If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 60

Isabella half-blocked Edmund’s sharp gaze.

“Father, don’t look at him like that. Mr. Limberton came all this way because he wanted to apologize. Isn’t that right?”

As soon as Isabella finished speaking, Lockwood bowed politely to Edmund.

“I apologize for my hasty actions. I will never again do anything that might inconvenience you or Lady Isabella.”

“See? He apologized just like I said he would. So, no retaliation, whether it’s about business or anything else, alright?”

Edmund shook his head at his naive daughter but gave them some space. However, he still wasn’t entirely forgiving, as he refused to even glance at Lockwood.

A servant quickly approached, bringing a crystal glass and setting it before him. When Lockwood nodded slightly, the servant filled his empty glass with amber-colored liquor—an expensive vintage cognac said to be difficult even for a king to acquire.

Lockwood picked up the glass, pretending to survey the room as he looked around.

Despite the secrecy of this location, it still posed a potential risk, evidenced by the five guards standing watch not far from the walls. They all had guns at their waists, making it clear that if his plan failed, he would be riddled with bullets.

The only escape routes were the door he had entered through and a large window behind Edmund. Given the soundproofing, the glass must have been quite thick. Lockwood quickly assessed whether the window could be shattered with a few bullets if the door escape failed.

“Let’s continue our discussion.”

With Edmund’s words, the interrupted conversation resumed.

Senator Albert, who had a long mustache, began to speak. He was known as the head of a family notorious for exploiting slaves in the New World.

“So, with this event securing a large number of slaves, let’s send them all to the Edam region that recently began development. The natives there are so savage that most of the laborers we’ve sent end up dead, which has been quite a headache. We can’t just let the Empire’s investment in that area go to waste. Still, these people are not ordinary laborers, so they should hold out.”

Lockwood barely restrained his rising anger. He took a deep breath without drawing attention.

The “event” Albert was referring to must be the war against the independence forces, and the slaves secured were undoubtedly soldiers and their families.

Edam, at the southernmost tip of the New World, was a place even the independence forces avoided.

Though it had a mild climate year-round and was rich in timber and other resources, the natives there were notoriously brutal, with rumors of cannibalism. They didn’t settle in houses, making it impossible to find their base, and if one happened to encounter them, it usually ended in a massacre. The dense forest made direct military engagement unfeasible.

Short of burning the entire forest down, capturing them was practically impossible.

And yet, they planned to throw the independence forces there as slaves.

If time allowed, Albert would be the next person Lockwood killed after Edmund.

Most agreed with Albert, but Anthony voiced a dissenting opinion, suggesting that it would be better to abandon such a high-casualty area altogether to reduce further losses. Of course, his argument fell on deaf ears.

They continued discussing ways to consolidate the Empire’s control by imposing various taxes on the New World. Everyone agreed to double the taxes on items like tea and medicine—goods that were completely unavailable in the New World.

To them, the New World was nothing more than a colony.

Lockwood’s rage simmered, but he nodded along, pretending to agree with them.

It angered him that the rising cost of living was caused by conversations like these, but there was nothing he could do for now.

Even if he succeeded in killing Edmund, there would always be more senators in the Empire who shared these same views.

To escape such mistreatment, the only path was to gain complete independence from the Empire as soon as possible and establish their own government. He hoped that this mission would be the final step toward realizing that dream.

As more drinks were shared, the discussion shifted from serious matters to lighter topics—marriages, grandchildren, and so on. Given how much information they held, it seemed they all had a lot to talk about.

Albert, in particular, looked as if he could talk about slavery until dawn.

Isabella, growing bored with the elderly men, fidgeted and signaled Lockwood with her eyes that she wanted to leave.

Anthony had finished his drink a while ago and had not refilled it, simply listening quietly.

“Haa-am.”

Eventually, Isabella feigned a yawn, covering her mouth. Seeing this, Edmund gestured to the servant to take away Isabella’s glass.

“Young people must find our stories quite dull. Is the onboard party still going?”

“Yes, the fireworks will begin soon. It won’t be long now.” The servant checked the wall clock and recited the schedule.

“In that case, I’ll leave with Mr. Limberton now.”

At the mention of fireworks, Isabella’s expression brightened, and she pulled Lockwood’s arm. By then, Lockwood had already calculated all of his escape routes, so he slowly rose, pretending to be unable to resist Isabella’s request.

Anthony also stood up with them.

Lockwood welcomed Anthony’s company, as he did not want to see him get hurt.

“Have a good evening.”

“See you later.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With Isabella and Anthony at his sides, Lockwood escorted them toward the door, naturally positioning Isabella in the middle. He carefully counted his steps to maintain the optimal distance from Edmund.

Edmund had returned his focus to his conversation with the other senators.

The moment the servant pushed open the door, Lockwood pulled out his gun and fired at Edmund’s chest.

Bang.

At that moment, colorful fireworks burst behind Edmund.

Amid the dazzling fireworks and the surreal sound of the gunshot, Lockwood swiftly exited the reception area, leaving behind the stunned guests.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The belated gunshots of the pursuing guards echoed behind him, trailing his shadow.

It wasn’t far to where Henry was waiting. However, the passengers and crew, alarmed by the gunshots, had turned the deck into a chaotic scene, making it impossible to move.

Lockwood struggled to push his way through the crowd, trying to escape. Fortunately, those chasing him also found it difficult to move.

Just as Lockwood was almost out of the crowd, one of the guards fired his gun into the air and shouted.

“Everyone, get down!”

The guard was quite clever.

Hearing the gunshot so close, people ducked in fear, and soon everyone around him was crouching.

It was only a matter of time before Lockwood was caught.

Suddenly, with a single gunshot, the shoulder of the guard who had yelled was pierced, causing his blood to splatter everywhere. Those who had ducked screamed and scattered in all directions.

Turning to where the shot had come from, Lockwood saw Henry, holding a rifle and grinning at him.

‘See? I told you I needed to be here.’

Henry mouthed those words and gestured for him to hurry.

With a wry smile, Lockwood quickly ran to Henry’s side.

Though their pursuers were still behind them, they soon reached the lifeboat. They cut the tied rope and rowed with all their strength.

The pursuers quickly boarded another boat and followed them, but Lockwood and Henry rowed so desperately that the distance between them increased.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lockwood looked back to see a figure on deck preparing a long-range rifle.

There was no time to think.

The moment the man loaded the magazine, Lockwood lunged toward Henry, covering him with his body. At the same time, an intense pain shot through his back, and blood spread across his chest.

“Captain!”

Henry’s scream was the last thing Lockwood heard as his consciousness began to fade.