Chapter 56
Phil’s brow furrowed as he read over the documents Ludiche handed him.
“Strange noises, you say? Wasn’t there just a mine there?”
“Yes, that’s what I understood too, but apparently, recently there have been odd sounds. Like… something cracking or even crying.”
“Crying and cracking? Those are completely different sounds. How could both happen at once?”
“Exactly.”
“Something’s strange.”
At Ludiche’s words, Phil nodded.
Over the past six months, the duchy had been stabilizing.
The Duke of Defania personally went out to deal with any external threats, and he spared no resources in supporting the war-torn regions.
At first, the people were doubtful, but when the Duke himself promised to help them stand on their own two feet, they had no choice but to trust him.
And with the new knight commander from the capital taking charge of public order, there was nothing left to complain about.
“Sir Gudel seems quite popular.”
“Yeah. He has that trustworthy face, doesn’t he?”
“Mhm.”
Phil gave Ludiche a sidelong glance.
“What?”
“I just never expected you, Lady Ludiche, to call anyone other than the Duke good-looking.”
“I do have eyes, you know. My husband is handsome, and Sir Gudel just looks trustworthy. That’s different.”
Well, that was true—she hadn’t actually said “handsome.” Phil shook his head with a knowing look, as if to say of course.
“By the way… why three years?”
He suddenly asked, remembering the support plan Ludiche had proposed for helping the people of the territory become self-sufficient.
“If it goes longer, they’ll just become dependent on us. One year’s too short, five years is too long. Three years should be enough—then we can reassess. If they still need help, we’ll offer it. If not, we’ll change our approach.”
“……”
“That way, they’ll work hard on their own afterward. It’s not good to make people rely on you unconditionally. …What?”
“Ah—no, nothing.”
Phil, who had been staring at Ludiche absentmindedly, quickly shook his head in alarm.
“Say it. What were you thinking?”
Pressed by her sharp gaze, he awkwardly confessed:
“It’s just… I thought you always charged straight ahead without thinking much, but it seems you’ve thought this through quite deeply. Honestly, I’m impressed.”
“What do you take me for? If I couldn’t even handle this much, how could I run anything?”
“You’re right. That was shortsighted of me.”
Phil grinned sheepishly as he apologized.
Ludiche was sharp and quick-witted. She handled unexpected situations boldly and often achieved better results because of it.
But it’s strange, he thought.
She was too skilled.
The Duke had been away at war, leaving her to manage the ducal household for just a single year. Even so, she handled affairs with the ease of someone far more experienced—like she had been running estates for years.
Almost as if she’s been managing a territory for a long time.
It didn’t make sense. The Roxburgh family would never have let her do that kind of work before.
It felt like looking into cloudy water—shapes visible but indistinct, an unsettling uncertainty he couldn’t shake.
“…Are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Oh—yes!”
Ludiche’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“What were you thinking so deeply about that you didn’t even hear me calling?”
“I’m sorry. I was just wondering if someone might be embezzling in the middle of all this.”
“Hmm. Of course, there are always some scoundrels like that. …Phil.”
“Yes, I’ll go right away.”
Phil responded quickly, and Ludiche chuckled.
“I didn’t even say anything yet.”
“This isn’t something that can be entrusted to just anyone. It’s best if I handle it myself.”
“Won’t it be tough?”
“Surely it’ll be easier than working under you, Lady Ludiche.”
“You just had to say something that would earn you a slap.”
She said with mock irritation, and he laughed. Though sometimes, her “training” sessions did feel like genuine punishment.
“Resolve it as fast as possible. Catch anyone who’s overstepped their bounds, and if there’s another cause, find it out in detail.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Leave immediately. Report back at once if anything happens.”
Without waiting for his answer, Ludiche left the office.
As she walked down the long corridor and descended to the central hall, she heard a familiar neighing from outside.
Her face lit up with a smile.
It was the cry of Nizernox, the black stallion Quinlan had given her. And mixed with it, she heard a man’s voice.
So he hasn’t left yet.
Despite taking longer than expected, Quinlan had waited for her.
Stepping out into the sunlight, Ludiche’s lips curved into a deep smile.
“Quinlan.”
As he turned to her with a bright smile of his own, she walked toward him.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace of Ebnia.
Crown Prince Berzé’s mood was at its absolute worst.
He glared down at Seymour, who stood before him with his head deeply bowed.
The Viscount of Roxburgh was Berzé’s right-hand man—his most trusted subordinate and the head of a powerful new noble faction, second only to his father, the Marquess of Roxburgh, leader of the aristocratic bloc.
Yet now, that same man was bowing, silent, awaiting the Crown Prince’s words.
After a long pause, Berzé spoke.
“I hear every agent we planted in Diahroon has been discovered and wiped out.”
At his words, Seymour bowed even lower.
“What in the hell did you do to destroy every one of our funding channels?”
“I have committed an unforgivable sin, Your Highness.”
“Do you think I called you here just to hear that pathetic line!?”
His shout echoed through the chamber, and Seymour’s head dropped even further.
“Half a year. It’s only been half a year since Quinlan went to Diahroon. Yet in that short time, everything we’ve built for ten years has been shattered?”
“……”
“And if that wasn’t enough, they even traced it back to us! What kind of fool are you!?”
The Crown Prince’s furious voice rang through the reception room.
It was understandable—ten years of infiltration, bribery, and influence networks had collapsed in a matter of months.
The original plan had been simple: exploit the surviving local nobles, draw bribes from them under the illusion that they were manipulating the throne, and funnel their excess wealth into the Crown Prince’s coffers.
They’d thought those nobles were using him, not realizing they were pawns.
And now—all of it had unraveled because of one woman.
Berzé clenched his fists. Rage consumed him. His nails dug into his palms, but he felt no pain.
“I swear, your sister would make a better subordinate than you. She’s the only useful one in your entire family.”
“……!”
Seymour’s jaw tightened at that insult.
“Count Winhem.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Berzé beckoned his aide closer and gave quiet instructions. From the fragments Seymour could hear, it was clear the order was to sever all remaining connections to the failed network.
If this continues, I’ll be next to fall, Seymour realized, clenching his teeth.
“……There is a way, Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
The Crown Prince turned toward him, intrigued.
There was a fire burning in Seymour’s eyes.
“Oh? Now that’s the look I wanted to see. With that kind of determination, you might actually accomplish something.”
Berzé’s voice softened with a spark of interest.
“Speak, Viscount Roxburgh. What’s your plan?”
“It may sound brazen, but… the bond between the Duke of Defania and my sister is deeper than expected.”
“So?”
Berzé’s expression began to turn bored again.
“We must separate the two first.”
“……”
“If possible, we could even remove Ludiche from her position as Duchess.”
The Crown Prince tilted his head slightly, listening to the end of Seymour’s proposal with mild disinterest.
“That won’t be easy.”
“Ludiche has a fiery temper,” Seymour replied, cursing his sister inwardly.
“Her marriage to the Duke was impulsive—born of anger when she refused the match our family had arranged for her.”
That was far from the truth, but no one in the room was going to correct it.
“I see… If she had married the man originally chosen for her, things might not have turned out this way.”
