Chapter 53
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53
Edgar stared blankly at Theodore, utterly speechless. His expression was a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief—he wasn’t sure what was more shocking: that his cousin didn’t deny having a hidden woman, or that he was going to such lengths for a mere mistress.
Edgar rubbed his face with a dry hand before letting out a scoff.
“You’re funneling millions of pounds into the King’s greedy coffers just for a royal charter, and you claim you’re not serious? You’re even dragging the Battenberg name into a horse racing scheme?”
“The King already hosts horse races under his own name. Why the sudden fuss?”
“Still, I thought the late Duke disliked such things.”
“He had no reason to favor it. No matter how elegantly the nobility dresses it up, it is, at its core, gambling.”
“…And knowing that, you’re still willing to get your hands dirty.”
Theodore leisurely laced his fingers together.
“Why not? It’s not as if I’m putting the family name up for sale.”
“If you’re not using our great family name, then who on earth are you putting forward as the investor?”
“Demures.”
“The diamond processing company.”
Edgar stared at Theodore in surprise, then burst into a hearty laugh.
“Now that is a masterstroke.”
Demures held the highest ratio of liquid assets among all of Battenberg’s enterprises. Their involvement practically guaranteed the creation of a racecourse that would be the largest on the continent, let alone in the South.
In other words, the Duke was deadly serious about this.
He just won’t openly parade the family name, then.
In truth, everyone knew Battenberg backed Demures. Who else could have amassed the kind of wealth needed to ruthlessly buy up every mine in the New Continent? The amusement vanished from Edgar’s face as he fixed his gaze on Theodore.
“Be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“Are you really stirring up all this trouble for a single woman? No matter how I look at it, it makes no sense. It’s far more reasonable to assume you’re hiding something else.”
“…”
“If you don’t give me a straight answer, I won’t let this go.”
Theodore gave his cousin an incredulous look.
“And if I don’t?”
“I’ll run straight to the Dowager Duchess and tell her everything. I’ll be her loyal little dog.”
“You sell yourself remarkably cheap.”
“And who knows what this cheap mouth might let slip to a few reporters?”
It sounded like a childish tantrum, but given Edgar’s ability to carry out his threats, it was a formidable warning. The rare seriousness in his eyes proved it was no empty bluff.
Theodore picked up his teacup and tilted it slightly, inspecting the color of the brew. Specks of dust floated on the surface of the cooling, clear amber liquid. It was just like the room—decent on the surface, but shoddy upon closer inspection.
“I’m not joking. If you don’t explain yourself, I’m calling the Dowager Duchess this instant—”
“There is a gang that has been rapidly expanding its influence.”
Theodore spoke as he set the teacup back on its saucer. Edgar, who had been about to shoot up from his chair, quickly sat back down.
“A gang? What does that have to do with any of this?”
“They made their fortune running illegal horse racing dens. They started in the East and have since expanded their territory to the South. Along the way, they’ve been lining the right pockets to legitimize their operations.”
“Predictable enough.”
“And when they ran short of capital, they turned to bootlegging.”
Theodore’s casual remark carried enough explosive weight to throw all of Ingram into chaos. Edgar’s mouth hung open as he waited for his cousin to continue.
“They apparently started about three years ago. Nine pounds per galter, two hundred galters a week, exporting their entire production to Nort in the New Continent.”
“Wait, hold on… Two hundred galters? How is that possible for a mere upstart gang?”
“It’s not, unless they have backing. There are members of parliament who have been receiving regular political contributions from them.”
Edgar rubbed his face with both hands. If this was true, it was only a matter of time before Ingram’s Upper House was thrown into utter turmoil.
“It sounds like more than just one or two.”
“At least three to five. And the King believes that the Prime Minister’s family, the House of Moray, is at the center of it.”
“The Prime Minister… No wonder the King is out for blood.”
“He’s been looking for an opportunity to oust him for years.”
“Well, well. It seems His Majesty will finally be able to sleep soundly… Ah, so that’s it. That’s why the Princess has been so irritable lately.”
Theodore didn’t even bother to look at him with disdain, let alone take the bait. Edgar pressed a hand to his forehead as if struck by a sudden wave of vertigo.
“Good grief. You actually used this as leverage to have the marriage proposal withdrawn?”
Theodore leaned back against the sofa in silence, his gaze turning toward the firmly shut door. Through it, the muffled voice of Count Essex could be heard, speaking excitedly with his ‘investment expert.’
Their disagreement seemed unresolved; the voices flared up for a moment before dropping back to a low murmur, punctuated by the occasional harsh curse. Edgar, who had been listening to the commotion, shrugged and whispered.
“But why Essex, of all people?”
“I don’t believe this is the appropriate place to discuss that.”
“I’m dying of curiosity, so just spit it out. You’re putting far too much effort into this for it to be a simple trap.”
With his back to the light, the Duke’s expression was impossible to read. Shadowed in the dimness, Theodore’s brilliant blue eyes looked even colder than usual.
“Because Essex and Somerset are on that list. They may only be lackeys, but they have the authority to contact the gang’s leadership directly.”
“So you’re going to lure them in, bit by bit, and then seize their leashes.”
“Since inspections on ships bound for the New Continent were tightened early this year, their distribution route has been cut off. They have only two choices: drown in hundreds of thousands of galters of whiskey, or find a new route.”
“They’ll see this horse racing venture as their salvation. The two counts will be practically begging to lick your boots.”
“They believe that if they play their cards right, this opportunity will elevate them to even greater heights. The King has no interest in small fry, so if they play their parts well at the right moment, they might actually succeed.”
Edgar fell silent for a moment, then let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
“And you still claim you have no intention of marrying Lady Vanessa? Even after drawing up a plan that will make Somerset the wealthiest house in the South?”
Theodore raised his eyes to meet his cousin’s. He studied Edgar’s face—the harmless, uncovetous gaze he wore, the innocently pursed lips.
Edgar’s only mistake was forgetting just how long they had known each other. Theodore easily read the raw ambition his cousin had failed to conceal.
“…”
Theodore had long known that Edgar was tailing him with the Dowager Duchess’s blessing. At some point, Edgar’s agents hadn’t even bothered to hide their surveillance—a silent warning to watch his step.
Even so, Vanessa had been discovered far sooner than he had anticipated. Perhaps, in their ignorance, they had jumped to the simplest conclusion: that the two of them were lovers who had chosen the dilapidated warehouse as a secret summer getaway. From their perspective, it was the most logical explanation.
“Well? Say something.”
Theodore slowly traced his lower lip and let out a soft chuckle. He took a quiet satisfaction in the way Edgar recoiled, as if he had just witnessed something deeply unsettling. In a game of chess, nothing brought one closer to victory than an opponent who was both complacent and utterly mistaken.
It only proved how uncharacteristic he must seem right now—so much so that even Edgar’s cold, calculating mind, usually masked by a facade of foolishness, had failed to anticipate it.
“Who knows.”
It was, indeed, an absurd turn of events. To be dragged into a woman’s orbit by sheer chance, only to now find himself going to such ridiculous lengths simply because he loathed the thought of her being paraded around.
In truth, Edgar’s assessment was correct, as it usually was. The two counts were negligible players in this grand scheme. Their standing within the gang was trivial; traitors could be bought for far less, and there was no shortage of other nobles who would prove more loyal for the same price.
There was only one reason he had chosen such a convoluted path: because they held Vanessa’s leash. And yet…
“If marriage were my goal, I would have chosen a far more elegant method.”
“Then do you intend to keep her as your mistress? Even after you marry someone else?”
“Is that not a favorable outcome for everyone? I have practically handed the Count more than enough to cover her dowry.”
“…”
“And she will be free to do what she loves, in the place she desires. Free from the dread of ever being forced to marry some vulgar, unsuitable man.”