Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Black Officers
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Alicia was genuinely impressed.
So much so that her true thoughts slipped out before she even realized it.
‘How can a man who looks like this even exist?’
Without even knowing what she had said, Alicia was completely engrossed in admiring the beauty of Carlyle’s face.
His pale blond hair, almost silver, his high, sharp nose, his lips the color of blood, his ivory-white skin, and even his mysterious purple eyes.
Alicia was captivated by his looks at first sight.
Of course, it was purely an admiration for his appearance, nothing more.
Then Alicia realized.
That the young man with his hood pulled low was the infamous scoundrel of the North…
“So you’re him?”
“Yeah, I’m him.”
“You’re as handsome as they say.”
“Uh, sure.”
“…”
When Carlyle turned his gaze out the window, Alicia raised her voice.
“Are you ignoring me right now?”
“Am I?”
“Someone is talking to you, why did you turn your head away?”
“Because I don’t have anything to say.”
“Nothing to say?”
“Strangers don’t have to make conversation. Introductions are enough.”
“That’s… true.”
Alicia frowned.
Carlyle looked out the window as if he had no interest in her whatsoever.
In reality, Carlyle didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in Alicia.
‘Just how many casualties are there?’
Seeing officers in black uniforms and their accompanying soldiers everywhere, Carlyle gauged the extent of the Decaron army’s losses.
The black officers.
It was the term for the officers who delivered the news of a soldier’s death to their bereaved family.
The fact that they were striding through the streets like that meant the number of casualties was beyond imagination.
Normally, the black officers were supposed to move as discreetly as possible, away from the public eye.
Because their very presence signified someone’s death in battle…
“Maranello.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“What’s the reason for the recent surge in casualties?”
“It is a tragic affair, but what would this old man know?”
“You really don’t know?”
“It has been over a decade since I closed my eyes and ears to military affairs.”
“Hmm.”
“If you are truly curious, you should ask His Grace, the Grand Duke, yourself.”
“…”
As Maranello said, asking Grand Duke Guntram directly would be the surest way to find out.
‘I suppose I’ll have to ask Grand Duke Guntram.’
He didn’t want to have a long conversation with Grand Duke Guntram if he could help it, but it seemed unavoidable this time.
“I’m getting hungry, so please have a meal ready when we arrive.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“What about Evangeline?”
“She is likely studying.”
“Is she working hard?”
“She is studying harder than anyone.”
“That’s a relief.”
Alicia, who had been listening in silence, spoke up.
“Am I being treated like I’m invisible?”
“…?”
“I may be the daughter of a rival family, but isn’t this too much for someone who came as part of a delegation?”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“What…?”
“Delegations are the family’s business to handle, not mine.”
“Aren’t you a Sigmund?”
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
Alicia said, dumbfounded.
To think that someone who inherited the Sigmund bloodline would talk about his own family as if it were someone else’s business.
“If you know who I am, you should know I’m the family outcast.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“So keep your expectations in check. Don’t expect to be treated like a delegate by a scoundrel like me.”
“Then what about person to person?”
“Person to person?”
“I heard you’re a lecher. That your eyes turn bloodshot and you drool whenever you see a pretty woman.”
“I’ve quit that.”
“…”
Stunned by the ridiculous answer, Alicia was once again at a loss for words and shut her mouth.
As if that was something you could just quit…
After the conversation ended, no more words were exchanged between them.
Carlyle didn’t speak because he had no interest in Alicia to begin with, and Alicia, her pride wounded, didn’t speak to Carlyle either.
“It wasn’t a very long journey, but thank you for your trouble in coming.”
“Not at all.”
At least Maranello, as the head steward of the Sigmund family, made some conversation with Alicia.
* * *
The carriage stopped.
“I’m going to see my father, so please prepare a meal.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
As soon as he arrived at the castle, Carlyle got out of the carriage and went to see Grand Duke Guntram.
“What the hell. He’s so infuriating.”
Alicia glared at Carlyle’s retreating back and grumbled in displeasure.
Even for an outcast, where in the world did he learn such rudeness, leaving without a word of greeting upon arrival…
“I hope you understand, my lady.”
Maranello soothed Alicia with a troubled smile.
“I see now why they call him a scoundrel.”
“Heh heh…”
“Is he always that… rude?”
“He tends to be indifferent to his surroundings. I say this lest you misunderstand, but he probably did not ignore you intentionally, my lady.”
“Hmm.”
“Please try not to take it to heart.”
Despite Maranello’s comfort, Alicia was still in a bad mood.
‘Does being handsome give him a free pass? Who does he think he is, ignoring people like that?’
Alicia had never once been treated coldly by the opposite sex in her entire life.
Part of it was her noble lineage, but she was also a great beauty.
Everyone tried to win her favor, and even those without romantic interest treated her kindly.
And Alicia was used to such treatment.
But to be completely ignored by the likes of the North’s scoundrel.
‘Does he think I’m ugly?’
Alicia suddenly doubted her own appearance, glancing at her reflection in the carriage window and unconsciously brushing back her hair.
The thought occurred to her because Carlyle was so famous for his womanizing.
It just didn’t make sense that a man said to be no different from a dog in heat would completely ignore a beautiful woman right in front of him.
‘No. He must be trying to keep his distance because of what happened last time. Even a scoundrel must have some sense of caution. After all, he almost got his head cut off.’
Alicia recalled the incident where spies from the Lauren family had framed Carlyle.
Of course, the Lauren family would never officially admit to being behind the incident.
However, it was no exaggeration to say that everyone knew it was the Lauren family’s doing.
It had reached a point where the royal family had even sent a letter telling them to tone it down…
‘Then it makes sense that he’s ignoring me. Otherwise, there’s no way a man crazy for women would ignore me.’
Having reached her own conclusion, Alicia felt a little more at ease.
“This way, please.”
“Thank you, Sir Maranello.”
“I am but a humble butler now. Heh heh.”
Maranello let out a hearty laugh.
* * *
As soon as he got out of the carriage, Carlyle headed straight for Grand Duke Guntram’s office.
Grand Duke Guntram usually handled administrative work in his office unless there was something special, so he wasn’t difficult to meet.
The lord of a great territory like Decaron was bound to have a lot of administrative work.
“Your Grace, the Young Master Carlyle requests an audience.”
“Let him in.”
As Carlyle expected, Grand Duke Guntram was engrossed in paperwork in his office.
The work was so piled up that the stacks of parchment on his desk were high enough to make it look like Grand Duke Guntram was buried in them.
“So you’ve finally decided to show your face.”
Grand Duke Guntram didn’t even glance at Carlyle, whom he hadn’t seen in months, and simply continued to write with his quill.
“Yes, well. It seems so.”
“Have you been well?”
“No.”
Carlyle frowned as if to say ‘not a chance.’
“I have not been well.”
“Good.”
“…?”
“It’s normal not to be well on the battlefield.”
For a moment, Carlyle nearly lost his temper.
Hearing that from the very person who had sent him to the battlefield made his blood boil.
“So, what brings you to see your father?”
“I heard from Maranello. You’ve decided to make a deal with me from now on.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Good.”
“Hm?”
“It’s better to get something out of it than to be forced.”
“…”
“Of course, if I really don’t like it, I won’t agree to the deal at all, but at least negotiation will be possible.”
“Fine, let’s do that.”
Grand Duke Guntram readily nodded but did not put down his quill.
“I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I heard the number of casualties on the front line has increased exponentially. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“What’s the reason?”
Carlyle asked Grand Duke Guntram.
“It feels like there are more casualties than when we were in an all-out war.”
“The reason.”
Grand Duke Guntram’s quill stopped.
“What do you think it is?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know.”
“Most of the recent casualties were those serving in the Blood-Soaked Land.”
“So… it’s because of the magic stones.”
“Yes.”
“It didn’t seem like there were any particular problems with the magic stone mining operations.”
“There is no shortage in magic stone production.”
“Did the royal family raise the tax rate?”
*Nod.* For the first time, Grand Duke Guntram looked at Carlyle and nodded.
“What do you think the reason is?”
“Ostensibly, they say the demand for magic stones has surged, but who knows the real story.”
“Hmm.”
“Thanks to that, the price of magic stones has risen quite a bit, so our Decaron is managing. It seems the other territories are having a much harder time.”
“I see.”
Carlyle nodded as if that made sense, hearing that the price of magic stones had risen.
‘Right. If the royal family increases their demand for magic stones, the price is bound to jump.’
The symbol of the royal family, after all, was their precognitive ability.
It was only natural for the price of magic stones to skyrocket once a royal family with such an ability began stockpiling them.
The other twelve families would try to increase their own stockpiles, and it was a given that prices would soar in the process.
But Carlyle knew all too well that this was the royal family’s way of manipulating the market.
The royal family sometimes manipulated magic stone prices like that to reap enormous profits.
“Have you considered that it might be retaliation?”
“It seems you think this is because of Evangeline.”
“Yes, well. Something like that.”
“A large-scale offensive from the barbarians is imminent. The royal family isn’t foolish enough to pressure our Sigmund family at a time like this. I can understand why you’d think that, but would they really raise the tax rate over one person, Evangeline?”
“They’re more than capable of it, aren’t they?”
“…”
Grand Duke Guntram fell silent.
Because he knew all too well that the royal family was pettier and more narrow-minded than one could imagine…
“Nothing has been confirmed yet. So, rash judgments are forbidden.”
“Understood for now.”
Carlyle stood up.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving already?”
“My business is done, so I should go. You look busy.”
“…”
“I’ll be going.”
Carlyle turned away.
“Ah, may I ask one more thing?”
The thought suddenly occurred to Carlyle, and he asked.
“Ask.”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Angry?”
“Soldiers are dying because the royal family raised the tax rate. I was wondering if that makes you angry.”
“Anger…”
Grand Duke Guntram stamped the document he had been working on, placed it in a black envelope, and spoke.
“What do you think I was just doing?”
“How would I know?”
“I was writing death notices. To be sent to the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers.”
“…”
“Do you think all I feel is anger?”
As he spoke, a mixture of emotions swirled in Grand Duke Guntram’s eyes.