Episode 84
‘Right. No matter how wealthy a family is, it’s strange for a wardrobe of an ordinary noble lady to be overflowing with such expensive magical tools.’
But even after that, I ignored all the countless signs.
I didn’t want to think more deeply about it.
There were times when I had a vague sense that I was missing something important, but I felt that facing it wouldn’t bring me any good results.
However, I had to admit it now.
Evgenia… was not just an ordinary, foolish villainess.
She was the owner of a trading guild so influential that even Delano clicked his tongue in awe, generating enormous profits from every investment she made, despite being established less than ten years ago, and fiercely chasing after the Basilian Trading Guild.
At the same time, though not now, she was also the owner of a mercenary corps that, if she wished, could grow into an assassination guild so powerful that even the Imperial Family wouldn’t dare to touch it.
“Master…?”
As I stayed silent for a while, trying to organize my complicated thoughts, Gold’s vice leader called out to me with a worried expression.
Though I had finally admitted it, I tried my best not to reveal my unsettled feelings as I slowly opened my mouth.
“You’ve all worked hard to come this far.”
In truth, I didn’t know what to say, so I chose the safest words.
But both Gold’s vice leader and Black’s executive flinched and stared at me with bewildered eyes.
“Anne said that the Master has become much softer…”
Hearing the small murmur, I reflexively turned to Anne, who was standing behind me.
In the past, she would have at least looked guilty.
But now, even though she was caught talking about me behind my back, she wore an openly proud expression.
‘This isn’t me becoming softer; this is me becoming easier to handle, isn’t it?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned my gaze away again, and Black’s executive gave Gold’s vice leader a reproachful look.
“Do you not know that the Commander has always been the kindest person at heart? When our Edhim clan was left with nowhere to go after our country collapsed, it was the Commander who took us in!”
“Hah! Who doesn’t know that? Even I was falsely accused of embezzlement, imprisoned, and then freed and redeemed thanks to the Commander! She even ensured that our families and the children from the slums could eat, study, and live without worry… It’s just that she’s not the type to directly say things like ‘you’ve worked hard’ or ‘well done,’ so it was surprising.”
Through their conversation, I learned more about the real Evgenia than I ever wanted to know.
Whether it was out of rejection or embarrassment, my face felt hot, as if I had just heard a compliment directed straight at me.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat as a sign for them to stop, and the two quickly bowed their heads.
“We apologize, Master.”
“We apologize, Commander.”
Then, with faces that seemed like they had something else to say, they glanced at each other before speaking hesitantly.
“Uh, congratulations on your marriage…”
“Yes, the congratulations are a bit late since it was so sudden…”
Were they expecting me to explain something about my marriage?
Their words carried an odd sense of anticipation.
But when it came to my marriage with Euclid, I didn’t even want to pretend to speak convincingly as Evgenia. So instead of lying, I simply nodded.
“Thank you for the congratulations.”
Realizing that I wouldn’t explain anything, the two flinched and bowed their heads.
Then, they began reporting the purpose of today’s visit in turn.
The monthly income of the Gold Guild, the status of the businesses they operated, the results of their investments, various matters brought up by branches across the Empire for me to decide on, and the allocation of secured funds—listening to the detailed reports, I was once again reminded of the vast scale of the guild.
Evgenia was only twenty-two years old now. How on earth did she start and manage such an organization at such a young age?
‘Surely the Basilian Ducal House has no idea about this.’
Setting aside the mercenary corps, even starting a trading guild requires gathering funds, securing space, recruiting members, establishing operational policies, determining goods, prices, and markets.
The fact that someone capable of doing all that in secret was seen by outsiders as a foolish villainess with a terrible reputation was baffling.
‘At this point, even the obsession with the Crown Prince seems unbelievable.’
But what I found hardest to believe was the original story.
Even though I had vague suspicions about what Evgenia was plotting with these hidden organizations, I couldn’t be certain because I no longer trusted the original narrative.
“This concludes the tasks and results received this month. And lastly…”
At that moment, after giving a relatively brief report compared to Gold, Black’s executive glanced at me cautiously and spoke.
“There’s also a report regarding the Master. It may become irrelevant if the Knight Order enlistment is confirmed, but it’s protocol to report it, so we brought it along.”
The executive pointed out something I hadn’t even considered and subtly turned his gaze toward Richard, who had been silently drilling his stare into me from one corner.
Because of him, I ended up looking at Richard as well.
Our eyes met—his crimson eyes, which had not once left me, locked with mine.
A strong sense of discomfort hit me instantly, and I realized something again.
‘Evgenia knew Richard’s true identity.’
At first, I thought she had simply bought him as a slave because of his eye color, which matched the Crown Prince’s.
But she knew. She knew that Richard was, in fact, the illegitimate child of the former emperor, abandoned in an illegal market at birth and raised as a combat slave.
‘So… he’s the current emperor’s half-brother? And the Crown Prince’s younger uncle?’
It was so absurd that I couldn’t even speak.
And I once again became convinced that Evgenia was indeed plotting something as terrifying as rebellion.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, to be honest.
In the original story, after divorcing Euclid, Evgenia disappeared instead of returning to the Basilian Ducal House and ended up invading the Imperial Palace.
At that time, Richard succeeded in killing the emperor for revenge, and the Crown Prince imprisoned Evgenia in the palace dungeon for treason.
The Basilian Ducal House, in turn, had all their wealth confiscated, their titles stripped away, and met the worst possible ending a founding family could face.
When I first read that part, I thought it was just a typical narrative framing a foolish villainess for a satisfying conclusion.
But now that I knew the hidden truth, I realized it wasn’t an unreasonable accusation.
‘Although it does seem like the Basilian Ducal House was unfairly dragged into it.’
Still, not all the mysteries were solved.
Richard, the most perplexing of them all, began walking toward me.
“Master.”
Just like the first time we met in the annex of the Basilian Ducal House, Richard knelt down.
Perhaps because I had experienced this before, or maybe because I had expected it, I wasn’t very surprised.
“Weren’t you testing me?”
…No, I thought I wasn’t surprised.
“You saved me when I knew nothing. You told me who I needed to take revenge on. You even erased the slave mark on the back of my hand yourself.”
Richard spoke quickly, as if he had been holding back for a long time.
When I inadvertently glanced down at the deep scar on his left hand—
“And yet… telling me to leave freely all of a sudden doesn’t make sense.”
His voice trembled pitifully.
‘No way.’
When I looked up, shocked, a large tear fell from Richard’s crimson eyes.
My mind went blank from the shock, and my neck stiffened.
Even when he had clung to me, calling me ‘Master,’ he had only whimpered but never shed tears.
‘Evgenia, just what have you done?’
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
