If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 49

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 49
“Then let us conclude this state council meeting.”
The nobles who filed out of the conference room whispered among themselves as they traversed the Imperial Palace’s corridors.
Plivier, who had been seated in a corner and thus left last, found himself alone. He had been walking with his head bowed when he stopped before reaching his carriage.
“Count Plivier.”
Marquis Vito had been waiting for him.
The devoted loyalty he had displayed before Helios was nowhere to be found—Vito’s face was brimming with irritation.
The wine bottle he had previously clutched as though terrified merely to look upon it, he now gripped roughly by the neck, as if he might hurl it at Plivier at any moment.
“You can’t even manage to coordinate a few simple words? What exactly do you expect me to do?”
“M-Marquis…”
“Am I doing this for my own amusement? When La Mare crumbles and Crimson reaches the pinnacle of the Empire’s trade, who stands to benefit most among the nobility? Surely not you, Kaileb Crimson’s son-in-law?”
“…I apologize. I understand.”
Plivier’s voice trembled pathetically.
He was a count who had been forced to marry Odette Crimson, Kaileb Crimson’s daughter, in exchange for using Kaileb’s wealth to settle his family’s debts.
And the man who had orchestrated that “transaction” stood directly before him—Marquis Vito.
“You understand? Then why do you pretend to know nothing? Ah, shall I take a guess?”
“…”
“You were delighted by Kaileb’s money, yet the means by which he earned it felt dirty to you, didn’t it? You were content to use his wealth to pay your debts, but when Kaileb asked for help, you wanted to turn away. All while telling yourself you’re different from him. Am I right?”
Vito jabbed Plivier’s shoulder with the mouth of the wine bottle—clink, clink.
Yet it was Vito’s cutting words that truly pierced Plivier.
Just as Vito emphasized, Plivier had heard the notorious reputation of Kaileb Crimson, yet he had ultimately accepted the transaction dressed up as marriage. If one chose such a path, one had to pay the price.
“I won’t inform your father-in-law of today’s events.”
Vito spoke as though bestowing a favor upon Plivier, who stood pallid and unable to utter a single word in response.
Among the nobility, Vito was undoubtedly the one who had accepted the most bribes from Kaileb Crimson.
Kaileb and Vito were not friends. In the first place, Vito was not the sort to cultivate relationships with mere quasi-barons.
But he was more than willing to cultivate a relationship with money.
‘If that “quasi-baron” were to become something more… I might even consider Kaileb a colleague worth speaking to.’
Vito added savagely, recalling the sum he had been promised in exchange for bringing down La Mare.
“But going forward, you’d best conduct yourself properly. Should you bungle this affair to preserve some pittance of pride, I’ll make you long for the days when you were drowning in debt. Do you understand?”
“…Yes, Marquis. I shall remember your words.”
“Tsk.”
Vito hurled the wine bottle at Plivier as if venting his frustration, then turned away with a click of his tongue.
Plivier barely caught the bottle before it struck his face, his gaze falling.
The retreating Vito would never know.
‘That even now, I think those days drowning in debt were better.’
“M-Master…”
The coachman, who had witnessed his master’s humiliation in its entirety, approached with tears threatening to spill.
Plivier smiled bitterly.
“Yes. Let us return to the estate now.”
“That’s… that’s not it…”
Plivier turned his body in bewilderment at the coachman’s stammering response.
Inside the Count’s carriage—which should have been empty—someone was waiting, half-concealed behind the drawn curtains.
“M-my lord attended the conference, and then the lady arrived afterward… I told her you would be late, but she insisted on waiting inside the carriage…”
The coachman was not the only one observing his expression.
The moment Plivier’s eyes met Odette’s trembling gaze through the curtain, he squeezed his eyes shut.
***
Crown Prince Helios remained in the conference room for some time after the meeting concluded.
Yet what he observed was not the stack of documents before him, but the view beyond the window.
Helios, watching the nobles file out in clusters, whispering amongst themselves, spoke to his attendant.
“Summon the Commander of the Holy Knight Order.”
A knock soon sounded.
“Sir Ezekiel.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You’ve likely already been informed by the secretariat, but it seems there have been assassination attempts on Marquis Vito and the other Central Region nobles. According to Marquis Vito’s account, it appears someone commissioned the deed through La Mare, disguised as a Merchant Guild, though it’s actually the Information Guild.”
Helios murmured.
“What a pity.”
Ezekiel did not immediately grasp the Crown Prince’s meaning.
“What do you mean, Your Highness?”
“La Mare. I wonder how they managed to incur the displeasure of those venomous nobles.”
The Crown Prince is regent.
At a relatively young age, he had suddenly been thrust into governance due to the Emperor’s illness, and the cunning nobles seized every opportunity to manipulate him.
Ezekiel wondered if Helios was projecting that experience onto the fledgling Merchant Guild La Mare.
“However, since the matter has been formally raised in the state council, an investigation is unavoidable. I would appreciate it if you would undertake that task.”
Since his appointment as a knight, Ezekiel had served as Helios’s personal guard.
When Helios ascended to the position of regent, Ezekiel too was promoted to Commander of the Holy Knight Order.
“Yes, Your Highness. I shall obey your command.”
“Very well. Go.”
Ezekiel bowed deeply to his long-time sovereign and withdrew.
Until he closed the door behind him, Helios continued gazing out the window.
“Such a waste…”
He murmured thus.
***
The moment I received word, Aden and I departed for the Central Region.
When Branch 11 came into view hours later, it was absolute chaos.
The Wine Cellar door—which required strict temperature control—hung wide open. The floor was a dizzying mess of shattered glass bottles and crimson wine, looking for all the world like a murder scene.
It was evidence of Marquis Vito’s security forces barging in recklessly, intent on securing evidence before it could be concealed. They’d apparently even forcibly detained the warehouse staff and the laborers who’d delivered the wine for questioning.
“Good day. I’m Iliana Grecia, the Director’s secretary.”
“Oh, you came alone? Where’s the Director?”
“He’ll be here shortly. He went straight to Marquis Vito’s residence to negotiate—the branch manager said securing the wrongfully detained employees took priority first. I know this must be shocking, but could you explain exactly what happened?”
As Aden and I had discussed on the train, I separated from him and came directly to the branch, focusing on understanding the situation.
The process of hearing the account and reviewing the ledgers was lengthy, but the conclusion was unmistakably clear.
Crimson had made their move. In the most contemptible way possible.
‘These truly are worthless scoundrels I shouldn’t associate with….’
Maintaining my composure wasn’t easy.
Still, there was one saving grace:
“So you’re saying all shipments other than the wine delivered to Marquis Vito’s residence have been recovered?”
“Yes. And the only confirmed ‘victim’ so far is one of Marquis Vito’s attendants.”
Since the branch was newly established with limited transaction volume, tracking and recovery had been manageable.
Moreover, premium wines were typically stored in cellars and consumed ceremoniously on special occasions, so none of the customers who’d purchased them had yet uncorked their bottles.
The only case was that unfortunate attendant of Marquis Vito’s, who’d tasted it beforehand for inspection.
“What about the tea leaves? If outsiders tampered with Branch 11’s inventory, the tea leaves shouldn’t be safe either.”
“The tea leaves haven’t been shipped out yet either. …Though we’ll have to dispose of the entire stock now.”
Deputy Branch Manager Greta added bitterly.
“But La Mare won’t just have to ‘dispose of’ tea leaves and wine. Articles will run starting tomorrow.”
La Mare had sold poisoned wine.
Could other food products from such a merchant guild be trusted?
No—not just food, but other goods as well? That’s what people would think.
Even if Crimson had poisoned only a single bottle of wine, that poison had been scattered across all of La Mare.
Just as we’d tasted success with the Kona Mine advertisement, to suffer such a devastating reversal—it was horrifying even to contemplate.
“Well, actually… word of mouth is one thing, but the articles should be fine, Deputy Branch Manager. At least for the next week, anyway.”
“Pardon? Why?”
“…The Director has purchased every newspaper and magazine page across the Empire for the next week.”
“What?!”
So what else could be done?
Only to seize control of the press through sheer capital.
Watching the stunned Greta, I scratched my eyebrow awkwardly.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————