After all, Assar was a young man distantly related to Al-Faisal. Even Rashid wasn’t particularly pleased with this tenuous blood connection, but it couldn’t be said there was absolutely no relation to Al-Faisal.

Yet, Al-Faisal received them with a calmness so unbelievable that it seemed as if he hadn’t just lost a relative—he was even more indifferent than if a beggar on the street had died.

“A lot must have happened today.”

Al-Faisal sat at the table, gesturing for Richard to sit opposite him. Richard bowed his head and replied with a smile: “It certainly has been a busier day than expected.”

“Yes, your evening plans must have been disrupted. You were supposed to return to Dresden tonight.”

“It seems this is a case of force majeure.”

They shared the fruits and drinks already prepared on the table, casually conversing about topics largely unrelated to the day’s events. The atmosphere between them wasn’t bad; neither of them was flushed or tense.

The two men conversed with gentle smiles, but those around them seemed tense. Understandably so, as everyone had been running around like headless chickens because of today’s incident.

Here, Christoph wasn’t a member of the Tarten family but Al-Faisal’s bodyguard, so he stood silently beside Salam, some distance from the table, quietly observing them.

Salam glanced at Christoph. Christoph, feeling Salam’s persistent gaze, turned his eyes to meet his.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing, just… Are you alright?”

“….As you can see.”

Christoph replied curtly after a brief silence. He wondered in what sense Salam was asking if he was alright, but regardless, the answer remained the same. Christoph wasn’t one for lengthy explanations, and in the quiet atmosphere where even whispers could be heard, he wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter.

Meanwhile, Al-Faisal took a bite of a milk pastry and spoke as if starting an ordinary conversation.

“I’ve informed Rashid, he’s deeply grieved and said he’ll come immediately. I heard he’s taking a flight tonight, so he should arrive early tomorrow morning. We can meet him then.”

Christoph fell silent at the mention of Rashid’s name. Salam and the others did as well. The conversation was finally getting to the heart of the matter.

“I see,” – Richard nodded, then frowned slightly, looking regretful.

“It must have been difficult for you to deliver such sad news.”

“Difficult for me? Compared to Rashid’s grief at losing his son?”

Al-Faisal slowly shook his head. Richard murmured again, “Such a tragedy.”

Christoph felt like he was watching a dialogue between two old foxes. He watched them with pale eyes beneath an impassive face, and it seemed a few others shared his thoughts. The Captain, Jack, and Debbie, standing nearby, almost simultaneously rolled their eyes. Only the Captain maintained a more serious composure than the others.

“How could this happen…”

Al-Faisal sighed, shaking his head regretfully, and continued.

“Although I only met Assar once when he was a child, he was a very energetic boy. Even back then, he was quite mischievous, causing quite a few comical incidents, but since he was Rashid’s son, his life wasn’t difficult. Though raised by his mother, as long as he wasn’t too greedy, he could have almost anything he wanted.”

“But he was quite a greedy child,” – Al-Faisal laughed heartily. Richard listened in silence.

“This is a family matter, and shouldn’t be spoken of outside, but I know Rashid wasn’t very pleased with this son. Rashid values appearances and honor, but this child frequently caused incidents that couldn’t be overlooked, causing Rashid to lose face on many occasions. Despite being his father, Rashid always smoothed things over for him, but he didn’t like him. This child, knowing his situation was worsening and aware that he wasn’t in his father’s good graces, tried to win his favor by any means necessary, and perhaps that’s why this happened…”

A son harming others to gain his father’s favor suggested those incidents he couldn’t overlook weren’t trivial matters. Al-Faisal didn’t elaborate, but judging by his ambiguous smile, it could be guessed they weren’t pleasant affairs.

“But in any case,” –  Al-Faisal said, picking up his teacup. He took a sip of the strong, milky black tea, letting it moisten his throat before slowly shaking his head.

“Killing him puts us in a very difficult position. Even if there wasn’t any affection, he was still his son, so it’ll be hard for Rashid to forgive…”

“Truly difficult,” – Al-Faisal shook his head wearily.

Christoph looked at the old man with an unreadable expression. Al-Faisal seemed to have anticipated what Rashid would demand. No one knew what exchanges had taken place between him and Rashid. Al-Faisal wasn’t entirely an outsider in this.

Richard, who had been silently listening to Al-Faisal’s story, set down his teacup. As if anticipating the end of Al-Faisal’s probing narrative, he calmly spoke.

“A human life cannot be measured in money, but if money can help in any way, since this was caused by the Tarten family, the Tartens will compensate appropriately.”

A concise statement. No bargaining or negotiation. Richard calmly but firmly asserted that he didn’t care about the amount the other side proposed.

Al-Faisal raised a silvery eyebrow. He feigned surprise, but in reality, he had anticipated this.

“Hmm… you’re shouldering a heavy responsibility.”

Hearing Al-Faisal’s weighty words, Christoph frowned slightly. The price to pay for that ‘damned dog’ seemed considerable.

As Richard said, if Rashid knew how far he could push his demands, he wouldn’t propose an impossible figure, but on the other hand, he would demand almost the maximum the Tartens could afford.

Christoph estimated that figure and cursed inwardly. It was indeed a hefty price. It would have been better to kill him himself, and before the Tartens could demand compensation or anything, declare severing ties with them and disappear.

But that didn’t matter now. What worried him more was the ‘face-saving measure’ Rashid would propose along with it. And Al-Faisal seemed to have anticipated that as well.

After a moment of silent sipping, he spoke.

“But even billions of dollars can’t compensate for the loss of a child.”

“Of course. No apology would be enough.”

“Indeed… Especially for Rashid. He values public opinion and his honor greatly, so a gesture of sincerity is necessary.”

“A gesture…”

Richard tilted his head slightly and looked at Al-Faisal as if he didn’t quite understand. Al-Faisal continued.

“Nothing too grand, just a gesture to show remorse and sincerity in this situation.”

Hearing this, Christoph’s expression changed. The first thing that flashed through his mind was a humiliating apology.

――Ridiculous. he’d rather…！

Christoph immediately gritted his teeth, his face paling. Just then, Richard, who had calmly nodded after hearing those words, spoke again: “However”, and looked directly at Al-Faisal.

“How does Mr. Faisal intend to handle this matter?”

Al-Faisal froze as soon as Richard finished asking for his opinion. He thought for a moment about Richard’s question, but seemingly not understanding, tilted his head.

“My side…?”

“Since this is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation, I’m unsure how to express remorse appropriately. Therefore, I wanted to ask Mr. Faisal what you intend to do, so I can have a reference.”

At Richard’s calm words, Al-Faisal looked at him with a puzzled expression, a half-smile on his face, then tilted his head again.

“Of course, I must comfort my bereaved brother in my own way, as family… but, handle…?”

Richard feigned surprise at Al-Faisal’s vague question and accompanying smile.

“As he was both a member of the Tarten family and yours.”

“The Tarten family will, of course, take responsibility,” – Richard concluded. And a silence fell immediately afterward.

Similarly, Al-Faisal looked coldly at Richard, and those listening to the conversation blinked and exchanged glances. Christoph also frowned slightly, staring intently at Richard, momentarily not understanding his intent. But immediately after,

“―….”

A thought crossed Christoph’s mind, and at the same time, Al-Faisal’s gaze, lost in thought, shifted towards Christoph. Christoph, surprised by the eye contact, met Al-Faisal’s sharp gaze.

There was only one person present who was both a member of the Tarten family and Al-Faisal’s. Al-Faisal, without taking his eyes off Christoph, spoke to Richard.

“Both a member of the Tarten family and mine, what do you mean by that…?”

“Although originating from the Tarten family, he’s currently serving in your private army. Am I mistaken?”

Richard spoke calmly, then smiled in feigned confusion, as if wondering if he had misspoken. But Al-Faisal, shifting his gaze from Christoph back to Richard, didn’t smile.

“I thought we were talking about the death of Assar, Rashid’s son…?”

“Yes. He’s from the Tarten family and a close brother to me, but I honestly don’t know what more to say about this troublesome situation.”

Richard’s gaze lingered on Christoph for a moment, then shifted to Al-Faisal. No one spoke as Richard bowed his head once more. A brief silence fell.

Christoph, too, was silent.

His mind was as blank as that silence. For a few seconds, he couldn’t think at all.

“…―Wha,”

Christoph was about to unconsciously blurt out: ‘What are you talking about?’, but stopped mid-sentence, flinching before the dagger-like gazes directed at him. Salam and his other comrades were staring at him as if shouting: ‘YOU KILLED HIM, DIDN’T YOU?!’ Within his line of sight, he saw Al-Faisal, simply staring intently at him, and Richard, glancing at him with a complex expression before quietly looking away.

“――Christoph Tarten… harmed Assar…?”

Al-Faisal asked again as if to confirm. He rubbed his temples, then chuckled dryly.

“Well… I heard that the one who harmed Assar was someone else…”

Al-Faisal tilted his head slightly and looked at Richard. That gaze seemed to directly say: ‘It was you, wasn’t it?’ And Richard seemed to understand the meaning behind that look, so he froze for a moment, surprise spreading across his face.

“Someone else… who?”

“Haha…” – Al-Faisal chuckled dryly again, then averted his gaze. At the end of that gaze was the Captain, his eyes wide. When Al-Faisal’s gaze landed on him, the Captain stepped forward and stated firmly,

“I said so. I told you that Richard Tarten killed Assar.”

“Me!”

Richard’s eyes widened in exaggerated surprise. He frowned, a bewildered expression on his face, then questioned the Captain.

“May I ask why you would say such a thing?”

Richard’s tone was gentle, but the atmosphere carried the polite accusation of: ‘Why are you trying to frame me?’ The Captain, who had maintained a dignified posture despite the tension, couldn’t hide his confusion.

“Um——, as I was heading to the scene, I heard sounds from Christoph’s transmitter. Because of that, I overheard the entire conversation that took place there.”

Having said this, the Captain regained some composure and looked at Richard with a serious expression. Richard frowned, rubbing his forehead slightly as if worried.

“Did you hear me shoot Assar? Impossible. There was no such conversation. ――Except for the deceased there and Christoph, I was the first to arrive at the scene. And immediately after, Christoph—though he is my family, I can’t cover for him—shot him.…Oh dear. I thought I had already explained this, but was I mistaken? Did I kill him…?”

Richard looked up at the Captain with a deeply perplexed expression. And this time, the Captain was truly bewildered.

“No, but based on the content of the conversation, it was clearly you…”

“Based on…”

Richard’s lips curled into a wry smile. He looked genuinely bewildered, as if lost in deep thought. A long silence followed, as if everyone was speechless at the unexpected turn of events.

And Christoph, his mouth agape, couldn’t close it, staring fixedly at Richard. It was Christoph himself who was speechless.

Just then, Jack, looking back and forth between the sweating Captain and the troubled Richard, glanced at Christoph and carefully spoke.

“If we examine the scratches on the bullet that hit Assar, we can determine which gun it was fired from.”

That damned bullet was fired from Christoph’s gun. He didn’t fire it, but the gun that killed Assar was his.

Jack was likely trying to protect his comrades – whether the Captain or Christoph – but in this case, his action was like digging a hole for them and burying them in it.

Christoph tried to say something, but words failed him. He was too stunned, utterly dumbfounded.

Richard looked at Christoph, frozen in shock, his eyes darkening for a moment, then sighed. And he carefully spoke.

“I didn’t want to ask you this, but… ―Christoph. You say it.”

The arrow flew unexpectedly. Christoph was caught off guard – though he had been under attack all along – looked at Richard. Richard was looking at him indifferently.

If he said that Richard had killed him.

Though he didn’t know if they would believe him, if he concluded that Richard had killed Assar.

“――.”

How would the ‘face-saving measure’ play out?

Christoph looked at Richard without speaking. An impassiveness settled over his face. And Richard silently watched him, waiting for an answer.

“…I shot him.”

Christoph frowned slightly, then admitted grudgingly. He didn’t feel entirely wronged, yet he felt deeply wronged.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Captain looked at him as if he had been struck in the back of the head. But within Christoph’s line of sight, there wasn’t the Captain’s face, nor the astonished faces of his colleagues – although some of them seemed to be accepting it with a ‘Well, it’s not surprising if he did it’ attitude – nor Al-Faisal’s strained smile. He only saw Richard.

Richard smiled. Just for a fleeting moment, but Richard definitely smiled at him. That smile, as if he had known Christoph would answer that way, carried a gentle and warm quality. Because of that, Christoph swallowed the feeling of injustice rising within him. Well, this was better.

“Haha, this is…”

Al-Faisal chuckled awkwardly in embarrassment. The old man, perhaps due to his long life, didn’t seem to fully believe Richard, but he also had no intention of proving him wrong. In reality, whether Richard or Christoph killed Assar made little difference to him.

However, as Richard had implied, if the responsibility shifted to Christoph, then because Christoph was under Al-Faisal’s command, Al-Faisal himself would have to take appropriate action. But that wasn’t too difficult. Because in situations like this, the easiest and most logical option available to an employer was already abundantly clear.

“Then Christoph will be the one to take responsibility and apologize to Rashid.”

Al-Faisal looked at Christoph with a wry smile. Christoph remained silent, but his expression darkened.

Now Christoph understood the situation. He knew how things would unfold, what he had to do, and what Al-Faisal would do. (Richard would pay.)

“Well… the specifics will have to wait until Rashid arrives, but in any case, this is a regrettable incident.”

Al-Faisal shook his head, seemingly wanting to conclude the matter there, and Richard nodded in agreement. Then, they naturally transitioned to other topics. Everything important had been said.

Between Al-Faisal and Richard, it was now a proper afternoon tea, with a relaxed atmosphere. They chatted about the surrounding situation, politics, exchanging useful information, while the others – whose duty it was – stood silently on guard.

Christoph remained silent, half-stunned by the sudden turn of events that had befallen him in just a few short minutes. Beside him, Salam stealthily glanced at Christoph. His gaze held both pity and an air of ‘I told you so’.

“When I return to Riyadh, I’ll have to pack my things.”

Salam muttered in a tone that was unclear whether it was regretful or relieved, causing Christoph to glance at him. Sensing that cold gaze, Salam quickly looked away. But then he added a pointed remark.

“I told you, before we even got here, to be careful.”

Salam sighed, as if saying: ‘This is what happens when you kill people indiscriminately’. Christoph stared straight ahead and replied coldly.

“You should be careful too. Now I have nothing left to lose.”

“….I’ll help you pack.”

Just as he said that, Salam received a warning glance from the Captain and fell silent. Christoph also remained silent.

Richard, with his impeccably gentle and amiable smile, continued his conversation with Al-Faisal. Just minutes ago, earlier this very evening, he had decided to open up to Richard and build a relationship with him, little by little.

‘Did I make the wrong choice?’ – Christoph frowned, pondering for a moment, then clicked his tongue, dismissing the thought.

But then again, he had never thought Richard was a good person. For Christoph, who had understood Richard’s true nature since childhood—”He’s not what he seems”—nothing Richard did or how he acted was strange or surprising.

It wasn’t because Richard was good or bad. There was only one reason Christoph reached out to him.

Yes, just like now.

While conversing with Al-Faisal, Richard glanced at Christoph, and in the brief moment their eyes met, he narrowed his eyes at Christoph. That look was like looking at someone who had bet everything on him. A dazzling look.

Precisely because of that. Christoph knew that within that gaze resided trembling breaths, affectionate whispers, a scorching warmth, so he had reached out to take his hand.

So now, there were no regrets, no turning back.

“Still, you shouldn’t kill people, why did you kill…”

Christoph couldn’t respond to Salam’s regretful murmuring, and in this moment of injustice, he temporarily sank into a gloomy mood.