Plan For Plan

"What do you mean, Young Master?" Hilda couldn't control her expression upon hearing Bertio's surprising proposition. She found herself continuously staring at Bertio, as if asking him to repeat his words, and to confirm that what she had just heard was not mistaken.

Bertio waved his hand, "Drop the 'Young Master'. I have a name, okay?"

The expression on Hilda's face was certainly amusing to Bertio, but he thought it wasn't nice to laugh at someone he barely knew, especially since their second meeting was unusual and had only recently occurred.

"As I said, I want us to cooperate. You have no intention of killing me as desired because your family is being held hostage by Rainautz. In this case, we can help each other."

"Is that true? But …"

Bertio understood Hilda's worries. A slight misstep, and her family would be gone forever. Having lived a life of solitude, Bertio didn't understand the meaning of family. For someone who was trying to protect her family, Bertio greatly appreciated Hilda. The sincerity radiating from Hilda was so clear that all her efforts were solely for the sake of supporting her family.

"Don't worry. I have a plan, whether you will accept or reject it, can be decided after you hear my plan," Bertio gave a small smile as he paused for a moment to observe Hilda's facial expression. "How about it? But, before that, may I know your name?"

"My name? It's … Hilda."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

It wasn't uncommon for someone to have a single syllable name, but Bertio felt Hilda had a last name.

"I'm listening."

"Hm? Oh, that's good," Bertio nodded happily hearing Hilda's decision, although it was still unknown whether Hilda would accept his invitation or not.

The night air felt colder than before, even the air began to condense, indicating that time had passed midnight. Most people were sound asleep, some were awake to start preparing their merchandise, and some hadn't slept at all because they were busy with their own activities.

The lights had long been left off. The room was only illuminated by the moonlight coming through the window gap. There, two shadows who were sitting on bed were visible on the wall facing the window.

People would misunderstand when they heard news about opposite sexes alone in a room at night, especially when one of them had reached the right age to marry. Moreover, among the nobles, many young people were already married. Fortunately, they had their meeting unexpectedly and secretly.

Since the two decided to cooperate, the initially tense situation was now more relaxed, even sometimes laughter could be heard from them.

Hilda, who had heard some things about the life story lived by Bertio as a noble descendant, also felt sympathetic. She had never thought that a nobleman would live in misery.

Rather than immediately conveying his plan, Bertio chose to tell a small part of his life story, which could be a strong reason for Hilda to accept the invitation to cooperate. In addition, by showing openness, Hilda, who was invited to cooperate with Bertio, felt she could trust him.

"It's time to carry out our plan," Bertio suddenly said, raising one hand to draw Hilda's attention.

"Yes? But, Bertio hasn't said what his plan is?" Hilda doubted her own words. It's impossible for her to miss the words conveyed by Bertio, right? Or could it be, she forgot? During their conversation, she didn't remember Bertio informing her of his plan.

"Did you forget?"

"Not like that. It's just…"

Even though Bertio asked as if he had already conveyed his plan, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Hilda's adorable, confused expression. The longer Bertio observed, the more Hilda lowered her head.

"Ah-hahaha … Sorry."

Still with her head bowed, Hilda looked at Bertio, wondering why he suddenly laughed and apologized.

"I was just joking. Sorry, okay? You forgive me, right?"

Perhaps because Bertio had long yearned for someone he could talk to openly, he felt a sense of familiarity with Hilda despite having just met her. While Hilda, who indeed felt quite familiar, still took some of Bertio's words seriously.

"Hmph!" Crossing her arms, Hilda turned her face towards the window, her lips forming a pout, making it look more aligned with her nose when viewed from the side.

"Hey, the plan is simple, just listen and do it, understand?"

"Hmph!"

"Tomorrow, news of my death should spread-" Before he could even finish a single sentence, Hilda screamed, not understanding Bertio's line of thought. Wasn't that the same as a foolish plan that didn't need to be planned?

"What did Bertio say?! Has Bertio gone mad because of that person's treatment?! Thinking that death is a plan, isn't that the same as letting that person's plan succeed?! Where do we help each other?! Huh?!!! If necessary, I- ummp?!"

Bertio placed his palm on Hilda's lips to stop her from screaming. "Calm down, okay? I haven't finished talking. Besides, who wants to die for real?"

The crease in the middle of Hilda's eyebrows as she angrily yelled at Bertio's words slowly faded, replaced by her wide-open eyes. Until a few seconds ago, no one had ever touched her lips, and the first person to touch them was someone she had met in an unusual way just tonight.

According to her mother, a girl's lips should only be touched by her parents and her lover. A girl's lips are more valuable than gold. And now, her lips had been touched by someone, who was only connected by the situation.

Of course, the first thing Hilda did, even without realizing it, was to swing her hand horizontally with all her might while her palm was open.

"I just want to-"

PLAK!

The sound echoed crisply in the quiet, dark room. On one side of Bertio's face, there was a red color and a slight swelling in the shape of a handprint from a slap.

***

The sun had just peeked over the hilltop to the west of Burham, yet the castle was already bustling. Servants who had begun their duties before sunrise were now gathering in various places with their acquaintances, discussing the news of Bertio's death.

About an hour earlier, a servant from Bertio's residence had hurried to the main building where Lord Hamond resided. Bertio's death was still unconfirmed, but the servants assigned to Bertio's residence told others that Bertio's absence itself was evidence. What made the news believable was how Lord Hamond, his biological father, would react.

"So, Bertio really can't be found anywhere?" "Unfortunately, that's true, my Lord."

As an aide who almost always accompanied Lord Hamond, Jordan was accustomed to seeing the unmasked expression on that firm face. Jordan certainly knew the hidden side of Lord Hamond, who in the eyes of others was known as a stern, emotionless figure because he even ignored his own son, Bertio, for the sake of duty.

In reality, Lord Hamond cherished Bertio as something left by his wife. However, because his heart was so fragile towards someone he loved so much, Lord Hamond chose to avoid Bertio, to maintain his authority as the Lord of Burham. After all, Lord Hamond always saw his beloved wife in Bertio, and he would cry just by looking at him up close.

Tears began to fill his thick eyelids. The two eyebrows forming wrinkles in the middle looked so deep, indicating how tense they were. The hand holding a piece of paper with dark red handwriting was trembling to hold back madness.

The letter was proof that Bertio's absence from his residence and around the castle meant his death was likely true.

"You must know what to do. Find Bertio in any way, in any condition. Also bring to me the person who wrote this letter. I want to see, how good it is to determine this person's fate later."

Jordan slightly bowed his chest forward with one hand touching his chest. "As per your command, my Lord."

The door closed gently. As the sound of footsteps behind the door grew fainter, Lord Hamond slammed the table with the sides of both his fists. The wooden table cracked, its sound was loud, even Jordan who had gone quite far might still be able to hear it.

"How could Bertio harass someone? Does this person dare to play me, the Ruler of Burham?!"

For a father, Lord Hamond who couldn't openly pay attention to Bertio certainly only relied on a few people to observe every move of his. Not once did he hear a report about Bertio daring to approach a woman, let alone harass her, it was also impossible for his servants to cover up the truth.

The words written on a piece of paper stated that the person was taking revenge for what Bertio had done to his daughter. This was a sign that the person who wrote the letter was a father who wanted justice.

On one hand, Lord Hamond was very angry at the unknown person who dared to enter his castle without permission, let alone snatch someone he loved. On the other hand, he also understood the feelings of this unknown person who was also a father if everything written on the paper was true.

Lord Hamond gazed at the ceiling, leaning back in his chair.

"Darling, what do you think I should do with him?" he asked. The workspace of Lord Burham was far from grand, one side of the room was filled with stacks of documents and books. He sat there alone, the atmosphere gloomy, without any company.

A few years since his first wife passed away, he remarried a widow with a child. In the current situation, he shouldn't be wallowing in loneliness. Despite his remarried status, he never felt like he had a wife, it was all merely a formality.

Meanwhile, in a room within the castle, Rainautz was congratulated by a woman in her forties, dressed elegantly. The woman bore a resemblance to Rainautz, or perhaps it was Rainautz who resembled her. She was Lord Hamond's current wife, Brenna, who also happened to be Rainautz's mother.

"Mother is so proud of you, Rain," she said.

"I didn't expect it either. Who knew that the man I sent had a grudge against Bertio. But, Mother, shouldn't we visit him? We need to show people that we, especially you, care about him."

"Hmm, you're right. But…"

Rainautz, seeing Brenna's reluctance to visit Lord Hamond, gave a small smile. "Consider it a small celebration with a bit of drama."

"Hmph! If it weren't for your future, I wouldn't have married such a cold man. Just seeing him makes me want to vomit."

"Well, Mother can also take advantage until the time comes."

The mother and son then went to visit Lord Hamond's workspace. The expressions they wore were, of course, sad all the way. The sadness they showed seemed real, as if they were truly saddened by the news of Bertio's departure.

A father left by his child full of regret, filled with ignorance and misunderstanding of the situation, he was the main victim in a scheme planned by two parties. The first cause was a pair of two-faced villains who were pleased with their success, so freely acting by taking advantage of the marriage bond.

The news of Bertio's death was understood differently by each party. However, the more people believed it, the safer a plan carried out behind the apparent plan ran smoothly.

That's how a young man and a woman in black ended up sleeping in the same room because there was only one room left in an inn that provided rooms for rent. They fell into a deep sleep, while the people in the castle were busy dealing with Bertio's death, which they believed to be true.