Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Became the Black Curtain Manipulating the Pope's Daughter (5)
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...Yeah. Just this once.
Just extend my hand this one time.
After that, total cutoff, no matter what.
"Eline, bring Aselina here."
"Of course! How could I not oblige?"
Aselina entered my lodgings, guided by Eline.
When I cautiously asked for food aid, she nodded with a smile so bright it bordered on excessive.
"...Do you actually understand what I just said?"
"Yes! You need food to get through the winter, right?"
"That's right. But the territory has no money right now. So payment... it'll have to be a year from now at the earliest."
Even as I said it, the terms sounded utterly absurd.
I'll pay you back in a year, so hand over the rice—no, the wheat—first?
Am I the Duke of the North or some North Korean dictator...?
"Of course, payment in other forms is possible too. Like dispatching Northern troops as mercenaries. In that case, repayment could be much quicker..."
Even I felt a pang of conscience over such an unfair deal, so I tacked on every possible concession I could offer.
"...Yes! I understand perfectly."
Watching Aselina's beaming smile, I couldn't help but worry if she really did.
"On top of that, this matter must stay absolutely secret between us and the trading party—no one else can know. Even so, will you really grant my request?"
"I got it, okay? It's a request from Lord Robertus, so this much is no trouble at all. Consider it repayment for what happened with the Ferris Duke."
"..."
Just a few days ago, Aselina had been threatening to drag me into her circle.
Now here she was, switching attitudes completely and clinging to me like she'd give me anything... It was hard to get used to.
"Hmm... let's see. Someone who could supply food to Lord Robertus... Ah! That's right. Let's go see Marquis Boel."
"Marquis Boel..."
A name that rang a vague bell.
The North's winters were brutal, but the Holy Land remained untouched by the cold.
The intricately designed holy barrier enveloping the entire sacred site kept the interior warm like a greenhouse at all times.
Marquis Ranald Boel was savoring that warmth, lounging at a garden table in his lodgings, sipping tea and enjoying a novel.
"—Pardon the intrusion, Lord Ranald!"
From his perspective, Aselina's sudden visit was like a bolt from a clear sky.
But what truly startled him was the guest accompanying her.
"...Pardon the intrusion, Marquis Boel."
"Duke Bilheim...?"
The black coat, the towering stature.
Meeting the gaze of Robertus Bilheim looking down at him—gloomy yet decadently alluring, the very image of the Bilheim Duke—
the marquis was momentarily speechless, swept up in shock.
Of course, it was the positive kind of shock.
Like a fan finally face-to-face with their idol singer.
"...O-oh! Please, both of you, come in! Welcome!"
Regaining his wits, the marquis hurriedly prepared to receive them.
Under his crisp commands, the servants swiftly set out a modest tea service on the table where he'd been drinking.
"My apologies... We prepared in such haste, so I couldn't offer proper hospitality."
"It's fine. If anything, we're the ones who showed up unannounced."
The three sat at the table, and Aselina and the marquis kicked off the conversation.
The marquis exchanged light small talk with Aselina.
But his eyes never left Robertus.
'What on earth brings her—and him—with her to see me?'
Well-connected as he was, Marquis Boel already knew about the incident between the Ferris Duke and Aselina.
The sudden purge of the Ferris Duke and his faction.
How had Aselina, who shunned politics, uncovered their contacts with Loretta's side? And how had she eliminated them so swiftly and cleanly?
Gossipers were still hotly debating the details of that mysterious event.
Now, the very parties involved—one central figure and the Northern Duke, who opposed the Ferris Duke—had come to him together.
The marquis was dying to ask about the Ferris purge, their relationship, and more.
"...Aselina. Time to get to the point."
"Oh dear. I got so caught up chatting with Lord Ranald. Once we start talking, I lose track of time—he's just that fascinating."
"Haha. Thank you, Lady Aselina. ...So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
He could finally voice the question that had been burning inside him since they arrived.
"We've come to ask a favor of you, Lord Ranald."
"A favor...?"
"Lord Robertus Bilheim here urgently needs food to send to his territory."
The request Aselina explained—with Robertus occasionally chiming in to clarify—was as follows.
The Northern Territory was currently facing a food shortage.
To help his people survive the winter, Bilheim was seeking someone to sell him grain.
"That's why I recommended you, Marquis Ranald Boel. I hear Boel territory had a bumper crop this year?"
"Ah, yes, that's true. In fact, we harvested so much wheat that prices crashed. To stabilize them, House Boel had to buy up what flooded the market ourselves."
"...And what became of that purchased wheat?"
"It's sitting in storage, inevitably, Duke Bilheim. Not just Boel territory—neighboring lands had bumper crops too, so there's nowhere to sell it."
"Perfect, then! Selling your surplus wheat to the Northern Territory would benefit both sides—a splendid deal all around."
"Now that you mention it, yes! Duke Bilheim, let's discuss the details right away without delay..."
"...Payment in one year."
"Pardon?"
"The Northern Territory's situation being what it is, payment will have to come a year from now."
"...?"
For a moment, Marquis Boel doubted his own ears.
Pay for the goods a year later?
What kind of ridiculous deal was that?
"N-now, now! Lord Ranald, there are other options too..."
Sensing the marquis's darkening mood, Aselina hurriedly explained the alternatives.
But it didn't change the core issue.
Goods first. Payment later.
"..."
The marquis alternated bewildered glances between them.
'What kind of scheme is this?'
He was a fan of Robertus, sure—but not some fool who'd hand over anything blindly.
This was blatantly unfair.
And while Aselina might be oblivious, Robertus surely knew it.
'So why are they shoving this contract at me so boldly?'
"...Might I have a moment to think it over?"
"Ah, yes, yes! Take all the time you need, Lord Ranald."
"...As much as you want."
Contrasting Aselina's fidgeting, Robertus remained as calmly composed as ever.
Watching them, Marquis Boel quickly started calculating.
First off, they'd come together.
At Robertus's request, no less—with Aselina personally volunteering as intermediary.
There had been that brief rumor among nobles that the two had allied.
Oddly, it died down fast.
Then Aselina suddenly purged the Ferris Duke.
She, who had been little more than a puppet swayed by him.
'...Ah!'
The puzzle pieces clicked in Marquis Boel's mind.
'So... the Bilheim Duke was behind that whole affair.'
Right after the clash with Ferris Duke—or perhaps even before.
The two had already joined hands.
Aselina wanted to cut ties with the Ferris Duke trying to control her.
Robertus needed connections to central politics.
Their interests aligned, so they formed a secret political alliance.
Then Aselina, following Robertus's lead, expelled the Ferris Duke from the faction.
And the number-two spot left vacant by his absence...
'That's where the Bilheim Duke stepped in.'
The rumor vanishing so quickly? They must have manipulated public opinion to keep the alliance under wraps.
"Duke Bilheim."
"...Speak."
"This deal is unfair by any measure. For a shrewd duke like you to push this contract on me..."
The marquis leaned forward over the table toward Robertus.
"...surely means you're offering something else, something 'unstated,' right?"
"..."
Robertus stared steadily at the marquis.
A faint smirk.
Very subtle, but unmistakable.
"!"
The Northern Duke's smile—something the marquis had never seen.
It confirmed his hypothesis.
"As expected of Duke Bilheim. Testing my insight like this."
The marquis sat back, satisfied.
"And bringing Lady Aselina along... means you've truly become our 'comrade,' sharing our cause, yes?"
"Very perceptive, Marquis Boel."
"My thanks for the praise."
The marquis bowed exaggeratedly.
"??"
Aselina, meanwhile, just alternated puzzled smiles between them, utterly lost.
"I'll accept the deal. I'll send my aide to negotiate the details with you."
"My thanks for your generosity."
Clasping the hand Robertus extended first, the marquis thought:
'By incurring this debt to Duke Bilheim, my position in the faction grows even more secure.'
He pictured the rewards he'd reap after Aselina became Saintess, and smirked.
'The marquis is probably thinking something like that right now.'
Sorry, Marquis Boel.
But I never explicitly agreed to a word you said.
I just smiled ambiguously and praised you.
I have no intention of ever allying with Aselina.
This way, if the marquis presses me later, I can dodge by saying it was all his misunderstanding.
...I'm not that much of a bastard, though. Once the money comes in, I'll pay more generously than market price.
"Hoo..."
"You did well, my lord."
I tossed my coat to Eline and collapsed into the chair.
Finally, a breather.
This should avert the starvation crisis in the Northern Territory.
Time for a reward for my hard work.
"Eline, pour me a whiskey."
"...Just one glass."
A moment later, she returned with a tray holding the whiskey bottle, glass, and ice bucket.
Dark amber liquid flowed smoothly into the wide glass, with a few ice cubes floating like islands on top.
"Heh. Well then..."
As I brought the glass to my lips—
Knock knock.
I froze.
—Pardon me, my lord. A guest has arrived.
I smacked my lips and set the glass down.
"A guest?"
I side-eyed Eline, but she shook her head, just as clueless.
"Who is it?"
Uh, well...
For some reason, the servant outside the door hesitated to answer.
...It's Lady Loretta. She insists on seeing you, my lord.
Loretta.
...Another Saintess candidate?