Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: The Baby-Eating Rumor
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"Nil! This is bad!"
Rian burst through the study door with a bang, having rushed over after hearing that he could finally meet the maid's newborn baby.
Just before leaving his study, he had insisted, "Now that there's a baby, I'll act more mature and dignified than anyone else." But now, it looked like he'd completely forgotten that resolution.
"Nil, I didn't come here to feed Robert or anything!"
"Ahem... uh, but shouldn't we feed the little guy?"
"Peook-."
Evan II seemed to agree that he needed to tend to his own food bowl, lifting his head from the plate and letting out a cry. His voice sounded a bit louder now—he must be growing well.
"Uh... yeah, right. We should feed him. Sorry for interrupting your meal, Robby."
Liannus quickly apologized, stroking Robert's head. Having secured his food bowl, Robert plunged his beak back into the plate and resumed chomping away.
Yes, growing chicks need to eat well. Of course they do.
"Ah, here. Rian."
"Ah-."
Munch munch.
"Tasty?"
"Mm!"
Shrimp was always delicious, no matter when you ate it. Lately, it had been showing up often, which was nice. But something felt like he'd forgotten...
"Ah...!"
"What's wrong?"
"Nil, this isn't the time to be casually munching on food! Do you even know what they're saying about you right now?!"
Nihil held back another burst of laughter and asked.
"What are they saying?"
"They say you ate a baby!"
"I like meat, but I don't do cannibalism."
"No, that's not it!"
Frustrated, Liannus grabbed Nihil's cheeks and stretched them out. But Nihil just chuckled lightly and replied.
"They say it's because of me the baby got hurt?"
"...You knew?"
"Lima reported it to me."
"...Damn it!"
I worried for nothing!
Liannus pouted and skewered a shrimp, popping it into his mouth. Feeling like one wasn't enough, he grabbed another. The garlic-infused oil sauce paired perfectly.
'Still, I should cut out anyone spreading weird rumors!'
As he chewed diligently on the shrimp with that resolve, he overheard a conversation between Nihil and Sir Evan.
"...It's a knight."
"......What's wrong with the title?"
"Use proper, polite language."
"...Understood."
One of Liannus's eyebrows twitched upward.
What the hell was that conversation about?
'Nil is too nice for his own good. I guess I have to step in!'
Liannus planned to summon all the palace servants. Anyone spreading bad rumors about his dear friend would be fired on the spot.
But the servants were already gathered in a swarm, arguing among themselves.
"There has to be something up with him, right? Otherwise, why would the strict butler and head maid let it slide like that? That talisman is suspicious too!"
"Yeah, definitely."
"What are you talking about? It's a talisman that wards off bad luck! Why are you talking so badly about the young master? What did he even do?"
"They say it's made from hair and blood! Just thinking about it gives me chills! What do you guys even like about that guy?!"
"He's pretty!"
"......"
The man gaped at the maid, momentarily speechless, then bellowed again.
"See? You've totally been enchanted! You have one of those gold coins too, don't you? Tom said those are suspicious as hell! Spit 'em all out!"
His argument was this: The "redhead" the prince brought in had inexplicably won over the servants' affections, even the strict butler and head maid were overly lenient with him, and above all, the fact that the prince brought him was highly suspicious.
"And did you see the greenhouse? That glass one where you could see right inside got covered in vines overnight! We need to investigate that too! For our prince's sake......"
'If it's for my sake, then leave my friend alone!'
Unable to listen any longer, Liannus strode forward and blocked the man's path.
"You!"
"Whoa, Your Highness? And......"
"You're fiiired......!?"
He was about to declare the firing boldly when his body suddenly lifted into the air.
"Huh? Nil, when did you get here?"
"......"
"W-wait, Nil! Put me down!"
"......"
Liannus flailed his arms and legs wildly to escape Nihil's hold. But no matter how much he struggled, his friend didn't budge an inch, simply turning around and walking off with steady steps.
"Nil, wait! I have things to do......!"
Then he made eye contact with the wide-eyed servants.
His face flushed bright red.
"Waaah! Nil's a dummy!"
Nihil sat the still-pouting Liannus beside him and continued reading the report aloud. He seemed upset about carrying him in like a baby in front of the servants.
"...So instead of firing them, I'm thinking of having them rewrite their magic contracts."
"Can't we just fire them?"
"Rian, don't let appearances deceive you. Besides, from their perspective, I am suspicious."
"But...!"
"And some of those guys were the ones you stamped on the face."
Nihil trusted Liannus's surprisingly sharp instincts.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
He might be a bit oblivious otherwise...
"Rian, spies don't step forward recklessly. Especially not after a major purge has already weeded out a bunch."
Nihil stroked the increasingly limp, wobbly seaweed beside him and continued.
"That Tom guy's probably a spy. He's subtly stirring things up while avoiding the old butler's and head maid's eyes."
And he's one of the guys you refused to stamp till the end.
"Then let's fire him!"
"Calm down, Rian. The Queen is methodical. That's why I need to remain an 'ambiguous unknown' to her plans. Something suspicious, but not confirmed. Even if 'I' factor into her scheme, it has to be something I can twist at any time."
Liannus still pouted, staring sullenly at Nihil. He didn't quite get what he was driving at.
"We can weed out spies, but we can't let the enemy know we've done it. That in itself is information. Right now, when we can't extract intel from their side, all we can do is plug our leaks and sow confusion with disinformation."
"So you're just going to leave the spies be?"
"Not leaving them. Binding them with magic contracts."
Nihil picked up the contract in front of him and waved it.
"If any get scared by 'magic contract' and quit, we can just let them go."
"But Nil... weren't those fake?"
Even Liannus, who had no mana and thus no connection to magic, knew magic contracts were rare. And expensive.
But the butler confirmed no budget had been allocated for purchasing any in the palace.
"Rian."
Nihil smiled lazily, brushing back the tilting seaweed.
"Where do you think all those mana crystals I refined went?"
Crack. A shard of porcelain crunched under a boot heel.
Kenis scanned the room. The floor was soaked from the spilled vase water, and the delicate flowers that had been in it were trampled into a pitiful mess.
"It hasn't even been ten days."
"You call that an excuse?!"
Just looking at her idiot brother's face made Helia's barely suppressed anger bubble up again.
"Then why send off the wet nurse you'd raised like that?"
"If you pitied her so much, why didn't you pull her out?"
"I didn't have that kind of mercy."
Kenis said that, but inwardly cursed Helia for being so ruthless.
Sarete had chosen suicide while under investigation for questioning. It wasn't a direct order from Helia.
Of course, she had planned to dispose of her if the interrogation dragged on...
Thanks to that, she returned sooner than expected.
'Now, no one knows the prince's secret except the mage.'
Helia took a deep breath, clinging to that one consolation amid the worst-case scenario.
"So, how was life in the cold palace?"
"You call that a question? Want me to send you there once?"
Her brother's mockery ground her teeth. The cold palace stint itself wasn't important.
The problem was the cutoff. By the time she returned to the palace, everything was over.
She'd tried to plant a few more in the 2nd Prince's palace when they recruited servants, but somehow they were all sifted out, and entry was complete before she could stop it.
Even the few remaining spies fled in fear of the magic contracts and reported back just recently. One she'd tried to coax later was dragged off for stealing from the prince.
'Idiots! At least bring back a magic contract...!'
Now she couldn't even confirm if the contracts were real or fake. It would have been better if one had signed and died.
"Well, at least you got back early."
"Ha, can't you see these petitions?"
Helia slammed down the thick stack of papers on the table.
The moment she returned to court politics, she was hit with petitions from the trading companies she'd promised backroom deals to.
She hadn't expected Sedes to set aside all other work and prioritize hers, completely catching her off guard.
"Allie Trading Company......"
All the supply contracts for the banquet goods bore the Allie Trading Company's mark.
For Sedes, who detested favoring any one group, to push them this hard meant some deal was in place.
'They sent precious potions and herbs to the 2nd Prince's palace.'
Noah Allie, the baron's sole heir, had been confirmed visiting the 2nd Prince's palace frequently.
"Ah, that company. They've been strutting around lately over some 'heat stones' or whatever."
Kenis scoffed, calling them mere merchant trash who couldn't read the room.
But Helia couldn't laugh.
With everyday goods made from heat stones, Allie Trading Company was growing at a frightening pace. Even though no other company in the kingdom could rival them already.
'Their funds are already impossible to ignore, and if they grow further and back the 2nd Prince...'
Sedes must have struck some deal with the company.
"Allie the baron certainly has a huge desire for recognition. He doesn't realize flailing around just makes him look smaller."
"Brother, this isn't something to brush off so lightly!"
How could the son of a ducal house be this stupid? No wonder Father wouldn't retire.
"Maybe... those magic employment contracts they used in the 2nd Prince's palace are real after all."
It wasn't impossible if Allie Trading Company footed the bill. But without proof, it only frustrated her more.
'Maybe send in a sacrificial lamb...'
With her planted spies gone, it would be easier to send someone to sign a contract than steal one.
Knock knock-
She was pondering who to sacrifice when the door sounded, interrupting her thoughts.
"Your Highness, a guest from the Magic Tower has arrived."
Helia glanced at her brother.
"Aren't you going?"
"What would I have to hide from you? I need to know everything to help."
"...Let them in."
Helia barely suppressed a deep sigh from her gut.
Fine, useless as he was, he'd inherit the duchy someday. Might as well use him.
Click. The door opened, and a hooded figure followed the butler in.
"Butler, no need for tea. You're dismissed."
"Yes."
Once the door closed, the guest bowed deeply.
"Glad to see you're unscathed."
"Do I look unscathed to you?"
"You still have strength to throw vases. Or did your hand slip from weakness?"
He kicked a porcelain shard at his feet demonstratively to the side.
"You never let a word slide, do you."
Helia narrowed her eyes sharply. But mages were valuable, and most above 5th circle were imperial citizens—she couldn't punish him.
"So, what brings you? Did you confirm what I asked?"
"Yes. The Magic Tower hasn't sold magic contracts in bulk for the past five years."
"They could have bought in parts."
"Same thing. And you know contracts must be written by a mage."
Helia's eyes narrowed. So Allie Trading Company hadn't paid for them either.
Did that mean all the contracts were fakes? Just a show to filter people out?
"No chance they were blank contracts?"
"Haha... you wouldn't ask if you didn't know."
"......"
Irritated by the sarcasm, Helia unfolded her fan with a snap. The blank contracts she'd bought from him weren't cheap, even for her.
The mage continued his explanation soothingly—or mockingly—in a soft tone.
"Blank contracts usable by anyone skyrocket in price, and few mages can make them."
"...I know that much."
"Haha, of course. Don't worry. Even if they were real, they wouldn't have worked."
Contracts activate upon signing.
But the 2nd Prince's palace contracts presupposed "serving another master," creating a contradiction from the start.
No mere contract could bind the past.
'But if by some chance they were real......'
The mage's eyes gleamed.