Sophia’s hair was incredibly curly and always puffed up, making it delightful to touch.
As I found comfort in stroking Sophia’s hair, Gio nodded and turned to the next page.
“Alright, so we’ve decided on the second option. Shall we go into more detail?”
Following Gio’s lead, we turned to the second page.
“First of all, the Kevan family has a lot of issues. It’s an open secret that the second son became a knight thanks to the family’s influence. Furthermore, the Kevan family is famous for accumulating wealth through shady dealings.”
Gio added,
“Oh, but that doesn’t mean the family has a strong influence. Recently, the eldest son has fallen into gambling, leading to a significant loss of their wealth, and for several generations, there have been issues with the heirs, causing their influence to gradually decline.”
However, no matter how you looked at it, they were still a Marquis family. There was a reason why my parents were so insistent that I held onto Emon.
“And there’s actually a somewhat tricky part. This family has dealings with the ‘Beanstalk.’”
“…Beanstalk?”
It was a strangely familiar term.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Kaien spoke.
“Milady, you should look at the end of the second page.”
Following his words, I looked down and found an explanation about the ‘Beanstalk.’
The Beanstalk was one of the oldest organizations, spanning across various industries. They lent money to merchants and engaged in investments and various businesses.
“They operate private investigation agencies and information guilds; they do everything. But there’s just one thing they don’t do: illegal activities.”
“Is that possible?”
“But they do facilitate the distribution of goods.”
“Distribution?”
“Yes, they introduce nobles to gamblers and drug dealers, and then they take a cut of the profits. Those who engage in illegal activities inevitably become subordinates to the Beanstalk, which consistently brings in customers.”
“So, if they’re in contact with each other, that means… the Kevan family is being used by the Beanstalk?”
“That’s right. The Kevan family owns some mines, so they’ve never actually run out of wealth. In other words, from the Beanstalk’s perspective, the Kevan family is like a money tree.”
“Would they seek revenge on us if the Kevan family collapses?”
“That won’t happen.”
Kaien spoke with certainty.
When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Kaien confidently said,
“What fool would dare to mess with a duke?”
… That’s true.
Even if they lose one of their financial backers, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to take revenge on a duke’s household. If they were that foolish, Beanstalk wouldn’t have grown this powerful in the first place.
“Other than this part, there are no issues. I’ve calculated all possible scenarios, so the outcome will be the same regardless of the direction we take.”
“The downfall and death of the family.”
Kaien asked me,
“What do you think?”
“You’re truly the best, Duke.”
At my words, Kaien smiled.
“That’s the nicest compliment I’ve heard, milady.”
Kaien stood up from his seat.
“Now, shall we start with the first step?”
As I looked on, confused, Kaien gestured with his hand.
Gio put down the paper and went somewhere, opening a closet door.
“Oh my!”
Sophia gasped and hid behind me. Inside the closet, a person was bound and gagged.
I blinked in surprise.
“Duke, who is that person?”
“I thought I should have a talk with the head of Beanstalk. So, I had him kidnapped.”
I retraced my memory, wondering if I had misunderstood.
It’s night now. The incident with Emon happened in the afternoon. After sleeping and waking up, I ate a late dinner. Kaien then led me here, where the briefing started.
“You kidnapped him in the meantime?”
“Yeah.”
For some reason, Kaien’s eyes sparkled.
I hesitated before speaking.
“Uh… good job?”
Despite my vague wording, Kaien nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Right? Gio, bring him in.”
Gio brought the Beanstalk’s boss from the closet and sat him on the floor.
Then he removed the blindfold and gag from the resisting man.
“Who are you…? Duke Win-Wintbell?”
“That’s right, I’m Duke Wintbell.”
Kaien cheerfully greeted the Beanstalk’s boss.
“I brought you here because I have something to discuss. Don’t worry; as long as you cooperate, there’s no need for any threats.”
“You’ve made a mistake!”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not the real boss! Well, I am the boss, but… There’s a real boss above me!”
Knock, knock.
At the sound of tapping on the window, Gio immediately opened it. A bird flew in, carrying a note tied to its foot.
Gio untied the note from the bird’s foot and brought it to Kaien.
“What is it?”
“It’s from the real boss. It has the time and place for the meeting written on it.”
Kaien folded the note and looked at me.
“Would you like to join us, milady?”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“I am a bit worried.”
At Gio’s words, Kaien opened his eyes.
“About Lady Philome?”
“Yes.”
“But this is her revenge. I’m just helping. I want her to witness the process of her revenge with her own eyes.”
“But…”
“I’m willing to grant you anything Lady Philome desires.”
“Well, yes. Since it’s what you want, it’s not our place as outsiders to say anything.”
Gio nodded, accepting that fact.
“By the way, it seems like it’s been a while since the duke has stayed in the mansion for this long.”
“…Indeed. It has been a while.”
Kaien had canceled all his external appointments for the past four days. Since Emon had been in the mansion all day, he couldn’t leave Philome alone.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the knights of the ducal household, but he wanted to be cautious.
Although it was an inconvenience, it was unexpectedly pleasant.
It was the first time he had spent the whole day with the same person for meals, and the first time he had taken walks in the garden two or three times a day.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Philome peeked her head in. She was already wearing a robe.
“I’m ready.”
Seeing her looking excited, Kaien smiled slightly and stood up. Gio handed the robe he was holding to Kaien.
“Aren’t you tired, milady? It’s past midnight.”
“I slept all afternoon, so I’m fine. What about you, Duke? Aren’t you sleepy?”
“I’m usually awake at this hour.”
Kaien escorted Philome down the stairs. Outside, a carriage was already prepared.
Philome hesitated, wondering whether to wear the robe’s hood.
“Should I hide my face?”
“It doesn’t matter. The other party already knew our identities and sent a note to the Duchy.”
“Oh, right.”
Philome decided to wear the hood and climbed into the carriage.
Since their destination was nearby, the carriage stopped shortly after.
It was a small café in an alley that operated 24 hours a day.
“Welcome.”
The staff greeted them with a tired expression. Since it was past midnight, there were only one or two customers inside the café.
Once they settled by the window, the employee brought over desserts and drinks.
“We haven’t ordered yet.”
At Philome’s words, the employee pointed to a table on the other side.
“They ordered it for you.”
Turning her head, she saw a person sitting there waving them over, completely hidden from head to toe in a long robe.
“Oh, since I’m meeting the duke, of course, I should pay.”
“Are you the real boss of the Beanstalk?”
“Well, I could be defined that way.”
Listening to their conversation, Philome quietly narrowed her eyes.
The voice sounded unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar. No, to be precise, the way of speaking felt oddly familiar.
“So, Duke, what reason did you have for kidnapping my subordinate?”
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“Excuse me? That kind of old trick won’t work on me.”
“Keep talking.”
Kaien clicked his tongue.
“Let’s get to the point. It seems I’ll be cutting off one of your funding sources.”
“Which one?”
“House Kevan.”
“Wow… that’s a bigger funding source than I expected.”
“Don’t exaggerate. I already know everything. The Kevan family isn’t that significant of a funding source, is it?”
“How can you say that? To me, every source of funding is significant. But shouldn’t I know the reason? I’m curious.”
“He’s my fiance’s ex-fiance.”
“Ah, I see…”
The real boss of the Beanstalk glanced at Philome. Even though her face was hidden, Philome instinctively lowered her head.
“That’s right. So, for various reasons, I plan to get rid of that family.”
Even though he was talking about eliminating a noble house, Kaien remained incredibly calm.
Philome was still deep in thought.
‘Beanstalk? It sounds familiar. Is it a memory from my past life?’
It seemed like a title.
Beanstalk…
Beanstalk…
Jack and the Beanstalk…
“…!”
Philome slammed her hand on the table, making a loud noise, and shot up from her seat.
Thanks 😊