The Young Master in the Shadows

The car was moving slowly through a busy city road as Victor silently looked at the scenery out of the window.

He had a feeling that this was all a trap, a trap inside a trap. This game has more than three different powers intervening.

Linda's problem needed to be solved somehow, and he didn’t have many choices. According to his predictions, when she discovers his ceremony’s results, she would definitely contact him and act all sweet and nice. In his previous life, he only met her at the academy a few weeks later. She acted like a cold princess. Not even allowing him to hold his hand, she told him that she would only marry a man who is strong and successful. She would only let him touch her on the wedding night.

Linda, who acted as a virtuous girl back then, talked her way to delay the wedding for two years and succeeded after he went with her to beg the Patriarch to delay the marriage.

He was young and foolish. He held some feelings for Linda and believed that he could prove himself and make her love him.

He couldn’t have been more wrong. This B*tch was spoiled and rotten to the bone. When the wedding time arrived, Linda, who didn’t want to marry him, helped his enemies lead him into the trap which caused him to be kicked out of the family and rendered the marriage contract void.

The engagement was broken and a new groom had to be chosen, and who would be better than Victor’s cousin Bill, who was one year older and was also studying at the academy. And the prime candidate to be the future patriarch.

Bill met Linda at the academy, he courted her in secret first, as he wanted this engagement for himself, he feared that if Victor got a connection to the Von Rosen, his position as the next patriarch would be given to his opponent, Victor’s Big brother, Mike.

After they got rid of Victor, they announced to the world that they love each other. This was at least what was in the aftermath report Victor read.

The truth is that the Von Rosen’s were never a free family, they were just a subordinate family to the Von Zwei family. His family’s nemesis. And their interest in a relationship with the Von Weise family was just a trap to make one of their members infiltrate the family to reach a high position or create internal discord at the very least.

They started working on this plan the moment they became council members with the help of their masters. They hid their traces so well that even his shrewd grandmother would defend them if anyone defamed them.

The incident about Linda’s mother, Amelia, asking for help was just a pretense for her to get close and offer the engagement, which was just a method to deliver their agent.

Their plan almost failed when Victor turned out to be useless, so they quickly decided to change to another valuable heir. But to their dismay, his grandmother quickly refused the change. She would not risk upsetting the delicate family balance. Or maybe she just wanted to save face.

What happened next, in his previous life, On Bill and Linda’s wedding night was beyond everyone’s expectations. Victor was not invited, but Aria who was invited told him what happened.

According to her, the screen that was supposed to be used to deliver congratulations from all over the world suddenly turned on and played many scenes of Linda with another man. A different scene on every screen. The man’s face was censored, so Aria didn’t recognize him.

Bill, who acted as an educated gentleman usually, was so mad he lost all reason and broke all the rules. He summoned his thin sword, cutting through the astonished Linda in one move then getting killed by her mother’s attack. Breaking all the ties between the two families and starting an enmity that only ended when the Von Rosen’s disappeared one night, when their entire mansion was replaced with an SSS ranked dungeon.

Back then, no one knew who put those videos and who was that man. The family predicted that it must be the Von Zwei, their enemies as Bill’s drinks were found later to have been spiked. They might have seduced Linda to sleep with someone. Unfortunately, she was dead, and the truth disappeared forever with her.

Today’s events made Victor have a clear idea of what happened. Linda was just a spoiled pawn. And that man in the footage was Titus. And The true culprit was the one behind him, the third powerful family in the council, The Von Geldstadt.

They must have made Titus approach Linda and charm her. He wouldn’t be able to use the memory fabrication skill on her, as such skill only has momentary effects on Players, and only works on mortals. Victor thinks that Titus might have presented Linda with some kind of artifact that was prepared by his masters. Then promised her some more things every time they met. It would make a little slut like her after some time.

They must have wanted to use her to destabilize the Von Weise family. But Titus’s arrest was not something they expected. So they resorted to breaking the two families' ties in one move.

This was all a dance between the two other families. The Von Weise family was just the prey that they were eyeing. Fortunately, they didn’t know about each other’s schemes, or things would have been very dangerous.

Right now, his position is not bad. He was still in the shadows as he was in prison when Titus’s mansion got stolen, and the Von Geldstadt family who was the true power behind the auction, would not be after him like they did in his previous life. Their target would probably be poor Baron.

He couldn't tell his grandmother about those guys' scheme just yet, because he had no proof. And this union is very important to her. So he has multiple options right now.

The first one would be marrying Linda then finding a way to contain her. But that would be very dangerous. Equal to bringing a poisonous snake into your bed. He can use the recording to force her to be just a concubine though. Her mother would probably agree. But can he do that? He really hated Linda. He still remembers when she spat at him after he was kicked out of the family and went to ask for her help. She called him a beggar and let her bodyguards beat him.

The second choice was his original plan after rebirth. It was to slowly gather evidence about the Von Rosen family’s plans and present it to the family. But thanks to Linda’s stupidity, his grandmother wouldn’t give him much time to implement it.

The Third choice is just to poison their entire family and be done with it. But this would be a dangerous choice. As he didn’t have a high enough level yet to do the job, and even if he did it, after Linda’s affair, he might be the prime suspect.

The last choice is the most dangerous one. It is to weave an opposite plan where he would trap agents from all the opposing families. He would need a certain rare catalyst for this though, and getting that thing would be very hard. As he didn’t know where it came from.

He sighed softly while deciding to start by investigating The governor's mansion where Linda lives. But not tonight, as he was planning to spend the night with Lily. He missed her last night. Alex was not a good pillow, too stiff. He thought as he slowly turned his head to look at Alex who seemed a little changed after his private conservation with George. She was acting a little more like a true butler. Sitting in respect waiting for her young master’s command. Victor wondered what George told her.

“Do you need anything young master?” Alex asked.

“No, I was just wondering if it was possible to make you marry my fiancée instead of me, I am sure that you would make a good groom,” Victor said while wondering what would happen if Linda tried to seduce Alex, who was now a little shocked by her little master’s crazy question.

“Young master Victor, you must not joke about such topics. A gentleman would not reveal his wife's faults.” George warned from the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, I know. I am just a little upset and wanted to joke with Alex.” Said Victor with a smile. Making Alex breathe a sigh of relief. This was only a joke. But what would she do if he made her marry some woman someday? She wondered.

It was late afternoon when they reached the mansion’s gate and the stupid guard who was busy on his phone quickly noticed them and opened the door when he saw George who driving the car. He seemed to have recognized him.

When the car stopped, Alex quickly got down and respectfully opened the door to Victor, like a true butler.

“Not bad, take care uncle George. And thanks for teaching this kid to me.” Said Victor as he stepped down.

“That’s my job, young master.”Said George with a smile, then he drove away, heading back to the restaurant.

…

The slap was not light. It sent the girl smashing into a vase.

“I warned you not to get close to Titus before changing the marriage contract.” Yelled Amelia at her daughter Linda.

“But, I really liked him, he is a gentleman. He takes me to all those cool places where I can play, gamble, and …”

“Shut up. Did anyone see you?”

“No. I waited until they left to return home.” Linda said.

“Good. My sources told me that you instigated him to kill Victor right? Next time, do your homework before acting. Victor was heavily guarded it seems.” Amelia said,

“Titus told me that Victor’s Ceremony was a disaster, and his father sent him here as a punishment. So I didn’t expect him to be guarded and survive.” Said Linda as she played with her crystal necklace. This was a charm-boosting artifact given by Titus. Too bad she can’t get any more things from him again.

“We have to focus on the future now. Bill has been transferred to Vein city, and will be attending the academy too.” Said Amelia slowly with a smile as she read some kind of document.

“Ah, Bill is here.” Said Linda in excitement, forgetting all about poor Titus. Bill is not just a gentleman, he is very handsome, and he always treats her like a princess when they meet.

“Yes, Bill is not a part of any factions so we just need to pressure them to change the engagement. Thankfully you didn’t sleep with that Titus, you must know that Bill is the jealous type.” Amelia said,

Linda nodded her head without saying anything, she couldn’t tell her mother that she has been sleeping with Titus for the last three months.

“You may leave now, and stay low for a while, I don’t want anyone to know that you were hanging with that Titus,” Amelia said as she sat down and returned to her papers.

Linda quickly escaped the study, without even glancing at the two maids went in to clean up the broken vase on the ground.

She didn’t care about the wound on her cheek that was healing at a visible speed. She just didn’t want her mother to know about her affairs and her missing ID. She was not sure if she dropped it somewhere or someone took it on purpose. She would probably be grounded for a week if her mother knew.

Linda sighed as she headed to the basement. She can vent to her heart's content there.

Akaichi For those who are dropping calling this an NTR, It is not.