Chapter 22

Ian weeded out the old men who clung to the fraying edges of power under the excuse of being “elders” and replaced half of them.

Once he proved his abilities, the king—almost as if he had been waiting—placed Ian at his side.

Even his mentor, who had seemed on the verge of death, barely regained his senses, and, saying he would entrust future matters to Ian, resigned from the position of Chancellor.

To top it off, recently Diana Wellington had given him an unexpected source of enjoyment.

“Never forget—if you want a truly satisfying experience, you must be willing to wait until it has fully matured.”

That woman had an unexpectedly cute side.

Perhaps because of that, time seemed to pass quickly whenever he spoke with her.

“…Ian.”

At that moment, a shadow suddenly rose from one corner of the office.

“Amber? When did you get here?”

“Just now. Why were you smiling?”

Ian instantly erased his expression.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, I told you not to come in through the window.”

“Sorry.”

“What were you doing until now?”

“Just… wandering here and there, wherever my feet took me.”

“Did you miss Hermann? I called for you quite a while ago.”

“Sorry for that too. I’ll come faster next time.”

She always answered promptly, but there had never once been a time when she kept her promises.
If she didn’t get lost with that far-off look in her eyes, it was already a relief.

Ian had long since given up on such trivial matters, so he simply shook his head.

“Never mind. More importantly—are you handling the task I gave you?”

“Task?”

Amber tilted her head, then slowly nodded with a sound of realization.

“Ah… yeah. I’m doing it. I haven’t forgotten.”

Her reply was still far from reassuring. But he had long since given up on that too, so Ian just let out a light sigh.

“I suppose it’s fortunate you remember.”

“Haaahm…”

“Cover your mouth when you yawn. In any case, until you receive further orders, focus solely on the task you’ve been given.”

“Got it.”

Whether Diana Wellington succeeded in reopening the casino or failed and left behind an enormous inheritance, Ian Crawford stood to lose nothing.

All I have to do is wait patiently.

The more tricks the clown has, the better.

“For now, I’ll just keep watching.”

A mischievous smile spread across Ian’s lips.

Diana stood in front of the mirror, letting her neatly braided hair fall to one side.

With heavy makeup, thick-rimmed glasses, and a wide-brimmed hat, her appearance had changed so much that no one could recognize her.

“Are you ready?”

“I’m done. How about you, Orlando?”

“I’m ready too. Then, let’s go downstairs.”

The two exchanged glances.

They led the men waiting at the entrance down to the basement.

Clang!

As the sound of metal scraping rang out and the basement door opened, the three men crouched inside immediately looked out through the bars.

All three captured men looked disheveled.

It was because they had been abruptly kidnapped by guards who had barged into their homes before dawn.

At first, they had shouted in protest, but the moment they recognized the faces they had seen in prison, they fell silent.

“Benny Conner, Roddy Conner, and Simon Rexler.”

People instinctively recognize those in the highest positions of power.

Among the men brought to the basement, Diana was the smallest in stature.

Yet all three immediately understood whom they needed to beg mercy from.

“You know why you’ve been brought here, don’t you?”

“Wh-what is this about…?”

“Still pretending to be innocent? Insolent wretches! Do you even know who this person is?”

Bang!

Orlando pretended to strike the bars forcefully.

Startled by the threat, the swindlers all swallowed sharply.

Even Diana was surprised by his commanding presence.

Though he had been reluctant at first, Orlando’s acting skills were improving steadily.

“Simon Rexler.”

Diana controlled her expression and spoke.

“Despite being the head of the royal casino, you neglected your duties and committed every kind of illegal act. The two of you assisted him. Did you really think the royal family wouldn’t find out?”

Hic!

Simon, the one being interrogated, hiccupped in shock, and Benny, who had been imprisoned alongside him, also started hiccuping in surprise.

He quickly covered his mouth, but once hiccups started, they wouldn’t stop.

“Roddy Conner. When constructing the casino, you embezzled some of the wood and replaced it with far cheaper materials than those agreed upon, didn’t you?”

Roddy, the first to be named, flinched.

Even in the darkness, Diana could clearly see his shoulders jump like springs.

“You used lower-grade materials for everything—from wood, finishing materials, tiles, flooring, and coatings to wallpaper—than what the contract specified.”

“Ho-how did you…?”

“I told you everything has been investigated, didn’t I?”

The interior scammer, who had greedily taken his share, turned pale.

“And Benny Conner. You and your brother manipulated the numbers. Half of the contracted workforce was sent to other sites during the promised construction period. You even charged outrageous prices under the pretense of supply shortages, didn’t you?”

“N-no, n-no, no! The Rufselsan tiles were genuinely in short supply, so the cost had to be high…”

“I never said Rufselsan tiles.”

At Diana’s words, Benny gasped.

“And during the closure, you dismantled the entire casino. There were no Rufselsan tiles inside. We even secured testimony that you hastily replaced them with Renoel tiles during construction.”

“Th-that… happened because communication with the workers during construction wasn’t smooth! The site always has variables…”

“Replaced them? Then why did you charge for Rufselsan tiles?”

“It’s standard procedure. We had pre-purchased them for work…”

“Do you think the excuse that it couldn’t be canceled will work? Then explain why the unused tiles and coating materials were still in your construction office’s warehouse?”

“……”

“People call that embezzlement.”

With each failed excuse, the brothers’ confidence visibly crumbled.

They both turned their gaze almost simultaneously toward the main culprit.

“Finally, Simon Rexler. How do you think I found out all this?”

Diana reached out, and Orlando handed over the ledger he had been holding at his side, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

His gesture was so polite it was almost misleading.

“Recognize this?”

Diana shook the ledger in front of him.

Simon’s face went pale in shock.

It was undoubtedly the very document he had personally submitted.

“Ho-how did you get that ledger…?”

“Not only did you commit fraud in the royal casino construction, but you also tampered with the ledger. I have to admit, that takes nerve.”

“A-are you really from the royal family?”

Simon asked in a voice almost choked with panic.

Diana didn’t answer but instead received another document from Orlando.

Seeing a man much larger and older than him show such deference to a younger person sent Simon into a panic.

If someone could inspire that level of respect…

“Your negligence has long been reported to His Majesty the King. I am the royal inspector who has been tracking your fraudulent activities. This is a summary.”

It was a lie. The paper contained today’s cabbage recipe. Orlando had been struggling with a low-salt diet for weight loss.

But who cares? It was dark anyway, and nothing could be seen.

“Lord Crawford had already noticed the flaws in the ledgers. That’s why we intervened.”

“P-please spare us! We were wrong!”

“Forgive us, Inspector!”

“The main culprit, Simon, shall be executed. The other two will face property confiscation and 30 years in prison.”

It was a heavy sentence, enough for both the construction fraud and insulting the royal family.

The three men turned pale and trembled, clinging almost simultaneously to the bars.

“We will tell you everything! Inspector!”

“Please, hear our side!”

As they lunged at Diana, the guard standing beside her immediately pushed their arms away.

The giant, hired through Orlando, faithfully carried out his duty.

“Wait quietly until the court’s decision is finalized!”

“We were wrong! We went mad for money…!”

“Please spare us, Inspector!”

Diana turned away coldly. Orlando followed her out.

For the swindlers desperately searching for her, a night of hell was about to begin—but she didn’t care.

That had been the plan from the very beginning.