If You Wish For Something Useless - Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – First Encounter (3)

Etrada voiced the small murmur in response, but Cesar didn’t pay attention to her. He was busy brooding over the funds of the woman who had left without even revealing her name.

‘Is it her own wealth, or does she have other sources of funding?’ Obviously, his observation of the woman was tenacious and meticulous. Nonetheless, the results were really disappointing. The only thing Cesar found out was that his opponent was quite formidable. Especially the hands that naturally flew down. As he thought of the thin and long fingers, he automatically clicked his tongue.

Most people were nervous in front of him, and such a psychological state was usually shown in the person’s posture or the position of their hands. The most common cases were stiff backs or legs, or hands held together to prevent excessive movement. But the woman exhibited no such signs. It must have meant that she knew how to behave to hide herself, or that she was barely nervous. Neither assumption was the sort of response an ‘easy-to-handle’ person would have. Furthermore, considering their conversation, the latter option was more plausible.

‘If I took off that veil and looked at her facial expressions and eyes, I think I would have known a little more…’

“Is it meaningful to cover your face… “

Even though she knew who she was going to meet, she dared to wear a veil. It expressed clearly that she wouldn’t have removed it whether or not Cesar directly asked her to remove it.

“Tsk.”

If he had used force, that thing could have been easily removed. But Cesar chose acquiescence. It was the worst choice to antagonize the other person before you could specify what kind of person they are. And thanks to that, he couldn’t see a single expression on her face.

“She has a young voice, but the way she behaves makes her look quite mature…”

“What are you saying to yourself?”

Etrada sat across from Cesar and spoke suddenly. She waved her hand in front of Cesar’s eyes.

“Ahhh…”

Cesar’s thoughts scattered as he focused on her.

“I was thinking about her.”

“The prophet?”

“…She could be a scammer.”

“Oh?” Upon hearing Cesar’s answer, Etrada’s eyes widened. He did not believe in miracles and unreal phenomena that were invisible to the eyes. Among them, he despised fictional stories like fairy tales. It was surprising that such a person couldn’t confirm whether the woman he had seen a while ago was a scammer or not.

Ignoring Etrada’s reaction, Cesar briefly clicked his tongue. Despite arranging a meeting amidst his busy schedule, the results weren’t satisfactory. In the end, a mild discomfort persisted. He should have been able to uncover her true identity in today’s meeting if she was a mere swindler. If not, it meant that the chances of her not being a fraud were high. At least that was Cesar’s conclusion.

“You mean it could be real?”

It was because of Etrada’s excited voice that the thought did not connect. Cesar looked at her quietly instead of answering her.

“The way you’re frowning right now. It’s because you think she might be a real prophet. Right?”

“You can’t be sure so carelessly. Even more so if it’s something unrealistic like now.”

“Then, is it a close-to-certain suspicion?”

“… Let’s say so.”

When the reluctant answer ended, Etrada’s face came to mind. Cesar asked,

“Is it a matter of whether she is a prophet or not?”

“Oh…” Etrada frowned, avoiding his gaze like a shy person. “Just, I wondered if we’ll ever meet again.”

Many words were left unsaid. Nevertheless, Cesar immediately understood what Etrada was thinking.

“I’d like to meet my dad at least once.”

“It’s not that I want to live with him or anything like that, I’m just curious.”

“To ask why we lived separately, whether he abandoned my mother and me, or did they just break up like everyone else… My mom always had a scary face and yelled at me to not be so curious every time I asked.”

He recalled the girl who said she would like to look for her family if she had the chance. This time, Cesar sighed, avoiding Etrada’s gaze. At the time he hired her, he wrote on one side of the contract that he would cooperate in finding her blood relatives. He literally just typed it in. It had been almost two years since they had their four-year contract signed, but there was nothing to call an achievement.

“…I have no face.”

“Eh? No, you don’t have to apologize. I thought he was going to be hard to find from the beginning.”

Cesar’s spies had brought only a one-line report. Etrada entered an orphanage around the time she was four years old. No records of her before that time had been found. Etrada’s past was gone as if someone had erased it.

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“Moreover, it was a collateral condition. I won’t break the contract, so don’t worry about it.”

For a moment, Cesar’s eyes sharpened.

“Do you mean that I suspect you of betrayal?”

“Why are you talking to me like that?”

Cesar’s momentum softened when Etrada frowned at him. He looked into Etrada’s eyes unobtrusively.

“…If not, I’m glad.”

Etrada said ‘hmph!’ and leaned against the sofa with her arms crossed.

“Anyway, that prophet, why do you think she’s real? I can’t believe you think so.”

It seemed that the time had come for him to rekindle the thoughts that he had shaken off. Cesar answered, rubbing his forehead that wrinkled involuntarily.

“If that woman is a con artist, I cannot explain Agramento’s young master’s achievements.”

Liam went missing only a few months ago, and it was said that he was dead. But now? Cesar closed his eyes when he recalled the succession ceremony of the marquis of Agramento, scheduled for two weeks later. The title will be transferred to Liam after the designated mourning period due to the sudden death of Marquis Agramento. What was the road he had to go through to get there? In the last few months, Liam had options that benefited both Cesar and himself several times. It was a suspicious move because he found out where Liam’s forces were based after the first encounter.

‘I thought he had eyes just in Vetern but…’ It was hard to avoid Liam’s eyes and ears inside the city. How would you tell whether a child in clean clothes running down the street was really an ordinary child or a spy? As long as he can’t avoid and keep an eye on all the young children living in the capital, being exposed to Liam’s sight was inevitable. But in other regions, the story was different. Because the information network formed outside couldn’t be as fine as inside the Vetern.

It should have been that way, but somehow, from Milborn to Razimall and Reeman. The things that Liam got from places that Liam’s power should not have been able to reach were all huge. Wasn’t it strange that the other party didn’t show it off, and yet it was so easy for Liam to find out what they were hiding? It would be a different story if someone had given him a clue.

Thus, when the rumors about the prophet came in, it was like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. When Etrada reported on the dispute within Agramento some time ago, Cesar became convinced. At that time, it was Liam who was attacked, and it was a woman wearing a veil who picked him up. After the raid, Liam’s actions were remarkable, so the timing was right.

Liam, who was left in the hallway without being able to enter the drawing-room, and the woman who treated him like a subordinate. When the visible relationship between the two people filled the empty picture, there was no room left for another interpretation.

“You mean Liam started moving after hearing her talk about the future?”

Cesar nodded in response to Etrada’s question.

“…At least I think so.”

“Mmh.”

Was it because they were both lost in thought? The drawing-room became quiet. But they were staring at the same place even though they were thinking differently. An envelope laid leisurely on the table in the drawing-room.

“This should be enough to prove the rumors that are floating around.”

“You can think of it as a prepayment. Because I want something from you.”

It was the advance payment paid by the woman who had consistently maintained a proud and arrogant attitude. Cesar rubbed his still twisted brows. It felt like his headache was rushing through every time he recalled her words.

“It’s human nature to seek the future. Yet, knowing in advance what will happen one day doesn’t mean you can change who you are, but the world is full of people who don’t know that.”

“Thanks to that, I had to learn to hide and run before growing up.”

Even thinking about it again, it was a bittersweet voice.

‘It sounded like that, but why did it seem like a lie? Because I’m doubting the woman’s abilities? Or, is it because the woman was truly lying?’ Cesar was still skeptical. She couldn’t be trusted easily because in every moment he encountered, she left doubts instead of convictions.

“I hope you like the advance payment. That way, you’ll send people you’re satisfied with.”

The slight mixture of laughter disturbed my mind.

“Let’s leave it as it is.”

“Mh?”

Leaving behind Etrada’s grunt in response, Cesar stretched out his hand.

Even as he picked up the envelope and pulled out the contents, he couldn’t give up his doubts.

The neatly arranged words on the paper made his doubts worthless.

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