Chapter 73
“Young Master!”
Tov all but ran to block Barun’s path as he strode quickly down the hall.
“What.”
“This is an opportunity. The mess can be cleaned up somehow, but for now, wouldn’t it be better to go to the estate? If things go well, even the retainers who opposed you…”
“To the retainers, what? You think if I go to the estate and smooth things over, they’ll start supporting me?”
“Yes.”
Tov nodded firmly.
“Before that, I’m about to trip over my own schemes.”
“It’s not that bad yet.”
Tov lowered his voice.
“Whatever happened, all we did was toy with Bea, we didn’t actually attack her. So if we can find the real culprit instead—”
“Belia is said to be engaged to the Crown Prince.”
“What?”
Tov’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“They’ll announce it on the Princess’s birthday.”
“But His Highness has Lady Doltan as—”
Tov trailed off, but under Barun’s piercing gaze, he quickly caught on and nodded.
“Ah!”
“Now you understand, don’t you? Why the Doltan Ducal House is picking fights with our estate as if we were street riffraff.”
“You mean, the young lady stole the position of fiancée?”
Even if Belia kept her distance, as her guard knight, Tov had plenty of chances to observe her. To him, Belia was unusual, but she hardly seemed the type to aim for the Crown Prince’s hand.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. Shameless, isn’t it.”
“Then… isn’t this actually good for us?”
“What?”
“If the young lady goes to the palace, this marquisate will belong to you, Young Master. And with someone from our house inside the palace, it could actually…”
“Actually what? You want to say it means I now have a solid palace connection because she’s there?”
Tov shut his mouth.
“Why not go all the way and suggest I fawn over her, beg her to help me secure my succession? Ask her to use her new influence to support the family business since her position in the trade association has grown thanks to the Bea deal?”
Annoyed, Barun’s hand lashed out, and with a sharp crash, a decorative vase in the hallway shattered.
“So unfair.”
His face twisted with frustration.
“All my years of effort, and she achieves with ease the moment she comes of age.”
As Barun ground his heel into the spilled soil, Tov finally understood—Barun’s desire wasn’t so simple. Belia leaving the house would never satisfy him.
“Tov.”
“Yes?”
Tov tensed unconsciously. Barun’s face had already returned to its cold composure, and he recalled the doubt he had felt earlier when speaking with the Marquis.
“Where exactly are Belia and Bedol on their retreat?”
“Near the capital.”
“Send people there at once.”
Barun narrowed his eyes.
“Something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she really were engaged to the Crown Prince, she’d barely have time to breathe in her family’s estate. There’d be a mountain of preparations. Yet she goes on a trip now?”
“Well, sometimes before engagements, people take a moment to ease their hearts—”
“Not some minor noble’s daughter. She’s entering the imperial palace. And she’s at leisure enough to play around?”
Barun’s lips twisted.
“Or maybe she wanted to indulge in debauchery one last time before becoming the Crown Princess?”
“Young Master!”
Tov glanced around nervously, lowering his voice.
“Save talk like that for the office. If the servants overhear, nothing good will come of it.”
“That night. The traces of someone sneaking into Belia’s room—I’ve no use for them now.”
Barun ground his teeth.
“Even if I spread the scandal, the Crown Prince could simply claim it was him in her room.”
“But His Highness was with Lady Canaria that night…”
“That’s exactly the problem. If the Crown Prince becomes betrothed to Belia, Lady Doltan will be cast aside. If he denies he was with her that night, that’s the end of it.”
“In that case, the scandal would shift onto the lady…”
“So what? You think the Crown Prince would care? Only the proud duke’s daughter’s honor would be tarnished—”
Barun stopped mid-sentence.
“What is it?”
“Tov, who do you think those who attacked the carriage were?”
“The attackers? Could it have been the Ducal House?”
“No. It couldn’t have been.”
“Why not?”
“The duke is desperate for the Crown Prince’s engagement. He wants the incident to make it look like the imperial family’s honor has been betrayed, not to cause real harm. If the fiancée looks abandoned rather than betrayed, it works for him. But attacking tribute? A house looking for public favor would never leave such a stain. It wasn’t the duke.”
“Then what fool attacks tribute meant for the imperial family? Even we didn’t steal it—we only swapped it.”
Barun was silent. A slight nod urged Tov to continue.
“And aren’t tributes always inspected before reaching the palace? Any raids that ever happened in the past—centuries ago—occurred at that stage. It’s in the records. Why in the world would anyone stage such a thing in the heart of the capital? If you wanted to smuggle quietly, you’d avoid notice. Instead they broadcasted the attack.”
“That’s it.”
“Eh?”
Barun snapped his fingers, suddenly amused.
“They broadcasted it on purpose. So there’d be an investigation.”
“What… you mean, they wanted to be caught?”
Barun shook his head.
“If the swap had happened at inspection, or on a quiet road outside the capital, what would the palace and this marquisate have done?”
“…They’d still investigate, wouldn’t they?”
Tov looked baffled at the obvious question.
“Of course. But it wouldn’t be out in the open. The palace would’ve kept it quiet to sniff out possible treason. The marquisate would’ve hidden it to protect its honor.”
“Ah…”
“But because it happened right in the capital, everyone knows. Gossip is already flying. That forces both palace and marquisate to investigate publicly, no matter the shame. To silence talk of rebellion behind the tribute attack.”
“So you mean…”
“Yes. The attackers weren’t after Bea itself. What they wanted was an open, public investigation into Bea—in front of the whole empire.”
“No way…”
Tov’s eyes widened. Both men thought of the same person at once.
“The young lady…”
“Belia.”
Tov turned toward the wing where her room lay.
“She’s even more of a rat than I thought.”
Barun’s clenched fist trembled.
“Prepare the carriage immediately. I’ll have to go to the retreat myself.”
“What?”
“If I’m right, the missing Bea will likely be there too. Nowhere better to hide it from the capital.”
Tov caught his meaning, bowed quickly, and rushed off.
“Belia…”
Barun ground his teeth.
What began as a mere suspicion hardened into conviction the more he thought on it. The pounding of his heart filled his ears in the silent corridor—just as it had the day his mother died.
The girl he thought would never reach his heels had surpassed him.
“It’s just coincidence.”
He shook his head, recalling her strangely colored eyes. Even worms will squirm when stepped on. Fragile things like Belia are especially desperate to survive.
As long as he was cautious, this would not happen again. It could not.
“Young Master.”
The butler’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. Turning, Barun saw him bowing respectfully.
Barun eased his expression and spoke.
“What is it?”
“A message from the Marquis. He requests you read this first.”
Accepting the letter with suspicion, Barun broke the seal.
“An investigation?”
“The tribute carriage sent from the association to the palace was attacked. The Marquis has entrusted the investigation of the incident to you, Young Master.”
“Has he now?”
His racing heart calmed. Barun closed his eyes, then opened them slowly.
“Understood.”
Seeing Tov rushing back from afar, Barun began to move.
“Yes. This may turn out to be more entertaining.”
A faint smile curved Barun’s lips once more.
