North x Northwest

The Great Trade Route was crowded with merchants and travellers, including both foreigners and citizens of the Empire. No one looked closely at the people or carriages passing by. Because of this, the Duke of Mireille was able to move from Sesbron to the western part of the empire without attracting much attention.

Lifting the curtain inside the carriage, he looked out onto the bustling street. While he hoped that the hotel he would use as accommodation would match his expectations, a sigh escaped his lips. Nonetheless, he didn’t regret going through this much hardship.

Mireille became suspicious of Venua’s sudden interest in Liloa and immediately investigated the probable cause. Recently, Mireille had become one of the Emperor’s closest aides, even to the point of being invited for leisure talk in nightwear inside the emperor’s bedroom, so it was supposedly easy for him to figure out the vague circumstances within the Archduke’s domain. However, even though the emperor seemed like a pitiful person who only indulged in food, he was actually quick-witted and suspicious enough for Mireille to know how to quit his probing in moderation.

Yet despite his lack of sufficient information, Mireille held onto his hunch.

‘For whatever reason, the value of Liloa has skyrocketed, and as a businessman, I should never miss such an opportunity.’

This successful merchant trusted his senses.

‘That’s why I have to get my hands on Liloa before this hunch of mine becomes reality. If a person only moves when they’re sure, they’ll be too late.’

Fortunately, during his journey towards Roahn, the more news reached his ears, the more he became convinced he wasn’t wrong.

[ “Vouch for my identity…” ]

It was a line from the letter Venua had suddenly sent to him, asking to write him a guarantee of identity.

‘Of course, nothing was said about Venua’s specific location in that letter, but it was obvious. There aren’t many people who can and will oppose some like Venua, a man who not only appears powerful and wealthy, but also lets his temper easily get the best of him and even drags around the dull dogs called the royal guards. Of course, I can’t be completely sure who ordered Venua’s detainment without assessing the situation in person, but all clues point to the possibility that this arrogant guy found himself stranded after dealing with Roahn’s bastard… However… the prospect of them being at each other’s throats actually serves my purpose. I can snatch Liloa while they’re at it.’

While Mireille was lost in his thoughts, the coachman knocked on the window of the carriage.

“Uhm, Master…”

Mireille irritably opened the window.

“What?”

“Jean has arrived. He said his task was completed successfully, but his arrival was delayed because we moved west in a hurry.”

As Mireille waved his hand out the window, the coachman stepped back and a man with a shabby appearance came into view. The man bowed and handed Mireille a yellow envelope.

The duke had no intention of blaming the private inspector for being a few days late as long as this man completed his mission well. Instead, he even complimented Jean for being a capable and trustworthy investigator. Showing good faith was, rather than scolding, what Mireille deemed to be the most profitable way to treat Jean. After all, he not only knew how to manipulate people but also how to make himself appear as a charismatic master.

“I think this is the most interesting part that happened during the period you asked me to investigate.”

Mireille opened the envelope and pulled out the documents.

“It appears that the Archduke of Obernyu had secretly tried to adopt a boy. The boy was said to come from a collateral branch of the principality, but this lowly bastard’s genealogy wasn’t clear. While the boy’s last name was Obernyu, the Archduke of Obernyu himself has a history of having 3 or 4 generations of being borne of the most royal blood. This boy, on the other hand, was from a distant bloodline, probably one the Master had never heard of. Not that it matters now anyway, the boy is dead. It’s said that he was found in bed one morning with his eyes closed. Many people suspected that the person behind his poisoning was the Prince Regent, Venua Obernyu. And that suspicion wasn’t without basis. The Prince Regent is already over 30 years old, alive and well, yet his father adopted a young boy without his knowledge. Anyone can tell that it was for the sake of the Prince Regent’s abdication. It seems that the Prince Regent had a serious fallout with the Archduke. I tried, but failed to find out the reason, it seems that only high-ranking people know about it…”

Mireille, who had been quietly listening to the report, opened the carriage door and came out. As soon as his white shoes, which he had never seen mud before, landed on the ground, a servant appeared out of nowhere and drew a shade over his head. Passers-by walked past him and took notice of his flashy appearance, so Mireille tried to avoid catching their attention by immediately wearing a simple hat, simple by his standards.

“What about the Archduke’s mistress?”

“The Archduke of Obernyu took the Countess of Barre, a widow who had already given birth to six children, as his new mistress. His previous mistress was the Viscountess de Monttier, who had four sons. Although he selected fertile women, a new mistress is always brought in sooner or later. It looks like conception is failing. As the Master might’ve heard, the Archduke has been fighting a disease for a long period of time and his body has become weak to the point he cannot even get out of bed. At first, I had doubts whether making love was even possible…”

“…Pfft!”

The coachman, listening from the side, choked and burst into laughter before covering his mouth in haste. Jean realised his own error and glanced at the coachman who began walking backwards. But when Mireille didn’t respond, he continued his report.

“But I guess the sudden attention wasn’t part of the Archduke’s plans. When it was brought to people’s attention that the normally impenetrable castle walls started seeking only fertile women, they became a laughingstock outside the walls as well. Of course, even the Master must’ve heard about this, that’s why you told me to investigate…”

“And what about Venua?”

“Pardon?”

“Has Venua ever sought a mistress?”

“There have been mistresses in the past, but there has been no news since his last official one, Miss Louise, was thrown out. Before departing for Sesbron to attend the celebration for the Empire’s founding, Miss Louise was said to have annoyed him by begging to be taken to court. That was the reason why she was thrown out. She was even kicked out of the castle.”

“During the Empire’s founding anniversary…”

The astute investigator continued.

“Yes, if put in chronological order, the incident where the Archduke of Obernyu attempted to adopt a child was after the Prince Regent threw out his last mistress. Afterwards, the adoption failed due to the death of the nominee, and the Archduke quickly took in a new mistress of his own whom he hoped would give birth to a child. Two months later, the Prince Regent came to visit the Master…”

“What about the possibility of the Princess of Sassel becoming pregnant?”

“She must be infertile. The Prince Regent and his wife, the Princess of Sassel, have had no children for over 15 years now. Even so, I heard that the persecution was severe for an infertile woman marrying into a noble family.”

Mireille, who was looking at several pieces of paper in turn, muttered to himself.

“…No…”

“Sir?”

“That’s… I don’t think that’s how it is.”

Jean looked at his master’s unusual expression who then quickly shook his head.

“Are you suggesting… No way… But didn’t the Prince Regent have an illegitimate child from a relationship with a previous mistress?”

“That child died soon after it was born. And the mistress who gave birth to that child coincidently died on the same day. Normally, despite it being illegitimate, one should have felt sorry for the death of his child, especially when they had a hard time conceiving for many years, but neither the child nor the mistress was given a funeral, so it kept people talking.”

“What…”

“I wonder if the child she gave birth to wasn’t pure*.”

“..?”

As the corners of Mireille’s mouth gradually rose, Jean looked at his master’s strange, mysterious smile without answering. Mireille, who had a cigarette in his mouth, chewed the end and muttered.

“…In that case, is the Princess of Sassel the infertile one?”

***

Lil and Linhardt arrived in front of their lodging in Kano Village. The square, where the imperial troops and prisoners were intertwined, was much more crowded than yesterday. Due to a lack of personnel, even vigilantes were mobilised to stand guard as the remnants of the bandits, the Obernyu group, and the captured smugglers had all gathered in this village, making it comparable to a prison.

Linhard jumped off the saddle and muttered.

“…If the scale remains this huge, Sesbron might send an official inspector.”

Lil, who had been distracted by other thoughts, raised her head.

‘He’s right. This is an incident that merits Sesbron’s involvement. In fact, representatives might already be on their way now.’

Linhardt looked down at her.

“Your homecoming is going to be noisy, right?”

“I originally didn’t mean to go in wearing gold*.”

Lil glanced at the square before pushing open the front door of the lodging.

‘Just last night, the villagers were out and about complaining, but perhaps because of the arrival of the Imperial Army, they can’t be seen anywhere now.’

The dining room on the ground floor, filled with Roahn’s soldiers and servants, was full of commotion.

‘The story of Ed falling off a cliff and being seriously injured seems to have spread all over the place.’

As Lil entered, gazes were immediately glued onto her.

‘I thought their curiosity would’ve subsided by now, but thanks to yesterday’s commotion, everyone started to become keen on me again…’

– – – – –

Footnote:

“I wonder if the child she gave birth to wasn’t pure.” = Mireille shares his doubts about the legitimacy of the child, basically suggesting that Venua wasn’t the father and the mistress cheated in order to get pregnant.

‘…wearing gold’ = Even though we haven’t been able to find out if this is a (korean) proverb, we figure it means something along the lines of ‘deliberately trying to draw a lot of attention’.