Chapter 11

It’s been ten days since Aneta hired someone to investigate the ancestral Marquis Bauter.

During this time, Erez gained recognition for his ability to predict the successive robberies of shops near the palace overnight.

The thieves were caught in the act by the Emperor’s men sent to verify their authenticity.

It was no wonder that the empire was once again in an uproar. Many were in awe of Erez’s abilities, but Aneta was not one of them.

This incident alone could not determine Erez’s abilities definitively. Shop robberies were not uncommon, even in the original works. If simply predicting such events earned one the title of a prophet, then he too was qualified.

Aneta tapped her fingertips on the desk. As she contemplated how to reveal her powers, the opening door broke her concentration.

“You’re a little late today.”

It was almost obvious who had entered without knocking. Aneta looked up and saw Carlos.

“……What’s with the look on your face?”

The smile that hadn’t left his lips since she’d stayed the night at the Duke of Baltimor’s was now all but gone.

“You’ll know when you see this.”

“What is it? Documents?”

Aneta sensed an instinctive unease in his expressionless face. Using a letter opener, she opened the envelope he had given her, only to find another one inside.

“This is…….”

The tinted envelope, recognized only by insiders, indicates confidential documents. After a brief pause, Aneta hesitated for a moment before looking up at Carlos and revealing what was hidden within.

“You were investigating Marquis Bauter, weren’t you? His Majesty asked me to bring this to you.”

Of course. The Emperor wouldn’t simply overlook such suspicious behavior. Aneta nodded in a very characteristic manner.

“We started the investigation immediately after the ceremony ended, and His Majesty found out that you were also looking into the same matter.”

No matter how discreetly one acted, it seemed like the Emperor’s hand was everywhere. Aneta chuckled wryly, feeling relieved that her marriage had aligned her with the Emperor’s faction.

It was almost as if their daily activities were being documented and about to be presented before him.

“So, is this information for sharing?”

“Yes.”

Aneta was both surprised and sensed sincerity at the same time. It was hard to decipher the true meaning behind it.

There’s a good reason why people do things they don’t normally do.

“This must be something you want me to help with. To see you involved like this.”

“That’s right.”

Carlos nodded affirmatively.

Russell was asking for Aneta’s cooperation in exchange for information. Aneta was determined not to refuse the dagger he offered.

“All right.”

Aneta swiftly opened the envelope, as if she hadn’t hesitated at all. It was obvious why it was treated as confidential.

She read the papers quickly, intuiting that something was tied to Marquis Bauter’s death and that they intended to keep it a secret for now.

The first page listed the items Erez had purchased. Aside from the occasional herb, it was mostly luxury items.

As far as she could tell, Erez’s unchecked spending habits were the only thing that mattered, so Aneta flipped to the next page without noticing anything unusual.

It wasn’t until she caught a glimpse of the hidden medical history of Marquis Bauter that she realized she’d missed something.

“Asthma? Marquis Bauter had asthma?”

“Yes. Though it wasn’t severe.”

Aneta frowned and turned back to the first chapter. The name of a drug that shouldn’t be there was written.

“This is it, Bastia.”

Bastia is an herb with invigorating properties for normal people but a deadly poison for asthmatics.

Her grip on the documents tightened. This was a decisive piece of evidence that the current Erez was not the same as the original Erez.

“That’s right. The last page details purchases of Bastia. It coincides with when the Marquis’s condition began to deteriorate even further.”

“He made the purchases quite frequently, even handling them personally.”

“It’s the nature of the herb. Bastia can be grown year-round, but I’ve heard that it loses its color and potency after a certain amount of time after processing, so he must have been willing to take the risk and buy it frequently.”

Aneta glanced at the empty envelope.

The health status of nobles is mostly shrouded in secrecy, except for minor illnesses like colds or flu. Most often, undisclosed chronic conditions are only revealed after the person has passed away.

The information she has now would not have come to her at all if it weren’t for Russell. Otherwise, she would have either gotten it much later or not at all.

“But even if the health conditions of the household head were highly confidential, it’s strange that nobody knew about this fact.”

Aneta, with a puzzled expression, raised an ambiguous point and posed a question.

As if waiting for that remark, Carlos nodded in agreement.

“There must have been an accomplice. The most likely suspect would be the butler.”

Except for Erez, a member of the family, there was hardly anyone who would know about the illness. Even if there were others, it was unlikely for the butler to overlook the use of Bastia.

If all of this were true, Erez was guilty of the murder of a Marquis and taking the title by force.

“We can’t act on this immediately. The dead cannot speak, and there seems to be no concrete evidence.”

There was no evidence that Bastia was given to the Marquis of Bauter in the documents. While there were purchase records, they were too weak to be considered evidence. Unless they could uncover more evidence to support the case.

“Since becoming part of the Seven Great Families, we can no longer take the name of Bauter lightly.”

Aneta clicked her tongue.

She could see why Russell had voluntarily shared the information.

For now, the two of them focused on their respective tasks until Russell gave the order.

Even as her hands moved mechanically, Aneta’s mind was searching for ways to repay the value of the shared information.

Then an incident flashed into her mind.

“‘How could I forget about that incident?’

Her hand holding the pen stopped abruptly. Aneta quickly pulled out a stack of remaining documents. After rummaging through them for a while, she finally found what she was looking for.

‘There it is.’

Russell had established orphanages in various regions and ensured government support, one of which was the Modan Orphanage, located in the state of Viscount Folter.

The document Aneta found was a petition sent from the Modan Orphanage.

The marriage rate among the residents had sharply declined, leading to a significant increase in abandoned children at the orphanage.

As a result, despite Russell’s wise welfare policies and Aneta’s efforts to maintain a generous household there, they had run out of money saved during times of surplus and had requested a budget increase.

While the apparent reason for the sudden change was likely the significant increase in marriage taxes, there seemed to be another underlying reason.

Viscount Folter, the lord of the Manor, demanded the right of Primae Noctis, also known as the “first night with the bride,”  from those who couldn’t afford or were unable to pay the marriage tax. 

Although it was a laughable concept with the absurd meaning of the “right of the first night,” which was a fictional tradition that had been passed down through generations, however, Viscount Folter carried it out.

With such unreasonable demands, the number of couples who chose cohabitation over marriage increased. Consequently, the children born from these relationships were often abandoned.

Since there were no traces of these relationships on official documents, cleaning up the mess was relatively easy. In the process, many children without birth registration were abandoned, increasing the number of children sent to orphanages.

“So that’s why there has been a sudden increase in children sent to orphanages without any identification.”

Originally, Erez was supposed to handle this matter in place of Aneta, who was away on a trip. It was a task assigned by Russell to test the new lord of the estate.

However, Aneta couldn’t ignore it any longer. She decided to deal with the issue proactively rather than waiting for it to worsen.

It was an opportunity to prevent further victims and assess Erez’s abilities.

Aneta planned to handle this case along with other matters to prepare for contingencies or unforeseen variables.

By doing so, she could avoid questions about why she focused specifically on this issue and achieve multiple goals simultaneously.

To accomplish both objectives discreetly, seeking assistance from the Emperor was inevitable. Without Russell’s approval, punishing Viscount Folter would be challenging, especially considering his specialized subordinates for such tasks.

Aneta lifted her gaze towards the person sitting across from her.

“Carlos.”

As soon as she called his name, their eyes met. Aneta raised the documents she had been looking at.

“It seems like His Majesty’s direct informants might need to step in once again.”

****

“Why did you focus on this one, in particular, Marquis Adenauer?”

Aneta, who had been summoned with the news that the investigation was over, caught Russell’s curious glance. 

The question, which she had anticipated being brought up but hadn’t expected to hear so accurately, didn’t catch her off guard as much as she thought it would.

For a moment, she wondered if she should try to play it cool, but she quickly dismissed the notion. Such shallow tactics wouldn’t work on him.

“Because it’s closely related to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.”

Aneta gestured towards the documents spread out on the table. The investigation results shown by Russell were consistent with the original. 

“We plan to increase the budget, but we can’t simply allocate resources without taking any action.”

She chose the most ideal and suitable explanation among the justifications she could provide from her position.

“Although the situation may get better temporarily, in the long term, it’s like pouring water into a leaking bucket. So, I decided it’s necessary to identify and eliminate the root cause.”

“Hmmm.”

Although her reasoning was sound, Russell didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“So how did you know Viscount Folter was up to something other than extortion with the marriage tax?”

“Well, you know how it is when you’re in politics, you can’t help but sense things, even if you don’t want to. It’s difficult to ignore when something corrupt is in motion.”

Aneta smoothly answered the follow-up question.

“As expected, this incident had far-reaching implications, and we’ve gained the opportunity to catch two birds with one stone. That’s the value of the information I’m providing.”

“Are you referring to Erez Bauter? What does he have to do with this?”

Russell asked as he uncrossed his legs.

“There’s no direct connection, but I believe we can test his abilities through this. Since he saw what happened in the shop, it’s possible that he could handle this as well.”

“I heard his predictions are not consistent. He also said he didn’t know when or where he would see things.”

When Carlos, who had been silent, interjected, Aneta reassured him that it wasn’t an issue.

“That’s exactly why I think it’s crucial. Even if he doesn’t see this matter, his ability is not about seeing the past. If we keep Viscount Folter’s punishment secret, there won’t be any exposure regarding primae noctis. However…”

Aneta paused for a moment before continuing.

“If he mentions this event as a prophecy after everything is over…”

“It means there’s something he’s hiding about his abilities.”

Intentionally clouding the end of her words, Aneta received the desired response.

“Yes.”

“Good. You’ve thought it through quite well.”

With Russell’s approval, Aneta nonchalantly swallowed a sigh of relief.

“For now, we should proceed with Viscount Folter’s punishment in utmost secrecy. Duke of Baltimor, I’ll leave this matter for you to handle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Russell’s tone was like a sharpened blade.

Clang.

The sound of sharpening echoed fiercely in the silence. It wouldn’t be surprising if Viscount Folter were arrested and executed on the spot.

Russell’s mercy as an emperor was solely for the beloved people, not for those who aimed to threaten them.

From the moment he committed despicable deeds, he ceased to be one of Russell’s people and became nothing more than a vermin to be exterminated.