Chapter 25: What Happened at the Social Party (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: What Happened at the Social Party (3)
Antony Barco looked far more ordinary than one might expect.
With a thoroughly unremarkable face that could easily blend into any crowd, his eyes widened in sheer astonishment the moment he spotted Roman. He immediately made a fuss.
"Roman! What on earth happened to you?!"
Just moments ago, he had heard whispers from a servant that Roman had changed.
However, he hadn't expected the transformation to be this drastic. He scanned Roman from head to toe, genuine shock swimming in his eyes.
"I don't really know either," Roman replied. "When I poured massive amounts of money into grooming myself, nothing changed. But lately, I haven't done a thing, yet I look different by the day. Anyway, it's good to see you after all this time."
He spoke casually, dropping all formalities.
This light, frivolous tone was a calculated move, based on the advice of Hans, who had closely observed Roman's past interactions with Antony Barco.
‘There is only Antony Barco in this private room.’
Roman swept his gaze across his surroundings.
Antony Barco had been partying with the daughters of other nobles until just moments ago, but he had sent them all away upon hearing of Roman's arrival. Because of that, the table was an absolute mess. Countless empty liquor bottles were strewn about, and items that looked suspiciously like women's undergarments were scattered carelessly across the room.
It wasn't hard to guess exactly what kind of person Antony Barco was, or how he amused himself in these private rooms under the guise of a "social party."
Therefore, Roman masked his true thoughts.
From his past life's experience dealing with the cunning, slippery snakes of the Demonic Cult, he knew that one could not always rely on the Orthodox Method.
‘Antony Barco cleared the room the moment he heard I arrived. That means he intends to discuss a secret no one else can hear. To get him to talk, I need to play along.’
Roman smiled.
Hoping Antony would see him as the old Roman he remembered, he sat down and immediately downed a glass of liquor.
Thud.
"Ah, that hits the spot."
He smoothly dispersed the alcohol's burning heat as it slid down his throat.
Contrary to his frivolous outward act, Roman waited for Antony Barco to speak, his eyes calm and steady.
Antony Barco.
The information Roman had on him was fragmented.
Although he had grasped the man's general disposition through Hans, there had been no way to uncover the exact nature of the secret relationship between the two.
So, Roman kept his mouth shut.
By waiting in silence, he forced the other man to speak first.
Sure enough, Antony took the bait.
"I suppose I can take your saying it's good to see me as a positive sign. To be honest, I was incredibly curious about your intentions back then. You ignored our friendship and pushed ahead with the political marriage to Lawrence, yet you still showed up in the bedroom of my private suite... Whew. I know social parties guarantee privacy, but I never expected a man on the verge of marriage to go quite that wild."
A social party.
A bedroom in a private suite.
As fragments of the truth slipped out, Antony Barco wore a playful, mocking expression and finally got to the point.
"So, can I interpret your attendance tonight as an acceptance of my proposal? Actually, since you already proved your intent by calling off the engagement, I suppose I don't even need an answer. I'll keep what happened back then a secret. Let's talk about your marriage into the Barco family."
Marriage to Barco.
The moment those key words were uttered, a lock clicked open inside Roman's mind.
Click.
From the deepest depths of his mind, the memories of the original Roman Dmitry resurfaced.
That day.
Roman had been incredibly nervous about attending Barco's social party.
"Whew, Roman Dmitry. Let's not be so nervous. I might have betrayed Antony Barco by accepting the political marriage with Lawrence, but I can't keep avoiding him forever, can I? Let's use this opportunity to mend our relationship."
After receiving Barco's invitation, he had hesitated countless times before finally deciding to resolve the issue in person.
His opponent was Barco.
Since his actions might drag his family into a war, he desperately wanted to resolve the issue through dialogue. Although his father had turned completely hostile toward Barco ever since pushing for the political marriage with Lawrence, the young and naive Roman Dmitry believed there was still room for discussion.
And so, Roman had gone to the party.
Contrary to his fears, Antony Barco had welcomed him warmly. As his tension melted away, Roman had mindlessly drank to his heart's content.
That was the mistake.
He blacked out.
When he woke up, clutching a head that felt like it was splitting from a massive hangover, an entirely unfamiliar sight greeted him.
A bed in a private suite.
Women with faces he had never seen before were lying beside him.
Startled out of his wits, Roman had rushed outside, only to be immediately spotted by Antony Barco.
It was from that moment on that Roman's life began its plunge to rock bottom.
Since Antony Barco and Roman had often fooled around together in the past, Roman assumed he would just laugh it off and let it slide. Instead, Antony Barco glared at him with a fierce, predatory expression, looking as though he were about to devour Roman alive.
"Roman. I won't say anything about you fooling around with women right before your wedding. But do you have any idea who you just touched? One of the women in that bed was Emily Barco. Not only did you betray me by entering a political marriage with Lawrence, but you also dared to lay your hands on a woman of the Barco family."
Emily Barco.
She was a member of a branch family of the Barco bloodline.
From that day on, Antony Barco used that incident to ruthlessly blackmail him.
"Choose. Will you let this truth be exposed and suffer a humiliating, unilateral cancellation of your engagement, or will you set our relationship right by marrying into the direct line of the Barco family instead of a branch family? I'm still furious about what you did, but if you agree to become a man of Barco, I'm willing to suppress my anger and forgive you."
For the original Roman, the sky had come crashing down.
As soon as he returned from the party, he locked himself in his room and screamed at Hans to bring him alcohol.
Days of sheer agony followed.
Both options were absolute nightmares.
If the engagement was broken off because he had touched a branch member of the Barco family, Dmitry's honor would be dragged through the mud. Roman Dmitry, who was already painfully aware of the stigma their family carried due to their commoner origins, did not have the courage to face the wrath of his father, Baron Romero, if such a scandal broke out.
Yet, he couldn't choose the latter option either.
Roman loved Flora.
He had fallen completely head over heels for her the very first day he saw her. Even though he knew the heavy price his family would have to pay for this political marriage, he had begged his father for it. But now, not only did he have to ask for the engagement to be broken, but he also had to brand the woman he truly loved with the dishonorable title of a "rejected fiancée."
It was unacceptable.
He fell into deep despair.
Antony Barco continuously pressured him by sending threatening letters, and eventually, the moment of choice arrived.
That day, Roman chose suicide.
He was a weak man.
A man who had never accomplished a single thing on his own had no confidence in solving the problem. He believed that if he just died, everything would be resolved. The death of the eldest son would undoubtedly bring dishonor to the Dmitry family, but he genuinely thought it would be better than his family being unilaterally dumped due to his debauchery. He also believed that for Flora Lawrence, losing her fiancé to death was a far better alternative than being branded as a rejected woman.
How pathetic.
Recalling those memories, the current Roman let out a hollow laugh.
‘What a truly pathetic reality.’
The reason for his suicide hadn't been anything grand.
Barco had simply played a common political trick. The weak Roman, driven by his fear of his father and his sincere feelings for Flora, had simply given up on life. If only Roman had trusted his father. Baron Romero would never have let his son be pushed into such an extreme choice as suicide.
But Roman hadn't known.
He hadn't known how much his father truly loved him. And so, he had chewed and swallowed the poison, taking his burden with him to the grave.
Roman snapped back to reality.
Looking forward, he saw Antony Barco eagerly waiting for his answer.
Dmitry's broken engagement.
When he first heard the news, Antony Barco had felt as if he had conquered the world.
‘What an idiot! To actually break off the engagement over something he can't even remember.’
Roman's memory was completely different from the truth.
While it was true that Roman had woken up in the bed of that private suite, he hadn't laid a single finger on the women with him.
Actually, Antony had initially planned to set him up while he was completely sober.
He thought it would be incredibly easy to trap Roman, who had lived a notoriously debauched life, but Roman's reaction had completely defied his expectations.
"I'm sorry, but I'm about to get married. I don't intend to fool around with other women anymore."
It was laughable.
Seeing Roman spout nonsense about love as if he had suddenly become some hopeless romantic completely twisted Antony Barco's stomach.
So, he devised a new plan.
He got Roman blackout drunk, then persuaded a powerless woman from a branch family to act as if she had slept with him. It was a trap Roman had no choice but to fall into. If he had been a clean-living man to begin with, it might have been different. But because of his trashy reputation, Roman firmly believed he had made a drunken mistake.
And then, he blackmailed him.
Just as planned, Roman chose to break off the engagement. Antony Barco knew exactly what the grand finale of this scheme would be.
‘Now the Lawrence family is completely cornered. But they'll fight to the bitter end just to protect their pathetic pride. If Barco and Dmitry form a political marriage under these circumstances? It's game over. No force in the northeast region can withstand the combined might of Barco and Dmitry, no matter how much willpower they have.’
It was perfect.
Swallowing his laughter, Antony Barco poured sweet, manipulative words over his puppet, Roman.
"Roman. The union of Barco and Dmitry is a massive event that will turn the entire northeast region upside down. No one will ever dare to challenge our Iron Fortress, and you will gain absolute, unrivaled power in the northeast. And my sister, whom you will marry, is a renowned beauty, as you well know. For you, there is absolutely no reason to reject this proposal."
It was a sweet offer.
It was a proposal that any man would find hard to resist, and Antony Barco naturally assumed Roman would accept it.
However, Roman's reaction was completely unexpected.
"I don't think those reasons alone are enough to warrant me accepting a political marriage."
"...What?"
Antony Barco's expression stiffened.
Thinking he had misheard, he spoke once more, his voice dropping.
"You seem to be under some sort of delusion, Roman, but this isn't a choice between two equal options. If you reject Barco's proposal, I will have no choice but to expose what happened in that bedroom to the world. If that happens, what do you think will happen to Dmitry's reputation? Even if you've already broken off the engagement with Lawrence, people will assume the reason was your debauched womanizing. So think carefully, if you ever want to show your face in public again."
It was a blatant threat.
Even while facing Antony Barco's fierce glare, Roman merely smirked, not showing the slightest hint of agitation.
He casually crossed his legs.
Then, he looked Antony Barco straight in the eye.
A few days ago, Roman had investigated the Barco family. He had looked into exactly what kind of place Barco was, and how strong of a force they truly were.
And he had reached a simple conclusion.
"I just told you. For such a pathetic reason, Dmitry has absolutely no need to accept Barco's proposal."
In the northeast region, the true master was Dmitry, not Barco.