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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Ally
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“But recently, the output from the magic stone mines has been decreasing.”
There was no falsehood in Leticia's eyes as she revealed the truth without hesitation.
I feigned ignorance and asked.
“…Every mine?”
“To be precise, all mines except for those of House Etoile.”
It was the same thing Darcy had told me a few days ago.
When he asked about the output of our magic stone mine, I had told him nothing was amiss.
He said the output of the other mines was declining.
But why was Leticia telling me this? She was one of Ryan's people.
I couldn't understand her intentions.
For now, I continued the conversation.
“It's a coincidence.”
“But coincidences can be twisted to look intentional.”
“…Are you saying Prince Ryan is behind this?”
I asked, deliberately bringing up Ryan's name. As one of his people, she couldn't easily answer a question that so blatantly pointed to his wrongdoing.
If she was still here as one of Ryan's people.
What if this entire story was part of a plan to threaten or pressure me?
Leticia, who silently endured my suspicious gaze, readily nodded.
“Yes.”
…So she hadn't come here on Ryan's orders.
“They'll dig into it relentlessly. And along with that, rumors will spread about the magician you're keeping, Lady Marso.”
“…A magician.”
“Yes, Prince Ryan said he saw one.”
So drawing his sword when he saw Eaton wasn't just a childish tantrum. I never imagined he would recognize his identity at a glance.
I groaned, pressing my temples. A headache washed over me at the thought of the impending rumors.
“Following the rumors, soldiers will suddenly be dispatched from the Imperial Palace… and they'll begin an inspection. And the resulting documents will undoubtedly be declared forgeries.”
They wouldn't even need to fabricate the documents. The fact that only House Etoile's output remains steady would be reason enough for suspicion.
“While the output from every other mine is steadily declining, why is only House Etoile's remaining constant? The imperial family, who relies on magic stones, the nobles, who love the expensive gems, and even the commoners will all be watching.”
“…”
“And then, a mine that Marquis Etoile has been hiding will be discovered.”
I blinked.
Marquis Etoile didn't have a hidden mine. Not as far as I knew.
But I couldn't trust him.
I could count on one hand the number of proper conversations I'd had with the Marquis. How would I know if he'd found a new mine, or the state of the family's affairs?
Leticia, aware of the awkward relationship between the Marquis and me, added an explanation.
“The Marquis hasn't hidden any mine. But there are traces all over the country of the Imperial Family's search for new ones.”
The Imperial Family wouldn't have just sat by and watched the magic stone output dwindle.
They must have sent people searching for new veins.
“They've really… set their minds to this.”
If they fabricated information about such a mine? No matter how careful Marquis Etoile was, he wouldn't be able to avoid it.
Information that never existed in the first place would suddenly materialize.
“Yes, because the Imperial Family and Marquis Epekel want the mines currently belonging to House Etoile, and the fall of the house itself.”
I had expected them to be plotting something, but I never imagined it would be on this scale.
‘He wouldn't have just taken this lying down, but…’
Given my poor relationship with Marquis Etoile, it would have taken me time to grasp the true situation.
“…So, Leticia.”
I stared at Prince Ryan's confidante, who had just revealed everything.
“Why did you tell me all this?”
She had said she could never betray Prince Ryan. Yet here she was, standing before me and spilling every detail of the plan that Ryan and Marquis Epekel must have painstakingly prepared.
Now I could prepare for what was to come, and I could even turn the tables on Ryan.
I had to be cautious.
She could be here now to act as a spy once more.
She might be mixing in scraps of truth to earn my trust, only to betray me again in the end.
Should I trust her?
Or shouldn't I?
“That is because…”
The guild leader—once my handmaiden, who had ultimately betrayed me and left, who had told me she was sorry—had the very same look in her eyes as the day I first met her.
“Because I believe it is unfair treatment for the Lady Marso I have come to know.”
“…Prince Ryan saved your life. He was the one who took your side back then.”
Telling her about a plan like this was also proof of how much he cherished her.
“So, what reason do you have to betray a prince like that?”
As someone who had been betrayed once before, I was all the more cautious. It felt like walking on thin ice.
Leticia nodded calmly at my words.
“I condoned all of His Highness's actions in the name of the grace he showed me, and I intended to continue doing so. I believed he was never wrong.”
Her words were in the past tense.
“That was true, until I came to be with you, Lady Marso.”
“…”
“During the year I served you, Lady Marso, I was constantly conflicted.”
That was unexpected.
“Watching the Prince, who would never listen to what I said and only asserted his own opinions, I had to brainwash myself into believing he must be right.”
Leticia revealed her inner turmoil with a hollow laugh.
“But you really had changed, Lady Marso.”
For the first time, she was revealing her own thoughts, not just following Ryan's orders.
“…The way you treated me, the time we spent together—it was all completely different from the rumors. Prince Ryan, lost in his own arrogance, chose to ignore that fact.”
I thought Darcy was the only one who had noticed I'd changed.
“And a while ago, he visited your estate again, having found a way to rationalize that arrogance.”
“…”
“In fact, while planning your downfall, Lady Marso, he told me it was all for the sake of justice—that he had the right to do so.”
The confidante of Ryan, who had only been able to apologize before, was gone.
“The master I chose to serve is not that kind of man.”
She was renouncing Ryan.
“I could not simply watch my master be corrupted by his own poor choices.”
A steadfast resolve shone in her eyes.
“I will stop him.”
“…”
“You must not be fond of me, Lady Marso. It's only natural that you don't trust me after I acted as a spy. But if you cannot trust me…”
She pointed to herself.
“Then please trust in the loyalty of the woman who, even the last time we met, said she had nothing to offer you but her apologies.”
Then, Leticia bowed her head.
“Please, help me.”
Leticia hadn't changed. She was still loyal to Ryan, still one of his people.
And for that very reason, I had no choice but to believe her.
There was no lie in her eyes, which showed her desire to save Ryan. Still, it felt strange to have her acknowledge that I had changed.
‘I thought no one realized I'd changed.’
The changes that went unnoticed when I was trying so hard were now yielding different results, long after I'd given up.
In any case, I had to resolve this matter to save House Etoile.
I had no intention of letting things unfold as Ryan or the Emperor wished.
‘But I don't like it this way.’
Leticia hadn't come to resolve this for my sake, but for Ryan's.
Even if she trusted me, that fact remained.
If I let things proceed like this, I wouldn't be able to shake the uncomfortable feeling of being used as her pawn.
‘In that case, I'll have to use her as well.’
I had mostly let go of my resentment toward Leticia. This wasn't about revenge.
“Then, in exchange for my help, there's something you must do for me, Leticia.”
I decided to make full use of her abilities as the leader of an underworld merchant guild.
“Become my information network.”
Leticia's eyes widened in surprise, then she smiled. Telling me Ryan's entire plan was already a significant disclosure, but…
But she was the one who had come to me with the proposal, the one who had laid all her cards on the table first.
In other words, she had handed me the initiative.
I wasn't merciful enough to let the opportunity pass.
“I understand.”
She nodded without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing her relieved expression, I suspected Leticia might have anticipated this outcome.
‘…Perhaps.’
Leticia had given me the opportunity to use her.
This might have been her way of apologizing to me.
***
Leticia couldn't stay long. Not only did she have much to do as a guild leader, but more importantly, she had to avoid Ryan's notice.
Because of this, we couldn't speak for long.
I, too, needed time to think about this problem.
After sending her off, I fell into thought.
How should I handle this? The first person who came to mind was Marquis Etoile.
‘The Marquis needs to know the truth, too.’
My awkward relationship with him aside, the very survival of House Etoile was at stake.
However, feeling it would be too awkward to tell him directly, I decided to relay the information through Darcy later.
It would be more natural for me to tell Darcy, and for Darcy to then inform Marquis Etoile.
It wouldn't make sense for me to know such things, after all.
I could speak to the Marquis directly if absolutely necessary, but I didn't want to create a situation where I had to face him.
‘It's awkward dealing with the Marquis.’
I preferred our current distance, where we were merely aware of each other's existence.
‘To pass the mine off as one belonging to Marquis Etoile, they would need our family seal…’
The seal, stamped on all of our family's official documents, had been passed down through the marquisate for generations.
It was kept in a safe to prevent theft. Made from a magic stone, it was impossible to forge…
‘No, that's not right.’
I groaned as I remembered where the seal had been made.
