Earl Roberts's Miscalculation
Earl Roberts. His exact name was Graham Roberts. He was a shrewd businessman who had grown the merchant coalition inherited from his predecessor into the largest in the Rustier Kingdom. His agility and judgment were indeed the makings of an excellent merchant. However, in the novel, his rise to even greater heights was not due to his talent alone.
In the original novel, Earl Roberts was the very first to collude with Carmel, dipping his hands into illicit enterprises. Under the Queen's tacit approval, he smuggled vast quantities of opium from the East into the Rustier Kingdom. The King, too, was gradually poisoned by Carmel with that very opium. Losing his sound judgment, the King became unable to resist her plots to ruin both the kingdom and Princess Sera. With this as her starting point, Carmel gradually seized control of the Rustier Kingdom.
Thus, Earl Roberts's business was something that absolutely had to be stopped. I already knew that several letters had been exchanged between the House of Roberts and Carmel. However, I had failed to obtain the letters themselves. Even with a princess's authority, the Queen's correspondence was not something that could be easily intercepted and opened. If that's the case...
Conveniently, my schedule for today was completely clear. I turned to the maid waiting right beside me.
"Anna, send word to the House of Roberts that I will be visiting. Tell them it is not an official visit, but a private audience."
"The House of Roberts, you say. What time should I schedule the visit for, Your Highness?"
"Right now."
"Yes, understood."
Anna scurried off. I quickly finished preparing to go out, and upon hearing that the carriage was ready, I stepped out of my room.
"Haha, welcome, Princess Sera! I am utterly humbled by the visit of such an esteemed guest!"
As I stepped down from the carriage, Earl Roberts bowed with exaggerated gestures. I offered a brief, polite nod in return and followed him inside.
It was a magnificent mansion, befitting the wealthiest man in the kingdom. The gardens were manicured with a grandeur that rivaled even those of the royal palace. Crossing the bridge over the garden pond, Earl Roberts and I entered the estate.
The mansion's drawing room was decorated with imposing splendor. The plush red carpets and towering, ornate furniture seemed designed to overwhelm any visitor. It was likely a deliberate arrangement meant to intimidate. Any ordinary merchant stepping into this room would surely feel their heart shrink in fear.
The moment we entered the room, Earl Roberts dismissed all the servants, including the maids. As soon as he sat across from me, he asked, "Now, let us hear what brings you here, Your Highness. To what do I owe the honor of today's visit?"
"I am here today regarding a matter concerning the Queen."
In the span of a single heartbeat, a myriad of thoughts flickered through Earl Roberts's eyes. Shrugging his shoulders as if he knew absolutely nothing, he replied, "The new Queen, you say? My, why would you bring that up to me... Well, I am listening."
"I hear you are planning a new business venture, Earl Roberts. And that you are partnering with the Queen to do so."
Earl Roberts's eyes sharpened in an instant. However, he quickly masked it with a look of feigned amusement. "I have no idea what you are talking about. There is no such plan. Could it be a mere rumor?"
"Is there truly no such plan? Not even one to import opium from the East?"
In an instant, Earl Roberts's expression froze into a cold, expressionless mask. His fingers, heavily adorned with extravagant rings, tapped against the table in discomfort. "On what grounds do you make such claims?"
"There was an informant, Earl Roberts. Someone very close to you. I could bring forth undeniable evidence this very moment, but I came here today to offer you an opportunity."
"An opportunity?"
"An opportunity to return to the right path. You must know all too well what would happen to the kingdom if that much opium were brought in. I am offering you a chance to correct the mistake of harboring such wicked intentions."
"...And what, specifically, does that entail?"
Wearing an angelic smile, I extended my hand to him.
"Take my hand instead of Carmel's. While I cannot allow the opium trade, I promise to secure you profits of equal measure. Through legal means, of course."
Earl Roberts stared intently at my face, trying to read my true intentions. But soon, he put on a hypocritical smile and spoke.
"Haha, I am terribly sorry, Your Highness, but since I have never partnered with the Queen, I have absolutely no idea what you are referring to. Opium? I, Graham Roberts, have never harbored such disloyal thoughts! This so-called informant is likely nothing more than a slanderer."
I couldn't help but feel disappointed by Earl Roberts's greed. How foolish. Both in the novel and in this reality.
The only reason I had personally come all this way and revealed what I knew was to truly give him a chance. A single, final opportunity. A chance to wash his hands of this dark business and continue living as the wealthiest man in the Rustier Kingdom.
If he had taken my hand, he could have used the information I possessed to remain a proud, wealthy tycoon and a loyal subject of this nation. Earl Roberts had just kicked away that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Withdrawing my hand, I spoke.
"Are you certain you won't regret this?"
"What is there to regret? I assure you, Your Highness, I have nothing to do with this."
Seeing him act so confidently, he was likely certain that no informant existed. He probably assumed I had merely caught wind of the letters he exchanged with Carmel.
However, I possessed information far more detailed than that. I even knew that the cargo ship loaded with opium, scheduled to dock at the pier in the dead of night under his orders, was named the Lily of the Valley.
"Is that all you have to say? Haha, it seems you have made a fruitless trip, Your Highness. Since you are already here, would you care for a cup of tea before you go?"
I smiled faintly and replied, "No. I have no desire to consume anything offered by your hand."
Leaving those words behind, I walked straight out of the room.
Even in the early hours of the morning, the pier was filled with the bustling energy unique to a harbor. Sailors were shouting to one another in rough, booming voices.
Amidst the clamor, a massive cargo ship glided into the dock. The name carved into its hull read the Lily of the Valley. It had arrived three days later than its scheduled date.
After the ship docked, someone stepped down from the deck and handed a stack of documents to the harbor official. The official scribbled something on them and handed them back to the crewman. Filgret and I did not miss this opportunity and approached them.
"Excuse me. May I take a look at those documents?"
"Huh?"
"This is the First Princess of this kingdom, Her Highness Princess Sera. And I am Filgret, the Knight Commander of the Royal Guard. Hand over those documents immediately."
When Filgret flashed his seal, the official holding the papers began to tremble violently. Filgret let out a sigh, snatched the documents from his hands, and passed them to me.
"Let's see... The cargo is listed as 'medicinal herbs.' Hmm, but they aren't just ordinary herbs, are they? Why did you grant import clearance without even inspecting the goods, Officer?"
"T-That is... An official directive was handed down ordering us to grant clearance to this specific ship without asking any questions... I-I am terribly sorry!"
"An official directive... Would you mind showing it to me?"
Realizing that things had gone horribly wrong, the crewman from the Lily of the Valley turned pale and bolted back toward the deck. I immediately commanded Filgret.
"Secure the ship, Filgret."
"Yes, Your Highness."
At Filgret's signal, soldiers disguised as ordinary passersby followed him onto the Lily of the Valley. After a brief flurry of shouting and clashing steel, Filgret signaled to me from the deck that the situation was under control.
The official directive that the officer hurriedly brought over was stamped with the unmistakable royal seal. It would have been utterly impossible for a mere low-ranking official to refuse it. At the very least, his trembling proved he was aware that what he was doing was wrong.
"Do not speak of this to anyone. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, of course! Absolutely!"
Slipping the document he gave me into my coat, I boarded the ship. Filgret and the soldiers were already hauling the cargo onto the deck.
When we pried open one of the crates, a black, dried substance wrapped in paper was revealed. After carefully inspecting it, Filgret approached me.
"It is exactly as you said, Your Highness. It is all opium."
"Leave only one crate to serve as evidence, and dump the rest of the contents into the sea."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Splash! Splash!
Opium worth an astronomical sum on the market was cast into the ocean. I didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. The captain and the crew of the Lily of the Valley all looked as though they had just received their death sentences. In truth, they likely had. The importation of narcotics was strictly forbidden in this kingdom.
"Given the severity of this incident, the royal family will conduct the investigation directly. Escort them all to Lurie, Filgret."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Bound in ropes, the crewmen were led off the Lily of the Valley and onto the shore. After ordering Filgret to search the rest of the ship, I stepped back onto dry land.
"Sigh..."
I rummaged through the stack of documents piled before me. No matter how many times I reviewed them, the result was the same. There wasn't a single shred of evidence linking the House of Roberts to the Lily of the Valley or its crew.
Not bad, Earl Roberts.
It seemed he possessed enough meticulousness to be absolutely certain that no informant could betray him. He had set up multiple layers of intermediaries, making it incredibly difficult to trace the tail back to him. Those intermediaries were likely either fictitious entities or had already been disposed of.
It would be rather difficult to ensnare Earl Roberts with this incident alone. However, the blow to him would not be light. The funds he had poured into purchasing the opium and securing the Lily of the Valley had vanished into thin air. Right about now, he was probably slamming his fists against his mahogany table in a fit of rage.
Of course, this was still far from enough. Until I brought about the complete ruin of the House of Roberts, and by extension, forced Carmel to kneel before me once again—I had absolutely no intention of stopping.