My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I’m Forced to Marry the Ugly Duke

A Father’s Downfall

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After everyone had gone to sleep that day, Ramilio carefully wrote a few secret letters without anyone noticing.

They were addressed to the King of Illuminati, King of Rai, and the bank’s headquarters.

He wrote that Prince Antonio had targeted his daughter’s assets and fled with the deed to the safety deposit box.
He had been harsh with Lucrezia for many years, and so his daughter’s affection for him had long been exhausted.

He added that in the unlikely event that they could help Lucrezia retrieve her jewelry, he would pay them a reasonable reward.

‘Well, the world is not so naive as to come back with that.’

The letter wasn’t about getting the jewelry back.

The purpose was to let it be known that Prince Antonio has no value as a hostage.

The end of those who couldn’t be ransomed, no matter how aristocratic they may be, is tragic.

Ramilio released the secret letters here and there, hoping that this would be enough to get rid of the trouble.

***

The whereabouts of Prince Antonio were unknown.

For a while, Ramilio had them search in the city and other places for formality, but then he called it off.

Meanwhile, news came that Rai’s army had entered the Illuminati’s royal capital and taken over the city.

“Father, I wonder if you’re safe…”

“Even if he was safe, I don’t think he’ll ever come back.
He’s got enough money to play with for the rest of his life.”

Her father wasn’t the kind of man who would come to see Rosa or Lucrezia because he misses them.
She knew that, too.

“In the end, you didn’t get his consent to marry me, did you?”

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“I don’t need it, do I? Because I love you.”

With a big smile on her face, Lucrezia replied, “Yes.”

***

‘Soon.
Soon I will be a millionaire!’

Prince Antonio was able to fend off Ramilio’s pursuit and returned to the border of his homeland, the Illuminati.

Once you reach this point, the rest is like a walk in the park.

The war between the Illuminati and Rai was getting worse by the day, and he heard rumors that the national army was closing in on the royal capital.
He was lucky to cross the border in the nick of time.

‘Once I have the jewelry, I will live abroad until the war with Rai is over.’

The Prince thought idly of this, and two days later, he arrived safely at the royal capital.

The moment he slipped through the checkpoints in the capital and took the back route in, he noticed the strange atmosphere in the city.

There was no sign of people on the streets.
Instead, horses and camel cavalries strutted along the streets as if they owned the place.

Most of the stores were closed, but soldiers could be seen drinking in some places.

The Prince hadn’t made it in time.

The royal capital had been completely taken over by Rai’s army.

‘This is bad.’

If they were to become suspicious and question his identity, it would be a bad thing.
If he turned out to be a nobleman, they certainly wouldn’t let him go.

Nervous, he headed for the bank.

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The bank appeared to be open for business as usual.

‘Is it all right?’

There was no country that invaded an enemy country and didn’t loot it.

The usual Prince Antonio would’ve been able to determine that Rai was probably after the bank as well.

However, he was impatient right now, because he felt that there was no time to lose.

‘Let’s just go in for a try.’

As he casually tried to walk through, the guards on either side of him moved.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“I have my valuables deposited here.”

“This bank has been seized by the military.
Nothing belongs to you!”

Prince Antonio should’ve retreated immediately, but the thought of a hundred million at the back of this place made him hesitate for a moment.

Just then, a person came out of the building.

It was a young man.
He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a turban that identified him at first glance as a Rai national.

The man recognized him clearly.
Our gazes entwined and tension filled the air.

A sharp voice in a foreign language sounded, and all the guards’ attention turned to Antonio.

Instinctively sensing danger, Antonio started to run and heard yelling from behind him.

Even though he couldn’t understand what they were saying, he could sense that he was in danger.

As Antonio ran around, he was filled with the thought that he had almost made it.

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‘No way, there was someone who knew me at this end!’

When he entered the alleyway, he loudly cursed and was hit badly from behind.

Rai’s soldiers were waiting for him there as well.

Resistance was futile.
Antonio suffered the humiliation of being poked and prodded like a slave for no reason.

‘Am I going to be detained?’

Aristocrats were respected as prisoners of war because of the ransom.
If it were known that Prince Antonio didn’t have that much wealth, he would surely be treated like trash.

Antonio desperately tried to think of a way to escape.
If the deed he was holding onto for dear life was worth no more than a scrap of paper, he would have to offer something else.

The only person who might be willing to pay him a ransom was his daughter, Lucrezia.

“W-wait! Let me go! If you set me free, I’ll pay you a decent reward later!”

He screamed frantically, but Rai’s soldiers just said something in their native language and ignored him.

“Is there anyone who understands the language of the Illuminati?! I am of great nobility! And I have royal blood in my veins! Anybody!”

Rai’s soldiers jeered at the screaming Antonio.
The nuance of “What’s wrong with his head?” was conveyed, even though the words were different.

Therefore, when Antonio learned that the place they were taking him to was the Royal Castle, his mood lifted, thinking that he might be saved.

‘That’s right, I’m royalty.
I’m not going to be left to die a dog’s death in a place like this.’

Surrounded by rough Rai soldiers, he desperately tried to suppress his anger.
In all his decades of living, this is the first time he was humiliated by being forced to sit on the floor.

Soon after, the young man who he met at the bank came.

“Former Duke of Serravalle, now Prince Antonio.”

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When the young man spoke fluent Illuminati words and offered him a chair, Antonio really thought he going to be saved.

“I’m sorry for my subordinates.
It seems they’ve done a pretty rough job.”

“Not at all.
There must have been a mistake.
By the way, who are you?”

His eyes widened a little.

“….
Hahaha! No way, you don’t remember my face?! This pair of father and daughter, how funny!”

When the young man laughed at him, Antonio instinctively felt that he had done something wrong.

‘Just now, did he say “father and daughter”?’

It was still fresh in his mind that his daughter’s disrespect to the Crown Prince of Rai caused a big problem.

Memories connected in a chain of events, and Antonio discovered a faint sense of déjà vu from the young man in front of him.

“….
Are you possibly the Crown Prince Reisch….”

“Did you finally remember? I had many dinners with you and your daughter, Lucrezia.
We must have met at court more than five or ten times.”

He put a cynical smile on his exotic face.

“However, it seems that a crown prince of Rai wasn’t worth remembering for the royalty of the Illuminati.”

“S-sorry….! I’m sorry! I was in shock and astonished…! How could I forget about you?!”

“Hmm, really? Well, there’s one more thing I want to remind you of, you can take your time, but… it’s important, so I’d like you not to make any mistake.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, increasing the pressure on Antonio.

“Where is the deed to the safe deposit box you took from Lucrezia?”