Chapter 224: Arthur, the Pure-Hearted Warrior, and a Once-Held Dream
Saint Denis stables.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Arthur’s mouth. Perhaps only when he was with Mary could he feel even a trace of something beautiful.
Arthur knew perfectly well that Mary only came to him for help when she was at her lowest. Even so, it still made him unreasonably happy.
For someone like Arthur—who had spent his life roaming the wild, embracing brutality and staying far from civilization—Mary was the last beautiful dream buried deep in his heart.
If only… they could live together.
“Leave. Now.”
The untimely voice yanked Arthur straight out of his reverie.
“And what the hell are you supposed to be?” Arthur snapped back, his temper flaring instantly.
“You can’t stand there,” said a worker who was sweeping nearby, glancing at Arthur.
“What, I can’t stand on the street?” Arthur replied with a mocking sneer.
The worker sized up Arthur’s clothes and answered without any courtesy.
“That’s right. You can’t stand here.”
Arthur’s anger climbed steadily.
“Does this street belong to you?”
The worker grew impatient. He planted his broom hard against the ground and barked, “I told you—get out of here.”
Smack!
A sharp slap rang out. Arthur wasn’t the type to indulge anyone.
The worker was left completely stunned.
Arthur rested a hand on the man’s shoulder, his voice low and heavy.
“Listen, pal… I’m waiting for a lady.”
“She’s a good woman. She just went inside.”
“If I weren’t waiting for her, you’d already be dead.”
At that, fear crept into the worker’s face, his body starting to tremble.
Just meeting Arthur’s eyes—the eyes of a man who had killed without hesitation—was enough to crush his courage.
“But if you keep annoying me,” Arthur continued coldly,
“I’ll kill you first, then apologize to that lady afterward.”
“So choose carefully.”
His voice had turned icy, as if he might strike at any second.
“I—I didn’t mean anything by it,” the worker stammered in panic.
Arthur went on as if he hadn’t heard him. “To me, I’m the devil.”
“I’ll accept your apology. Wait over there.”
Just then, the stable doors swung open.
A harsh voice rang out.
“I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. A woman—my own daughter—I nearly killed you with my own hands!”
Arthur tilted his head slightly, catching sight of a man in a top hat stepping out.
He knew immediately—it was Gillis, Mary’s father.
“Father.”
“No!”
“Oh, Father, please… just go home. You’re exhausted. Your health isn’t good—you’re tired,” Mary pleaded.
“That’s nonsense. Stay away from me. Go home!” Gillis roared, pointing at her.
“My mind’s made up. Stop bothering me.”
“Annoying little pest!”
Under her father’s furious shouting, Mary could only stop where she stood.
Arthur knew this was his cue.
“Excuse me, pal,” he said as he stepped forward.
As he walked toward Mary, Arthur couldn’t help feeling a faint, guilty satisfaction. He had never liked the man who had torn him and Mary apart.
If only… but there were no ifs.
“Still looks charming as ever,” Arthur said with a teasing smile.
Mary had no mood for jokes, but seeing Arthur approach made her feel noticeably calmer.
“Oh, Arthur… he’s about to cause trouble again. We’d better follow him.”
Arthur didn’t hesitate. He would never refuse Mary.
As long as he was by her side, his mood stayed light—no matter what he was doing.
The two quietly followed Gillis. At a corner alley, just as Arthur was about to step forward, Mary suddenly pulled him back.
Arthur lost his footing and braced himself against the wall with both hands. Mary ended up pressed against him, almost as if he were holding her.
The sudden closeness filled the air with a subtle, intimate tension.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt as though old feelings might flare back to life.
Mary lowered her head shyly, briefly forgetting that they were still tailing her father.
Arthur, a man who had killed without blinking, suddenly found himself at a loss in front of the woman he loved. He hurriedly changed the subject.
“Do you think… he noticed us?”
Mary snapped back to herself and took a quiet breath to steady her emotions.
“I don’t think so…”
Peeking out, they saw that Gillis had simply bumped into someone, the two exchanging a few heated words before parting.
They continued following him.
Gillis clearly hadn’t noticed anything. He walked on alone toward his destination.
Just as Mary had said, he was a gambler and a drunk.
And gamblers and drunks needed money to burn.
The cash in his pockets had long since run dry.
Accustomed to a life of indulgence, Gillis couldn’t restrain himself any longer. In the end, he set his sights on a brooch.
It was Mary’s mother’s brooch—a precious antique passed down through the family.
Gillis traded it for fifty dollars.
The buyer, Ashton, held the brooch up in the sunlight, examining it carefully. He was clearly very satisfied.
He even told Gillis that if he needed more money, he could lend it to him.
At this point, Gillis hadn’t completely lost his mind yet. He knew that no one who borrowed money from Ashton ever met a good end, so he refused outright.
Ashton only smiled. He had seen countless men like Gillis—selling off every valuable thing they owned, one by one, until in the end they still came crawling back for a loan.
And when that day came, he would squeeze every last bit of value out of Gillis.
In the original course of events, Ashton would have left Saint Denis by carriage. This time, however, he turned toward the Saint Denis Grand Hotel.
Davey had made it known that he was buying rare antiques at high prices.
In this economic downturn, many people could no longer survive—especially fallen nobles and bankrupt merchants.
They had no choice but to sell off whatever valuables they had left, often at severely depressed prices.
Antiques were hit particularly hard.
Davey intended this as a long-term investment, a way to quietly build up his own holdings.
After obtaining the brooch, Ashton planned to deliver it to Davey.
As a rising figure in Saint Denis, Davey was someone people operating in the gray underworld feared most.
Even Angelo Bronte had suffered heavy losses at Davey’s hands—many of his men were killed, and even Martelli had been captured.
Some chose to distance themselves from Davey entirely. Others, like Ashton, sought new protection instead. Without it, his business in Saint Denis would suffer serious damage.
This brooch was an ideal gift.
Of course, Ashton couldn’t approach Davey directly. But Davey’s younger brother, Mac, now controlled the casino business at the Saint Denis Grand Hotel.
Ashton intended to meet Mac first and present his proposal there.
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