Chapter 75
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A villainess locked away in a desolate tower—I had possessed her body. Chapter 75 Patrick, the eldest son of Stefan Marquis House, returned home after a long journey. For the next three years, he remained confined to his chamber, wrestling with his thoughts until he finally resolved to publish his autobiography. He harbored grand ambitions of sharing the diverse impressions he'd gathered from distant lands and the profound insights he'd gained with high society. For the nobles of Cletan, publishing an autobiography held tremendous significance. It carried nearly the same weight as a noble young lady's debutante ball in high society. Thus, Stefan Marquis spared no effort in supporting his son, who had secluded himself in his chamber since returning from his travels.
"Spare no expense—promote Patrick's autobiography with all your might!"
"We'll place advertisements for the young master's autobiography in every magazine and obtain administrative approval to post them on the bulletin boards throughout the Imperial Capital!"
Yet life rarely unfolds as planned. Before the ink on the pages had even dried, a bolt from the blue struck.
"M-Marquis! The central bookstore in the Imperial Capital refuses to display the young master's autobiography."
"Why on earth!?"
"It seems something called a 'manga' has appeared, and because of it, the magazines are already demanding refunds for the advertisements they've accepted and insisting they withdraw them!"
"Are you telling me there's no space in a magazine spanning dozens of pages for a single advertisement of my son's autobiography!?"
"That is... yes, sir."
Nevertheless, through Stefan Marquis's tearful efforts, the autobiography did generate modest sales revenue. Precisely enough to match the number of household members in Stefan Marquis House.
"Father, was my writing truly so dreadfully poor?"
"Simply blame misfortune, Patrick. A man must grit his teeth and endure."
Stefan Marquis desperately attempted to console his disheartened son. In truth, rage burned within him, yet he lacked the courage to object to the manga craze that had completely swept through Imperial high society. In any case, they consoled themselves that the timing had simply been poor, but before they could recover from the first shock, they faced a new adversity.
"Do you see how it gleams with that lustrous sheen? This crystal silk curtain will be Stefan Marquis House's masterstroke."
"You've labored greatly to advance this venture, Marquis!"
"Nonsense—it's Robert who deserves credit, having traveled back and forth across the eastern continent. Hahahaha!"
"This will surely create an enormous sensation in high society."
But then. Just before the crystal silk curtains were to launch, something called 'blackout curtains' suddenly appeared, and everything fell apart. Had not the nobility long preferred that sunlight not stream brightly into their chambers? Then how had curtains that blocked light become so popular? Ignorant of the reason, Stefan Marquis could lower prices and promote relentlessly, yet the silk curtains showed no sign of selling. And thus the crystal silk curtains, prepared as his trump card, were shoved into a warehouse, never to see the light of day. The tears of blood shed then could easily fill one of the Imperial Palace's ponds. As Stefan Marquis recalled those past events and swallowed his resentment, his expression grew fierce. 'I suffered an enormous loss back then.' Moreover, what had occurred recently was nearly equivalent to pouring salt into that wound.
"W-What is this!? What is this on my precious curtains!?"
"Ah! This is mold, Marquis! It seems the silk is such a delicate fabric that..."
"Mold? Mold!? Nooooooo!"
Dark mold blooming across pristine white fabric. The situation had become so dire that selling them was no longer viable, and who wouldn't harbor resentment over such losses? And then there was the so-called "magical teacup" incident that dealt the final blow to his patience. Stefan Marquis had spent astronomical sums over the past five years developing a magical teacup that maintained the temperature of tea within it. All while groveling before those insufferably fastidious Magic Tower mages! ...What happened afterward was painfully predictable. He'd limited the sales target to nobility from the start, and given the enormous development costs, the teacup was priced at 5 million tri each, whereas the thermoses and tumblers already in circulation sold for a mere 10,000 to 20,000 tri—absurdly cheap by comparison. Yet despite this, the performance was so exceptional that even Stefan Marquis himself secretly used one of those infuriating tumblers as his personal drinking vessel. 'I don't want to admit it, but if someone were to pour filth directly over you, would you have any means to escape?' Thinking of the catastrophic losses he'd suffered because of that Blaire Grand Duke and how he'd nearly failed to recover, Stefan Marquis would jolt awake in the dead of night, trembling with rage. 'This isn't the end, Blaire Grand Duke.' As long as the Empire's supreme authority, Crown Prince Lyden, stood firmly at his side...! There was nothing he need fear. * * * After the chaos that swept through the Grand Duchy subsided. I received a summons from the Empress and traveled to the Imperial Capital. The Grand Duke, who had originally planned to come with me, ultimately had to remain in his territory. Following the massive blackout curtain refund crisis, he'd grown increasingly occupied with personally restoring order to the unsettled domain. 'I'll be fine on my own.' Thinking that worrying myself sick wouldn't help anything, I gazed at my reflection in the Imperial Palace wall and released the tension from my stiffened lips. 'No one spits on a smiling face.' In any case, after waiting briefly, when I finally met the Empress again after so long, I found myself in a situation far worse than expected, and I gripped the hem of my dress tightly.
"Young Lady."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress."
Her lips, which had always softened whenever we discussed manga or merchandise, were now rigid and taut as though they'd never been otherwise. Though there was no overt pressure, her changed demeanor alone was enough for me to immediately predict that this meeting would be deeply uncomfortable. And indeed, it was. The Empress, skipping even the formalities of greeting, laid bare her displeasure.
"You must have heard the unsettling rumors circulating throughout the Empire, Young Lady?" "Yes, Your Majesty."
I nodded immediately, for I understood what "unsettling rumors" the Empress was referring to without needing further explanation. The blackout curtains, and the tumblers as well. It concerned the disgrace that had befallen the manga-related merchandise I'd released thus far.
"As an avid reader of 【Safety Precautions of Goedam Duchy】, I simply cannot overlook such dishonorable matters being associated with it."
"...."
"So I would appreciate it if you would take responsibility and clarify the truth of the matter."
I found myself unable to nod readily at those words. I hadn't even been able to trace the source of these rumors yet, so I couldn't possibly make any assertions with confidence. Sensing my lukewarm response, the Empress didn't stop there and issued a threat in an even colder voice.
"If there was a defect in something created with my goodwill and financial support, then someone must bear that responsibility."
She hadn't named anyone directly, but I could tell exactly who she was referring to—me. And in that moment, I realized I'd grown far too accustomed to the Empress's favorable attitude toward me. 'I'd forgotten for a moment that this was merely a story within the pages.' A woman who had orchestrated bloodshed to make her son the Crown Prince. Oriana Empress was the very person who had driven Blaire Grand Duke from the Grand Duchy without even granting him time to mourn the loss of his mother. This was not a situation I could simply laugh away or dismiss with a light excuse.
"I will do my utmost to uncover the truth, Your Majesty."
"You'd better."
The Empress answered in a resolute tone, her body turning sharply away. In that gesture, I understood that she was genuinely giving me one final chance.
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