Ch#89
Ch#89
Ch#89
~Chapter 89~
“Looks like becoming the protagonist of a scandal was my fate after all.”
There was no trace of fear in her voice as she said it. After all, she had already made up her mind before returning to Genoa. If anything, it sounded resolute, like someone who had accepted her future even if she had to face the storm alone.
She brushed off her hands as if she had just finished something. With a faint smile playing on her lips, she turned her gaze to the sky.
“That part of the plan is done. Now it’s time to head back and see what tricks my dear uncle has up his sleeve.”
Her eyes no longer clouded with fatigue or fear—they sparkled with a new intensity. It was the light of determination, the calm before the storm.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious office in the heart of the city, Albert stood rigidly beside Benedict as one of their subordinates delivered a report.
“What did you just say? Someone’s been digging into our business partners?”
Albert’s brows furrowed sharply, and his clenched fist betrayed the frustration boiling inside him.
This wasn’t the first time he’d heard that someone was snooping around their company’s dealings. It was common in profitable ventures. Wherever money flowed freely, thieves always gathered to claim a slice of the pie.
But this time… something was different.
It wasn’t mere competition or opportunism. No one was asking how the product was made or where it was produced. Instead, they were investigating the buyers—the people purchasing the drug.
“Only someone with a very specific agenda would target the buyers.” Albert murmured lowly, his green eyes narrowing in thought. “This isn’t the work of some amateur trying to steal our formula.”
He strongly suspected who was behind it.
His gaze sharpened.
The very man who had gathered information on Albert’s so-called ‘cruise parties,’ which he had organized himself.
“Cedric Kailas…”
The name slithered off Albert’s tongue like a curse.
“That damned cousin of mine! He won’t support my business, but he’s thrilled to hunt for my weaknesses!”
Albert’s anger surged as he recalled the incident at Count Laurel’s party, where Cedric had noticed his drug use. But deep down, he knew it hadn’t started there. Cedric had probably suspected him long before that.
Benedict, who had been silently organizing the report, finally spoke in a grave tone.
“You don’t think he’s already figured out what’s happening on that ship, do you…?”
Albert’s heart sank.
The ship they were referring to wasn’t just any vessel. Thanks to the Second Prince’s backing, the drug ‘Angelic’ had received official approval and was being sold as a legitimate medicine. But healing wasn’t its true power.
No, its real effects came to light at night, during Albert’s infamous ‘cruise parties.’
Those who tasted pleasure through Angelic always craved more. That was the danger of the stimulation. Once experienced, the body yearned for greater thrills. And as sensations dulled, people sought escape in fantasies far removed from moral boundaries. Albert’s ship provided exactly that—a floating paradise without consequences.
If anything went wrong, they could simply sail to another country. It was the perfect setup.
“Even if Cedric is investigating, he won’t find any tax evasion evidence.” Benedict muttered. “All the paperwork has been filed properly. The quantities match the official records. No one can know what was sold on that ship.”
It was true. On paper, everything looked impeccable. But if someone discovered what really happened there—what the nobles lost themselves to in a drunken haze of sin—it could spark a scandal far worse than mere tax evasion.
“This could turn into a nightmare.” Albert muttered. “We need a solution.”
“We have to drag Cedric in.” Benedict suggested. “If we can trap him into investing, he won’t touch us. He’d be too deeply involved himself.”
Albert sneered. “And just how do you propose we do that?”
They had tried before. When starting the company, Albert had approached Cedric with smiles and sweet talk.
“A small investment is all we need.” he had said. “With the Kailas family name backing us, this business will take off much more easily.”
“You’ll help out your cousin, won’t you, Cedric?”
Cedric had replied with his usual polite smile.
“I truly want to help, I really do. But the name ‘Kailas’ carries significant weight. I can’t back a drug whose exact ingredients and effects are unknown. That would be irresponsible.”
Of course, Albert and Benedict couldn’t dare reveal the formula. And Cedric, already under scrutiny from foreign powers like the Firrma Kingdom, wouldn’t allow himself to get tangled in a mysterious drug that could benefit his enemies.
Albert ground his teeth, his jaw tensing with rage.
He had come this far. He had built this business into a thriving empire. He wouldn’t let one arrogant cousin ruin it all.
“There has to be a way… a weakness… something.”
He racked his brain, combing through Cedric’s past for anything exploitable. But Cedric was too cautious. Too composed. There were no obvious chinks in his armor.
Except for one—perhaps.
His father.
Albert’s eyes widened.
“Wait… that brooch! The one from the victory banquet. Cedric lost it when it went missing. When that woman had it pinned to her dress… he was beside himself.”
He turned to his father with an urgent voice.
“Father, didn’t you say the Ruby Brooch was the only thing Cedric received from Uncle Rowan?”
“Hm?” His father blinked. “Oh, that? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the only one. There are still some of Rowan’s belongings left. But Cedric does seem unusually attached to that particular piece. Why do you ask?”
Albert’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“He might value it more than we thought. We could use it to lure him in.”
Benedict still looked unconvinced. “You think he’d really move for something like that?”
“It’s worth a try.” Albert replied. “Every day we wait increases our risk of exposure. If this works, we’ll get Cedric’s investment and the perfect shield.”
If it didn’t?
Well, ruin was ruin either way.
Albert wasn’t the type to gamble without preparation. He already had a hidden card.
“I planted someone in Killas Mansion a long time ago. I didn’t think I’d ever need them… but that little rat is finally going to be useful.”
His smile deepened into something dark and dangerous.
Late that evening, the silence in Cedric’s office was broken by the sound of papers hitting the desk.
Thud.
A thick report landed indifferently.
“You’ll want to see this.” Edgar said lightly, plopping onto the nearby sofa as if it were his own home.
Cedric flipped through the documents, his sharp eyes scanning the pages rapidly.
“Your cousin’s been quite busy lately.” Edgar added with a smirk.
Cedric paused at one section, furrowing his brow.
“Thirty percent of the subjects admitted to having used Angelic.” he murmured.
“Some doctors prescribe it for depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety.” Edgar added. “They say it works well.”
“But the side effects…” Cedric narrowed his eyes.
“Dry mouth, tachycardia, insomnia or hypersomnia, hallucinations, memory issues… Not light, but not illegal either.” Edgar concluded.
“So we can’t ban the drug yet.” Cedric confirmed.
“That’s right. The positive results make it hard to criticize. But check the last section.” Edgar pointed, adding.
Cedric turned to the final page.
Title: ‘Secret Cruise Parties’
Just those words alone twisted his gut.
He read on, and with every line, chills ran down his spine.
“I’d heard rumors about those parties… but they’re really happening on ships?”
“Yes. But that’s not the shocking part.” Edgar said solemnly. “Read what goes on aboard those ships.”
Cedric’s fingers gripped the folder’s edge tighter with each paragraph he turned.
Drugs. Debauchery. Prostitution. Child trafficking.
It was revolting.
Cedric clenched his jaw, his entire body rigid with fury.
“This… this is nauseating.” he spat, his expression darkening.
“I completely agree.” Edgar said grimly. “But unfortunately, this alone isn’t enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if we expose everything, the Emperor might not care.”
Cedric stared at him.
“What are you saying?”
“You know the Second Prince? He was suffering from severe depression, to the point marriage seemed impossible. Then he started taking Angelic—and poof, miraculously recovered.”
“…So the Emperor owes Albert.”
“Exactly. He’s grateful. And more importantly—Angelic brings in massive profits.”
“How much?”
“Forty percent of all sales goes straight to the imperial treasury.”
“So… bringing down Albert would be like cutting off the Emperor’s revenue stream.”
“Precisely. We’d be infringing on the Emperor’s rights.”
Cedric leaned back, pressing his lips into a tight line.
The situation had changed.
Albert not only had powerful allies, but his business was essentially the empire’s goldmine.
Pursuing him now wouldn’t just stir up scandal—it could trigger political fallout.
“This is tricky.” Edgar muttered. “Topple him, and we risk the Emperor’s wrath. Leave him be, and he gets worse.”
Silence settled between them.
This was no longer just a business matter. It was a moral one. Cedric’s gaze drifted to the city beyond the window. Out there, somewhere, people were being destroyed. Used and discarded like toys for the pleasure and profit of a few in power.
Cedric’s hand balled into a fist.
He had been silent long enough.
It was time to act.
He wouldn’t let Albert win.
Not this time.
