Eat This, You Bastard!
The Marquis of Marlboro sat on a bench tucked away in a quiet corner of the banquet hall.
“I have brought the secretary as you commanded, my lord.”
“Good. You may leave.”
The marquis waved his hand dismissively at the butler who had escorted me. The butler offered a polite bow to both the marquis and me before returning to his duties.
“……”
The marquis sat with his legs crossed, staring at my face with a crooked, arrogant posture.
From the look of it, he expected me to greet him first.
Though I had no desire to do so, I reminded myself of the difference in our stations and bent at the waist in a forty-five-degree bow.
“A peaceful evening to you, Marquis Marlboro.”
“How quick you are to offer greetings.”
The marquis clicked his tongue loudly, as if to make a show of it.
The words what the hell do you want, old man? rose all the way to my throat, but I exercised every ounce of patience I possessed and swallowed them back down.
“Hmm……”
Instead of stating his business, he simply let out a heavy, low hum. Even so, his dark eyes meticulously scanned every inch of my face.
It was the kind of gaze that looked down from above, evaluating me.
It felt like the look one might give when appraising the worth of an object, and a wave of displeasure washed over me.
“May I ask why you summoned me, my lord?”
I finally couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke first. The marquis clicked his tongue again, clearly irritated by my attitude.
He clicked his tongue so often that it made him seem rather frivolous.
“I was just about to speak, yet here you are rushing me.”
Marquis Marlboro glared at me with a furrowed brow. It wasn’t particularly frightening, but I made a show of slightly hunching my shoulders anyway.
Apparently satisfied by my little performance, the tension around his eyes eased.
“You refused to meet with me, so I decided to call you here myself.”
“……”
When had this man ever requested a meeting with me?
Then it suddenly occurred to me—the anonymous letter I had received before.
“So the one who sent that suspicious letter was……”
“Yes. It was me.”
After answering curtly, the marquis rose from the bench.
“I only sent it as a casual probe, but I was rather surprised that you didn’t even bother to acknowledge it.”
“I’m simply not the type to get hung up on such things.”
“Tsk. How insolent, for someone whose blood hasn’t even dried behind his ears yet.”
Marquis Marlboro clicked his tongue once more.
Even during the aristocratic council, I hadn’t liked him, but seeing him face-to-face like this only confirmed my impression. The man was thoroughly unpleasant.
“Follow me.”
“Where to?”
“Outside the banquet hall. What I have to say isn’t suitable for discussion here.”
I hesitated for a moment.
Surely he wasn’t planning to harm me or anything like that… right?
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I merely wish to have a conversation. I won’t do anything strange.”
Well, even if he tried something, it wouldn’t be easy for him to touch me.
For one thing, I was Empress Cecilia’s Chief Personal Secretary.
For another, Ileina was still undoubtedly watching my every move from the shadows.
So even if this man tried to harm me, he would inevitably face some form of retaliation.
Guess I’ll hear what he has to say first.
I decided it would be good to learn more about this man.
“Very well. Let’s move outside.”
“Follow me. We’ll use the side door.”
Marquis Marlboro pointed to a nearby exit. His intention to avoid drawing attention from others was blatantly obvious.
Just what kind of conversation required this much secrecy…?
I shot a sharp glare at the back of the marquis’s head as he walked ahead, then followed after him.
Meanwhile, Mulia was exchanging greetings with her family.
“My dear, why didn’t you at least send a letter?”
Her father, Count Fordward, gave her a light scolding.
“I’ll write more often from now on, Father.”
“Just make sure you actually do it. Just make sure.”
Even as Count Fordward chided her, he looked at his daughter with unmistakable affection.
“If you ever need anything, just tell us anytime.”
“The imperial palace lacks for nothing, Mother.”
“Still, my child. There’s always the possibility of the unexpected.”
At her mother’s—the Countess Fordward’s—worried words, Mulia gave a faint smile.
Even though Mulia had already come of age and completed her adulthood ceremony, in the countess’s eyes she was still just a little girl. Since Mulia was the couple’s only child, their affection for her was all the more tender.
Understanding her mother’s feelings, Mulia chose not to argue any further.
“I should get going now. Please don’t worry about me and enjoy the banquet at your leisure.”
“Are you going to see Lady Flora?”
At the countess’s question, Mulia nodded.
“If you have time later, bring Lady Flora along as well. It’s been so long since we last greeted her.”
“Yes, Mother.”
After bidding farewell to her parents, Mulia turned to head back toward Flora.
Hm?
That was when she noticed something strange. Luke was standing face-to-face with Marquis Marlboro, engaged in conversation.
As far as she knew, Marquis Marlboro was the right-hand man of Duke Montersen, the elder of the Aristocratic Faction.
One of the people standing in direct opposition to Cecilia.
Why is the secretary with him?
When they had parted earlier, the secretary had been with Flora.
“Mulia? What’s the matter?”
Only when she heard Count Fordward calling her name did Mulia snap out of her thoughts.
“It’s nothing. I just saw someone I know.”
“I see.”
“Then I’ll be going to Lady Flora now.”
After saying goodbye to her parents, Mulia began walking again. She glanced back toward the bench where Luke and the marquis had been standing.
The two men had apparently finished their conversation and were now heading somewhere together.
What on earth could they have been talking about?
Mulia couldn’t tear her eyes away from them until the very moment they slipped out through the side door.
We exited the banquet hall through the side door.
Unlike the hall, which had been bright as daylight thanks to the chandeliers, thick darkness had settled over the outside.
Fortunately, the magic-stone-powered streetlamps nearby allowed me to clearly make out the back of Marquis Marlboro walking ahead of me.
“Just how far are we going?”
“Just a little farther.”
A short while later, the marquis stopped walking. We were in a spot where the lamplight barely reached.
I rolled my eyes around, scanning the surroundings.
There were no windows here from which one could see inside the banquet hall. Naturally, there was no sign of any other people wandering about besides the two of us.
It was the perfect location for a secret conversation.
“Exactly what kind of talk requires you to drag me all the way out here?”
“You’re more impatient than you look.”
The marquis clicked his tongue a few times before finally getting to the point.
“I wish to propose a rather favorable deal.”
“A deal?”
Having no idea what he was talking about, I tilted my head.
“If you accept this deal, I will give you as much money as you desire. On top of that, I will grant you anything else you want.”
The moment I heard the word “money,” my ears perked up.
After all, I needed to gather as much money as possible in order to flee to another country.
But no matter how tempting the money was, my suspicions about Marquis Marlboro didn’t disappear completely.
I still needed to gather more information before making a judgment.
“What exactly is this deal you’re proposing?”
“There is only one thing I want.”
The marquis raised his index finger theatrically.
“All you have to do is sell me the information you possess.”
“Information?”
When I frowned and repeated the word, the marquis confirmed it.
Could the information he wanted possibly be…?
To confirm my suspicion, I asked a more pointed question.
“Does this information happen to concern the imperial family or Her Majesty Cecilia……”
“As expected of the secretary. You’re quick on the uptake.”
“……”
I was honestly a little shocked.
I could understand him voicing opposition to every proposal brought up during the aristocratic council. It was only natural that not every issue would result in unanimous agreement.
But to think he would stoop to scheming behind the scenes like this.
He was far more underhanded and petty than he appeared.
“It’s a simple transaction where you only need to hand over basic information. You won’t lose anything……”
“And if I refuse?”
I cut the marquis off mid-sentence. He shot me a displeased look, but I paid it no mind.
“What do you plan to do if I refuse?”
“Hah!”
The marquis let out a hollow laugh, as if he found me ridiculous.
“I thought you had some brains, but it turns out you’re a fool who can’t even calculate profit and loss!”
“If I were only calculating profit and loss, I would have accepted without hesitation, my lord.”
“What, are you going to start spouting nonsense about justice or righteousness?”
The marquis openly sneered at me.
Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong. There aren’t many things in this world that can be solved with nothing but justice and righteousness.
Even in the Republic of Korea where I had lived in my previous life, I had seen and heard countless examples of that.
But if there are people who live only for their own gain, there are also those who live according to their convictions.
At the very least, I had no desire to do something as despicable as abandoning my principles for profit. That had been one of Baron Nedville—my father’s—long-standing teachings.
A man should live with conviction.
“Yes. That very thing you mock is something I must uphold.”
“So becoming the empress’s secretary has made you arrogant. And you’re nothing more than the son of a mere baronial house.”
Arrogant?
No. Not at all. If anything, I was drowning in work and barely keeping my head above water.
Besides, Cecilia was destined to lead the Eckhart Empire to ruin in the future.
Even knowing all that, I had not the slightest intention of accepting the marquis’s deal.
When I considered whether selling information about Cecilia was an honorable act, the answer was a resounding no.
And I had no desire to use money earned through such underhanded means to fund my departure from the empire. That was the very minimum of my conscience.
“No. If that seems like arrogance to you, then it appears you’re not very good at reading people.”
“What did you just say?”
When I responded calmly, Marquis Marlboro immediately scowled. Even so, I didn’t back down.
“And while you possess both wealth and status, you possess not even a shred of conscience. If you truly believed I would dance to your tune for a few measly coins, then you are gravely mistaken.”
“You’re more entertaining than you look.”
Marquis Marlboro suddenly burst into loud, maniacal laughter. But the laughter didn’t last long.
In an instant, the mirth vanished from his face, and he glared at me with a murderous glint in his eyes.
“Even if it means your family will not remain safe?”
His words were clearly meant to intimidate me with a threat.
Too bad. That threat didn’t work on me at all.
“I wonder. I’m not even sure if you’re truly capable of harming my family in the first place.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know my name? It’s Luke Nedville.”
“Yes. And what of it?”
It seemed he genuinely didn’t remember, so I had no choice but to remind him.
It was a bit of a gamble, but this wasn’t the time to be picky.
“My father is Herald Nedville. The man who once roamed the entire Arsenia Continent, sweeping away pirates and bandits alike.”
“!”
For a brief moment, the marquis’s face filled with shock.
My gamble had paid off.
It seemed my father really had been quite famous across the entire Eckhart Empire back in the day. For this marquis to show such a reaction…
“And above all, do you really think Her Majesty would simply stand by and allow such a thing? Don’t be ridiculous. Wouldn’t any sensible person consider the repercussions?”
“You insolent little……”
The marquis ground his teeth audibly. But he couldn’t offer a single proper rebuttal to my words.
It looked like he had planned to act first and think later.
“Since there seems to be no room for negotiation, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“That opportunity will never come.”
“But I will not let this matter slide. Mark my words, you whelp!”
The marquis spat on the ground in front of me and strode back toward the banquet hall.
Could a person really be this petty?
Rather than feeling angry, I was simply baffled by his behavior. So I decided to give Marquis Marlboro a little parting gift of my own.
“Eat this.”
I flipped him the middle finger behind his back.