The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 175

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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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Chapter 175

Boerts bowed his head deeply.

“Countess Marta said that Her Majesty the Empress would not involve herself in politics at all.”

“Hmm.”

Duke Loigar deliberately let out a thoughtful sound.

If Countess Marta had said it, it was certainly true.

He had roughly suspected as much.

Until now, she had remained silent about the affairs of House Liagan and had been quiet about Lawrence’s matters as well.

In the end, the Empress having Duchess Evron attend the wedding as a maid was to separate Milaire and Lawrence.

And the result was proven by Lawrence’s current situation.

‘Well. It didn’t seem like Her Majesty the Empress would acknowledge someone who isn’t her own blood as the Empire’s heir.’

Duke Loigar nodded his head.

Only the foolish Lawrence had fallen for false hopes.

It wasn’t new information, but being able to confirm it like this was also a good thing.

‘The problem is Duchess Evron. Was Duchess Evron also deceived by the Empress? Or was she trying to mediate at an appropriate level?’

Or perhaps she had other intentions hidden within.

Recently, Duke Loigar had been feeling increasingly pressured by Cedric.

The dueling pistol that Cedric had given as a return gift was in the drawer of Duke Loigar’s study desk.

Since then, Cedric hadn’t particularly threatened him or done anything. The Emperor was keeping Cedric in check by giving him both honor and difficult tasks simultaneously.

For now, Cedric only seemed to be adapting to central politics and striving to fulfill his assigned duties.

Even when encountering Duke Loigar, he greeted him with the same calm face as before.

But one corner of Duke Loigar’s heart was always anxious.

It wasn’t the same kind of crisis feeling as when fighting with Lawrence or being anxious about being criticized by the Emperor.

He couldn’t win if they fought. It was an anxiety like that of a boy facing a fistfight.

He took a deep breath to compose himself. Then he looked at Boerts.

Now was not the time to think about the problems of the Evron Duchy.

“Why didn’t you seek an audience with His Majesty the Emperor first? If it’s news about House Liagan, the Imperial Palace must be waiting for it eagerly.”

“Actually, Duke Liagan also told me to petition His Majesty.”

Boerts didn’t hide his sigh.

“But would His Majesty save House Liagan just because someone like me appeals to him? If he was going to do that, he would have decided when the Duke’s petition was submitted.”

“That’s true.”

“So I came to petition Your Highness Duke Loigar.”

“What can I do about something that neither His Majesty nor Her Majesty the Empress will do?”

Then Boerts opened the box he had brought to show him.

What was inside wasn’t something like a bribe. It was Duke Liagan’s seal and a letter of authorization.

“First, I want to tell you that the promise I’m making to save House Liagan will have exactly the same effect as what the Duke himself would do.”

“This isn’t simply a matter of House Liagan getting caught up in difficult circumstances. It’s important state affairs, and moreover, it’s an international dispute. House Liagan is even being pointed to as the mastermind behind Queen Eimel’s assassination.”

“Don’t you know, Your Highness, that it’s unjust? I’m only petitioning for help in clearing our false accusations.”

Boerts said.

And he bowed his head. It was awkward to speak this way to a great noble of the capital.

If it were a noble who greatly valued dignity over practical benefits, he might have shouted angrily about what he took him for.

“House Liagan faces not only persecution from the Kingdom of Eimel but also another fear. At this rate, there will be disruptions to the important task His Majesty the Emperor entrusted to House Liagan.”

“Hmm.”

“Duke Liagan fears this. Even if we somehow safely conclude this matter, if prices soar next year and harm the health of the Empire’s people, how could we endure the accountability that would follow?”

Duke Loigar’s eyes lit up. He knew that what Boerts was talking about now was the story of Southern Sea salt.

House Liagan held the monopoly rights to Southern Sea salt.

Strictly speaking, it belonged to the Emperor. It was merely entrusted to the current Duke Liagan to avoid being called outright plunder when seizing what was taken during House Liagan’s purge.

And Southern Sea salt was used throughout the Empire’s central, eastern, and southern regions.

The profits from it were enormous. Enough to debate what percentage Southern Sea salt occupied in Emperor Gregor’s powerful treasury.

That was the biggest reason why the Emperor had struck House Liagan without even taking time to mourn his children’s deaths.

And it was also why the great merchants and large landowners supporting Duke Loigar couldn’t shake the Emperor even a little, no matter how tightly they held their purse strings and tried.

This came from the mouth of someone who held Duke Liagan’s letter of authorization.

Duke Loigar couldn’t help but be interested.

Boerts said.

“Even if countermeasures are devised from now on, there will be disruptions in next year’s salt distribution. If Your Highness grants this petition, I believe you can also introduce someone reliable to entrust with distribution in the eastern region.”

Until now, House Liagan had distributed salt evenly among various merchant groups and controlled prices as well.

This was because salt distribution was a national matter closely related to people’s livelihoods, separate from the enormous profits House Liagan gained.

But now he meant to entrust it entirely to merchant groups under Duke Loigar’s influence. Adding one more distribution process.

Duke Loigar could roughly estimate the profits that would come from this. This wasn’t simply a matter of profits alone.

It meant he could strengthen his influence over the merchant groups that had been distributing salt in the eastern region until now.

Of course, Duke Loigar had no intention of crossing a dangerous bridge for that alone.

“There must be guidelines issued by His Majesty, so do you mean to arbitrarily violate them?”

“Guidelines issued from the center don’t always fit actual conditions. His Majesty doesn’t know all about salt production and distribution either.”

Boerts said.

“I want to entrust that to Your Highness.”

He meant salt that the Emperor didn’t know about, namely illegal salt. Duke Loigar understood.

Duke Liagan had been in charge of Southern Sea salt management for 17 years. This was about the illegal salt he had personally created and its distribution.

Those profits would be far more enormous than getting involved in legal distribution channels, and would be a way to accumulate wealth without any constraints.

He couldn’t help but be tempted.

* * *

“Is this really enough?”

Countess Marta asked. Artizea bowed her head.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“You cleverly made that fellow come to the Empress’s Palace. How dare Fernando’s nephew.”

Countess Marta couldn’t hide her displeasure.

She had been asked by Artizea, and ultimately it would lead to the Empress’s wishes, so she had endured meeting him.

She had even put words like advice in her mouth.

However, she was so unpleasantly disgusted by receiving wealth that the traitor had stolen and accumulated from House Liagan as a bribe that she couldn’t bear it.

The wealth that had been loaded in the carriage was to be taken and disposed of by Artizea immediately.

But she had thrown the jewels she received out the window. She didn’t even want to hold them.

“Fernando Liagan and his wife had thoroughly kept secret the fact that they were involved in the accident of the previous Duke and Duchess, especially in the south.”

Of course, it wasn’t a secret to those close to power.

But that was 18 years ago. And during that time, the Liagan Duke and his wife had thoroughly silenced people about that fact in the south.

Boerts, who would have been only 9 years old 18 years ago, couldn’t have heard the truth.

He did know that his uncle and aunt had betrayed the previous Duke.

However, he only knew that they had received their title in exchange for siding with the Emperor after the accident and handing over important rights of House Liagan.

Artizea knew this for certain.

More than 10 years later, after becoming a fairly experienced official, he was summoned to the capital and upon learning that fact, spent some time drowning in alcohol.

So making him come to the Empress’s Palace wasn’t difficult.

First, she bribed the butler of the Liagan Duke’s residence in the capital to let him hear news about the Empress.

Through several other routes, she also whispered into his ears that the Empress had been longing for House Liagan lately.

Boerts, being someone with many thoughts of his own, had fallen into the trap.

If he had followed Duke Liagan’s secret orders and sought an audience with the Emperor first or visited the Ministry, things would have become somewhat complicated.

“But.”

After briefly chewing on her hatred, Countess Marta composed herself and looked at Artizea.

“What do you plan to do by getting Duke Loigar involved in southern affairs?”

Wouldn’t it be better if he just did nothing like now?

Lawrence had ruined the Southern Subjugation Army. If Duke Loigar were to achieve some great merit by wisely resolving disputes with foreign nations in the south, he would solidify his position as the Emperor’s successor.

Considering Artizea’s goal of placing Cedric on the throne, this was something that must not happen.

Conversely, it would also be troublesome if Duke Loigar made a major blunder.

Simply killing Duke Loigar wouldn’t mean she could comfortably assume Cedric was next in the line of succession.

If that happened, the Emperor’s suspicion and vigilance would be concentrated entirely on Cedric alone. They weren’t sufficiently prepared for that yet.

“Don’t worry. Duke Loigar is skilled at negotiation.”

“His Majesty the Emperor is already quite sensitive about Lord Lawrence’s affair, and his suspicions have been heightened. Duke Loigar surely knows it wouldn’t be wise to interfere carelessly.”

“That’s why we had House of Liagan make the request. Nothing short of Southern Sea salt could move him.”

With Southern Sea salt dangling before his eyes, there was no way Duke Loigar could do nothing.

Even if Lady Ford’s name was involved in the matter. To Duke Loigar, that would be nothing more than a slightly bothersome problem, like a pebble in his shoe.

“Are you planning to entangle him with salt smuggling rather than the Eimel issue? Would that be so simple?”

“That won’t be easy. His Majesty probably overlooked Fernando Liagan’s side dealings, thinking of it as supplementing an old retainer’s household finances.”

Above all, the Emperor wouldn’t be unaware that Duke Loigar was capable of greed.

Artizea smiled.

“So Duke Loigar would want to go down to the south himself to handle that matter.”

As long as Duke Loigar went down to the south, Artizea’s objective would be achieved.

She actually hoped the salt smuggling wouldn’t be discovered. Tampering with the Emperor’s finances was a grave sin, but it would ultimately end as just Duke Loigar’s personal crime.

That couldn’t be allowed.

Duke Loigar’s forces had deep roots. The wealthy and powerful high nobility and merchant factions involved in politics needed to be uprooted entirely, even for the sake of future governance.

‘For that, what’s needed is sufficient justification.’

Artizea thought to herself.

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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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