"Duke, what's going on here?"
Nellusion smiled and asked back, "What do you mean, Lady Megara?" to Megara's question, delivered with a full dose of indignation.
Lady Megara. A polite title. The most fitting epithet that could be attached to a bastard who wasn't even a commoner.
But when nobles uttered the word "Lady," Megara felt a sense of contempt boiling up from her gut. It felt like she was being mocked.
It was like a mockery of her fate, one that would never see her become the Duchess or Countess of anything.
Even in Nellusion's calm and collected tone, she felt like she was being mocked. Megara's eyes flashed with malice as she pressed, "Why aren't you accepting the promissory note? Do you know how humiliated the Crown Prince was, how furious he was?"
Nellusion didn't flinch in the face of her reprimand, just smiling. Smiling? When he should be begging for forgiveness? Sparks flew from Megara's eyes.
"First of all, this place is a bit inappropriate."
Megara was not in a position to leave the Imperial Palace at will, so she had to choose somewhere in the Imperial Palace to meet with Nellusion. And the place she had decided to barge into today was the Noble Council. To be precise, the study in one corner of the Imperial Palace where the Noble Council members gathered.
But the Noble Council was not a place where Megara could enter at will either. It was just a place where she could come and go without attracting too much attention. If her current situation, with the two of them standing close together, were to be witnessed by others, even that small advantage would vanish in an instant.
Nellusion grabbed Megara's wrist and led her into a small room a little distance from the Noble Council. He then stationed a guard at the door and crossed his arms.
"You had time to come here and vent your anger at me, but you didn't have time to find out who owns Mori Trading Company, did you?"
"What?"
Megara bristled. But despite her annoyance, her sharp mind quickly grasped the meaning of Nellusion's words.
"It must belong to someone dangerous. Who is it?"
"Neris."
Megara's face crumpled at the name that came out of Nellusion's mouth. Her well-known angelic appearance was nowhere to be seen.
"What?"
"It's hers. Really, she's so clever."
There was a hint of joy in Nellusion's voice as he said that. Megara was furious.
'This madman.'
Is this the time to be happy?
Megara knew that Neris had betrayed Nellusion. But why was that fox-like bitch so happy, like a fool?
Nellusion's face, which usually seemed impassive, was now ugly, unable to hide his emotions at just a name. Megara gritted her teeth.
"Joan Mori, that lowly woman, tricked me. I'll send someone to bring her here right now."
"On what grounds?"
Megara's words faltered. Nellusion's face hardened.
"Did she take a lot of collateral? Did she perhaps give something that shouldn't be given?"
"...I, I didn't know there would be such a problem."
"What did she take? Tell me quickly."
Neris, Neris! Hatred boiled in Megara's eyes. Did she give something that shouldn't be given?
She did. As the amount she needed to borrow grew larger and larger! Silver mines, lakes that served as the source of countless rivers... Those were just symbolic names for a mere commoner merchant, but they were different in the hands of that inscrutable child.
Joan Mori, cunningly, had also set short payment deadlines for each promissory note. She said it was to give her a lower interest rate. Some of them were nearing their due date.
But her tongue felt like it was being pricked by needles when she thought of revealing this to Nellusion. Megara gritted her teeth and argued, "She couldn't have borrowed more without taking something from the Imperial Treasury! You were too greedy. You made all that money on your own and didn't help me at all!"
Who was it that Nellusion had made all this money thanks to? It was only thanks to Megara! Shouldn't he have sent some of that money her way? What a rude person!
Nellusion sneered, his eyes seeming to peer into Megara's mind. "Didn't you have your fun too? At least 30% of the money the Crown Prince owed you was taken by your cute passersby."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"There's no need to pretend. I'm not accusing you. If that wasn't the case, the people you sent wouldn't have earned a penny. Do you think my subordinates wouldn't have noticed such obvious professionals?"
"What are you saying? Explain yourself! So, you're saying that there were professional gamblers in your club, besides your own subordinates, who came and made money?"
Megara's face didn't look like that of someone who was lying. Nellusion hesitated.
He stared at her face for a while, then Megara burst out laughing.
"You! You're so stupid! It's a pity! You've been played clean! And you were still pretending to be smart, even though you didn't realize you'd been played!"
A group of unknown people had been coming in and out of the Finito Club, mingling with Nellusion's men and winning money. Nellusion thought they were Megara's people, and he let them win money from the Crown Prince, thinking he was just sharing the profits with his accomplice.
But what if Megara hadn't sent anyone?
Then who was behind those unknown gamblers?
"The most foolish people are those who think they're smart. It means they're so stupid that they don't even realize their own stupidity."
Megara sneered elegantly, feeling a little better after mocking Nellusion. This time, Nellusion glared at her.
"This is not the time to be happy. There's a high chance that money went to Mori Trading Company. Or maybe it went straight to Maindelant. Neris must have known she'd be caught soon."
If Nellusion and Megara had been in a trusting relationship, or even if they hadn't hated each other, the truth would have come out much sooner.
But in a relationship like this, where there was nothing but contempt, why would they ever talk about each other's weaknesses?
So, it was a stroke of luck for Megara to have figured out the situation now. She snorted and shouted, "Then send someone to Mori Trading Company right now! What does it matter what the excuse is? You're a great noble! Just make up any excuse!"
That's what she had to do. Originally, Nellusion had planned to get Mori Trading Company into his hands without letting her know that he knew Neris's intentions. He was going to enjoy watching that cute little trick.
But that was before things went so wrong. Nellusion opened the door and ordered the subordinate standing in front of it.
"Go to Mori Trading Company right now with my seal. And detain everyone in the building, including the head of the company. The reason is treason against the Imperial Family. Hurry!"
Things could even get worse. The company that Megara and Nellusion had been using wasn't just Mori Trading Company. But what if, while the promissory notes were circulating here and there... a larger amount than they thought had been transferred to the other side?
The subordinate tightly gripped the seal Nellusion handed him and hurried away. But before Nellusion could leave the room, another subordinate, his face pale, ran towards him.
He had a bad feeling. Nellusion frowned slightly.
"What is it?"
Nellusion's people, who were only made up of a small number of capable individuals, knew the etiquette they had to follow in the Imperial Palace. To be running around near the Noble Council, of all places in the Imperial Palace. What was he trying to do, get caught by the cunning eyes of other great nobles?
The pale subordinate looked around before quickly reporting.
"Reporting, Your Grace! The head of Mori Trading Company, the deputy head, and all the executives have disappeared!"
Since Nellusion had learned that the newspaper owner who published the novel "Betrayal" was sponsored by Mori Trading Company, he had sent a watcher to keep an eye out for any anomalies. But so coincidentally? Nellusion's eyes narrowed.
"When?"
"I apologize, Your Grace! The watcher only found out about the situation just now, but judging by the traces, it seems they disappeared at least a few days ago!"
Rustle. Megara's hand, which was tightly gripping her skirt, turned white. Nellusion tried to compose himself, thinking that her presence was very annoying.
'How did you do it, Neris?'
A sharp face stared at him in his imagination. It was both exhilarating and chilling.
Even his father didn't know that the Finito Club was Nellusion's property. Camille probably didn't know either. He had taken every precaution.
But Neris had effortlessly tricked Nellusion, Megara, and even Abelus there, and slipped away.
According to the report Nellusion received, all the money Neris's people had taken was in the form of promissory notes that could be cashed immediately, or in cash, goods, and the like. So, it was ridiculous that there was no way to get the money back now, and on top of that, she had even taken the Imperial properties as collateral from Mori Trading Company.
"Collateral."
Nellusion mumbled, his mind suddenly struck by a thought.
"What happened to the Imperial collateral? If there's no creditor..."
It's not like there's a name written on the goods or land, and if the creditor runs away, you can just pretend you don't know and claim it as yours. But would Neris have moved so carelessly?
His subordinate's eyes flickered. Nellusion realized that his subordinate's report wasn't over yet.
"I was just about to report that! News has arrived that representatives from several trading companies across the country have taken over the Billansher Silver Mine, the Odurus Lake, the Schlier Castle, and some other Imperial properties! They suddenly stormed in, saying that the Crown Prince had missed the payment deadline, so they would seize the collateral! It seems that the Mori Trading Company executives secretly divided and sold all the bonds before they fled!"
Megara staggered in place. Nellusion smiled coldly at her.
"...Good for you. When this news gets out, you're finished, aren't you?"
"Finished, my foot!"
She yelled angrily, but even Megara knew that Nellusion's point was realistic.
She had money. She had power. She believed they would be by her side, replacing the status that had vanished like a bubble.
Even if she became the main culprit in disgracing the Imperial Family, would they still hold the same meaning for Abelus?
Somehow, she didn't think so.
So, she gathered the little strength she had left and shouted,
"What are you doing! Let's go fix this! We have to do whatever we can!"
Nellusion and Megara rushed out of the Noble Council room. A dark figure watching them from behind the bushes in the garden silently disappeared.
****
Neris put down the letter, satisfied, which stated that Joan had safely arrived in Maindelant.
"Joan should be fine. She sold everything she needed to sell, and the Grand Duke helped her escape in time."
The letter Neris had sent to the Grand Duke through Aidan earlier had asked him to discreetly help Joan leave the Imperial City by using his influence with the Imperial Guard. There was no need to worry about any repercussions, as the Grand Duke, a member of the royal family, wouldn't be suspected of helping Joan, who had done something detrimental to the Imperial Family.
The Grand Duke, who had lost his maid, whom he cherished like a daughter, secretly liked Joan for helping him catch the culprit. Dora, who had heard about this from Neris, sighed in relief.
"Everything is going according to your plan, Madam? That's a relief."
"There's still a long way to go before we can let our guard down."
Neris looked up at the blue summer sky, lost in thought.
This is a big mess. Nellusion and Megara will definitely have to meet urgently at some point.
They would meet and have a conversation, and she had a general idea of what they would talk about, but the content of their conversation wasn't actually important. What Neris wanted was:
*To create a situation where Abelus would be informed that the two of them had joined forces.*
Before she went up to Maindelant, Neris had subtly hinted to a remnant of the Silver Moon that Clewdin had acquired. The message was that if they saw Nellusion and Megara meeting, they should inform Abelus first, before Camille.
The justification needed to cast a mind control spell was readily available, no need to search hard. The Silver Moon, who had received a terrifying loyalty training, readily accepted the suggestion, believing that Abelus needed to be informed as soon as possible so that Camille could be released sooner...
And there was something else that needed to be done at the same time. That was to inform Megara that the former Duke of Elandria was still alive.
So that the tattered carcass of the Imperial Family could finally be served on a plate.
"It's getting closer."
Neris murmured softly.