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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 77
A forest path near the Blaire Grand Duke Territory.
Gleaming armor flickered briefly between densely planted low shrubs before vanishing from sight.
Not long after, several cloth-covered carts drawn by donkeys rattled closer.
"Stand by."
As the Knight Commander raised his hand, the ambushed knights shifted into readiness.
When the carts drew near, the knights surged forward at the Commander's signal, swiftly encircling the Merchant Guild's caravan.
"W-who are you!"
A handful of hired mercenaries reflexively fought back, but trained knights were hardly an even match.
In less ‌‌‌‌than five minutes, everyone—including the Merchant Guild Master—was forced to their knees.
"Gasp! T-the Blaire Grand Duke House?"
The Merchant Guild Master's face drained of color upon recognizing the seal embedded in the knights' swords as belonging to the Blaire House.
Typically, when knights from a noble house took direct action, ‌‌‌it meant the territory or family had suffered tangible harm.
Yet no matter ‌‌‌how he racked his ‌‌mind, he couldn't recall ever doing anything to injure Blaire.
"Please! What is the meaning of this? We were merely transporting goods commissioned by the Blaire Grand Duke Territory—we haven't sold anything here. There must be some misunderstanding...."
The Merchant Guild Master stood before them, his face a portrait of bewilderment ‌‌and grievance, as a horse came to a halt.
The rider was none other than Liam, the Grand Duke's right hand and chief advisor.
"What items are you handling?"
"M-mostly miscellaneous goods, sir."
At the swift answer, Liam's gaze shifted toward the carts.
As the knights stripped away ‌‌the cloth and searched, the cart's interior revealed nothing but thread, needles, whetstones, and similar mundane items.
"Wait. Stop right ‌there."
Liam approached the cart directly ‌‌‌‌and issued a command.
"Unload everything."
"Y-yes, understood!"
The Merchant ‌‌Guild Master's anxious gaze followed the knights as ‌‌they emptied the cart.
Soon the floor became visible—or rather, a lid sealed firmly shut with nails.
"Wh-what!"
Before the flustered Merchant ‌‌Guild Master could protest, Liam's hand moved.
The blunt pommel of his sword pierced the sturdy wood, and the contents were immediately revealed.
Tumblers and insulated bottles—designed by April Salt herself.
"Summon the Grand Duke at once."
At the terse command, the knights scrambled into action.
Shortly thereafter, Blaire Grand Duke arrived at the scene astride a handsome black horse.
Though fatigue from excessive duties weighed heavily upon his features, the oppressive aura he commanded remained utterly undiminished.
"Is this it?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
The Grand ‌‌‌Duke retrieved a tumbler from the cart, hurled it onto the dirt ground, and crushed it beneath his boot.
Crack!
Unable to withstand the impact, the fragments of the tumbler ‌‌‌shattered helplessly and scattered across the floor in a pitiful display.
"As expected."
It was a counterfeit.
Kaian Blaire looked down at the ‌‌kneeling Merchant Guild Master with cold eyes and pressed for answers.
"What is this?"
"H-hiiek...."
The Merchant Guild Master, already drained of all color, finally stammered out a belated excuse.
"That... someone asked us to transport it ‌‌to the Blaire Grand Duke Territory. We only accepted the commission—we don't ‌‌know the details."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"It's the truth! P-please believe me!"
"...I'll take a detailed statement later. For now, take them into custody."
"This is unjust, Your Grace!"
As those seized by the Knights were dragged away, Liam, who had been examining the remaining contents of the cart, discovered something and raised his eyebrows.
"Your Grace, one moment."
In his hand was none other than a newspaper.
Kaian Blaire accepted the newspaper after confirming the headline emphasized in bold lettering and skimmed through ‌the contents.
The column about tumblers and thermos bottles transmitting illness contained entirely non-objective information.
And more importantly than that....
"It's the Young Lady Elegance again this time."
A meaningful tone escaped his lips.
* * *
After ‌‌‌‌arranging to meet with Baroness Fabron once more, I returned to the Grand Duchy for now.
The Grand Duke would have gathered some information by then, and even if things scattered again, sharing what we'd learned ‌‌so far was something I couldn't overlook.
"Where is the Grand Duke?"
"He returned a short while ago and headed to his Office."
"Thank you!"
After confirming the Grand Duke's whereabouts from Bonita, I went straight to his ‌‌‌Office in my outdoor attire.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
At the voice that came immediately after my knock, I quickly opened the door and entered.
"Oh...."
And I froze, stopping near the doorway.
Because....
The Grand Duke, who had only just come inside, ‌‌‌was standing in the middle of his Office removing his heavy armor, and our eyes met directly.
"Ah, no. If you're in the middle of undressing, you should have ‌‌told me to come back later...."
Though his bare ‌skin wasn't exposed, the firm muscles visible through the loose shirt couldn't be hidden.
I forcibly tore my gaze away, which kept trying to linger, and buried my eyes in the carpet while blinking repeatedly.
"I'm just removing my armor."
"Still...."
When a ‌‌‌handsome man undresses like a model in a magazine spread, my heart can't help but flutter!
Do people who are naturally handsome truly lack awareness of the influence they wield?
Moreover, the only ‌handsome, well-built men I knew were Blaire Grand Duke and Ian, so my resistance to such charm was virtually nonexistent.
While I stood there at a loss, Blaire Grand ‌‌‌‌Duke unfastened his sword and settled himself ‌‌comfortably ‌‌onto a nearby sofa.
"Did you meet with the Empress well?"
The question came across as indifferent and terse.
At those words, I exhaled a long sigh.
"Well enough, I suppose. Though she warned me I'd be held responsible if this isn't ‌‌‌‌resolved quickly."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, she was quite frightening. I ‌‌was thoroughly ‌scolded."
Though truthfully it hadn't been quite that severe... I decided to ‌‌exaggerate my distress a little.
After all, Blaire Grand Duke was the only person I could confide in without reservation, since his livelihood didn't depend on this venture.
Sitting across from him on the opposite sofa, I rested my chin in my ‌‌hand and furrowed my brow.
"What ‌‌if I end up imprisoned in the Imperial Palace dungeons?"
"That won't happen."
"How can you be so certain? Crown Prince Lyden might see ‌‌‌this as an opportune moment to lay some suspicious trap for me."
Still troubled by my rejection of the Crown Prince's proposal at our last meeting, I muttered in a petulant tone.
At that, Blaire Grand Duke's brow furrowed sharply.
'Hmm?'
Had I misspoken?
I mentally chastised ‌‌‌myself for ‌‌‌‌failing to read my stingy employer's mood in that moment, and I studied his expression carefully.
Given the circumstances, he was likely more on edge than usual.
Not wanting to upset him further, I quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway... I heard something rather strange when I went to meet with Baroness ‌‌‌Fabron."
When I relayed news of the Stefan Marquis House, he nodded.
"...I also tracked down the whereabouts of the painters ‌‌‌‌who quit while the Princess was in the Imperial Capital, and confirmed that most ‌‌‌‌of them headed to Stefan ‌Marquis Territory."
So that was it, then.
That's how the Stefan Marquis House was able to prepare ‌‌‌‌their manga so quickly.
But even so, there wasn't enough evidence to pin all the rumors about our business on them.
What I'd discovered could serve as grounds for the theory that the Stefan Marquis House had scouted young painters to ‌‌benchmark us, but it couldn't explain the other matters.
Lost in thought for a moment, ‌‌I happened to glance at Blaire Grand Duke and noticed his expression looked unusually complicated. ‌‌
"Um, Your Grace."
"...?"
"Is something the matter? Your expression seems...."
When I asked carefully, he dismissed the discomfort ‌‌‌‌as if it were ‌‌‌‌‌nothing and shook his head.
"No. Ah, and while ‌‌‌‌you were away in the Imperial Capital, we ‌‌also caught a merchant guild attempting to distribute counterfeit tumblers and thermoses in Blaire Grand Duke Territory..."
"Wait, again? You said you caught one group last time—wasn't that the end of it?"
"It appears they're operating as an organized network, distributing throughout the Empire."
"Did you uncover who's behind it?"
Still, catching two groups wasn't without merit, was it?
But contrary to my hopes, Blaire Grand Duke's response was far from encouraging.
"The merchants used for transport were genuinely ignorant of everything. Even the address of the person who commissioned them was registered as false—as if they'd anticipated this all along."
They were far more meticulous than I'd expected.
At the same time, I found ‌‌‌‌‌myself questioning whether continuing ‌‌‌to suspect the Stefan Marquis House was the right approach.
While the timing aligned suspiciously with the manga business venture, there was no reason for resentment to accumulate to the point ‌‌‌of sabotaging other enterprises as well.
"Hmm."
As I struggled to uncover the connections between these incidents, his ‌‌voice reached me once more.
"Though there is one thing that troubles me."
"What is it?"
"The person who wrote the article about the dangers of blackout curtains, tumblers, and thermos ‌‌‌‌bottles."

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy ‌the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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