It's Way Too Suspicious
Several days had passed since the Imperial Knights' full force had been dispatched to exterminate the monsters infesting the northern provinces.
“Hoo...”
Duke Howard Montersen puffed lazily on his pipe in the drawing room of his mansion.
On the ornate table sat expensive red wine, dried meat, cheese, and other snacks. But his gaze never strayed from them.
The Duke's eyes were locked solely on the tightly closed door.
'It shouldn't be much longer now...'
The grandfather clock chimed sharply at exactly eight o'clock.
A moment later, the butler opened the door, and the guest the Duke had been waiting for appeared.
“Duke Montersen, sorry for being late.”
It was Marquis Horneon Marlboro.
He gave the seated Duke a slight bow.
“No harm. You arrived right on time.”
“You don't say. I left early, but something came up on the way.”
“Something?”
Marlboro nodded in agreement.
Montersen gestured for him to sit.
Once Marlboro took the opposite chair, the Duke spoke.
“What was it?”
“Oh, it's nothing special. Just... I was worried about how things were going in the northern provinces, so I sent out a scout.”
“Tsk. You went behind my back.”
Montersen showed no effort to hide his irritation.
At noble gatherings he openly clashed with Empress Cecilia, but he had no intention of secretly plotting against her now.
It wasn't because he was righteous or had a conscience.
It was simply that he didn't need to act against her yet.
“I'm sorry, Your Grace. I couldn't wait to receive the imperial report, so I... didn't say anything.”
“So the messenger came at the perfect time?”
“Yes, but...”
Marlboro trailed off.
The Duke narrowed his eyes and stared at the marquis's face, trying to guess what else he had been about to say.
“He was injured. He told me he was ambushed by a stranger in the dead of night.”
“Did imperial knights notice a tail?”
“He said the attacker moved as if it were broad daylight in the darkness.”
“...”
Montersen crossed his arms and furrowed his brows deeply.
“You noticed the tail beforehand...”
“It seems so. The scout said he tried to identify the attacker but got an arrow in the shoulder and had to retreat in a hurry.”
“That means someone else was sent along with the imperial knights.”
“We didn't manage to find that out.”
A thick layer of regret colored Marlboro's voice.
“I see...”
Suddenly the Duke's mind grew complicated.
He had assumed the imperial knights were the only ones sent, but now it seemed another secret force had been dispatched.
'Is there something they're hiding?'
Empress Cecilia Campbell Eckhart was only nineteen, yet she was competent at her work.
But her tolerance for opposition and the majesty and charisma to lead the nobles still fell far short of her father's legacy.
Even more so than the former Empress Dowager Olivia, who had served as imperial regent.
That was exactly why Montersen openly clashed with her.
Even as emperor, it wasn't easy to casually belittle the powerful Montersen family.
'I should consider the possibility that they're secretly gathering forces.'
But he concluded that it wasn't worth watching too closely yet.
For now, at least.
“Right. Let's set that aside for now. What did the emperor say?”
“Thanks to the imperial knights joining, two of the four monsters have been exterminated. There were some injured, but no fatalities yet.”
“Hmph... I wanted more losses.”
“Yes, I'm a little disappointed about that too.”
They exchanged the conversation as casually as if they were discussing the weather.
The larger the damage to the imperial knights, the stronger the excuse to criticize the empress.
But if the losses were less than expected, it would be hard to attack her over it. She would certainly celebrate the successful extermination of the monsters.
It would be difficult to criticize her right there.
Even for the Duke, who held the second-highest influence after the imperial family.
“This situation happened because of that guy, right?”
Marlboro wrinkled his nose as he spoke the word “that guy.”
“The direct secretary? What's his name again?”
“Luke Nedville, Your Grace.”
“As I thought. You were hoping the empress would be mortified...”
Tsk tsk.
Montersen clicked his tongue in regret.
He hadn't proposed dispatching troops and inviting his second son just to fulfill his own ambitions.
As emperor, he had to resolve the empire's crisis.
But for her, it was an impossible condition to accept.
He had hoped she would clash and feel powerless because of it.
He had also been sure the imperial nobles would refuse to support troops.
But his plan had backfired quickly.
Because of one upstart from the countryside.
“The baron’s second son was supposed to be ignored, but he needs to be watched closely. What do you think, Your Grace?”
“Pfft. A few flies buzzing around won’t bother me much. Anyway, I can dispose of him with a snap of my fingers.”
As Montersen spoke, he made a dismissive hand gesture. A sly smile curved Marlboro’s lips.
“Your Grace, I have another idea. Would you like to hear it?”
Marlboro spoke cautiously after confirming the Duke’s nod.
“What if we try to lure that guy over to our side?”
“...”
“He probably knows the empress’s weaknesses and secrets. If we can pull him over...”
“Enough!”
The Duke’s shout silenced the marquis at once.
“He’s just a brat. It’s not worth the trouble to lure him. Got it, Marquis?”
“... Yes, Your Grace.”
Marlboro bowed his head. Montersen watched him for a moment, then uncorked the wine bottle.
“One glass?”
“With pleasure.”
They filled each other’s glasses and quietly toasted. Then they downed them in one gulp.
After that, they sipped wine from time to time and discussed various issues.
When it was already late, Marlboro finally stood up.
“Be careful on your way back.”
“Yes. I hope you have a pleasant night as well, Your Grace.”
Once he was in the carriage, Marlboro leaned back against the wall as much as possible and crossed his arms.
'His Grace said there was no need...'
Yet he couldn’t shake the thought that if he could lure that secretary over, it would be an excellent card to play.
'I could test him out, after all.'
He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes as a slight buzz crept over him.
* * *
Today, after struggling with documents until my eyes hurt, I finally made it home.
“Ugh, I’m dead tired...”
I stretched my arms while walking down the palace corridor. There was no one around, so I could do it freely.
“Direct Secretary Nedville!”
Suddenly someone called my name from behind.
“Huh? You startled me!”
When I turned, it was Karl, the mail carrier I’d recently become friendly with.
“What is it?”
“Here, a letter came for you, sir.”
Karl handed me an envelope. The sender’s name was missing.
I asked about it, and he answered,
“They just told me to deliver it to you. I didn’t have time to ask who it was.”
“I see. Anyway, thanks. I’ll take it inside.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good night.”
As soon as I entered my room, I set the letter on the desk and stared at it intently.
No sender name? And it’s addressed to me?
This is way too suspicious.
“First, I should read the content to know what it’s about.”
I tore open the envelope with my fingers.
The letter was short and to the point.
“Tomorrow afternoon at eight.
The back table at Lenga Pub.
I have something important to tell you there.”
“Whoa, this is way too fishy.”
They say they have something to tell me but are probably going to kidnap me or sell me to a tuna ship...
... Ah, tuna ships don’t exist in this era anyway.
No matter how I looked at it, this was definitely something I should never attend. With great force.
Then who could have sent this?
“Hoooh...”
I had no clue.
I knew it was from someone of higher noble rank, but...
The problem was that there would be too many suspects if I investigated it.
There wasn’t a single noble of lower rank in this palace than me.
'But if I don’t go, I’ll face trouble later, won’t I?'
The sudden unease hit me hard.
This era was far more savage than modern South Korea.
If the higher-ups wanted me gone, a mere second son of a baron could disappear anytime!
In that case, I had no choice.
To keep myself safe, I had to rely on the highest person possible.
That meant carrying this letter straight to Empress Cecilia and explaining everything.