ITMWG 122

Chapter 122…

I have great patience.

Prince Orca and Duke Viosques happily began a friendly conversation.

“Your Highness, I didn’t know you were in the courtroom.”

“It was such a bustle that I couldn’t contain my curiosity and just watched quietly.”

“Haha. It was certainly an interesting case. But it seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

“Yes. I’ve been out and about, but I’ve had a lot to do since I came back to the capital.”

“That’s why I told you not to travel for too long and stay in the capital.”

“You can make many valuable connections when you’re out and about.”

Duke Viosques looked at Altair, as if a memory had finally dawned on him.

“Oh. Now that I think about it, you said you made connections with Aylesford in the East. If you could truly connect with such a talented person, it would be hard to stop traveling.”

“Yes. I’ve had my fill. But if you’re done talking with the Baron…”

As Prince Orca cautiously trailed off, Duke Viosques smiled and nodded.

“We were just exchanging greetings. Go ahead and talk to him.”

“With pleasure.”

Prince Orca greeted Duke Viosques and nodded to Altair, as if to suggest he follow.

Altair didn’t object and followed along.

The two left the courtroom and stood at the end of a deserted corridor.

“Was it your plan to send my eldest brother as an envoy?”

Orca, who had always acted as a gentle and gentle prince, suddenly became stern.

Altair chuckled, seeming unfazed.

“Are you asking when you already know?”

“I was just asking to confirm. I wondered if that was true. Well, if it was your plan, then sending my eldest brother as an envoy wouldn’t have been without reason…”

Prince Orca tilted his head with a smile.

“What is your purpose?”

“You already had your guess, didn’t you?”

“Well…”

Prince Orca let out a strange laugh. Just as Altair had said, he clearly understood his purpose.

“I know that someone like the Baron wouldn’t leave his enemy alone.”

“That’s… you would do the same, wouldn’t you?”

The question, without a formal title, might have sounded somewhat rude, but Orca didn’t pay much attention.

Instead, he simply shrugged and avoided answering.

“I told you we were similar.”

“I don’t really want to be like you, Your Highness.”

“Rejecting it doesn’t change the truth.”

“Did you come here just to say something like that?”

Altair sighed, annoyed.

There was something he had to ask Duke Viosques for, but Orca’s sudden appearance prevented him from bringing it up.

But Orca’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Altair’s face, which was tinged with annoyance.

“Tell me what you wanted to tell Duke Viosques.”

“…”

Altair, who had been listening to Orca’s words with boredom, also turned vigilant in a blink.

Even with the fierce gaze of a beast fixed on him, Orca smiled calmly.

“The former Marquis of Vine is finished, but his daughter will soon be freed… Aren’t you worried about what someone cornered might do? You probably wanted to deal with it quietly before the threat reached the Baroness, or rather, the current Marchioness.”

Prince Orca had hit the nail on Altair’s head.

He told Nadia he’d come over to pay his respects to Duke Viosques, but his real purpose was to discuss getting rid of Melissa Vine.

Considering her arrival with a medical certificate and threatening him, Melissa Vine was a woman who acts before she thinks. It was hard to imagine what that reckless woman might do now that she was cornered.

Though a well-thought-out opponent was more frightening than a thoughtless one, it was difficult to predict where her moves would lead.

Furthermore, the fact that she had met the former Marquis in Balstead and might have heard some useless advice was even more troublesome.

Altair always planned a winning fight.

The best way to fight someone like this was to get rid of them before they could make a move…

“Simply put, killing her would be the answer, but…’

Through this case, Altair realised just how swayed by gossip the capital’s nobility was.

If Melissa were to die suddenly, people would naturally point to Nadia and Altair as the culprits.

Even if he were to completely bury the truth, he couldn’t silence everyone.

He didn’t mind hearing people whisper about him being a murderer, but he couldn’t let Nadia be the victim of that.

Hence, Altair was going to ask Duke Viosques to arrange for Melissa Vine to marry off far away.

Of course, he didn’t intend to find her a proper match.

He intended to marry her to someone who seemed kind on the outside, someone with a good reputation, but was actually crude and unsophisticated.

Just as the former Marquis Vine had tricked Nadia into marrying the worst possible match, lying that he was a good one.

Since that “worst match” was Altair himself, it was a ridiculous plan for him to devise.

“Melissa Vine would gladly abandon her own father if someone were to offer to save her.”

Duke Viosques could easily find a man who met his qualifications and make the arrangement.

But the Third Prince was willing to take on that role?

Altair narrowed his eyes at Orca.

“You know I’ve travelled the empire and met many people, right? I’ll recommend someone you need. Duke Viosques’ connections in the capital are solid, but his connections in the provinces are inferior to mine.”

Orca smiled confidently.

“Well, if you yourself take the time to search, I’m sure you’ll find someone… but that woman will be out soon, leaving little time. Someone like you would want to avoid even that short-term risk, am I right?”

Now that he heard it, it made sense.

Altair sighed, feeling somewhat jaded, realising there must have been a reason for him to come and speak with such confidence.

“While someone like you wouldn’t offer a favour without something in return.”

Altair repeated back to the other person what he’d just heard.

“Tell me what you want in return for getting rid of that woman.”

“If there’s someone who annoys the Baron, then there must be someone who annoys me, too, right?”

With the First Prince gone, all that’s left is the Second Prince.

With that gone, Third Prince Orca will become the Emperor’s sole heir.

In this situation, with reference to ‘someone who annoys Orca’…the answer was clear.

Altair frowned.

If Orca’s request was to eliminate the Second Prince, that would be difficult to grant.

“I am His Majesty’s servant.”

He pledged loyalty to the emperor in exchange for agreeing to kill the First Prince.

To interfere with the succession plan behind his back would be to break his promise.

But Orca remained unfazed.

“I know. Do you think I’m unaware of His Majesty’s movements?”

Orca smiled and lightly patted Altair’s chest.

“You should consider the long run, Baron. I’m very patient. When my father’s generation fades and the next generation arrives… I can receive the reward for the deal then.”

“What if I don’t have the ability to do so in the distant future?”

The future was always uncertain.

When Altair pointed that out, Orca burst out laughing, as if he’d just heard something ridiculous.

“What are you talking about? The Baron will undoubtedly rise through the ranks and become even more powerful than he is now. This deal will bring someone with greater power to my side, so it’s actually a profitable deal for me. This… could be considered an investment.”

His eyes were filled with conviction.

Altair looked at Orca with a renewed sense of relief.

He hadn’t particularly liked Prince Orca, but he didn’t dislike someone with such conviction.

“It’s not my fault if Your Highness’ expectations aren’t met and I don’t receive the reward. Investments are inherently risky.”

When Altair replied, Orca smiled and shook his hand gently.

“Of course. But well, my investments have never failed.”

The two men’s unwavering gazes met in mid-air.

❈❈❈

As Nadia was resting in her room, several servants from the Vine family came to visit her.

Of course, Marie had shooed them all away at the entrance.

“They were all fidgeting like cats with their tails on fire, weren’t they?”

“Now that I’d confidently reclaimed the mansion, they must have realised something was amiss and rushed to inquire about the situation.”

The servants of each family must have quickly spread the word after hearing the nobles’ stories from the courtroom.

The network among servants was incredibly dense and fast, allowing rumours to spread quickly.

“Humph. Now it seems so funny for them to act so obsequious.”

Marie, who had been treated so badly at the Marquis’ residence with Nadia for so long, snorted coldly. Seeing Nadia’s calm expression in response, she asked with a look of doubt.

“You’re not planning on forgiving and accepting them, are you?”

“Do you think I would?”

“Madame, you’re so soft-hearted. If you see elderly servants crying and clinging to you, you might waver.”

“Hmm. Maybe in the past, I would have. But not anymore. The timid and weak Nadia Vine is gone now.”

Nadia clenched her fists, but Marie still looked distrustful.

“Even if you clench your fists so tightly, I have no confidence in you, Madame…”

Though she sighed deeply, she didn’t seem worried.

“Well, no worries anyway, since the Lord is here.”

“Do you trust Altair more than me? You’re my personal maid though?”

Nadia pouted, but Marie smiled tactfully and tried to calm her down.

“But in matters like this, my lord is far more trustworthy. Besides, since you are one, if I trust him, it’s like trusting you, Madame. Oh, from now on, I should call you Marchioness, right?”

Marchioness. It was a strangely unfamiliar way of address.

I never imagined I’d ever be called ‘Marchioness’.

“It feels strangely miraculous.”

“Me too. I’m sure the late Marquis and Marchioness would be very proud of you.”

“I hope so.”

The atmosphere naturally became heavy at the mention of her deceased parents.

Marie, realisng she’d made a mistake, tried to lighten the mood, but the tightly shut door opened before she could say a word.

Marie, thinking the servants, who had been knocking on doors every so often, had opened without permission, glared fiercely at the entrance. Then, upon seeing the identity of the person who had entered, she smiled gently.

“My lord! You’re here!”

Altair nodded slightly and approached Nadia, while Marie quickly excused herself, saying she would prepare tea.

“Altair, did everything go well?”

“Yes, it did.”

When she asked, rising from her seat to greet Altair, he gave a curt reply and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck.

“Finally, we can be alone together without worry.”

“A-Altair?”

As Nadia panicked and scrambled to her feet, unable to move her hands, Altair chuckled. As he did so, the back of her neck felt tickled at his breath.