“Your Majesty.,Baron Joseph Tullouf has come to see you.”
One corner of my mouth twitched at the name Joseph Tullouf. I deliberately pretended to be engrossed in other matters before making my way to the drawing room. Because I was the one who had the upper hand in this negotiation. I remembered Colin’s article that Stella had shown me the other day.
[The Private Life of Baron White Rose
Marriage is a long way off for Baron White Rose, a bachelor well past fifty. Not even the most stunning woman in the land would be able to win him over. Baron White Rose, notorious for his intense misogyny, regularly throws extravagant feasts for countless male servants. Unfortunately, the men he chooses are doomed to spend the rest of their lives as miserable sex slaves. If they somehow fail to satisfy him, they will be subjected to terrible torture until they die. Therefore, his sex slaves must have a profound knowledge of the strange acts that take place in secret places. According to the testimony of a slave who succeeded in escaping, there is a tool that must be used for his foreplay…]
My face felt hot as I read, but I quickly realized that Colin had deliberately chosen the most provocative content. It was enough to get people’s attention.
Predictably, Asha was abuzz with talk of Baron White Rose as soon as the story broke.
Thanks to the explosive response, it has already been published three times, and I heard that there have been a flood of requests for follow-up articles related to it.
It shouldn’t have been hard for people to recognize who Baron White Rose is. The symbol of the Tullouf family was white rose.
When I walked through the door, I saw the rumored Baron Tullouf with my own two eyes. His graying hair hinted at his advanced age.
He was slightly shorter and thinner than the average man, with thin lips and artificially shaped eyebrows that looked like they were drawn with a pen.
Despite his age, there was something about him that reminded me of Henry Child.
His gray eyes, which looked cloudy, were blazing with anger at me, but he greeted me politely.
“May the blessings of the great goddess Lumitharas be with you. I greet your Majesty, the Empress, the Moon of Asha.”
I sat down across from him, and with a carefree smile on my face, I asked him straightforwardly.
“Why did you come to see me?”
At that, his face hardened even more. Baron Tullouf could not hide his discomfort.
He didn’t say it directly, but the look in his eyes that threatened to eat me gave away how he felt right now. After a few moments of silence, as if he needed time to get his temper under control, he spoke in a somewhat calmer voice.
“I’ve come to see you about the Locale newspaper, which I understand is under the patronage of Her Majesty the Empress.”
“That’s right.”
“I want you to take down those articles …… that I’m embarrassed to even mention.”
“Hmmm, I don’t know what you mean. Are you perhaps referring to the story of Baron White Rose?”
As I slowly began to peel away the layers of the situation, Baron Tullouf’s expression started to contort.
“If that’s the case, I’m even more perplexed. Are you implying there’s some connection between the articles and Baron Tullouf?”
His face quickly flushed red. No longer bothering to hide his expression, he rolled his eyes and spoke in an aggressive tone.
“I have followed Duke Bledel for many years. I guess this is what I get for being loyal to House Bledel.”
“Baron Tullouf, I am no longer a lady of Bledel, and there is no use in bringing up House Bledel, so please leave.”
He sighed deeply for a moment, then with a rough motion, he drew a small box from within his pocket, opened it, and pushed it close to me.
It was an expensive brooch, set with red diamonds in the shape of a flower. I turned to him, the corners of my mouth forming a soft arc.
“What is this?”
“The eyes of the goddess Marilyn, the treasure of the Kukos royal family. Please… accept my sincerity.”
Baron Tullouf, who delivered the words, looked as if he were about to shed tears.
From his distorted expression, it was easy to see how precious this necklace was.
I accepted it and replied with a bright smile.
“My goodness, Marilyn is the sun goddess that Kukos served, and this object is indeed as mysterious as her name.”
“…….”
“It seems your discernment is as impressive as that of my father’s friend. I will gratefully accept Baron Tullouf’s sincerity.”
Baron Tullouf’s ears perked up like they were on fire.
* * * * *
Baron Tullouf’s story was followed by the stories of other nobles, one by one, and together they made the Locale Newspaper the talk of the town among the people of Asha.
The people were fascinated by the sordid private lives of the high ranking nobles. In addition, requests from those who wanted to meet the empress continued.
Some even sent gifts and letters separately if they were unable to meet me in person.
At first I expected Duke Bledel to go on a rampage, but he was quiet. This might be due to the fact that his recent health condition had worsened.
I recalled his face at Rosetin’s celebration, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. Rumors had spread recently that he had fainted inside a carriage on his way out of the palace.
As if to prove it, the Duke hadn’t been seen in the palace for some time. I have heard from Henry Child, and he confirms that the Duke is in a more serious condition than I thought.
Despite consulting doctors, his symptoms remained a mystery, and it was even said that the treatments prescribed by the doctors were of no use. In the meantime, Rachel has been entertaining her lovers more and more often, like fish out of water.
It was suspicious how Duchess Bledel, who might even face a potential downfall, was behaving as if she knew nothing about the state of affairs. I don’t have any confirmation, but I feel like she seemed to believe in something.
In any case, it’s unlikely that Duke Bledel can afford to be bothered with such a vulgar scandal at this point, so the nobles targeted by the Locale newspaper are forced to bribe the Empress without much of a choice.
“He asked them to wait a little longer for the whereabouts of the royal secret order.”
Stella delivered Henry Child’s words. The secret funds were accumulating nicely, so everything would be perfect if the royal secret order was found. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, so there was no need to rush. I decided to wait patiently.
* * * * *
Today, I was preparing to meet with Linus William to learn more about the love potion I had been wanting for a while now I packed a small box of bribes I had collected.
This won’t be enough. Since Stella would be away for a while on business with the Priodos organization, I secretly sent Douglas to find out the whereabouts of the mercenaries.
It turns out they’re already in Asha, much sooner than I expected
I heard that they would leave again soon after receiving orders from customers. I don’t know how many months I would wait again if that happened.
Dressed as discreetly as possible, I went to Linus’ favorite bar. The place I visited for the second time was still chaotic and bustling.
I took a deep breath in front of the entrance. I entered the store with a determination that I would definitely meet him today. Despite being labeled as a local tavern, it was quite large due to its popularity.
The tables were packed up to the second floor. There were people getting tipsy and fighting, as well as women in revealing attire and individuals creating embarrassing scenes.
My eardrums quickly became tired of the noise, which was unheard of in an imperial palace. I regained my composure and remembered the portrait of Linus William in my mind.
Copper-skinned, half-Kebel with black hair and black eyes. With his distinctive appearance, he shouldn’t be hard to find.
A group of men sat together at a long table by the railing on the second floor, laughing and talking.
Their swords bore the black Panther emblem of Linus’ Mercenary group. I climbed the stairs, my heart pounding.
But Linus was nowhere to be seen. As I rolled my eyes and searched for him intently, a voice behind me spoke in an irritated tone.
“Move.”
I looked back. It was Linus William. When I didn’t move out of the way and continued to stand, his brow creased in a grim line.
“What the hell?”
He looked at me disapprovingly as if he had faced a troublesome dealer.
He was a giant of a man, with a huge build and a thick scar on his forehead that made him look scary.
Being in front of a man who could beat up a demon with his bare hands, an indescribable sense of pressure enveloped me. It’s like looking at a very dangerous unknown species. His party cried out.
“Wow, you pretend to be gentle yourself, but you had a lover hidden in Asha.”
A flippant chuckle filled the tavern. I cleared my throat and turned to Linus.
“I’m here to make a deal.”
His eyes held an intrigued gleam.
“Follow me.”
I followed him to a table for two in the corner. He plopped down first, then gestured for me to join him.
His companions watched with intriguing smiles on their faces.
“What are you looking for?”
His piercing gaze rested on me, his attitude lacking even a shred of politeness. His somewhat exotic appearance and unnatural accent gave him a very different atmosphere from the average people of Asha.
“Love potion.”
He raised one eyebrow, scanning my appearance as if sizing me up.
