Chapter 85. Escape

The envelope handed to Aster by the knight bore a familiar seal. He had seen it before when he handed over the distribution rights of the Rain Mine magic stones to the Almand Merchant Group and visited the Apelli branch.

While Marco, the head of the merchant group, was away, Aster had discovered several boxes with this seal while exploring the surroundings. He hadn’t been able to check the contents as Marco had returned in the middle of his investigation.

Aster recalled and spoke,

“I mentioned during the last meeting that the Almand Merchant Group seemed suspicious.”

“Could it be…?”

“If my guess is correct, the merchant group must be manufacturing and distributing this drug. They are probably mixing it with other goods and selling it.”

“So Paris getting his hands on that drug is the Duke’s doing? Did he know about Isabelle’s misdeeds beforehand…?”

“That’s unlikely. If he had known, he would have expelled Paris and Isabelle before the matter was exposed.”

“Then it means the drug accidentally ended up with Paris.”

Camilla pondered, piecing together the scattered puzzle. The situation where a drug related to Black Shadow, made by the merchant group, ended up with Paris.

“Does the Duke know about this drug?”

“He must know something. Even if he just found out, he’d be busy covering it up.”

“That’s right, if it becomes known that the drug that drove the young master Blanche mad was made by a merchant group under Blanche, the social circle will be in an uproar.”

It was unethical to dabble in illegal drugs to support Blanche’s extravagance. Illegal drugs were prohibited by law due to their severe side effects. Manufacturing and spreading them illegally was something that couldn’t be overlooked.

“We need to escalate this matter. Since the Letia family is involved, they can’t step in directly…”

It would be better if the imperial faction took action. Illegal drugs were strictly prohibited by the imperial family.

“A family that loves justice and has no grudge against Blanche should handle this to avoid any suspicion of personal vendetta.”

“I know of such a family.”

“Who?”

When Camilla widened her eyes, Aster grinned.

“Isn’t there the Vogt family?”

“Ah!”

The Vogt family was known for their loyalty, having led the Imperial Knights for generations. If the Vogt family, who were staunch supporters of the imperial faction, took action, it would be difficult for the Duke of Blanche to intervene in the matter.

Fortunately, Aster and Brix were both alumni of the academy and close friends. Camilla’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Why didn’t I think of that? Sir Brix would have gladly accepted.”

Aster stood up, intending to strike while the iron was hot.

“I’ll go meet Brix immediately.”

Such matters were a race against time. They had to act before the other party noticed and destroyed the evidence.

* * *

At the Apelli branch of the Almand Merchant Group, Marco frowned upon receiving an unexpected telegram. It stated that Paris Blanche had killed someone under the influence of an illegal drug made by the Almand Merchant Group the previous night.

Marco let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of the situation he learned about right after arriving at work.

“How did Blanche get his hands on that?”

“He seems to have gotten it while mingling with some disreputable nobles recently.”

“How was this managed? Didn’t I say not to give it to just anyone?”

The drug was initially introduced to their primary customers. It made one feel good with small doses but caused cognitive decline with long-term use.

The secretary apologized,

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect the drug to end up with the young master. What should we do?”

“For now, the authorities won’t know that we distributed it, so hold off on sending today’s shipment and hide…”

Just as Marco was about to order the illegal drugs to be hidden, there was a commotion outside.

“What’s happening now?”

“I’ll check.”

The secretary stepped outside and soon returned in a panic.

“The Imperial Knights are here!”

“The Imperial Knights?”

It hadn’t even been a full day since the incident occurred. How had they tracked them down so quickly? The speed was unbelievable.

Before Marco could take any action, the Imperial Knights barged into the office. Brix spoke.

“I’m Brix Vogt from the Imperial Knights. Are you Marco Almand, the head of the merchant group?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m arresting you for manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs.”

“How can you do this without evidence?”

“The evidence must be down below.”

At Brix’s signal to arrest him, the Imperial Knights surrounded Marco. Seeing no way out, Marco pulled a smoke bomb from his pocket and threw it.

Bang!

With a loud explosion, the surroundings filled with smoke.

“Damn it!”

Brix quickly cleared the smoke with his sword aura, but Marco had already disappeared.

“Search for him! Don’t let him escape!”

* * *

When the news first broke that the Almand Merchant Group had been raided, the Duke of Blanche was furious. Days passed without any word from Marco, and the Duke grew more anxious.

“Damn it! It must be cursed.”

The Duke was already on edge due to a series of misfortunes this year. The saying that bringing the wrong woman into the house would cause trouble seemed to be coming true with a vengeance.

Not only had he been humiliated in front of everyone because of Isabelle, but now his primary source of income from illegal drugs was also exposed.

He couldn’t understand how such a cheap drug ended up in Paris’s hands. Paris had been drinking heavily and must have gotten involved in the wrong things.

“That useless brat.”

The Duke growled, letting out a deep sigh.

The Imperial family moved swiftly, leaving no time to hide the drugs. A large quantity had already been discovered at the Almand Merchant Group, making it difficult to escape the charges.

The only silver lining was that Marco had escaped. If Marco had been captured, things worse than the illegal drugs might have been exposed.

Since Marco hadn’t contacted him, it seemed he hadn’t left the capital yet. If he had escaped, he would have contacted him by now.

The Duke muttered with bloodshot eyes,

“I must find him first, no matter what.”

Having never been caught in years of distributing illegal drugs, it was hard to believe they had been raided by chance. The fact that only the Almand Merchant Group was searched meant they had been specifically targeted. With the Vogt family directly involved, it was impossible to deflect the blame.

‘We were so close to completion.’

The Duke swallowed his frustration. With his lifelong ambition within reach, the fear of being exposed dried his mouth.

“It’s all that woman’s fault.”

The Duke’s eyes gleamed with anger as he thought of Isabelle, who was locked in the underground prison. That witch had come into Blanche and ruined the family.

Although it was inevitable that her misdeeds would spread in the social circles, it wasn’t enough to let her go without retribution.

As he pondered how to deal with Isabelle, Aster came to his study.

“Father, it’s Aster.”

“Come in.”

The Duke welcomed him warmly and had him sit. Knowing that Paris wasn’t his son, Aster was now the sole heir of Blanche.

The Duke wished for Blanche to become the greatest family on the Ahivith continent. Despite the current disgrace, Blanche wouldn’t fall so easily.

“Have you met Lady Brilly?”

The Duke got straight to the point. After the incident, Alyssa Brilly had fled to Letia Castle, delaying the resolution.

Though it was infuriating, they had no choice but to wait.

“Yes.”

Aster answered briefly and placed something on the table.

“What’s this?”

“Lady Brilly asked me to deliver this to you.”

With suspicion, the Duke opened the box. Inside was a pregnancy test kit. Checking the date, the Duke was astounded.

“Hah! So it was true.”

It made sense, she wouldn’t have made such accusations without evidence. The problem was that Paris had added fuel to the fire.

Public opinion against Blanche was already bad due to the previous Shepherd Gate incident. Now, terms like swindler and parricide were being associated with Blanche.

Holding his throbbing head, the Duke asked,

“What do you think? Do you have any ideas on how to handle this?”

“First, I think it would be best to confine Isabelle Brilly to a villa rather than the underground prison. It would not be good for Blanche if people found out she was still in the dungeon.”

Currently, Blanche was branded as a family of swindlers. Forcing Isabelle into confinement would only worsen their reputation.

Aware of this, the Duke trembled with anger.

“Damn it!”

He cursed repeatedly, his eyes bloodshot from stress. Aster continued, trying to calm him.

“Of course, I don’t mean to let it go.”