The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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109.

Indeed, he wasn’t just some small fry – even with Duke Lopez’s appearance, he maintained his composure.

“It seems the Winter Palace advisor doesn’t have confidence in protecting himself alone.”

He didn’t forget to spit out sharp words either.

Really, his ability to earn beatings with that mouth was absolutely outstanding.

If only he worked as well as he ran his mouth.

Then I would have used him moderately.

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Duke Lopez beside me responded to his words instead.

“Your inability to see the full context is the same as always, whether then or now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I was dumbfounded by that tone.

This guy discriminates against people – he speaks informally to me but uses honorifics with Duke Lopez.

Duke Lopez must have felt the same, as he burst into loud laughter.

“Still can’t grasp the situation, and don’t even know who’s holding your lifeline.”

“What?”

“There’s no need to correct your misconception, but I’m someone who enjoys watching others get their insides twisted, so I’ll tell you specially.”

Duke Lopez boldly revealed his bad personality.

“Salice Advisor can protect himself very well without a useless old man like me. That day too, you should have been grateful that the guards surrounded you.”

“What kind of nonsense-!”

He reacted slightly to Duke Lopez’s words.

“Unlike you who lacks skill, my daughter Wilhelmina Lopez, who proudly took first place, was about to blow your head off.”

Oh my, I didn’t get to see that cool sight.

Hearing it from Duke Lopez made me feel so regretful.

That I missed my precious Wilhelmina’s cool moment dealing with this criminal.

“Well, even if my daughter hadn’t acted, Salice Advisor isn’t incompetent enough to be unable to protect himself, unlike you.”

“What can’t you do with words.”

“Salice Advisor, wasn’t what I said correct? This guy makes the same mistake twice.”

“That’s right, we gave him proof when he asked for it, and now he wants proof again.”

When I spoke calmly, the face of the man sitting in the prison darkened.

“He really would be useless for work.”

“I agree, I’ve had my stomach turned by this guy more than once or twice. Ah, of course our Wilhelmina will be different.”

“I know that well without you saying it. Besides, hiring advisors involves interviews before making decisions.”

“Are you saying there are applicants who would score better in interviews than our Wilhelmina?”

“I didn’t say that, but could you let me maintain fairness as an interviewer?”

It was really absurd.

Since when did he dote on Wilma like a daughter-obsessed father.

I’ve read some novels, so I know that when someone who was cold to their daughter suddenly tries to treat them well based on their usefulness, there’s a price to pay.

Regret and rolling sections.

Looking at the slyly smiling Duke Lopez, I decided to send Wilma some carefully selected family regret stories after the interview schedule was over.

“More than anything, dragging this out will only make that side make more excuses, so could you wrap up the story?”

“My apologies, naturally conversation with Salice Advisor takes higher priority than this side, doesn’t it.”

He really spoke smoothly and well.

As if the Lopez Ducal House hadn’t lived gripping the diplomatic realm for nothing.

“It’s very wasteful to spend time on you in this situation, but since Salice Advisor’s time is more precious, I should finish quickly. This twenty questions game.”

“Whatever you say, I only have the crime of causing a disturbance in front of the Imperial Palace.”

“Well, if you’re Jon from a fake baron family who shamelessly wrote down age 28, then that would be the case.”

At Duke Lopez’s words, Mr. Jon’s (age 28, alias) face stiffened momentarily.

“I’ll say it again, but just saying something without evidence doesn’t make it fact.”

But at the following words, Duke Lopez let out a short laugh as if he couldn’t stand it.

“Those words must have really stung. Seeing you repeat them like a parrot. You should have done better from the start, adding proper evidence and logic like you’re saying now.”

“…I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t need to know, you’ll remember now. I’ve been searching for a very, very long time, so much that I’m moved to tears from joy.”

For someone saying that, you’re laughing way too happily right now.

This side clearly seems like the villain.

The more Duke Lopez speaks, the more Mr. Jon, who’s trying hard to act calm, is becoming like wilting cabbage.

Of course, I had no intention of stopping it.

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness the deposed prince of Basmach.”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else-“

“No, should I call you the petty bastard who was blinded by power and drove his half-sister to death?”

At Duke Lopez’s words, spat out sharply while wiping away his smile as if cut off, his barely maintained composure completely shattered.

Duke Lopez spoke clearly in a slow tone to the deposed prince of Basmach, who looked as if asking how he possibly found out.

“That’s why I said you can’t properly read situations or context. The conscienceless 49-year-old Gillard Basmach.”

“The evidence, is.”

“That was neatly organized by Salice Advisor, who unlike you can properly see context.”

At Duke Lopez’s words, the deposed prince’s gaze turned to me.

The Duke directly corrected what the deposed prince had said.

“So the person who couldn’t work properly alone wasn’t Salice Advisor, but me. Fake twenty-something.”

Not hiding his uncomfortable feelings about someone his age pretending to be young either.

*

In the original work, the inside story of Consort Basmach’s fall from horse incident wasn’t greatly highlighted.

Therefore, even after the culprit of Rozelita’s kidnapping incident was caught, the fact that he was Gillard Basmach wasn’t revealed.

Though his identity was known by the name Jon, age 28.

In the original, the one who dyed his hair in patches had to lure Rozelita to appear at the banquet.

Unfortunately, at the time of that banquet, Rozelita’s parents had temporarily returned to the barony, and he took that opportunity to threaten her using her parents’ lives as leverage.

With only a few days since they left by train, and no way to confirm all the way to the distant Salice Barony, she headed to the banquet hall knowing it was a trap.

But at the venue weren’t just Rozelita, but also the First and Second Consorts who maintained good relationships with the Emperor, along with their princes.

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll tell you – we received letters threatening to expose our secrets. With specific details written out.’

‘We really had no choice.’

‘But if we had known it would be like this… it would have been better to just let the secrets be exposed.’

Those lured by understandable reasons faced an even more devastating reality.

Of course, the original Rozelita and others survived without dying.

It was thanks to the original Rozelita leaving a code known only between her and Samuel Moti, her faithful merchant guild master, just in case.

However, when Casian came to rescue her after tracking her down in cooperation with Samuel, it was already…

‘What is this… Why are Joel and the others like this too.’

Even Casian, who had experienced countless battlefields, was left speechless.

The Fourth Prince had severely injured one leg protecting his mother and younger brother, and even the always energetic Sixth Prince Joel had lost his words and laughter from shock.

‘It’s alright, Prince Casian. Since everyone survived like this.’

The Second Consort spoke calmly while suppressing her emotions, but everyone couldn’t help but know.

How painful it must be for her.

This was one of the reasons I had postponed the ordeal.

Kidnapping and threats to life?

Originally it would be fine to block it beforehand, but the problem was that others might also be put in danger.

That’s why as soon as we discovered this person’s name in the application, we firmly told the concubines and princes.

No matter what temptation came, even if it was true, to trust the Winter Palace and wait.

Actually, Empress Trisha and the First Consort informed us that what we had truly worried about had happened.

It was really fortunate that we had built up trust so earnestly.

Because they chose to trust and inform us rather than being lured.

Afterwards, I began to suspect Jon, who revealed his motive saying he was ‘discriminated against because of his status,’ while retracing the original work.

Even the original Rozelita found it strange when she heard the reason that he targeted her because he was annoyed that she had risen in status by meeting a good man.

Because to believe those words at face value, the crime targets were only people who were in conflict with Scaletti Zamotti.

However, in the original story, due to the Royal Guards’ sloppy restraints, Jon rushed to kill Scaletti Zamotti and was immediately executed, bringing things to a close.

Because of that, Scaletti also completely cleared away all suspicions.

But the situation here and now was completely different from back then.

Samuel Moti, who had kept his hands clean and honestly only worked as an information Merchant Guild Master, hadn’t been able to properly track Jon.

‘Ah, the previous generation mentioned receiving a strange request once.’

But the current criminal Samuel Moti, who had engaged in bad deeds and even inherited a Dark Guild, was different.

‘There was someone who asked to completely change their appearance without asking any questions. Of course, we didn’t ask anything and just tailed them, recording everything in our ledger.’

And so the deposed prince Gillard Basmach, who had been living in hiding after changing both his age and appearance, ended up getting caught red-handed.

*

Of course, even with my explanation, the deposed prince wasn’t willing to accept it.

“An Imperial advisor using information from the underworld?”

Anticipating he would react this way, I had already prepared a countermeasure in consultation with Duke Lopez.

“I thought you might say that, so I brought along a guest.”

“A guest?”

“Thank you, Gillard. Thanks to you, our Empire can resume trade with the Basmach Kingdom.”

It was none other than the current King of Basmach Kingdom, and his older brother, who had come to the Empire.

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