Chapter 12
“Will Mrs. Fenton really not say anything? Lady Demeira is quite the tattletale. Once the madam returns, she’ll probably tell her right away…”
Marie asked nervously as I checked the valuables hidden under the bed.
“I’ll leave a few porcelain dishes that aren’t worth much as a decoy. Demeira doesn’t know what was originally there anyway, and if I say I mistook the porcelain for yours, that’ll be the end of it.”
“Then what about the rest…?”
“I’ll convert it all to cash today. Once the evidence is gone, it’ll be hard to tell exactly what’s missing.”
Lucilla, Julius’ wife, was hopeless at managing finances, and the head butler she brought from her family, Blick, wasn’t any better.
It was something I realized after the Fenton family left the duke’s estate during my second life, when I reviewed the ledgers.
“If it was something the madam cherished and kept track of, you wouldn’t have been able to steal it. And even if she throws a fit and demands proof from the pawnshops—which I doubt—Bartol will handle it. They know his name over there.”
“You’ve really thought of everything.”
Marie nodded in understanding.
“I’ll do as you say.”
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how reliable Marie was. She had clear desires, sharp instincts, and was loyal—at least until betrayed.
I’d once told Bartol not to treat people like dogs, but honestly, Marie was the kind of person who would gladly become a dog if it meant getting rewarded properly.
“Let’s see… the ceramics and paintings don’t seem that valuable. But we could still get around 50 gold for each.”
As expected. Lucilla, who had deep knowledge of art and porcelain, would have identified and guarded anything truly valuable.
“Sell the dishware as usual, and take the jewelry to a jeweler instead of a pawnshop.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Leave the gold coins as they are, and for the rest… ah.”
My eyes narrowed as I spotted something among the scattered gold coins.
“What is it?”
“Where did this dagger come from?”
“I think Young Master Bartol brought it from the armory near the training grounds. It’s small and not very useful, but he thought the ruby on it looked valuable and wanted to sell it…”
“Don’t remove it. Don’t damage its shape.”
I said as I turned the dagger over in my hands.
“Take it to the weapons shop on Besset Street, not a pawnshop.”
“You mean the old man who used to be in the Imperial Knights?”
“Yes. And ask for 100,000 gold. Not a single coin less.”
“Pardon? A hundred thousand gold?”
Marie stuttered in shock. That kind of money could buy a small house within the capital.
“What kind of sword is this…?”
Smiling, I ran my fingers over the engraving on the hilt.
“It’s the sword my great-grandfather received from Aleik I for his achievements in the Conquest War. It was made by the best craftsman of the time, who died young—making the sword even more valuable.”
“A treasure like this in my hands…”
Marie broke into a cold sweat, clearly overwhelmed. Stealing and storing an item worth 100,000 gold was a major crime.
“That’s why we need to sell it quickly. Heirlooms exist to be sold in desperate times.”
I spoke, relying on my experience from two lifetimes. If left alone, the Fenton family would just run off with it or sell it at a ridiculous loss anyway.
“Understood, my lady. I’ll exchange everything for cash today and deliver it all to you.”
She nodded and began wrapping a few items in cloth. Then she looked up.
“But, Lady Iris…”
“Yes?”
“Where… are you planning to keep the money?”
“…”
“I’m not trying to pry!”
As I stayed silent, Marie quickly explained.
“You probably didn’t know, but Madam Fenton always orders your drawers to be searched whenever something goes missing… I thought you should know.”
“I’m well aware. I wasn’t planning to store it in my vanity drawers anyway. Though I will need a place to keep things from now on.”
I replied with a soft chuckle.
“Then…?”
“I won’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going to spend it. Every single coin.”
I grinned as I looked down at her.
Marie’s pupils shook as if she were staring at a madwoman.
“Any new updates from the North?”
Carsiel asked. His desk was cluttered with maps, letters, and documents.
“It’s as before, Your Highness. The King of Tar has not left the castle, and their general is amassing more troops near the border.”
Luten, his second-in-command and bodyguard, replied.
“They’re building up forces? Trying to end it in the next battle, huh?”
“Yes. I think their morale rose after our last skirmish when they saw our forces struggling, Your Highness.”
“It’s all because of those damned spine-thorn scorpions. They lose and yet their morale goes up? So now they’re staking everything on this battle?”
Carsiel sneered in disbelief.
“We can’t keep this up without reinforcements. The fact that we’ve kept winning with so few troops is a miracle.”
Carsiel rubbed his temples at Luten’s words.
“Frustrating. It took years just to reclaim the territories Tar invaded…”
Two years ago, the King of Tar had again led his troops to invade the border.
When it came to war, his frugal father and empress would only give the bare minimum of troops and leave the rest to Carsiel.
The problem was that Carsiel kept winning—just barely. So the Imperial Court, particularly the Empress, claimed there was no reason to grant reinforcements.
Gale, his first-in-command and close friend, had even joked they might finally get support if they intentionally lost a battle. Carsiel had half-jokingly considered faking a defeat just to get help.
“I’ve been requesting reinforcements for months, but my father still hasn’t approved it. Seems the Empress is blocking it.”
“She probably wants to stall until the Second Prince is ready to take over.”
“Exactly. At that point, Marquis Ludes will lend his army. Maybe even Duke Serbe is playing the same game—pretending to help while buying time.”
Carsiel gave a bitter smile.
“They want the story to be: Prince Balthazar ends the long war with his mighty reinforcements, hailed as a hero. Predictable.”
Gale let out a dry laugh.
“Let’s just go full force with our current army. Haven’t we been winning like this all along?”
“I’m against it. They’ll target Your Highness, and the casualties will be enormous.”
Luten shook his head fiercely.
“Are you really a knight? Casualties in war are nothing new.”
“It’s not just about casualties. I don’t want to live in an empire where Carsiel is dead and Balthazar rules. Gale, your family’s tied to Marquis Ludes, so maybe you’ll be fine.”
“Why drag me into this? I’m basically disowned. Or is this your inferiority complex talking, since you’re not a noble?”
Gale and Luten clashed with biting remarks.
After a moment, Luten spoke again.
“There are noble houses that do want to send troops immediately, aren’t there? If the Imperial family won’t help…”
“Their territories are too far. And the Emperor wouldn’t even accept their aid without the Empress’ permission.”
Gale scoffed, and Carsiel furrowed his brow.
“What? I’m not wrong. She holds all the real power.”
“Just focus on the war.”
Though Carsiel agreed inwardly, he still scolded Gale.
Unlike Luten, who had protected him since he was a toddler, Gale had grown up more like a friend due to his noble birth. That probably explained his blunt manner of speaking.
“Looks like returning with reinforcements won’t be happening anytime soon.”
“So maybe we should just…”
As Luten began to speak, Carsiel shook his head.
“Luten’s right. A full-scale war is too risky and draining. You said we’ve made contact with the Tar king’s younger brother?”
Luten nodded. Carsiel asked again, though he already knew the answer.
“Did he refuse to betray his brother?”
