can’t be happening.

This can’t be happening.

Benedict muttered repeatedly, biting his nails. He paced the office like a madman, opening and closing the same voicemail message dozens of times.

—Sorry. The operation failed.

Aaron Stingray was still alive, and most of the soldiers he had scraped together were now dead. With the remaining forces, there was barely anything he could do.

—Failed? What do you mean failed!?

—I’m sorry.

—Useless fools!

According to the report, despite all the troops he had gathered, they were useless before Aaron Stingray.

Aaron was far stronger than Benedict had anticipated. On paper, he had calculated that victory was possible, but even without any modules, Aaron had displayed monstrous combat prowess.

In the end, the troops he had painstakingly prepared were swept away like autumn leaves before a storm.

‘Damn it. What am I going to do……?’

The amount of money invested in this operation was enormous.

It had exceeded his personal wealth, and he’d even dipped into company funds. He believed that as long as Aaron disappeared and he claimed the position of successor, he could somehow resolve it all.

But what was the result?

An unmistakable failure.

From what he heard, his Adaptee soldiers hadn’t even inflicted any serious damage on Aaron. Reports stated that, if not for the assistance of some mysterious “Young Aaron,” the casualties would have been even greater.

『This doesn’t make any sense……!』

But denying reality changed nothing. In the end, his plan had failed, and he was cornered.

『I have to find another way. Somehow……』

He bit his nails and wracked his brain, but no good ideas came to mind.

It was as if the countdown had already begun.

Before he arrived, Benedict had to somehow finish off Aaron Stingray for good and come up with a groundbreaking idea to solve everything.

But no matter how hard he tried, nothing came to him.

And so, he arrived at one conclusion.

『Is running away my only option……?』

Soon, his older brother would be here.

To hold him accountable.

If it was Aaron, with his cruel nature, he wouldn’t hesitate to smash Benedict’s head in. If he wanted to survive, he had to flee to a place where Aaron’s eyes and ears couldn’t reach him.

『But where……?』

There was nowhere to go.

Outside New Valhalla City lay the domain of monsters—a place someone like him, without exceptional combat prowess, couldn’t possibly survive.

He had considered the idea of secretly hiding out in a colony owned by another corporation, but it was far from realistic.

If there was any scenario with even a sliver of possibility, it would be fleeing to the Fallen Sector beyond the city. Abandoning all his status, honor, and wealth, and starting life anew at the bottom under a new identity.

But even that had issues.

He had embezzled funds from the Technology Division—unless that was dealt with, the NCPD, the Stingray Finance Division, and the Internal Audit Office would pursue him.

If the Stingray Intelligence Division set its mind to finding him, even hiding deep within the Fallen Sector wouldn’t keep him hidden for long.

Above all, he had no confidence in his ability to endure such a bottom-feeder lifestyle. How could someone of royal blood like him throw away his current status and live like that?

While he thrashed in anxiety—

ㄴKWAANG-!

Suddenly, the office door was blasted off with a thunderous crash. He barely had time to be startled before a massive impact slammed into his body out of nowhere.

“UWAAGH!”

His vision went black for a moment.

When he regained his senses, the world had turned upside down. An invisible thread had bound his ankle.

And right before his eyes, Aaron was glaring down at him with the cold, beastlike eyes of a predator.

“Aaron……”

“H-Hyung……!”

I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die.

The overwhelming terror made him nauseous.

He fought down the urge to vomit and desperately moved his mouth. He had to do something to survive.

“I-It’s a misunderstanding, Hyung!”

But Aaron didn’t seem to hear a word.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

“W-We’re family! I-I’m your only younger brother!”

KWOOM!

The instant Aaron flicked his finger, a brutal shock slammed into Benedict’s abdomen. It felt as if his internal organs had exploded—he coughed violently from the pain.

“Kegh!”

Blood sprayed from his mouth along with the cough.

Aaron, still calm, continued.

“Didn’t you try to kill your one and only older brother?”

“T-That…… That’s a misunderstanding……!”

Even amidst the unbearable pain, he tried to continue lying—anything to stay alive. But the moment he saw who entered his vision next, he froze.

“M-Maria……!”

“Young Master Benedict.”

How was she, who had been locked in a secret prison, here now? He didn’t know the exact details, but one thing was certain.

There was no point in making excuses anymore.

“P-Please…… spare…… me……!”

“Why should I?”

“Uhhhk……!”

He couldn’t answer.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t come up with a single logical reason that would satisfy Aaron. No, how could you possibly persuade someone who came here ready to kill?

In the end, Benedict sank into despair and shed tears. Aaron muttered coldly, his eyes devoid of sympathy.

“Maria.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Tell me how I should deal with this one. I’ll take your judgment into account.”

Maria turned her expressionless gaze to Benedict. Her single word would decide his fate.

Clinging to the slimmest hope, Benedict stared at her lips.

At last, she opened her mouth with professional detachment.

“My opinion is…….”

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