The Imperial Audit Team Arrives
I always say, people only do things properly when they're backed into a corner.
In my room within the Annex.
I was busy untying the sacks of gold coins that four nobles had secretly sent me.
Their carefully hidden slush funds, which I'd stashed away so Giselle wouldn't confiscate them, were now completely in my hands.
Good. With this much money, I can install heating systems in the slums and reinforce the outer walls properly.
Humming a tune, I headed straight for Viola's Tavern.
"Oh my, Your Highness. Perfect timing."
In the secret underground room of the tavern.
Viola, who was smoking her pipe as usual, didn't light up with her typical greedy gleam when I tossed the sack of gold coins onto the table.
Instead, she looked dead serious.
"What's with you? That's a pretty lukewarm reaction for seeing money. This pot's going to be quite big, you know?"
"Money's always good. But, Your Highness... right now, money isn't the issue."
Viola stood up and tapped out her pipe.
"The Imperial Audit Team has officially departed from the capital, heading for the North."
"...What did you say?"
"I don't know the exact reason, but it's probably under the pretext of investigating the summary execution of Baron. And do you know who's leading this audit team?"
I flinched and stared at her.
Viola lowered her voice to a whisper.
"The Third Prince, Enoch."
In that instant, fragments of Cael's memories flashed through my mind.
Enoch.
Commander of the Imperial Audit Team.
Though he was my half-brother, there wasn't a single good memory between us.
A rigid, inflexible stickler for principles who had zero tolerance for bending the rules.
He despised Cael.
Not because of his lowly bloodline, but purely because he loathed the man himself for being such a worthless scoundrel.
But on the other hand...
At least he's not a completely unreasonable wall that refuses to listen.
Unlike Baron, who moved purely for personal gain, or the arrogant Emperor.
At the very least, this guy only drew his sword when there was clear legal basis and logic behind it.
If I played my cards right and gave a convincing explanation, this might all blow over without incident.
"Haa..."
A headache was already creeping in as I let out a long sigh.
I looked at Viola.
She immediately shook her head, reading the meaning in my gaze.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. This time, I really can't help you."
"Even if I double your cut?"
"No matter what, digging into or messing with an Imperial Audit Team carries way too much risk."
Viola shrugged.
"If you're going to clash head-on with the Empire like that, you need real power backing you up. Honestly, our prince here still doesn't have that kind of influence, does he?"
"..."
I had nothing to say to that brutal dose of reality.
She was right. I was still nothing more than the Emperor's worthless, good-for-nothing Eighth Prince in name only.
"So, I'm stepping back from this one. Let's just say we're a perfectly innocent back-alley tavern, shall we?"
Even while pretending to look sorry, Viola had said everything she needed to say.
"Of course, I've already erased all traces of the 100,000 gold you spent under the guise of luxury goods. You don't have to worry about that part."
"So you're saying you've all become completely unrelated?"
"That's right. If the audit team sends people to question us, we'll just claim we know nothing."
Viola tapped her fingers on the table.
"Still, there's one problem left."
"What is it?"
"The fact that Her Excellency the Grand Duchess gave you 100,000 gold as spending money for your indulgences hasn't changed."
"Hmm."
"The Third Prince will definitely ask about the whereabouts of that 100,000 gold to find something to pin on you. I forged some rough receipts, but do you really think that strict man will believe it without any actual goods to show? You'll have to handle this part yourself, Your Highness."
Her point was spot on.
The so-called luxury goods had already been converted into food and distributed to the slums and the forward fortress.
If Enoch asked, "Where exactly are those luxury goods worth 100,000 gold?" there wasn't a single item I could present.
I'd done a bit of remodeling in the room, but that wouldn't be nearly enough.
"Haa, fine. I got it."
As I stood up, scratching my head roughly, Viola waved with a sly grin.
"Stay alive out there, Your Highness~"
At the same time, in the central conference room of the Grand Ducal Castle.
Thud!
Giselle tossed the official letter delivered by imperial messenger pigeon onto the table.
[To investigate the truth behind the summary execution of Baron and to conduct an audit of the territory, the audit team led by the Third Prince Enoch has departed for the North.]
The faces of the vassals who read the letter twisted with fury.
"Those damned imperial bastards!!"
Hexion, the Knight Commander, slammed his fist on the table in outrage.
"During the Demonic Beast Wave, they didn't send a single pouch of medicine or a single coin to save our dying soldiers!! But the moment one traitor who tried to sell us out dies, they send an audit team to use it as an excuse?!"
"Exactly, Your Excellency! This is clearly an act of mocking the North!"
Godwin added, his face flushed with anger.
The conference room boiled with the vassals' fury, but Giselle, seated at the head, remained calm and composed.
The Emperor's true intentions are painfully obvious.
Giselle instinctively understood the real purpose behind this audit team.
They were going to use the actions of the Eighth Prince, Cael, who had killed Baron, to charge him with abuse of authority and murder.
Then, riding that momentum, they would try to shake up the entire administration and military authority of the Grand Ducal Castle.
The image of Cael drenched in blood and radiating madness, as reported by Hexion, flashed through her mind.
An irredeemable piece of trash. An incomprehensible madman.
But.
He bled inside my castle while protecting my soldiers.
Whatever the reason, because Cael had killed Baron, the armory remained untouched, and both Hexion and the Second Company survived.
As a ruler, she could not throw someone who had shed blood to defend her castle to the hunting dogs coming from outside.
Giselle made her decision.
"Everyone, stay calm."
At her composed voice, the vassals fell silent.
"Even if the audit team arrives, as long as we have nothing to hide, there will be no problem. Maintain full readiness for territorial defense and thoroughly inspect our internal affairs so they cannot find any unnecessary faults."
That night.
I had just left Viola's Tavern and was walking down the darkened corridor leading back to the Annex when it happened.
"..."
In the middle of the hallway, Giselle stood blocking my path, arms crossed and wearing a cloak.
"Ugh, what is it this time? Is scaring people in the middle of the night some kind of hobby of yours?"
I scowled and grumbled, but Giselle spoke without any change in expression.
"The Third Prince is coming."
"..."
"He will turn this castle upside down, searching for any ridiculous excuse he can find."
Giselle took a step closer to me.
"That shallow imperial status and sophistry you've been wielding in the North will mean nothing to the Imperial Audit Team."
"So?"
I let out a scoff and leaned to one side.
"Don't tell me the Grand Duchess herself is losing sleep worrying that her husband's head might roll off."
At my brazen sarcasm, Giselle furrowed her brow.
"I'm telling you to do nothing and stay quiet."
She continued.
"I simply don't want you causing a scene that gives the Empire an excuse to ignite the flames of war in the North. So just stay silent. Like a dead mouse."
Having said everything she needed to, she immediately turned around.
The moment her retreating figure disappeared around the corner...
Even though she's prickly, she's still looking out for me, right?
No matter how much she snapped at me, at her core, she was a foolishly kind woman.
This was exactly why I liked Giselle.
The headache I'd felt at the news of Enoch's arrival vanished in an instant, replaced by a much lighter mood.
The next day. Morning.
I urgently summoned the four human ATMs to the Annex.
"Alright, everyone pay attention."
I jerked my chin at the four nobles, who were nervously glancing around.
"In a few days, the Imperial Audit Team led by the Third Prince will arrive here. Once they do, they'll drag you all in one by one, interrogate you relentlessly, and dig into everything. So, what are you going to do?"
The four men exchanged glances.
"Look at those eyes. Oh ho. It seems you're planning to abandon this pathetic Eighth Prince and run straight into the arms of the reliable Third Prince instead?"
I snorted as I looked them over.
"Fine. Then I'll just reveal everything about how you all plotted rebellion with me. Let's all get our heads chopped off nicely together for treason. How's that sound?"
"Hiiiiiik!! N-no, Your Excellency!! We would never harbor such treacherous thoughts!!"
"Please spare us!! We are Your Excellency's loyal dogs!!"
The four men threw themselves to the floor, weeping and clutching at my pants legs as they begged.
I chuckled and leaned back against the sofa.
"Right. You want to live? Then starting today, we're going to seriously train your acting skills."
From that afternoon onward, tearful acting lessons began in the Annex.
I drilled them with a perfect scenario to use when I was later questioned about the whereabouts of the 100,000 gold.
"Hey, you. That emotion is lacking. Put more sincerity into it. Make it more desperate."
"W-we will lay our bones in the Grand Duchy...! Long live Her Excellency the Grand Duchess...!"
When I raised my voice, they realized that bad acting might actually get them killed, so they wailed and screamed with genuine desperation.
"Good. That felt very sincere. When that guy arrives, make sure you do exactly that. Got it?"
"Yeeees!! Your Excellency!!"
The four nobles swore their loyalty, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
Perfect. With this, my preparations to face Enoch were complete.
A few days later.
Across the barren, snow-covered lands of the North, a single ornate carriage raced forward, escorted by dozens of armed imperial knights.
Inside the carriage.
The man dressed in an ascetic white uniform, the Third Prince Enoch, was flipping through documents.
"...Cael."
Enoch muttered the name of his half-brother written at the top of the first page.
"This time, I will personally uproot that rotten existence of yours that has been the Empire's shame once and for all."
