“You still can’t figure out what I’m thinking. What if I gave him more money? Would you do that every time they made a sickening noise? That’s right. We should take this opportunity to properly tame Count Peliard.”

The Empress wore a cold smile.

“The Emperor will make his decision soon, whether to place the Burstoad in my hands or to watch the Crown Prince teeter precariously on the edge. Until then, turn your back on Count Peliard.”

“If I turn my back…”

“Don’t see him, don’t answer his calls. Let Count Peliard think for himself and reflect

“Ah….”

Marquis Gallard nodded as if he understood what the Empress meant.

The Empress stared at her father with a displeased face.

How long do I have to count from one to ten?

“And.”

The Empress spoke slowly.

“There is one thing we need to check before we get our hands on a Burstoad.”

The Empress’s eyes are hidden by the eyelids.

Marquis Gallard remembered Burstoad. The former Duke’s and his wife who had died so horribly. He felt his blood run cold.

“Check once more that there is no risk of things from the past coming to the surface. Were there any survivors of the carriage accident at that time, or were there any witnesses? Please check again and deal with it. Wouldn’t it make sense to put aside anything that might cause noise in the future, when you’re trying to get your hands on it?”

The Marquis Gallard shrugged in goosebumps.

Although she is his daughter, when that happens, the illusion that she is not human sometimes arises.

“You shouldn’t make a tamed dog reveal its teeth again.”

“I’ll take good care of it.”

The Empress nodded her head.

The Empress’s promise to sweep the empire into her skirt was gradually becoming a reality.

If she only has Gabriel and Burstoad in her hand, working with the other small families becomes easier.

The Empress stretched out her lips.

Marquis Gallard, drenched in fear, watched a thick shadow fall over him.

When was it? The Empress began to be dyed in darkness.

*****

Without Daphne, the mansion was desolate and quiet. Cesare’s face as he checked and processed the documents was grim.

All Cesare could do was wait to meet the Emperor and bring Daphne with his powers.

I hope the informants will catch the Empress’s darkness and bring it back.

Even though it was frustrating and difficult to just wait, there was nothing I could do.

Cesar and Joseph were falling apart day by day. He also skipped meals or sleep and devoted himself to work. As if trying to forget something.

“Your Excellency. I heard that the elder nobles submit petitions to the imperial family.”

“Stupid things.”

Cesare murmured.

“What difference does it make, the right to dispose of them rests with me, not the imperial court.”

The Emperor interferes in the affairs of the House only when it does not undermine its authority.

It was a system to rule this vast Empire. It was the householder who managed the family and estate, and the imperial family was responsible for monitoring and managing the householder.

Perhaps they all know it, but they want to hang on to it.

“Nothing will change. The recovery process has been taken and the property has already been returned. Here is a list of returned properties. And, like you said, we looked for places to invest.”

“Good work.”

Cesare read the document slowly.

“I’m also organizing the registers of the elder nobles, and once their registers are in order, I intend to file new ones with the imperial court.”

“”I’ll take care of that part. The family tree will be lighter. Here, can you dispose of some of the returned manors? It’s a waste of money to have a lot of useless houses.”

“Yes, sir.”

I’d rather not think about Daphne when I’m working like this.

Daphne is somewhere you can go by horseback for an hour, and you can’t meet her or bring her with you. Isn’t that really pathetic?

Cesare clenched his teeth. Once Daphne’s thoughts take over him, it erodes and ruins the day.

Everywhere I looked, traces of Daphne remained. The servants were also depressed, and the sound of laughter in the mansion had long since disappeared.

Cherry was the only thing that brought a smile to his face.

Daphne’s vacant seat was making the mansion desolate.

Cesare let out a long sigh, not looking at the paperwork. No matter how hard he tried, his heart couldn’t help but feel this way every day.

“Daphne will be fine.”

“Shannet too.”

Joseph added in a weak voice. Joseph also lost his lover. Completely by accident.

“We should caught Marquis Gallard quickly.”

Cesare nodded in agreement.

Silence broke through between Cesare and Joseph.

It was when the two of them were deep in thought, darkening the atmosphere of the office.

“Your Excellency. It is me.”

It was the voice of the one they’d been waiting for.

“Come in.”

Cesare answered impatiently. The door opened to reveal the head of the private intelligence service on Burstoad.

He bowed to Cesare and made a courtesy gesture.

“Long time no see, Duke.”

“Yes. What about this time?”

“… The scope is wider than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Marquis Gallard has done not one or two things, Duke. It appears to be deeply involved in a number of events. Especially…”

The man dropped his pale face to the floor.

It was impossible to speak while looking at Cesare’s face.

“… I traced the route of the distribution of the bariol to … Burstoad, and I thought it would be quick work if I started there, but along the way I made an unbelievable discovery.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In the past, it was a collaboration between Peliard and Gallard to bring the bariols to Burstoad.”

“I’m sure they did, but?”

“I thought it was suspicious that the timing of the ban on bariols coincided with the death of the former Duke and Duchess of Burstoad.”

Cesare frowned. He had a feeling that something was wrong, so he couldn’t sit still and got up.

An unexpected truth was about to be revealed.

“At that time, two people died in a carriage accident and it was hard enough to keep the family together, and the imperial court had done a cursory investigation and closed the case. But then, out of curiosity, I looked it up and found that everyone involved in the carriage accident was dead.”

Cesare’s heart pounded.

The death of all those involved in the incident is something that can’t happen without someone involved.

“Did you know that the bariol ban had to do with Burstoad? The previous Duke and Duchess noticed the symptoms of poisoning and investigated Bariol and reported it to the imperial family.”

“… My parents?”

“Yes.”

There was no one here who wouldn’t recognize what that meant.

Cesare asked with a fiercely hardened face.

“And the proof?”

“I’m going to try to dig it from now on. So far, only psychosis.”

Now that he had the thread of a fabricated case, he was going to follow it up.

Cesare clenched his fist. Obviously, Cesare was young when the Duke and Duchess died, so he was focused on taking care of the Dukedom.

So it would have been easier to clean up the mess.

Cesare gritted his teeth.

“Can you find out?”

“I will do it in the name of Burstoad.”

“There were rumors that the Empress was the reason the Crown Prince’s birth mother disappeared. Have you confirmed that?”

“We are on the trail of her as well. I just thought I’d stop by today to tell you about it.”

“Good job.”

Cesare’s neck moved.

His head was burning like a furnace had been poured into it.

His parents, who had died young in a carriage accident, had left a scar in his heart.

If it’s not an accident but a murder…

It would be the perfect key to the downfall of Marquis Gallart and the Empress.

“You must uncover the truth. Don’t miss even the smallest clue.”

“Yes…! Duke.”

The world will be turned upside down when secrets that were only hidden are revealed to the surface.

Cesare’s eyes lit up.

Perhaps there is a reason why Gabriel was discovered in the Burstoad Territory.

It all had to do with the Marquis Gallard.

*****

Spending a day doing nothing in the mansion was also reaching its limit.

Even if I tried to write the book of Revelation, my memories were so jumbled up that I couldn’t write something that would captivate the Emperor’s eyes.

I lay down on the table at the balcony.

“Madam.”

“I’m bored, I’m bored. I’d rather work.”

“… We will be back soon.”

I buried my head in my arms and sighed.

“… I want to see Cesare. What is Cesare doing now?”

Shannet put a warm shawl on my shoulder as if comforting me.

“He must be trying to save the madam.”

“I know.”

And here I am, trapped like this, unable to do anything. I hope to find that person soon.

It was that moment. The sound of horseshoes was heard.

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