Chapter 42

Chapter 42

“I heard it was a magical artifact passed down from one head of the family to the next for generations. I don’t know exactly what powers it possesses, but I imagine it’s meant to protect the family.”

Duke William wore a benevolent smile, like a grandfather telling his grandson an old tale.

“Ever since that magical artifact was stolen, things have started going wrong for that family.”

Perhaps even the honor of becoming Anuf’s champion, which had been snatched away from them, was part of the same misfortune.

The Second Prince had been nodding along to Duke William’s explanation when he belatedly furrowed his brow.

“You knew all that, and you still introduced that man to me?”

“My apologies, Your Highness. I never imagined the young Count would cause such trouble as to incur Her Majesty’s displeasure…”

At first glance, it sounded like an apology. But beneath the surface, his words were actually a reprimand directed at the Second Prince, questioning why he had gotten involved with Lloyd and caused such a commotion in the first place.

Understanding the implication, the Second Prince took an unnecessary sip from his teacup.

“I didn’t think Mother would get this angry. That sword wasn’t even one used by the First Emperor, was it? All I did was have an old sword that belonged to one of his subjects repaired. What’s so important about its name?”

“Perhaps it isn’t just an ordinary sword.”

“Pardon?”

“That sword… No, never mind.”

Duke William seemed about to say something, but then shook his head. The Second Prince pouted.

“What is it? Just tell me properly.”

“I’ll tell you once I’m certain. It’s nothing particularly important, so you needn’t concern yourself with it.”

“What the…”

Duke William often did this.

He would dangle the promise of an interesting story, only to abruptly cut himself off the moment the Second Prince took the bait.

Whether he did it deliberately or it was simply an annoying habit of his, the Second Prince couldn’t help feeling irritated either way.

Seeing the displeasure written all over his face, Duke William tutted softly and adopted a gentle, soothing tone.

“Come to think of it, Her Majesty mentioned that she intends to attend Marquis Blair’s wedding in person, didn’t she?”

“Why? Are you planning to attend the wedding too, Uncle?”

“No, not me. You should be the one to go, Your Highness.”

At that, the Second Prince’s face twisted into an ugly grimace.

“Have you lost your mind? There are two people there I can’t stand!”

“If you tell Her Majesty that you wish to congratulate Marquis Blair on her marriage and apologize for what happened at the auction… I’m sure she will lift your confinement order.”

The Second Prince’s confinement would remain in effect until the Empress herself decided to revoke it.

If he let this opportunity slip by, there was no telling when he would finally be released.

He knew that perfectly well himself.

“But…”

“Of course, I’m not suggesting you go there, offer your congratulations, and simply return. Don’t you want to get back at those two people who dared to behave so insolently in your presence?”

What temptation could possibly be sweeter than that?

The Second Prince found himself tempted before he even realized it, but soon regained his composure.

“Mother will be watching me. I can’t afford to act recklessly.”

“Don’t worry. All you have to do is present this gift to Marquis Blair with the very best intentions.”

Duke William took a flat box from inside his coat.

While the Second Prince opened the lid to inspect its contents, Duke William spoke in an almost inaudible whisper.

“That gift will cause Marquis Blair some trouble. A little further down the road.”

To be precise, it would happen exactly one month and one week from today, on the day of the railway’s inauguration ceremony.

As Duke William repeated those words to himself, his red eyes gleamed with an eerie, sinister light, as though they had been soaked in blood.

***

“Hmph. What a fool.”

Only after the carriage door had closed, sealing out every sound from the outside, did Duke William loosen the cravat constricting his neck.

Across from him sat someone whose face was hidden beneath a hood.

A small voice emerged from the shadows just as the carriage began to move slowly.

“Did you deliver the item safely?”

“Yes. It looks like an expensive jewel on the outside, so Marquis Blair won’t suspect a thing.”

What mattered most was that the gift would be presented by the Second Prince himself.

If the Second Prince succeeded in persuading the Empress, he would attend Marquis Blair’s wedding in her place.

People didn’t know the truth behind why Raise Messer had been put up for auction. However, word had spread through whispers that the Empress had been furious with Marquis Blair.

Everyone was reluctant to mention the incident openly for fear of incurring the Emperss’s wrath, but they were all dying of curiosity.

Would the Empress send a congratulatory delegation to Marquis Blair’s wedding or not? Would the once-arrogant Marquis Blair finally fall from grace because of this incident?

In truth, what Duke William wanted more than anything was for the two of them to turn against each other this time. Unfortunately, with the railway involved, that was unlikely to happen.

“The gift from the Second Prince will appear to be a sign that the Empress has forgiven Marquis Blair. In reality, however, it will represent the Second Prince’s apology.”

And so, Marquis Blair would undoubtedly appear wearing the necklace gifted by the Second Prince at an official event attended by the Empress.

At the railway’s inauguration ceremony, which would take place exactly one month from now.

“Everything was made properly, I trust?”

“Of course. There’s no need to worry about that. However, as I mentioned before, we’ll have to crack the crystal to release the poisonous gas.”

If this had been an age when magic could be freely used, they could have activated it remotely without any difficulty.

It was a pity that things once easily accomplished through magic were now impossible.

“We’ve given it special treatment so that it won’t break accidentally. To crack the crystal, someone will have to approach the Marchioness and spray it with the dissolving solution. You’ve taken care of that problem, haven’t you?”

Immediately after the railway’s inauguration ceremony, Marquis Blair would be aboard a train.

More precisely, she would most likely be in the VIP carriage at the very end.

The carriage directly in front of it would be occupied by her guards and attendants.

In other words, anyone wishing to approach her would first have to get past them, and that would be impossible for someone of an ordinary social standing.

“Hmph. How many times do I have to tell you not to worry? Didn’t I tell you that the perfect candidate has fallen right into my hands?”

“If you’re referring to Viscount Calio, didn’t you demand money from him?”

The hooded figure sounded utterly baffled.

“I even heard rumors that he’s planning to send his daughter to Viscount Schultz.”

“That only means he’s desperate enough to consider it.”

Everyone who needed to know was well aware of Viscount Schultz’s lecherous habits. No sane man would ever send his daughter to him.

Though, considering that Viscount Calio was even contemplating such a thing, perhaps he wasn’t much of a father himself.

“I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s thinking right now. If only I’d succeeded in taking my brother’s title and inheritance, I wouldn’t have to worry about things like this.”

His prediction was precisely correct.

Viscount Calio was blaming Irenea, not himself for beating a dog to death, nor Duke William for demanding an exorbitant compensation over the death of a mere dog.

If it weren’t for that little brat, I wouldn’t have to rack my brains over money!

“Under those circumstances, if I offer to settle his compensation debt in exchange for running a little errand for me, he’ll gladly accept.”

Duke William took a cigarette case from his inner pocket and placed a cigarette between his lips.

“Besides, that man wants Marquis Blair gone from this world even more than I do.”

There’s no way he’d refuse.

Muttering to himself with a chuckle, Duke William exhaled a stream of white cigarette smoke.

As though repulsed by the smoke, the hooded figure pulled the edge of their hood down farther, covering their nose and mouth.

“If something goes wrong, we have a reliable way to keep him quiet, don’t we?”

“Not only will we silence him, that man will take the blame for everything and lose his head in our place.”

His laughter mingled with the white smoke, twisting into something grotesque. It resembled a wicked serpent flicking its tongue.

***

One week remained until the wedding.

The wedding day was drawing closer, yet the list of things that needed to be done never seemed to get any shorter. Amid all the frantic preparations, there was one small comfort: he had more or less adapted to life at the estate.

More precisely, he had grown accustomed to the people working there and to the duties expected of him.

“Honestly, I think these flowers would look better tucked behind the future Marchioness’s ear than sitting in a vase.”

Inside the glass greenhouse in the main residence’s rear garden.

Albert, the gardener, was cutting flowers alongside Leonard when he cheerfully held one up beside Leonard’s face.

“Give it a rest. Flowers aren’t going to suit a big man like me.”

When Albert had first made such remarks, Leonard had shuddered as though someone had given him a fright. Now, however, he replied indifferently without even taking his eyes off the flowers.

Albert regarded Leonard with renewed interest as he sat in the middle of a bed of pure white hyacinths, carefully trimming their stems.

Perhaps it was because he was kneeling on one knee. Even though he was doing nothing more than cutting flowers, he looked as though he were performing some sacred ritual.

Thinking that the sight was worthy of a masterpiece, Albert glanced at the basket beside Leonard.

“Let’s see… I think that’s about enough. You can stop now.”

“Already?”

Leonard asked absentmindedly, then nodded as he noticed the hyacinths piled into a neat little mound in the basket.

When he rose to his feet, his neck felt terribly stiff. After cracking it a few times to loosen the tension, Leonard picked up the basket and carefully made his way out through the hyacinths.

“I’ve always thought so, but the flowers in this greenhouse have such a lovely fragrance.”

“Haha, that’s because we raise them with such care.”

Leonard gave a faint chuckle at Albert’s cheerful remark and lifted the basket slightly.

Even though the abundance of floral scents in the greenhouse had dulled his sense of smell, the rich fragrance of the hyacinths still reached his nose.

Gently brushing his fingertips over the flowers in the basket, where purple, white, and pale lavender blooms were mixed in just the right proportions, he headed with Albert toward the worktable near the greenhouse entrance.

“Will you be using only hyacinths today?”

“Yes. I think they’ll look lovely just as they are, arranged in a nice mixture.”

Leonard answered while picturing the interior of Irenea’s office.