Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 73

Christoph looked up at Richard. Their eyes met, Richard now sitting back in his chair, watching him leisurely. At that moment, his eyes crinkled narrowly and he smiled.

A chill ran down his spine. The blood drained from his body.

‘Christoph. Please help him well. If he inherits Tarten with your help, wouldn’t that be good for you too? He’s a very good person. Hmm? You understand what I’m saying, right?’

The mother who had been wailing in despair and sorrow was no longer there. There was only a mother who was inflated with vain hope, perhaps of being able to return to Tarten, a hope that would surely never be realized.

And the man before him must have known. That Christoph couldn’t tell her, ‘That will never happen.’

His hand trembled slightly. So he gripped the receiver tightly. To keep it from trembling. As if he saw his knuckles turning white, a pleased sigh escaped Richard’s lips.

His breath came in gasps. Christoph tried to hide his uncomfortable breathing, looking down at his feet. His mother was still chattering excitedly in his ear, but he couldn’t quite hear what she was saying. It mixed with the noisy murmuring in his ears, making it hard to understand.

‘…Christoph. Christoph? Are you listening to me?’

“Ah…, yes, Mother.”

‘Why aren’t you answering? You’ll help Richard with his work, won’t you? You’ll help him wholeheartedly so his work goes well, won’t you, Christoph?’

Christoph’s lips twitched as if in spasm. He tried to answer something, but no words came out. His bloodless lips even lost their words.

Christoph, Christoph, her voice calling him grew increasingly anxious and sharp.

Only when her voice, full of unease, trembled faintly, did Christoph finally manage to answer. His voice was choked, barely a single word: “Yes.”

Then her voice settled down again, relieved, and the light of excitement and joy returned.

‘Yes, please tell him well. How much I love Tarten. How much I wish to stay there again… Hmm, you know, don’t you?’

He knew.

His mother loved Tarten so passionately that she would plead and sweetly implore even Christoph, who always kept a cold distance, like this. Returning here and staying in this mansion again was his mother’s entire dream. Ever since she had to leave this place long ago, she had been relying on sleeping pills and suffering from depression.

When Christoph finally finished the call without uttering another word, Richard, who had been watching him the entire time, stood up with a casual ‘Oh,’ and gently took the receiver from Christoph’s frozen grip, quietly setting it down.

“Did you finish your private call with your mother well?”

Christoph didn’t answer. He just stood there stiffly, staring into the empty air.

Richard sighed, “Hmm,” then sat back in his chair. And with his hands clasped on his knees, he watched him. As if he would wait until Christoph finally opened his mouth.

With a face hardened to lead, not looking anywhere, Christoph finally slowly opened his mouth.

“Richard, did you say you’d welcome Mother back to Tarten…?”

“Ah, I did say it would be more comfortable for her to live here again. Along with saying I was sorry I couldn’t help her as I had no authority in Tarten.”

Christoph looked at Richard. His gaze, as sharp as a finely honed blade, as blue as his eyes, met Richard’s, but Richard showed no hint of discomfort. Instead, a faint, amused smile appeared.

“Much better to look at than that perpetually bored face, Christoph.”

“So.”

“Hmm?”

“If you had the authority, would you really bring Mother back to Dresden?”

Even as he asked, Christoph knew. Even though the succession wasn’t confirmed, Richard already had enough authority to do so. As Richard himself knew.

And Richard made a troubled face at the question. He frowned slightly and smiled awkwardly. Then he answered briefly.

“Of course not.”

“…!”

That was the moment the words dropped.

Christoph lunged at Richard. He threw his entire body at him, who was sitting comfortably in the chair.

Richard, who seemed to have expected it and showed no surprise, didn’t evade either, and he and Christoph tumbled off the chair. The heavy wooden chair rolled some distance away, and the sound of the two men rolling on the floor echoed heavily.

“You…!!”

A terrible rage, so intense it turned his vision black, enveloped his entire body, but only those words burst out.

Christoph pressed his knee into Richard’s chest, almost straddling him, and clutched his throat. He squeezed his hand as if to cut off his breath. Richard, whose breathing was obstructed, didn’t seem panicked but frowned slightly in discomfort.

“You, why would you…!!”

His voice even trembled, perhaps from grinding his teeth.

He couldn’t control the rage that surged up in an instant, painting his vision red.

He hated the man in front of him so terribly that he didn’t know what to do.

In the black surge of anger, so intense that he didn’t even think of hitting or striking him, Christoph, half-dazed, squeezed his throat and bit his trembling lips.

But then, Richard, who had been somewhat submissively offering his neck to Christoph, suddenly slapped Christoph’s wrist.

His wrist, which was far too injured to function properly, easily came away with just a light punch.

“Why? I told you. To see you in a state you dislike.”

Richard rubbed his constricted throat, coughed a couple of times, and then clicked his tongue softly.

“Just for that—”

“Just? Not at all. That’s the most important and primary reason.”

Richard chuckled. It was a light remark, but not a joke.

For a moment, a murderous intent flashed across Christoph’s face. His hand went right to Richard’s neck.

Even so. He didn’t try to avoid or block it, just remained calm.

“Are you going to get rid of me? At this point?”

“—…”

On Richard’s neck, Christoph stopped his hand. His trembling hand was desperate to break this man’s neck, but he slowly shook his head.

“That’s not a smart way, Christoph. I’d think differently.”

Christoph glared at him with terrifying eyes, then slowly withdrew his hand. His voice, still trembling with anger but barely suppressed, said,

“There’s no reason for me to help you if Mother’s wish won’t come true.”

“Is that so? Suit yourself. Tell your mother that. ‘I decided not to help him because even if I helped, he wouldn’t welcome you back to Tarten.’ If she contacts me, I’ll just say I never said any such thing. Her resentment won’t come back to me. You know who she’ll trust more, me or you, poor Christoph.”

A sigh, as if of pity, mixed with the end of his softly whispering voice. Christoph’s face was already pale and faded.

This man knew what Christoph would react to. And he also knew that his words were true, and that Christoph knew that fact.

Richard, who had briefly glanced at Christoph’s bluish lips, suddenly wiped the smile from his face. And with an expressionless face—which Christoph thought suited him much better than his good-natured smile—he opened his mouth.

“But well, alright. It’s too one-sided like this, and you won’t feel any satisfaction, so how about this?”

Richard sighed lightly and raised his hand slightly.

“If you follow my wishes satisfactorily enough until the succession decision date, and I inherit Tarten.”

“—…”

“Then I will consider bringing your mother back to this mansion.”

Christoph stared down at Richard for a long time with angry eyes, then snorted softly to himself.

“Consider. A nice-sounding word.”

Both of them had seen countless fools who foolishly believed an unconfirmed offer and got burned.

“You want me to accept such an unstable and losing deal, and with you, of all people?”

“But your options are very limited.”

Richard chuckled. Christoph bristled again and closed his mouth. Seeing Christoph like that, Richard shrugged, as if making a great concession.

“Alright. Then I’ll give you a definite answer. If things end as I wish, I will give your mother a corner of this mansion. Satisfied?”

“…”

Christoph didn’t answer. But instead, he withdrew the knee that had been pressing down on Richard’s chest. As Christoph quickly removed his knee and stood up, as if he didn’t want to touch him any longer, Richard grabbed his ankle.

As his fingers dug into the bare skin beneath the crumpled trouser leg, Christoph’s face instantly hardened.

“Let go.”

He recoiled his leg as if a snake had brushed against it, but the fingers tightly gripping his ankle wouldn’t release.

“I gave you a definite answer. Then you also say it clearly with your own mouth. That until the day my succession is decided, you will faithfully work under me and assist me.”

“…”

“Never say ‘Nein’ to anything I intend to do. Don’t do anything that puts me at a disadvantage, help me, but only do as I tell you. Understand?”

Richard’s gaze directly met Christoph’s.

Christoph stared at the hand gripping his ankle for a long time without opening his mouth. He seemed to be biting his lips as if he absolutely didn’t want to open them, then finally, he let out a low breath through his teeth.

“…Let go.”

“Answer me.”

“I get it, now let go!”

Christoph suddenly shouted, as if the suppressed resentment had burst forth all at once, and violently shook his leg free.

Richard, who had let go of his hand simultaneously with Christoph’s words, lightly stood up. And he looked down at Christoph, who was nervously shaking off his ankle, not even trying to hide his displeasure.

“You clearly said ‘I get it’ with your own mouth.”

“You, too, don’t go back on your word later. Because then, no matter what anyone says, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

“Haha, feel free to, if you can.”

Richard said leisurely. Christoph glared coldly at him, who spread his arms as if inviting him to do his worst.

It wouldn’t be long. The succession date wasn’t far off. Once that time passed, Christoph would leave Dresden and never return. He might occasionally return secretly to assist the elder on his walks, but he would never formally visit Tarten. Then it would be over with this man too.

He could just consider it a farewell gift to someone he would never meet again.

“What do I need to help with?”

Christoph said curtly.

His stomach was already feeling uneasy. A slight nausea, if it got a little worse, he felt like he might throw up again.

He felt like throwing up on that hateful face, but the thought of not showing any weakness in front of him was stronger.

In front of Christoph, who was rubbing his chest, Richard said, “Ah,” nonchalantly.

“As for Tarten’s affairs, there’s nothing you can help with, having been away from here all this time. You just need to follow me around like a secretary, run errands, and show that our relationship is amicable. In the meantime, I’ll observe just how useful you are.”

‘Anyway, I don’t have high expectations, so don’t feel burdened,’ Richard’s additional words brushed past his ears.

Christoph roughly wiped his pale, bloodless lips with the back of his hand and turned his back.

He didn’t want to be there anymore. The misery of his own decision weighed on his shoulders.

He had come to this room with the intention of lending him a hand. And it had happened as he thought.

However, the form in which that decision was made was extremely irritating.

This was not a decision made entirely by Christoph himself. Even if it was the same outcome, this was closer to being achieved through coercion and oppression.

Richard didn’t try to stop Christoph, who was striding towards the door without looking back. His hands, brushing off dust from his clothes, seemed amused.

Then, just as Christoph was about to exit the door.

“Ah, right. Christoph.”

He spoke, as if remembering something.

The rest of his words stopped Christoph, who was trying to ignore him and leave.

“Guests will be arriving from Riyadh in a few days.”

Christoph’s quick steps slowly faltered. He finally stopped a few paces from the doorway, frowned, and looked back.

“There will be final negotiations on the loan repayment. Does that pique your interest? It concerns your precious friend, after all.”

Christoph silently glared at Richard, who pronounced “precious friend” with a peculiar accent. Richard looked directly at Christoph and said in a low but clearly audible voice,

“Don’t forget. You are helping no one but me. Don’t go against my words. …Under any circumstances.”