Chapter 19
The place Vain led Seriniel to was… a small back door located behind the mansion.
The corridor was twisted and turned. There were passages leading to the kitchen for cooking and to the reception room. Seriniel knew these paths.
But from there on, it was completely different.
Following the seemingly endless winding path, Vain opened a door tucked away in a corner.
Soon, a steep staircase covered in thick dust came into view.
“You may not have known, Miss, but this mansion has a basement.”
…A basement?
As Seriniel descended the stairs, relying on the torch held by Vain, her brow slightly furrowed.
“Madam may not have known either, but Lord Belles did. However, since there was no immediate need for it, it remained empty and neglected for a very long time.”
“When you say ‘immediate need,’ you mean a situation that requires hiding something, right, Vain?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Vain answered with a heavy, somber voice.
“From some time ago, guests have been coming to the mansion continuously. At first, it was just a suspicion, but they all had something in common.”
“…”
“They were all nobles who were seen as thorns in the eyes of the royal family.”
“…Perhaps people like Viscount Harington or Baron Reubin were among them?”
Recalling the names on the list sent by Paul, Seriniel asked.
“They all came.”
“…”
“At first glance, it may seem like a coincidence, but they all had similar motives. And one day, even someone who sells mercenaries came.”
“What?”
“Here we are.”
With a creak, the heavy door opened, accompanied by a chilling sound…
And as Seriniel set foot in the basement, her face stiffened to the point where it couldn’t stiffen anymore.
“This is… all…”
What is this?
Seriniel couldn’t even finish her sentence.
She just stared in shock at the array of weapons filling the basement.
“I felt uneasy about involving you in this matter unnecessarily, but I felt it was necessary to inform you.”
Vain said with a bleak voice.
“Still, Miss… you are the last descendant of the Verdellet family.”
Treason.
This is treason.
With a pale, horrified face, Seriniel trembled.
And for a moment, something passed through her mind.
“Miss?”
Turning around abruptly, Seriniel, who had been standing blankly, startled Vain, who looked puzzled.
Shaking off her daze, Seriniel began to frantically search the basement. She examined the array of weapons, the miscellaneous but dangerous items piled on the old table.
And after a not-so-short time, what came into Seriniel’s hands was…
A box hidden in the deep corner, where the gaze didn’t easily reach.
What Seriniel looked at first was a neatly folded piece of paper.
Its contents were something Seriniel knew very well.
It was the list of nobles that Paul had sent.
But there was something she hadn’t known. It was about profit distribution.
“Miss, that…”
“…Belles gathered nobles and invested in my mine. And everything was taken care of by Calian. I only found out about it recently.”
Seriniel spoke quickly.
“And those nobles are all people who share Belles’s intentions. It says here that they will all deliver the profits to Belles.”
“Really?”
“With that money, he bought these weapons.”
“…”
“In the end, those who invested in the mine were gathering funds for rebellion.”
The face of Vain, who understood the situation, became contemplative.
“So you will also be implicated, Miss. Although Calian is currently named as a co-owner, in any case, you were the sole owner from the beginning, and Belles is your family.”
Moreover, Seriniel, like the Verdellet family for generations, was a person who had no disagreements with the royal family. In fact, she was on friendly terms.
So why did Belles hide all the facts from me, give me tax exemptions, and gather investors?
…Now I understand.
Why Lexion asked me for help.
“And… this…”
As Seriniel put down the paper, what caught her eye was something she was very familiar with.
It was a magical tool made from the raw material for magic artifacts mined from the mine.
“…An image stone.”
An image stone. Literally, a stone that shows scenes from specific days.
“But… this…”
Seriniel, looking down at the image stone, hesitated slightly.
“It’s a replica. The real image stone is hidden elsewhere. Just in case of any unforeseen circumstances.”
Yes, like now.
Seriniel’s voice trembled weakly.
“Unlike the genuine article, replicas shatter once they’ve been seen. They’re disposable.”
“…”
“But by keeping replicas like this, it’s clear that it’s a very important item…”
“…How do you know about these things, Miss?”
Vain, who had been listening quietly, asked Seriniel with a puzzled expression.
“…I’ve seen a lot of them, sometime.”
“What?”
Seriniel murmured vaguely, her thoughts drifting back to the past.
“The quality of magic ore varies. The ones with slightly lower quality are used like this. Although they’re disposable, they’re easier to sell because they’re cheaper.”
Vain still wore a puzzled expression, but that wasn’t the issue now.
There must be something very important to Belles in this image stone. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be stored in double layers like this.
But if she were to confirm this, the image stone would shatter. Then Belles would find out. That there had been an intruder. Perhaps I’ll be the first one to be suspected.
What should I do?
It was in the midst of such thoughts.
“Look here.”
“…What?”
“If we don’t do it today, we may not get another chance. Belles could move the item to another location tomorrow.”
“…”
“Even if we come back another day, there’s no alternative to checking the contents without breaking it, right?”
Vain’s words were not wrong.
I didn’t know today would be the only chance.
Seriniel’s fingers holding the image stone trembled faintly.
“…”
Seriniel bit her lip hard. Then, she grabbed the loop protruding behind the image stone and turned the knob.
“I’ve heard a very interesting story.”
The first voice that came through was Belles’s.
“Is it true?”
Unexpectedly, a face appeared that Seriniel hadn’t expected to see here.
“You have a close relationship with her.”
…It was Calian.
“Even a child.”
“…”
“It’s best not to lie. I already know everything.”
…He knew?
About Belles?
Seriniel’s expression went blank.
“If you’re trying to threaten me, it won’t work.”
Calian replied with a stern face.
“I know a lot too.”
“What do you know?”
“Well, for example…”
“…”
“About how you killed Seriniel’s parents.”
Right now, what…
“It was ultimately concluded as an accident, but I understand. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“What did you see?”
“You and those under you, killing them and loading the bodies into a carriage. With weights tied to their ankles.”
“…”
“You were trying to prevent the bodies from being found. If an investigation were conducted, it would be revealed that they had already died before the fall.”
Do you really think your parents died in an accident?
Lexion’s voice echoed in her ears.
“If the pitiful Seriniel doesn’t know anything, I do. So it’s best to put aside any thoughts of blackmail.”
“That’s right. Seriniel doesn’t know anything.”
Belles replied with a smile.
“But if Seriniel were to learn the truth, nothing would change. That girl can’t do anything. If her usefulness decreases, just kill her like before.”
“…What do you want to say to me?”
“If you knew that and still want to marry Seriniel, is it because of the mine?”
Calian didn’t answer.
But sometimes, not answering was a more definite answer than anything else. Just like now.
“You’ve already built a family knowing that. Why come and talk to me about this?”
“I’m considering making a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“I need funds. In exchange for providing you with tax exemptions and finding investors for you, you will pay me a certain profit.”
“…”
“It’s a mutually beneficial transaction. You can use Seriniel’s mine to fill your and your family’s pockets, and I’ll get the funds. But there’s one condition.”
“…Condition?”
“Never have children with Seriniel.”
“…”
“If this business stabilizes to a certain extent, we’ll split it fifty-fifty. I’ll also help you get rid of Seriniel. But if there’s a child by then, it’ll be an inheritance, causing various troubles. Your child, the one with that woman Leraie.”
“That’s not difficult.”
“Still, not knowing anything about relations between men and women, this could be helpful.”
Then Belles took something out of his pocket and handed it to Calian.
It was something I had seen a few days ago.
That black potion in Calian’s safe.
Given to me secretly every time we had relations.
“You promised. Only one.”
The words uttered by the heavily intoxicated Calian came to mind.
…It wasn’t a promise with Leraie.
It was a promise with Belles.
“As long as we understand each other, this is fine.”
Belles continued.
“If you leak the secret, your life will be in danger. Don’t forget that fact. And on the contrary, as long as you keep the secret… there won’t be any danger.”
“That’s right.”
Over Calian’s briefly uttered face, the buzzing sound was heard again.
“Miss.”
Again, Vain’s trembling voice.
“Miss!”
In an instant, Vain grabbed Seriniel’s shoulders. Then, with an urgent voice, he spoke.
“Someone, someone is coming.”
And from beyond…
The sound of footsteps descending the stairs could be heard.
