Chapter 5.8

“Did it really seem that way to you, Lady Bianca?”  

“Haha, don’t people often see things the same way? If it seemed that way to me from the outside, and you felt the same, Lord Pharone, then it must be true.”  

Bianca covered her mouth with her hand and let out an elegant laugh.  

“So, it wasn’t just my imagination. But even so, it all went wrong.”  

Pharone’s shoulders, which had seemed to regain some energy, slumped again.  

“While I was showing her around the island today, I collapsed from heatstroke. After that, her attitude suddenly changed. I think she must have been disappointed by how I appeared.”  

“Oh my, surely not. There’s no way she’d be upset over something so trivial.”  

“I tried to talk to her just now, but she rejected me. Without a moment’s hesitation, she went with His Grace, the Grand Duke.”  

“What did you just say?”  

Bianca’s voice rose sharply.  

Startled by the piercing sound, Pharone flinched and widened his eyes. But Bianca had no time to care about his reaction.  

Her insides were burning. She had been so thrilled to hear that Elena had gone out alone with Pharone.  

She had even planned to inform the Grand Duke of the news, searching for him all morning, but she hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of him.  

And yet… Elena was already meeting with the Grand Duke again?  

‘If I keep relying on this fool, nothing will get done.’  

She couldn’t let this opportunity slip by. Whatever had caused this sudden change in Elena, she had handed Bianca the perfect chance on a silver platter.  

If Elena and Pharone somehow ended up together, Bianca wouldn’t have to see her with the Grand Duke—either here or in the capital.  

She needed to use this man to her advantage. A sly smile spread across Bianca’s lips.  

“Lord Pharone, this is no time to be sulking. This is when you need to show your manly side.”  

“But what can I do…? Lady Elena chose His Grace, the Grand Duke, over me. I guess I just can’t compare to him.”  

‘Hah, what an obvious thing to say, and he’s acting like it’s such a tragedy.’  

Bianca snorted inwardly but knew this was the time to build him up.  

“What’s so wrong with you? You’re in no way inferior to the Grand Duke. Think about it. Doesn’t Lady Elena have her own position to consider? She’s here as a candidate for the Grand Duchess. Of course, she wouldn’t openly show her feelings for you in front of His Grace.”  

“Ah!”  

A gasp escaped Pharone’s lips. He hadn’t thought of it that way.  

He hadn’t considered how difficult it must have been for Elena to be put on the spot and asked to choose. How thoughtless of him.  

Feeling ashamed, Pharone lowered his head. Bianca stepped closer and whispered softly.  

“Besides, Lady Elena seemed to really like Anes Island. She even mentioned wanting to live here forever. Doesn’t that give you the upper hand?”  

“Now that you mention it, she seemed very interested in the pearls from Anes Mountain.”  

Pharone felt a glimmer of hope.  

Bianca, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about Elena’s interest in pearls, but she exaggerated her enthusiasm to encourage him.  

“See? Maybe Lady Elena is already thinking about what it would be like if you became the next Lord of Anes. Her interest in pearls might mean she wants to help you in the future.”  

“Ah! Do you think so? I never even considered that.”  

“You should act more boldly. Sometimes, being a little forceful isn’t a bad thing. Every woman wants a man who can take the lead.”  

“How can I ever thank you? If it weren’t for you, I would have given up entirely.”  

“Oh my, don’t say such things. If you need help, I’ll be there for you. More than anything, I want Lady Elena to be happy.”  

Bianca’s bright red lips curved into a perfect arc.  

At the same time, a radiant smile spread across Pharone’s face.  

Each carried their own thoughts, and the two continued their conversation for quite some time.  

* * *  

It was well past midnight, and a dim light seeped out from Helio’s room.  

Inside, Helio, Lennon, and Dean sat facing each other on sofas with a table between them.  

“What’s the current situation?” 

Helio asked quietly, lowering his voice.  

“We’ve secured testimonies from the fishermen.” 

Dean replied, his face showing clear signs of exhaustion.  

For the past two nights, he had been sneaking out to gather information around the island, and it had taken a toll on him.  

On a small island like this, collecting information while avoiding attention was no easy task.  

They had initially thought the limited area would make things simpler, but the locals’ wariness of outsiders had proved to be a significant obstacle.  

“At first, everyone spoke in unison, claiming that Anes no longer produces pearls of any value.”  

“Did you meet the merchant’s brother I mentioned?” 

Helio asked, referring to the merchant who had sold Elena the pearl earrings at Aden Port.  

Through his conversation with the merchant, Helio had learned the name of the fisherman who was supposedly the merchant’s brother.  

“I was just about to get to that. Of course, I tracked him down and questioned him. The answer was the same. So, did I just leave it at that? Of course not. I casually brought up his sister, asking if he knew that she was selling low-quality pearls as top-grade ones at Aden Port.”  

As Dean recounted the story, he seemed to grow more animated, as if he were a warrior recounting a heroic tale.  

Helio and Lennon exchanged glances.  

‘Get to the point already!’  

Their eyes conveyed the same thought, but knowing how much effort Dean had put in, neither of them voiced it aloud.  

“He got defensive right away. Saying: ‘What nonsense is that? Those pearls were top-grade ones I harvested myself just a few days ago.’ So I pressed him further, asking why he had just said there were no pearls left. He became visibly flustered. And guess what I did then?”  

No one responded, but that didn’t bother Dean in the slightest. He hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer.  

“I didn’t push him any further. Instead, I suggested we grab a drink. I took him to a nearby bar and plied him with strong liquor—one drink, then another. Eventually, when he was drunk, he let something slip. He said, ‘The Emperor doesn’t appreciate our hard work.’”  

“What does that mean?”  

Helio’s brows furrowed instantly. Even Lennon, who had been smiling all along, suddenly turned serious.  

“I’m just repeating what I heard.” 

Dean quickly explained, waving his hands defensively.  

“Keep going.”

Helio urged.  

“And then he said this: ‘If we can’t get a fair price, we’ll sell to someone who knows the value.’”  

“So he essentially admitted to smuggling.” 

Helio remarked with a bitter laugh.  

It was now clear that the fishermen were also involved in the scheme.  

Helio had suspected that this wasn’t something the Lord of Anes could orchestrate alone, but seeing the truth laid bare left a sour taste in his mouth.  

“Upon digging deeper, I found out that they believe the Imperial Family imposes absurd taxes, essentially seizing the pearls at dirt-cheap prices. Their resentment toward the Imperial Family runs deep. From what I’ve heard, the money they’ve been paid for the pearls has been ridiculously low.”  

“Hah, so the Lord has been pocketing the fishermen’s share as well. And when the smuggling began, he must have thrown them a pittance to keep them quiet.”

Helio said and Lennon nodded in agreement.  

“To deceive the Imperial Family, everyone would have had to agree on the same story. If rumors started to spread, any lies they told would quickly be exposed.”  

“And yet, they couldn’t afford to give up the lucrative tourism industry.” 

Lennon added.  

“The cowardly bastard. And to lure innocent fishermen into smuggling with him? How could he turn his own subjects into criminals?”  

Helio gritted his teeth in anger.  

As much as he wanted to apprehend the Lord of Anes immediately, the fishermen’s testimonies alone were insufficient.  

If they acted recklessly, the Lord might shift all the blame onto the fishermen and flee.  

“How’s the plan to ambush the transaction site coming along?”  

“That… The situation isn’t looking good.”  

Dean, who had been enthusiastically reporting until now, shifted his gaze toward Lennon, silently asking him to take over.  

“We’ve been keeping watch day and night, but there’s no sign of anything. That Harrison fellow is just lounging around on the beach all day as if he’s really here for sightseeing.” 

Lennon explained.  

Helio’s brows furrowed.  

“Do you think they’ve caught on?”  

“They’re probably just being cautious. They likely don’t have full certainty yet.”  

“Damn it.”  

“They might even postpone the deal and leave for now.” 

Lennon said worriedly.  

But Helio shook his head.  

That wouldn’t happen. It was just a hunch, but he was confident.  

“No. They can’t keep delaying the deal indefinitely. The longer it’s postponed, the more it will disrupt their delivery schedule.”  

“What about the ledger?” 

Lennon asked this time.  

Helio hesitated, pondering how to respond.  

While Elena had discovered the location of the pearls and the key to the vault, nothing was confirmed yet.  

Relying solely on Pharone’s words to search the Lord’s room carried too much risk.  

Moreover, there was no guarantee that the secret ledger would even be in the vault.  

“Rather than the ledger, we need to catch them in the act. Keep watching. The transaction will happen. We need evidence before Harrison leaves.”  

They couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip through their fingers.  

Helio’s words made Dean and Lennon nod resolutely, their eyes gleaming with determination.  

* * *  

“The Baron is returning home?”  

Startled by the news Anne brought, Elena jumped up from her idle position on the bed.  

Since that day, the Grand Duke had completely excluded her from the investigation.  

Curious about the progress, she had tried asking Dean discreetly, but he clammed up like an oyster, refusing to say a word.  

Lennon was no different. Unlike before, when he had assisted her, he now firmly told her to stay out of it, as if he had drawn a line.  

Perhaps the Grand Duke had said something to him, as Lennon even seemed apologetic, saying he was sorry for putting her in danger.  

She understood that her involvement wouldn’t be of much help, so she had resolved to truly stop concerning herself with the matter.  

That is, until she heard that Baron Harrison was returning home.  

“He’s leaving early tomorrow morning. I was told that tonight’s dinner would be a group meal, like on the first day.” 

Anne explained.  

Leaving like this? Had the deal already been completed? Did they miss their chance to catch him in the act?  

“That’s impossible.”  

“I know, right? It’s really strange. If he was only going to stay for four days, why did he even come here in the first place?”  

Anne, unaware of the situation, echoed my frustration without understanding the complexity of my thoughts.  

“He came all the way from the Morton region, didn’t he? It must’ve taken at least a week to travel here. Two weeks for a round trip! If it were me, I’d at least stay for a month to make the trip worthwhile.”  

That would have been true if he had actually come from Morton. The Principality was only five hours away by boat.

Suddenly, it dawned on her.  

‘They’ve postponed the deal.’  

Since the Principality was relatively close, he must have decided it was better to avoid unnecessary risks and come back another day.

If he left now, catching him in the act would no longer be an option. The only thing left was to find evidence. Whether it was the pearls or the ledger, she needed something that could serve as proof of embezzlement. 

Could they even use that to expose the connection to the Grand Duchy?  

What was the Grand Duke planning to do?  

“By the way, are you going to be okay with tonight’s group dinner?” 

Anne asked worriedly.  

“Huh? What do you mean?”  

“Pharone will be there too, won’t he? What’s with that man, anyway? No matter how many times you’ve turned him down, he keeps coming back. He’s surprisingly persistent despite how he looks.”  

Anne was right—Pharone was relentless and stubborn.  

Elena thought she had made herself clear that day, but he had continued to ask to meet her several times since then. No matter how many times she eclined, he didn’t seem to tire of it.  

“It’s a group dinner. What could possibly happen?”  

The thought of encountering him made me a little uneasy, but as long as we weren’t alone, it should be fine—or so she hoped.