103. Larael’s Conjecture

In fact, Larael had roughly guessed that Grand Duke Vellaus and Kali had been in contact. The maid Kali had brought to the office recently was the same maid who had delivered letters or items to Larael several times on Herwen’s behalf before the regression. The moment she saw her, Larael had felt such terrible betrayal from Kali and had barely managed to contain those emotions. Even now, thinking about it made her heart ache.

“So?”

Larael asked, barely suppressing the resurgence of those emotions.

“He said he would help me reclaim the Layton Merchant Guild. He promised to make me the head of the Layton Merchant Guild if I just told him what Your Highness was doing.”

And the answer regarding his proposal was clear without Kali having to say it. If she had rejected his offer, she wouldn’t be here now, begging Larael for forgiveness.

“Kali, this is different from what you told me. You clearly said you had no desire for revenge. After hearing your words, I felt so ashamed of myself…”

“Your Highness, I truly meant it then. But when the Grand Duke said those words, I must have been possessed by something.”

Kali sobbed as she spoke. She was crying so bitterly that Larael barely restrained herself from wanting to lift her up and wipe away her tears.

Kali tried to hold back her tears and spoke again.

“I told Grand Duke Vellaus that I had Hobbs with me and that I was producing a cure for the Krauf disease.”

Larael closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. The corners of her closed eyes trembled slightly.

“Kali, why didn’t you just ask me? Did I seem that inadequate in your eyes?”

“Your Highness, I was wrong. I was foolish. I must have lost my mind momentarily.”

“But… if you hadn’t come to me, I would have completely turned my back on you. I’ll give you one more chance. This is also the last chance I’m giving you.”

“Your Highness, I’ll do anything. If you tell me to die, I will die.”

“Why would you try to make me a murderer?”

Larael sat on the sofa with Kali and received a full report of what she had told Herwen.

“…But did Your Highness already know that I had… betrayed you?”

“Yes. Your maid was someone I knew. I asked the Four Seasons to investigate her background to confirm.”

Larael answered nonchalantly to Kali’s cautious question. This was what she had asked Dean to do recently. Dean couldn’t lift his head in apology to Larael, feeling deeply sorry that Kali, whom he had recommended, might have had other intentions.

After hearing everything Kali had to say, Larael fell into deep thought.

What did Herwen think of Larael?

First, he must have noticed that Larael was not the same Larael he knew. He would think that the Larael he knew couldn’t do such things. And he would also question why Larael was interested in the Krauf disease and how she found Hobbs. But more importantly, the question was how he would use this information.

After a long silence, Larael spoke.

“Kali, please draw up a contract for the Kazel Empire to purchase all the cures produced so far through the merchant guild. The contract will be signed by Larael Hedway. And distribute those cures immediately to hospitals in Kalia for free. Only to hospitals that sign a contract agreeing to keep it secret until an official announcement is made.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Larael watched Kali’s retreating back with complex emotions as she left the bedroom. While Kali had been given another chance, Larael felt as if her trust in someone, which had just begun to heal, had completely collapsed.

***

“Grand Duke Vellaus has found out that I am producing the cure. The problem is that Grand Duke Vellaus is not happy about this fact. He probably intended to use this disease.”

“What do you mean by ‘use’ it?”

Larael hesitated for a moment. As long as nothing happened, her words would just be malicious and one-sided speculation. If Edward’s trust in Herwen hadn’t diminished because of the Fenrir incident, Larael wouldn’t have been able to say this.

“He probably intended to deliberately spread the disease throughout the Empire and then provide the cure to increase his support.”

Edward’s mind became confused. It was something that could be reasonably inferred, but he had thought that Herwen was not the kind of shameless villain who would use people’s lives as collateral to gain support for himself.

“Of course, this is my conjecture based on the fact that he asked if the Krauf disease could spread throughout the Empire and threatened Hobbs. But when I think about what he has done to undermine Your Majesty’s authority, I am convinced that this is entirely possible.”

And Edward gave a bitter laugh at the thought that it was because of those “what he has done” that he could be sitting face to face with Larael like this.

“He must have been quite surprised to learn that I was protecting the missing Hobbs and producing the cure. In this situation, suddenly Baron Layton pointed to me as a witness. I believe Your Majesty is well aware of who was behind Baron Layton’s appointment to handle the relief food. So, after much thought, I concluded that this trial is related to the Krauf disease.”

At the mention of Baron Layton, Edward’s eyes became intense. When she had suddenly started talking about the Krauf disease, he had wondered why she was bringing it up, but now it was all connected in this way.

“So in the end, is the ultimate goal of making you a witness… me?”

Edward muttered bitterly. Larael placed her other hand on top of Edward’s hand that was holding hers. Edward stared at their overlapping hands for a moment before looking up. She was quietly gazing at him.

“I’ll have to hear what Baron Layton says when I enter the courtroom, but I suspect that’s roughly the situation. Of course, I could be wrong.”

“So what’s the current status of the cure production?”

Edward felt as if he were receiving a report from an aide. The only difference was that he had never received a report while holding hands so closely like this.

“I’ve signed a purchase contract for the cure in the name of the Kazel Empire, and it’s now being distributed to hospitals in Kalia. I used the private funds of Abella Palace to buy the cure.”

Edward let out a long sigh. How Larael had coincidentally become interested in the Krauf disease was no longer important. Edward felt sorry that Larael was doing what he should have been doing.

“I’ll tell my aides to compensate Abella Palace for the expenses. It feels like I’ve pushed onto you what I should have done…”

Edward was about to say he was sorry but closed his mouth firmly. It was because he saw Larael’s brow slightly furrowing.

Edward could now understand that Larael was doing this for him. From Edward’s perspective, Larael was always anxious that he might be harmed. She was struggling to find solutions to counter Herwen’s schemes. Edward felt pathetic. While Larael was going to such lengths, he was leaving Herwen alone despite knowing he was behind everything, simply because he couldn’t find evidence.

“If this had happened, I wish you had consulted with me beforehand…”

“I’m sorry. Since I only had my suspicions, I couldn’t tell Your Majesty, as it would have seemed like I was falsely accusing someone.”

“I understand.”

Edward nodded slowly and caressed Larael’s cheek. It was a consistently gentle touch. Hiding the turmoil stirring in his heart, he smiled softly at Larael.

Larael relaxed at this sight and smiled with relief. She had briefly wondered if telling Edward was the right thing to do, but seeing how quickly her heart was at ease now, it seemed it was. Edward’s previous words about sharing all emotions as a married couple now felt real, and her heart felt warm.

‘So this is what being a married couple means.’