Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 79

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 79. Lien’s Circumstances
“Ian.”
Meanwhile, as I emerged into the Central Garden, I turned at Romandro’s call.
“The Countess from Merelrof has arrived, hasn’t she? Where is she? I suspect the Marquis found it embarrassing to appear himself, so he sent her instead. Ha ha! How amusing.”
“I thought the same, but the Countess is currently in Mrs. Mary’s Room.”
“Hmm? You mean Mrs. Mary Bratz? Why there? I heard they were close friends—is she offering belated condolences?”
“I’m not certain. I wish it were something like that. She claims Mrs. Mary borrowed something from her and is searching for the item.”
“…What sort of thing?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. She refuses to answer when I ask.”
At my words, Romandro tilted his head in bewilderment. What could noblewomen possibly exchange with one another? The Countess’s peculiar behavior, which I’d expected to conclude quickly, stretched on past noon.
Creak.
“….”
The Countess’s expression as she emerged from Mary’s Room was curious—as though she’d achieved her purpose, yet somehow hadn’t.
I noticed the Servant who followed her out had gone deathly pale, and I could infer that her search for the item had failed.
“Madam?”
“Ah. Sir Ian, it took longer than I anticipated.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“No. It appears to have been lost during the chaos. It doesn’t seem to be in the room.”
The Countess swept her hair back with a smile playing at her lips. Had a stranger witnessed it, they would have found her truly radiant and charming. From what I could discern, both then and now, the Countess had no intention of revealing what she sought.
In that case, there was no need to press the matter unnecessarily.
“Shall we retire to the Drawing Room then?”
“I was just wishing for some tea. That would be perfect.”
“Countess Merelrof, how do you do?”
“Oh my! How lovely to see you. Have you been well? I believe your name was Romandro?”
“Indeed, Madam.”
The Countess greeted Romandro warmly as he kissed her hand, then chattered away as they descended toward the Drawing Room. Berik, watching from below the Stairs, muttered to himself.
“I smell something distinctly unhinged about her.”
“…Berik.”
“It’s true, isn’t it? What’s wrong with her?”
“Check the room once more and tidy it up.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Berik answered halfheartedly and entered Mary’s Room.
By the time I arrived at the Drawing Room, Romandro and the Countess were already sharing tea.
“Sir Ian, I’ve caused you considerable trouble.”
“Not at all, Madam. Please think nothing of it.”
“And I mentioned earlier that I had another gift for you?”
“Yes, you did.”
I settled into the seat across from the Countess as I replied.
“I hear you must present a contribution to the Central authority.”
“Ah. How did you learn of that?”
“Word travels, as it always does. However, the sum seems rather substantial, so I wondered if we might assist you somewhat.”
“The Marquis Merelrof himself?”
“Yes. While we cannot provide the full amount you desire, I believe we could lend you approximately five thousand gold coins.”
“Ah. You would lend it to me?”
“In exchange for no interest, we would like to receive some Gula seeds. What do you say?”
I smiled faintly and replied.
“That doesn’t sound particularly appealing.”
“Cough!”
Romandro choked on his drink without meaning to. No matter how one looked at it, such a direct rebuff was bold. Yet the Countess seemed entirely unbothered, merely shrugging her shoulders.
“Is that so?”
“First, I am grateful for the consideration shown by the Marquis and yourself. However, the tribute must be paid by us alone for it to hold meaning, and we possess the means to do so.”
“You possess the means? Are you certain?”
“Absolutely certain. Therefore, I cannot accept your proposal. Moreover, comparing five thousand gold coins in interest against Gula seeds, the latter’s value overwhelmingly exceeds the former. Gula seeds never fail to produce—each yields a dozen more seeds when replanted. Does this not solve the hunger of winter itself?”
“Regardless, Gula was previously worthless, not worth a single coin.”
“That was before. Gold coins can be earned again, but a human life, once lost, is gone forever.”
The words pierced straight through Merelrof’s situation. Pockets full of coin with nowhere to spend it. The Countess smiled softly over her teacup.
“Should you wish to purchase Gula, I shall respond enthusiastically to such requests. It would be cleaner and more respectable for us both. After all, is not resolving matters through coin the easiest thing in this world?”
“…If you were to sell, what price did you have in mind?”
“Fifty coins per sack.”
“Fifty coins, you say?”
“Gold coins.”
Romandro, listening from across the room, sputtered and spilled his tea. Had he not previously stated ten gold coins per sack?
But I had been clear. ‘At minimum’ ten coins.
“Good heavens. Selling such weeds for fifty gold coins.”
“Shall I show you the size?”
I called for a servant without hesitation. The servant fumbled with an empty sack, displaying its dimensions—a small bag that reached from the ground to the calf.
The Countess raised her eyebrows, continuing to express wonder without truly wondering.
“Wow.”
As though it were none of her concern.
“Are you mocking me now?”
“How could I, madam? You have come in place of the Marquis himself, have you not? To insult you would be to insult him. Such a thing is absolutely impossible.”
Observing her demeanor, I became certain. She clearly had little interest in the buying and selling of Gula. It seemed her sole purpose was the matter she had lent to Mrs. Mary…
“Each sack contains approximately thirty to forty Gula seeds. Should all be planted, they would multiply into hundreds within a month, and thousands, even tens of thousands within another.”
This assumed none were consumed and all were sown into the earth—an impossibility given that winter’s depths were already upon us.
“Within two months, enough to sustain every soul in the Merelrof Estate and more. I trust you understand well that a fiefdom’s foundation rests upon its population.”
“Hmm. Indeed.”
“Price formation has many reasons. Like the Marquis Merelrof, we too prioritize our people above all else… What price did you charge for your grains then?”
Romandro interjected as though he had been waiting for this moment.
“Wheat and corn, being necessities, were excluded. But secondary crops were marked up more than double. Potatoes were particularly memorable—you received half a gold coin per bushel.”
In other words: this is what you did yourselves. When asking for help, you claimed hardship while charging such prices, and now you receive the same in return.
The Countess stared blankly out the window, her head tilted in thought. Then, as if remembering something, she murmured quietly.
“In truth, it is the Count who holds the purse strings, so my opinion hardly matters much. To survive, fifty gold coins are hardly the issue, are they? We may need to surrender land as it is.”
“I appreciate your understanding.”
Meanwhile, in Mrs. Mary’s Room.
While Ian, Countess Merelrof, and Romandro conducted their delicate transaction, Berik, who had been casually surveying Mary’s room, sensed a presence and turned around.
Creak.
“Berik? What are you doing here?”
It was Hena. She wiped her wet hands on her apron and tilted her head curiously.
“Ah. The Countess came by earlier and ransacked the room. She told me to look around and then lock the door.”
“Ransacked the room? Why?”
“I don’t know. It seems Mrs. Mary borrowed something and didn’t return it. Ian thinks it might be in the room, but I can’t find it anywhere.”
The way Mrs. Mary had behaved when she fled. Even in that urgent moment, she hadn’t tried to stop by the room.
“And you don’t even know what it is?”
“Ridiculous, right?”
“Mm. This certainly isn’t an easy situation.”
Hena placed her hands on her hips and quickly scanned the room. Then she lay flat and thrust a broom under the bed, poking around.
“What are you doing?”
“Places where things are hidden. There are fewer spaces in a room than you’d think. Under the bed, inside the wardrobe, beneath or behind storage chests….”
“I’ve already checked all of those.”
“What about the floor or ceiling?”
“The floor and ceiling?”
Hena walked along, tapping the floor with her broom. She was listening for hollow spaces.
Thud! Thud thud!
“Yes. Wooden floorboards sometimes come loose. The ceiling is so high I can’t reach it with my hands… Ah!”
Hena suddenly looked up at the ceiling as if struck by inspiration. Her gaze fixed on the chandelier decoration. Fabric stretched from the center like scattered wood, spreading in all directions and catching in various places.
“Wait. I don’t think a chair will work.”
“A ladder?”
“Yes, yes.”
“I’ll go get one. You keep tapping the floor.”
Berik, about to dash outside, hesitated. He couldn’t help but wonder how Hena had become so skilled at this.
“But what exactly are you? You pick locks well, you’re good with your hands, and your skill at hiding and finding things is no joke.”
“Everyone in my neighborhood can do this much.”
“I don’t think that’s quite right….”
It was an ability born from circumstance. Hena’s home was relatively better off, but she’d heard that some houses had ceilings that collapsed from the weight of hidden medicine bottles.
When Hena gestured for him to hurry, Berik shook his head but obediently followed her instructions.
“Hold it steady.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I climbed up?”
“You can’t even find clothes in your own drawers, Berik. Please hold it so it doesn’t shake.”
Creak.
Hena climbed the ladder and reached her hand inside the chandelier. The warmth of the light fixture touched her fingertips, and dust that had stuck to it from the heat transferred to her hands.
“Just a bit to the left… Ah!”
“What? What is it? Did you find something?”
“Um…”
Hena pulled out a round object from her grasp. It was a black, glossy powder compact. This must be the item that Mrs. Mary and Countess Merelrof had been exchanging…
“Why would she hide cosmetics here?”
“Right? It’s nothing special!”
“Should we open it?”
While Hena handed me the compact and descended the ladder, Berik couldn’t contain himself and opened the lid first. It was filled with fine powder.
“Really nothing special… Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“This… the smell…”
Hena asked in confusion, but Berik buried his nose in the powder and sniffed repeatedly, unable to answer. There seemed to be something strange about the scent.
After breathing in a couple of times, Berik’s eyes suddenly rolled back and he collapsed forward.
Thud!
“Gasp! Berik!”
At the same moment, the powder scattered across the floor. Hena shook his body, but it grew rigid and showed no signs of waking.
“Ugh…”
“Oh, Ian! Ian!”
Hena stumbled backward and rushed into the Drawing Room, bursting through the door without knocking. Romandro, I, and Countess Merelrof turned to her in considerable shock.
“Ian! Something terrible has happened!”
“What is all this commotion, Hena?”
“Berik found the item, sir. It’s a black round powder compact, and he collapsed the moment he smelled the powder.”
“What on earth is…”
Unlike me, who was bewildered, Countess Merelrof reflexively rushed out. As Hena was pushed back and fell, I too was startled and followed her.
“Madam? Madam!”
Tap tap tap!
The way she ran, clutching her dress hem, was quite desperate. I quickly caught up with Countess Merelrof and grabbed her arm.
Whoosh!
“Madam, please calm yourself for a moment…”
“Let go of me!”
“No, wait…”
A brief struggle. The Countess stepped on the Stairs and slid down, and I tumbled after her. Romandro and Hena, who had followed, called out to me.
“Ian! Are you alright?”
“Ian! Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Madam, are you hurt anywhere…”
“Ah…”
Countess Merelrof, in her urgency, gripped the Stairs and climbed up. Beneath her dress hem that lifted slightly, her ankles were visible—skin of a violet hue that could not be called human.
I flinched for a moment, but then realized it was a bruise.

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