Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Mine Conspiracy
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"But lately, the amount mined from the magic crystal mines has been decreasing."
There was no lie in Letisia's eyes as she bluntly revealed the facts to me.
I pretended not to know and asked back.
"...All the mines?"
"To be precise, every mine except those owned by the Etwar family."
It was exactly what Darsi had said a few days ago.
When he asked about the magic crystal output from the mines, I had replied that there was nothing unusual.
He mentioned that the output from the other mines was decreasing.
But why was Letisia telling me this? She was Ryan's person.
I couldn't understand her true intentions.
For now, I continued the conversation.
"It's just a coincidence."
"But coincidences can be disguised as deliberate acts."
"...Are you saying Prince Ryan is behind it?"
I deliberately brought up Ryan's name. Since she was his person, she couldn't easily answer a direct accusation of his wrongdoing.
She had come here still as Ryan's person.
What if this whole story was part of a plan to threaten or pressure me?
Letisia, who had silently endured my suspicious gaze, nodded readily.
"Yes."
...That meant she wasn't here on Ryan's orders.
"They'll dig into it relentlessly. Rumors about the mage you're keeping will spread as well."
"...A mage."
"Yes, Prince Ryan reported seeing one."
So it wasn't just youthful bravado when he drew his sword upon spotting Eaton the other day. I hadn't expected him to recognize his identity at a glance.
I pressed my temples and groaned. Facing the rumors in advance like this brought on a headache.
"Following the rumors, soldiers will suddenly be dispatched from the imperial palace... for an inspection. And the resulting documents will clearly be fabricated."
There was no need to fabricate documents. The fact that only the Etwar Marquis House's output remained steady while all others decreased would plant seeds of suspicion.
"Why is the mining output steadily decreasing across all mines, yet only the Etwar Marquis House maintains its levels? The imperial family using magic crystals, nobles who covet expensive ones, and even commoners will all take notice."
"..."
"And then, a hidden mine belonging to Marquis Etwar will be 'discovered.'"
I blinked.
As far as I knew, Marquis Etwar had no hidden mines.
But I couldn't trust him on that.
I'd barely spoken to the marquis a handful of times—how would I know if he'd found a new mine or what his house's situation was?
Letisia, aware of the distant relationship between me and the marquis, added an explanation.
"The marquis has no hidden mines. But traces of the imperial family's searches for new veins are scattered across the country."
The imperial family wouldn't have just sat idly by as magic crystal output dwindled.
They must have sent people to scour for new sources.
"They've... planned this thoroughly."
What if they fabricated information about that mine? No matter how cautious Marquis Etwar was, he couldn't avoid it.
It was information that didn't exist in the first place suddenly popping up.
"Yes, because the imperial family and Marquis Epekle want the mines currently belonging to the Etwar Marquis House—and the downfall of the Etwar family."
I'd expected some scheme, but not on this scale.
'They wouldn't have just sat back...'
Given the poor relationship between me and Marquis Etwar, it must have taken time to grasp the real situation.
"...So, Letisia."
I stared at Ryan's confidante, who had spilled everything.
"Why are you telling me this?"
She had said she could never betray Prince Ryan. Yet here she was, revealing the entire plan that Ryan and Marquis Epekle had meticulously prepared.
Now I could anticipate the upcoming events, prepare, and even strike Ryan from behind.
I had to be cautious.
She might have come to resume her role as a spy.
She could be mixing truths sparingly to gain my trust and strike later.
Should I trust her?
Or should I not?
"That's..."
The woman who had once been my maid but ultimately betrayed and left me, who had said she was sorry, now looked at me with the exact same eyes as the day I first welcomed her.
"Because I felt the treatment you've received so far was unfair."
"...Prince Ryan saved your life, and he took your side back then."
Telling me about this plan was proof of how much he valued her.
"But do you have any reason to abandon such a prince?"
Having been betrayed once before, I was even more cautious. It felt like walking on thin ice.
Letisia nodded calmly at my words.
"I overlooked all of His Highness's actions so far under the name of that grace, and I intended to continue doing so. I believed he was never wrong."
Her words were in the past tense.
"Until I was with you, Lady Marso."
"..."
"For the year I served by your side, I went through countless conflicts."
This was unexpected.
"I had to brainwash myself into thinking he was always right, watching His Highness ignore everything I said and push his own opinions."
Letisia laughed hollowly as she revealed her inner thoughts.
"But you really have changed, Lady Marso."
For the first time, she voiced her own thoughts, not following Ryan's orders.
"...The way you treated me, the time we spent together—it was nothing like the rumors. Prince Ryan has been blinded by his own arrogance and ignored it."
I'd thought Darsi was the only one who noticed my changes.
"And recently, he rationalized that arrogance and came back to your mansion."
"..."
"While plotting your downfall, he told me it was all for justice, that he had the right to do so."
There was no confidante of Ryan's who only repeated apologies.
"The liege I chose to serve is not that kind of person."
She denied Ryan.
"I couldn't just watch my liege fall into corruption through wrong choices."
A firm resolve shone in her eyes.
"I will stop him."
"..."
"You must find me suspicious, Lady Marso. It's natural not to trust me after I acted as a spy. But if you can't trust me..."
She pointed to herself.
"Then trust my loyalty, as even in our last meeting, I had nothing to convey but my apologies to you."
Letisia then bowed her head.
"Please help me."
Letisia hadn't changed. She still followed Ryan and was his person.
That was precisely why I had no choice but to believe what she told me.
There was no falsehood in her eyes that burned with the desire to save Ryan. But it felt strange that she acknowledged my change.
'I thought no one had changed.'
The changes invisible during my efforts appeared in a different form after I let everything go.
In any case, to save the Etwar Marquis House, this issue had to be resolved.
I had no intention of letting things unfold as Ryan or the emperor wished.
'But not like this.'
Letisia hadn't come solely to resolve this for me—she came for Ryan.
Even if I trusted her, that fact wouldn't change.
Letting it proceed this way left a nagging feeling that I was just a pawn in her game.
'Then I should use her as well.'
I'd mostly let go of any lingering resentment toward Letisia. This wasn't about revenge.
"Then, in exchange for my help, there's something you need to do for me, Letisia."
I decided to make full use of her abilities running the back-alley merchant guild.
"Become my intelligence network."
Letisia's eyes widened in surprise before she smiled. Telling me Ryan's entire strategy was indeed revealing a lot...
But she was the one who came to me with the proposal, the one who first laid all her cards on the table.
She had handed me the initiative first.
I wasn't merciful enough to let that slide.
"Understood."
She nodded without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing her relieved expression, I thought she might have anticipated this far.
'...Perhaps.'
Letisia had given me the chance to use her.
It might have been her apology to me.
Letisia couldn't stay long. She had much to do as the head of a merchant guild, but more importantly, she had to avoid Ryan's eyes.
Because of that, we couldn't talk for long.
I also needed time to think about this matter.
After sending her off, I sank into thought.
How should I resolve this? My first thought was Marquis Etwar.
'The marquis needs to know the truth.'
Regardless of our awkward relationship, this concerned the survival of the Etwar family.
However, telling him directly felt awkward, so I decided to relay it through Darsi later.
It would be more natural for me to tell Darsi later, and for him to inform Marquis Etwar.
It didn't make sense for me to know about this.
If truly necessary, I could tell the marquis myself, but I didn't want to create a situation to face him.
'Dealing with the marquis is awkward.'
The current distance, where we just knew each other was alive, suited me fine.
'To disguise a mine as belonging to the Etwar Marquis House, they'd need our family's seal...'
The official seal stamped on all our family's documents had been passed down in the marquis house for generations.
It was stored in a vault, impossible to steal easily. Made of magic crystal, it couldn't be forged...
'No.'
I groaned as I recalled where the seal had been made.