Chapter 133
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133
"Haaa..."
A thick cloud of white smoke escaped Albert’s lips, drifting like a ghost through the dim bedroom.
"We’re going to have to ramp up production of Angelic. Sales at the shipboard parties are climbing steadily."
He tilted his head toward the woman lying beside him.
"Contact the Firman pharmacist. Tell them I want to increase our Darsenger imports by twenty percent."
"You can't just have whatever you want simply because you ask for it," Leslie replied with a derisive snort. She had been warming his bed, but now she looked at him with a sharp glint in her eyes. "The Firman Royal Family knows exactly how profitable this is. They won't give up their share easily."
"Then tell them we’ll pay more."
"You know that’s not what they’re after."
As she sat up slowly, the silk sheet draped over her upper body slid down, exposing her pale skin. Albert’s greedy gaze traveled hungrily over her.
Leslie leaned against the cushion Albert was resting on and whispered in his ear.
"What Firma ultimately wants is Cedric Kailas’s head on a platter. But now that I think about it, your idea has merit."
"My idea?"
"Hooking him on Angelic. It would let you vent all that pent-up resentment, and it’ll make him much easier to kill."
Albert nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! Taking him out now isn't an option. Even if we managed to assassinate him, the Imperial Family would hunt us to the ends of the earth."
"But if Duke Kailas falls into the grip of addiction, we can drive him to suicide. The Imperial Investigators won't have a reason to pursue us then. The only problem is how to get him to take the damn stuff..."
Albert’s brow furrowed at her words.
Cedric had indeed consumed alcohol laced with pure Angelic at the Laurel family’s party, but that was nowhere near enough. To trigger a true addiction, he needed to take the drug consistently for at least a month.
However, in the current climate, every scrap of food and drop of drink served to Cedric was thoroughly inspected. They couldn't slip it into his meals, and since he didn't smoke, they couldn't trick him into inhaling it via cigarettes.
"Tsk. We need someone close to him. Someone who can feed it to him regularly..."
Leslie’s eyes gleamed as if she had been waiting for this exact moment. "Don't you have a stunning beauty among your clientele?"
"Who? Ah—Bella Listerwell? She won't work. She’s already engaged."
"Does an engagement ring stop a woman from meeting men? Married women take lovers all the time."
Leslie recalled the report from her comrade, who was currently playing the role of Baroness Ozer.
"That Bella Listerwell... she might look like a porcelain doll on the surface, but she’s a predator. Do you think she snatched Daphne Laurel’s fiancé away by sheer luck?"
"I heard the man fell for her and wouldn't let go."
"Nonsense. She seduced him. She hunted him."
While spying on Cedric at the Kingsley party, Leslie had witnessed Bella being coldly rebuffed by the Duke. By chance, she had followed Bella when the girl retreated into a private room with James Cheslow. Eavesdropping from the shadows, she had learned exactly how Bella 'conquered' her prey.
"She’s a greedy woman. If she sees an opportunity to claim Cedric Kailas, she’ll never let it go."
"But our goal is to kill the Duke," Albert countered. "Will she really help us with that?"
"We don't need to tell her that, do we? Just prod her pride a little. She’ll cooperate."
Leslie was right. There was no need to reveal the endgame.
Leslie chuckled darkly. "If there’s a chance to get her hands on the Empire’s most eligible bachelor, Bella Listerwell will jump at it. Use her."
She leaned in closer, whispering the plan to draw Bella into their web.
*
As expected, Bella arrived at Albert’s doorstep two days before her supply ran out.
But this time, she wasn't just there for her usual fix.
"I need a ten-day supply of Angelic, and a bit more of that other drug I bought last time."
"Ah, that one? I’ll have to notify the factory. Come back in two days."
"Send it via courier instead. Use this address for the delivery."
The slip of paper Bella handed him listed an address on the outskirts of Genoa. It was likely that, just like before, some nameless proxy would pick it up.
"Oh, right! Confidentiality is paramount, isn't it? Understood."
Albert offered a faint, knowing smile and handed her the Angelic.
Bella nodded curtly, confirming the amount. At first, she had taken the drug as a rare delicacy, a way to spice things up. Now, it was indispensable.
When I take this, the pleasure is incomparable.
When she used Angelic while rolling in the sheets with Tez, the ecstasy was so intense her mind went completely blank. It acted as both a stimulant and a numbing agent, allowing them to lose themselves in each other for hours.
Moreover, the drug was the only thing making her time with James bearable.
It’s the only way to endure that boring man.
Initially, she had enjoyed the conquest—the thrill of taking what belonged to Daphne. But compared to Tez, James’s skills were utterly dull. To make matters worse, he strutted around with the delusion that he was some master lover. It was pathetic.
Haaah. I want to play with other men, too. Tez is good, but a little variety is the spice of life, isn't it?
What Bella craved wasn't devoted love or a stable relationship; she wanted the desperate, burning desire of every man in the room directed solely at her.
And whenever that hunger for deviance swelled within her, Harriet came to mind.
Before, I could just blame everything on Harriet and be done with it.
Back then, Harriet was a cousin she considered a disposable accessory. Now, she had to admit that Harriet’s presence had been more useful than she’d realized. Sending her to the convent had been a tactical error.
Not only had she lost her scapegoat, but Harriet had somehow ended up under the patronage of a Count’s family, gaining access to the Kailas Ducal House and even the Imperial Court.
As she tucked the drugs into her handbag, Albert—who had been droning on about the wonders of Angelic—muttered something that caught her ear. He sounded almost regretful.
"It’s a shame about the lofty Cedric Kailas. If there were a woman capable of getting him to take this drug, she’d be the next Duchess Kailas. Hahahaha!"
Bella’s gaze snapped to him.
"Duke Kailas doesn't use it? Who doesn't these days?"
"He’s a bit old-fashioned. For all we know, he’s still a virgin."
"Is that so?"
"I’ve never heard a whisper of him having a woman. Well, there’s been some talk lately about him being involved with Harriet Listerwell... but surely, that’s nothing serious, right?"
At the mention of Harriet’s name, Bella’s fingers twitched.
A memory flashed through her mind: her failed attempt to seduce him. She had worn her most ambitious ruby necklace to highlight her slender neck and ample cleavage. She had used the face that made every other man crumble. Yet, he had looked at her with nothing but dry, indifferent eyes.
If those arrogant red eyes were to gleam with desire for her... if she could flaunt that victory in front of Harriet... how thrilling would that be?
As she licked her lower lip, Albert spoke again.
"Actually, I tried to give him an opening once, you know."
"An opening?"
"I tried to give him a chance to 'sample' the product. I sent a very lovely young lady I know, but it seems she wasn't enough to catch his eye. He rejected her outright."
"Does he have no interest in women at all? Is he... a sodomite?"
Albert burst into laughter, as if she’d told the joke of the century.
"Ahahahaha! Perhaps that’s the only rational explanation! Hahahaha!"
He laughed until tears pricked his eyes, wiping them away with the back of his hand.
"Well, even if he were, he’d still have to marry a woman eventually. He has to continue that illustrious bloodline, doesn't he?"
"True. As an only son, an heir is everything."
"Exactly. He’ll likely be wed by next year, or the year after at the latest." Albert added, his tone turning conspiratorial, "Though, if someone were to get pregnant with his child before then, the wedding would happen much faster."
"Wouldn't a child born of a one-night stand be treated as a bastard?"
"Treating a woman carrying his child as a common whore wouldn't suit his 'noble' character." His voice dropped to a low, suggestive register. "That’s why I said what I did. Even if it takes Angelic to stir that man of stone... if a woman were to bear his child, she would become the Duchess Kailas overnight."
"...Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. As long as the woman is of noble birth, he would take her as his wife. Whether there’s any affection in the marriage is a different story, of course."
He kept his tone light, as if merely sharing an amusing piece of gossip. But Bella couldn't mirror his nonchalance. Unlike James, who was wrapped around her finger, she suddenly pictured the cold, judgmental faces of Count and Countess Cheslow.