The Paper Trail

Alexander opened the door and stepped inside, feigning surprise. "Your Grace. You are awake?"

I smirked. "Yes. I only woke up a short while ago."

Alexander bowed his head slightly at my words. "That Your Grace has regained consciousness is a great blessing for the Empire."

"Haha. Thank you for saying so. Please, have a seat."

I gestured to the seat opposite me, and he sat down on the sofa.

A tedious stretch of time passed as we exchanged brief, superficial updates. Eventually, feeling the prickle of his own guilty conscience, Alexander spoke up. "But I hear you were looking for me in quite a hurry?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes. I heard that His Highness King Yohanes and you, Representative, have been sick with worry over me. Furthermore, I wished to give you my answer regarding the proposal you mentioned, after having given it some deep thought."

Gulp.

Alexander swallowed hard. He, too, must feel it. From this moment on, it was a battle of wits between us.

"Haha... We are simply content that Your Grace has regained consciousness."

I sneered inwardly but kept my face perfectly composed. Where do you think you're slipping off to? I could sense he had abandoned any hope of pushing his impossible demands, but I had no intention of letting him off easy.

"First of all, I completely understand why you expressed concern for my sister-in-law's safety due to my injury. Had I been in His Highness Yohanes's position, I would have acted the exact same way."

Heh. How does that feel? You must be sweating, not knowing what I'll say next. In the worst-case scenario, even if it meant ending our alliance and taking a slight hit to my reputation, I might leak to the Emperor Faction that Yohanes had swallowed up Epirus and Egypt. But I had no intention of doing that. There was no need to create unnecessary, unpredictable risks.

"Haha... No, not at all. Seeing you so hale and hearty, I am sure His Highness Yohanes, your close friend, will understand as well."

As expected of the cautious Alexander, he didn't bite the bait I had laid out. If he had jumped at the chance and demanded Princess Joy's engagement or that she be sent to Nicaea, I would have crushed him on the spot.

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"I appreciate you saying so, but..." I gestured toward Agrippa. "According to this fellow here, I heard you pressed the matter quite aggressively."

Alexander shook his head. "Haha... It seems General Agrippa is not yet well-versed in diplomatic rhetoric."

A chuckle escaped my lips. It was hilarious watching him try to sweep this mess under the rug by using "diplomatic rhetoric" as an excuse.

"How could that be? Though he serves a lacking master like myself, Agrippa is a genius, easily counted among the greatest heroes of this era."

Alexander's eyes darted around as he replied, "But since he has no formal training in diplomacy..."

Growing weary of this tedious verbal sparring, I decided to cut straight to the chase.

"Representative Alexander."

I cut him off mid-sentence.

"Yes?"

"I currently believe the mastermind behind this entire incident is in Nicaea."

Saying this would force him to react with outrage. The reason Yohanes and Alexander had sought out Agrippa in the first place was to emphasize that they had nothing to do with the assassination attempt—and to snatch some benefits along the way. But what if I openly declared my suspicion right here and now?

"Your Grace...? Are you seriously believing the absurd claims of those assassins right now?"

I smiled as I watched Alexander raise his voice, feigning indignation.

"Yes. I am indeed suspicious."

As I spoke with casual ease, Alexander glared at me, his eyes narrowing. "Your Grace! What are you saying? Are you truly doubting us, who are entirely innocent?"

I laughed inwardly at the sight of Alexander shouting, his face turning beet red in denial. It was so transparent. His theatrical display of righteous fury was truly a sight to behold. Well, he had every reason to be furious. They had to avoid any rumors of attempting to assassinate the Emperor at all costs.

"Your Grace! This is a hostile act that insults the Kingdom of Nicaea! To suspect us, your allies, without a shred of evidence?!"

I smirked. Even if there was actual evidence, would they ever admit to it? Unless it was some decisive proof protected by anti-forgery magic. But of course, no such evidence existed. So they would never confess.

And even if I pushed it, could I convince the other nobles? The answer was no. The nobility would undoubtedly side with Yohanes, whose reputation far exceeded mine. They would probably claim I fabricated the evidence to eliminate a rival, staged the whole incident myself, or was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠persecuting the Emperor. After all, my current public image in the Empire was that of a tyrannical minister ruling the realm with the Emperor held hostage.

Therefore, I decided to pull out the secret weapon I had prepared long ago.

"According to what I heard from Agrippa, you claimed there must be a faction trying to drive a wedge between us and the Kingdom of Nicaea, correct?"

Alexander, still huffing with a flushed face, replied, "Yes! That is indeed what I said."

I smirked. Well then, let me throw your own words right back at you.

Hiding my insidious thoughts, I spoke with nonchalant ease. "I agree with that sentiment. After all, there is no reason for the wise King Yohanes to betray us."

No reason to betray us... It was hilarious to say such things when both of us were actively plotting to stab each other in the back, but well... politics was a shameless game.

"Then why on earth are you suspecting us?!"

I smiled at his outburst. "While I can trust King Yohanes, it seems he is rather poor at managing his subordinates. How can I easily trust you under those circumstances?"

At my cryptic remark, Alexander's eyes trembled behind his mask of feigned anger. It was only natural, as he was likely struggling to grasp the core of my point.

I slid something forward.

"Do you know what these are?"

I presented six palm-sized sheets of paper. Five of them consisted of two remittance receipts from the Bank of Epirus and three promissory notes drawn from an account at the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bank.

High-value promissory notes and remittance receipts issued by banks were enchanted with expensive anti-forgery magic. Since banking documents had historically been prime targets for fraud, such measures were standard practice here. If anyone attempted to arbitrarily alter the numbers, letters, or seals on a bank-issued document, the ink would instantly turn a bright, telltale red.

Alexander's expression froze as he took the papers from my hand.

"This is proof that funds flowed from an account in the Bank of Epirus directly to the anti-Grand Duchy faction. If you look closely, you will see the exact account number of the Epirus bank printed right there."

During the armistice negotiations with the anti-Grand Duchy faction, I had suspected Yohanes was financially backing them, so I had demanded these very documents. In exchange, I had reduced the planned mandate period from ninety-nine years to ninety years. But because the truth proven by these papers was so monumentally important, I had gladly made the concession.

"Uh... well..." Alexander's eyes darted frantically as he racked his brain for a way out of this predicament.

But I had no intention of letting him off the hook so easily.

"Well, what do you think, Representative Alexander?"

Those papers were decisive proof that Yohanes's funds had flowed to the anti-Grand Duchy faction. The money had been funneled to them through the Bank of Epirus, and we had already verified the account details at the bank. Naturally, the account belonged to the Nicaean state treasury, but I deliberately omitted that specific detail from the papers I showed him. I had to leave them a small loophole to escape through so they could offer some pathetic excuse. Of course, Alexander would assume that, unless I was an idiot, I had already verified the owner of that account.

As Alexander sat in stunned silence, unable to formulate a response, I spoke up again.

"I am sure His Highness King Yohanes was entirely unaware of this. However, this is undeniable proof that a faction seeking to sow discord between us exists within Nicaea."

I, too, had no desire to start a war with them right this instant. Even if the Grand Duchy was currently formidable, less than a month had passed since the war ended. We simply did not have the resources to wage another war so soon.

"Haha... My, oh my... This is quite..." Alexander's mind was spinning at a dizzying speed. He was undoubtedly running the numbers. It was a complicated calculation—it had to be.

Should he meekly accept the olive branch I was offering, or should he claim the documents were forged?

He was free to claim forgery. In fact, I would welcome it. If he did, I would simply submit these papers to Parliament and demand an official audit. That would inevitably trigger a concentrated investigation into Epirus. Consequently, the truth would be laid bare: Yohanes had swallowed up Epirus, and then attempted to harm me, the very person who had handed Epirus over to him.

Even if the Emperor Faction opposed the audit and managed to block it, once the papers entered Parliament, the damage would be done. The MPs of the Emperor Faction weren't fools; they would be forced to harbor deep suspicions about the connection between Yohanes, who had intervened in the anti-Grand Duchy civil war, and the Bank of Epirus.

"Haha... Once again, I am left in awe of Your Grace's brilliance. I never would have imagined such subversive elements existed within our kingdom."

Alexander put on a shameless display of nonchalance. I had expected him to capitulate easily. After all, neither Yohanes nor I wanted a fight right now. Yohanes wanted to swallow the Empire, and I didn't want Yohanes's territory to be torn to shreds just yet. What I wanted was for Yohanes and the Emperor Faction to bleed each other dry. When they were both weakened, I would crush them both in a single blow.

Concealing my true intentions, I smiled.

"Therefore, for the time being... or at least until it is proven that no such subversive elements remain in Nicaea, the engagement and marriage must be delayed. I cannot possibly send my sister-in-law to a place where her safety cannot be guaranteed, can I?"

Alexander's eyes darted around. He needed time to think. How does it feel? Having to swallow the exact same logic you tried to force on me?

"But... according to the peace treaty..."

I nodded. "I have no intention of breaking the promise itself. However, when subversive elements reside in Nicaea and have attempted to assassinate both the Emperor and myself here in distant Roman, how could I possibly persuade my family to agree to this?"

Alexander nodded in agreement. "I understand. That is only natural, of course. Haha... Thank you so much for sharing this crucial information with us."

Watching Alexander bow repeatedly, offering his effusive thanks, I smiled warmly. "Thank you for your understanding. I knew you were a man of reason, Representative Alexander."

"I, too, feel that we share a deep understanding, Your Grace."

I smirked. Did you really think that was all?

"However," I continued, "the fact remains that we have suffered immense damage due to these subversive elements. Our Grand Duchy's territory was ravaged by our enemies, after all."

Alexander put on a look of deep regret. "We are terribly sorry. We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should have kept a tighter rein on our internal affairs... We are deeply ashamed that such an unfortunate incident has occurred."

Surely you didn't think that was the end of it?

"Furthermore, did they not kidnap the current Emperor and Princess Joy in an attempt to instigate a war between our two factions? In the process, I sustained severe injuries."

Alexander groaned inwardly. "Ugh... We truly have no excuse."

"I expect compensation."

At my demand, Alexander hesitated for a moment before speaking. "That is only fair. I will report this to His Highness Yohanes and request the authority to offer appropriate compensation."

I nodded. "I appreciate the sentiment. Since we must bring this matter to a close, please report to your home country and get back to me."

Wiping away his cold sweat with a handkerchief, Alexander spoke hurriedly. "Haha... Then I shall take my leave... I must report this urgent matter to His Highness Yohanes as quickly as possible."

I smiled. "Yes, do take care on your way."

Once I confirmed he had departed, I turned to Agrippa with a bright grin. "Well? Did you learn anything from watching that?"

Agrippa nodded slowly. "I believe that if Your Grace had chosen to become a con artist, you would have been spectacularly successful."