Chapter 10
“I see you again.”
At the sudden sound of the familiar voice, Seriniel slowly turned around.
“Hello, Seriniel.”
There was no escaping as she met Lexion’s penetrating gaze. Seriniel found herself slightly taken aback.
Why was this person here?
“You don’t seem particularly pleased to see me.”
“Hello, Duke Lexion. It’s unexpected to see you in a place like this.”
“Well, here we are.”
Soon, Lexion’s gaze shifted towards the store.
“Are you planning to get some new dishes?”
…The shop Seriniel had visited was known for selling high-quality items befitting nobility.
Among the many luxury items, the most renowned were indeed the dishes, as Lexion had just mentioned.
Of course, these were not ordinary dishes. They were precious ceramics from across the sea, adorned with gold or jewels, resembling luxury items.
“But if that’s the case, you wouldn’t have had to come yourself.”
Lexion’s words weren’t wrong. But Seriniel had no choice.
The only trustworthy person in the mansion was Kina, and it was already well-known that Kina was practically indistinguishable from Seriniel herself.
So, if Seriniel had asked Kina for such a favor, the story would have spread like wildfire. It was better for Seriniel to come herself and ensure silence.
Furthermore, Kina still didn’t know what exactly Seriniel needed. To explain that, Seriniel would have to reveal the entire situation.
“Or perhaps there was a reason you had to come yourself.”
Lexion’s sharp gaze pierced through Seriniel.
“For example, to ask for something that shouldn’t be known to others.”
“…”
“…Or to ensure complete silence. Perhaps it could be both.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Your Grace.”
“Madam…”
Standing behind Lexion, Kina looked at Seriniel with a fearful expression.
Facing the intimidating figure of Lexion Rosevester, there was no way Kina wouldn’t be afraid either.
“It’s okay, Kina.”
Seriniel reassured her briefly, then turned back to Lexion.
“I have an appointment with the owner of this place, so I’ll go in now. I hope you have your matters attended to as well, Your Grace.”
With those words, Seriniel quickly walked away, not giving Lexion a chance to detain her any longer or dig further into the matter.
Inside the shop, except for the owner, no one else was visible.
“Hello, madam. I’m Paul.”
Paul was a pleasant-looking man, and he greeted Seriniel with a warm smile while offering her a cup of tea.
“I’ve been informed of your arrival, madam, so I’ve prepared everything in advance.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there something you’d like to request?”
“…Well.”
“Considering that you’ve come here in person, it must be quite important.”
Perhaps due to years of dealing with nobility, Paul seemed to have a vague idea of the situation.
“Please feel free to tell me. What do you need?”
“First, take this.”
Instead of answering Paul’s question directly, Seriniel handed him the pouch she had prepared in advance.
It was filled with gold coins.
“You probably understand the meaning behind this.”
“I often have customers like yourself.”
“And?”
“…And I know very well what this money could be used for—my life.”
Seriniel chuckled softly.
“I don’t know if you think I, being born and raised in a noble family, would be slow to catch on, but I’m not that naive.”
“Madam…?”
“It’s not a ransom for my life; it’s payment for silence. I’m not shameless enough to think I could buy someone’s life with such a paltry amount.”
“…”
“You can open it now if you’d like.”
Paul glanced at Seriniel for a moment before slowly opening the pouch.
“Madam, this is…”
Paul’s face paled. He knew why. The amount was excessive to be considered mere hush money.
“I don’t want anything in return. Just, I hope you understand the weight of silence equal to the amount I’ve given you.”
“…Then, please tell me. What is it that you wish to request from me?”
“I would like you to make dishes out of silver.”
“Silver, you say?”
Paul looked slightly puzzled.
Understandably so, as nobles typically preferred gold or ceramics over silver. And if adorned with jewels, it would be even more desirable.
“But I’d prefer if the silverware didn’t stand out too much. Currently, the artisans mostly use their own styles. With your skill level, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”
“That may be true, but…”
“Of course, I’ll cover the cost of materials and craftsmanship separately. I’ll say it again, you won’t be in any danger.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Once again, Lexion’s voice was heard from behind.
Where could he have overheard from?
Seriniel’s face stiffened in surprise. But there was nothing to worry about, right? She hadn’t said anything special to Paul. She had simply made a request.
“At most, it’s just asking for silverware. How could there be any danger?”
“Duke.”
Paul, too, looked startled, hesitating as he looked at Lexion.
“As long as those dishes don’t end up being used to kill someone, right? Isn’t that right, Seriniel?”
“…Didn’t you say everyone’s been informed?”
Seriniel asked Paul, but it was Lexion who responded.
“Some people can be influenced, and some can’t.”
“Madam, that’s…”
“The Rosenvesters have been sponsoring various shops for a long time. Well, ordinary people like you might not know.”
Sponsorship…
Seriniel’s brow slightly furrowed.
No, it’s just a convenient excuse. Anyway, the surest way to find out what’s happening in the Empire is to keep an eye on the nobles’ commissions and their reputations circulating in such markets.
Especially if someone like Seriniel makes a special request, it implies that something special is being prepared. To quickly catch such movements, it was necessary to generously distribute money to merchants.
“I apologize, madam.”
Paul bowed his head in apology.
“For now, I’ll show you some silverware options.”
“Alright…”
“Bring as simple as possible.”
Lexion looked directly at Paul and said.
“That way, you can produce a large quantity in a short time.”
“…A large quantity?”
What is this about? Seriniel looked at Lexion with a puzzled expression.
“Bring them. Right away.”
Nodding, Paul stood up from his chair and left his seat.
With Lexion and Seriniel left alone in the shop, an unusual silence fell.
Why is he doing this? Why does he keep interfering? Just as Seriniel was about to voice her discontent, she bit her lip, refraining from saying anything.
“You must have limitations in using the same tableware repeatedly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Especially if you’re sharing them with someone living in the mansion.”
“…”
“So, it might be easier to just change everything. There won’t be any suspicions.”
Lexion’s words were correct. They made sense, but Seriniel still couldn’t read his intentions. Not at all, not even a bit.
“But I’m curious.”
“…”
“Who wants to poison you?”
For a moment, Seriniel’s pupils shook roughly. But Lexion seemed to have no intention of shutting up.
“Silverware is good at detecting poison. It’s fast and reliable.”
-When in contact with poison, silver turns black. Of course, silver can’t detect all poisons in the world, but it should be able to detect enough of the common ones circulating in the market. The same goes for the poison in the flower tea you sent me yesterday.
That was written in the letter Seriniel received last night.
“The person you can’t avoid having meals with to the extent of needing to change the tableware. There’s only one person who comes to mind.”
“…”
“Calian Helcar.”
Lexion’s black eyes gleamed sharply, and Seriniel quickly sensed it.
No matter what excuse or lie she made up, she couldn’t deceive the man in front of her.
“You mentioned that you and the I met at a party. About half a year ago.”
[It couldn’t have been the first time.]
Thinking back to what Lexion said to her from the carriage on that rainy day… Seriniel slowly licked her lips.
“So?”
“Do you remember?”
[Seriniel Verdellette.]
“That day, what did you ask me?”
[Are you happy?]
“And… what did I answer?”
[Yes, I’m happy.]
“And… what was the last thing the Duke said before leaving?”
It was an unexpected question, and Lexion’s expression became subtle.
Thank you so much for the nice and thrilling chapter!❤️🔥