“We think so too.”
Fievel looked at the pile of documents piled up in the basket.
“As a result of checking the documents we have organized so far, except for the twelve unidentified purchasers, most of them had official purchasers. Among them, there were no companies related to the business run by our Ajstain family.”
“Has most of the information been compiled? Is it close to the final report?”
“The information guild says that more than 90% of the work has been completed.”
“Ha…”
If that’s the case, then it’s a relief, but the evidence was clear. Fortunately, I had information gathered in advance, so I just had to use it to prove my innocence. Moreover, what is a seal? Nonsense story. I have never lost a seal or taken it out of this room. He carried the key in his arms. In other words, there is no possibility of the seal being copied. I sat down in the chair, sighing with strange relief. Fievel approached her and anxiously asked her how she felt, but she didn’t even have the strength to shake her head. No, the ceiling didn’t collapse in the middle of the night. I was sleeping well. What kind of disaster is this? I sighed and thought about it. I thought about writing a rebuttal with evidence and sending it in, but it was right that if it was a call from the imperial family, I had to attend unconditionally. If you don’t go, you may suffer greater damage due to disobedience and disloyalty.
“I can’t help it…”
I thought about asking Grand Duke Ian for help and seeing if she could avoid a hearing, but she didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to give Ian that role, and he didn’t want to hold on to it either. You have to take care of things like this.
“First of all, based on the documents in order, please write a rebuttal stating that I did not purchase sulfur and titanium. And please notify the center that you will attend on my date.”
“…Are you planning to attend?”
“What do you think? Are you going to get caught if you don’t go?”
“But…”
I also shook my head at Fievel’s hesitant attitude. It is an unavoidable problem. If I had to be honest, I didn’t want to go to the imperial family either. Aside from being busy, I felt like I would see the face of someone I didn’t want to see when I went there. In fact, the place where that son of a bitch works is the palace, and on top of that, Ian’s enemy, the crown prince… No, that’s not it. My head hurts when I think about it.
“Nothing will happen.”
“…All right. Then I will prepare.”
After speaking, I followed Fievel and his lieutenants with my eyes as they left the door with a pile of documents. The door closed and he was alone. Tiredness washed over him again and he quietly closed his eyes. Suddenly, I was confused as to what had happened. Still, the reason I calmed down was because there were many things to prove my innocence. Still, it is a dangerous problem. If you get involved with counterfeit currency, your family will literally disappear. The Marquis of Bepis, whom everyone who claimed to actually fly long bowed their heads, also disappeared into the back of history in an instant due to a counterfeit currency incident. The same goes for the Aztain family.
“Nothing much will happen.”
But I couldn’t help but feel anxious. No matter how perfectly you prepare, what if you cannot properly respond to their logic? What if a problem arises in an unexpected place? It was terrible.
“…Probably not.”
I got up to calm down. However, a box of possibilities buried in the back of my mind was slightly opened. I wouldn’t do it this way. I bit my lip and moved my body. It wasn’t long before we passed through the hallway and reached Ersia’s room, which was located not far away. Benson, who was standing guard in front of him, bowed in surprise when he saw me.
“What’s going on?”
Lately, I have paid little attention to Ercia and rarely visit her, so it was supposed to be my appearance. I looked at the closed door.
“…What about Ercia?”
“She’s in the room.”
I lifted my body, stood in front of the door, and took a deep breath. Every time I met Nol Ersia, love and hate enveloped me. Is it because she has a cruel personality or is she stupid? I still wanted to believe that Ercia wouldn’t do anything vicious enough to completely ruin her family. I grabbed the door handle and hesitated for a moment. What should I say? Should I tell her if she stole the seal? Or should I encourage him to speak first? I pondered what to say and then shook her head. You’ll get the answer when you look at her face.
“…I’m going in.”
She figured she would have heard it all anyway. When I actually opened the door and entered, I saw Ercia sitting in her chair as if she had been waiting for me. Twins who look exactly like me. As soon as she saw me she opened her mouth.
“Why?”
It wasn’t as abominable as before. All that remains is the selfishness. She looked at Ercia quietly and opened her mouth.
“Can I have a moment?”
“What is it?”
I walked over to her and sat down opposite her. Ercia’s gaze followed me. She slowly crossed her legs and lifted her chin proudly.
“What’s happening all of a sudden?”
Let’s start with the main topic…
“I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll be blunt.”
I put my hands on the table.
“Have you ever come into my office and taken the seal used on a contract?”
“A seal?”
She raised her eyebrows slightly, and then she smiled and couldn’t help but notice her pompous appearance. If possible, I wanted to hit her hard, but that wasn’t important to me, so I just pressed down.
“Yes. You probably know that. It’s not like you’ve never seen the seal I use before.”
“Well… that’s right.”
The facial expression was astounding as if it was insignificant. is not it? Is it still rainy day? Still, she opened her mouth again just in case.
“Have you ever taken that seal?”
“Me? Why?”
“The chamberlain…”
I wanted to answer that it was to purchase a large amount of sulfur and titanium, but if Ercia had nothing to do with this, I was catching the wrong person, so I opened my mouth as carefully as possible.
“Is it because of things you need?”
“Things I need?”
Ercia opened her eyes round and then she burst into laughter and giggled. She wanted to laugh at me and lose her temper, thinking that someone was upset and came to ask me a question. They asked if we knew what kind of suspicion our family was facing right now, and they said that a summons had been sent for a crime that would not be surprising if we were to be exterminated if we did something wrong. In fact, it was not just a summons, it was such a serious incident that there would be nothing to say even if the knights came and forcibly took him away. Being suspected meant that some plausible evidence had already been secured, so even if the knights opened the door and took me away, I couldn’t resist. However, the reason I didn’t do that was probably because I judged it necessary to be a little more cautious. Or maybe it was just looking at Ian’s feelings, who had recently become entangled with me. Anyway, it wasn’t a very good situation, but Ersia’s actions of provoking me so leisurely made me angry. Nevertheless, she had no choice but to hold on to unnecessary doubts, so she took a step back and opened her mouth once again.
“Yes, I need it. Maybe you needed something and took it and used it?”
I wasn’t in a very good mood. The question was outright asking if you did it. I don’t know how they would react, but if Ercia was not her culprit, it would have been a great disrespect even to her relatives. In fact, Ercia looked at me quietly. With her frown crumpled
“Sister… I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s unpleasant for you to suddenly come and suspect me of something bad.”
“…It’s because it’s an important issue. It is an important work that will bring great glory to our family.”
“Are you suspecting me of something like that?”
I closed my mouth; I couldn’t hear Ercia’s attitude, so I had nothing more to say. All she could do was wait for Ercia to answer. She looked at me with a bewildered expression and shook her head.
“No, I never took it and I never went into the office. Is this enough of an answer?”
I nodded. Okay, that’s enough. I took a deep breath and stood up. I forced myself to open my mouth.
“…I’m sorry for doubting you. Rest”
“…”
Ercia turned her body as if she didn’t want to hear any more. She glanced over her shoulder and turned to leave her door. Then she felt uncomfortable continuing like this and had no choice but to turn around.
“Elcia.”
“Why again? Are there any more doubts left?”
“That’s not it. It’s just…”
“Just?”
Turning her body again, she faced her sister’s green eyes looking at me and opened her mouth.
“Even if you hate me and dislike me, I hope you will not do anything that will lead to the downfall of our family.”
“Is it for my sister’s self-interest?”
“No.”
Bitterness filled my mouth. Glaring at her, I revisited my relationship with Ercia. Ercia was practically abandoned by those who opposed me. Why do I get the feeling that maybe my relationship with my younger sister is still on the path to recovery? Is it because I’m stupid, or because I lack venom? After meeting Ian, it felt like the block of ice inside me was melting little by little, making me thinner. I wondered if that was all. Could it be that he was driven by one emotion, anger, and failed to see something important? Is the girl who was crying in my dream that day really me or Ercia? Where is Ercia now? Where is my relationship with Ercia? If possible, would she be able to turn back? I laughed at her relationship with her younger brother and her relationship with the twin who looked like me. It was a bitter laugh. At least when I returned to the past, I never thought about this… How did things change like this?
I opened my mouth quietly, looking at my twin who was looking at me.
“…It’s not self-interest.”
“Sure?”
I hope that I am in a position where I can at least say something sincere to her question.
“Because this is your home too. Don’t ruin your own home where you can sleep.”
“…”
“It’s not for me, it’s not for grandfather and the rest of the family, it’s for yourself. The moment you abandon your family and home, you become nothing. So make a wise decision, Ersia.”
No matter what you were thinking or what you were feeling, I sincerely hope that these words alone will change your mind at least a little.
“Rest.”
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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