TVLT 10

Chapter 10

When she arrived at the marquisate, Artizea gave Kishore some of the blessed prayer candles and then went inside.

The servants of the House of Rosan continued quietly with their work without becoming flustered by the Emperor’s visit.

The Emperor occasionally visited the House of Rosan himself to surprise Milaera and make her happy.

As she entered, Artizea quietly said to Alice,

“Give out all the gift pouches, one to each person.”

“That will use up almost all the ones we prepared.”

Alice whispered in surprise.

Artizea had been making dozens of small silk pouches containing a few gold or silver coins and keeping them in her personal safe.

She did this so that it would be easy to offer bribes under the name of gifts or tips.

Before returning to the past, she had trained Alice to manage her information network.

“People of higher status spend their entire lives surrounded by servants. When you’re royalty, dozens of people follow you even when you simply walk from one room to another, from the person who adjusts your clothes to the one who puts your shoes on. There are so many people who clean your rooms, arrange everything, and bring you food and drinks that you can’t even count them all.”

“Yes.”

“But most people who command those servants do not even see them as human beings. There are countless things they can overhear, even if they aren’t secrets.”

“Hmm. I know that, too. But if they hear something that might be worth money, don’t they usually come to sell it? Can’t we just pay them when that happens?”

Alice tilted her head.

Many servants knew that some of the things they heard could be worth money.

They would remember things they heard from important people and, when the right opportunity came, sell that information or use it to pursue their own ambitions.

“If you win their favor like this beforehand, won’t they come to you first when they learn something important?”

“Oh. So you’re buying priority.”

“And trust, too. You prove in advance that if they have information worth money, you’ll always buy it from them, and that you have enough money to pay whatever the price may be.”

Artizea consistently gave bribes even to people in unimportant positions.

Simply spending money only when she needed something would never win their loyalty.

“Remember this, too. If you give someone money without asking for anything in return, you can make them feel indebted to you without putting any pressure on them. That’s very important. If you pay money and receive something in return, the transaction ends immediately. You can’t be sure there will be a next time. But if you don’t ask for anything in return, the relationship doesn’t end. Someday, they’ll feel that they have to do something for you.”

The same applied not only to the poor, but also to people who had enough to get by without struggling to put food on the table.

The money Artizea gave them could ease their financial burden for several months and help pay for their children’s education.

Naturally, they would come to feel grateful.

If Artizea were of lower status than the person receiving the money, they might simply regard it as tribute and look the other way.

But she was the Marchioness of Rosan.

The money she gave was a bribe intended for the distant future, but the recipient would not think they had been bought. They would think they had received the favor of someone above them.

And repaying a superior’s favor was not the price of a bribe. It was loyalty.

“Talk to them often whenever you give them money. If they feel that they should tell you something, they’ll easily share even small things they would never have thought of as information worth selling. Once your overall reputation improves and you gain people’s trust, even people who have never received money from you will come to you to sell information.”

Artizea herself could put together the bigger picture. For now, the important thing was to gather as much information as possible.

The value of information was not determined by how significant the information itself seemed, but by whether it came from someone whose words could be trusted.

That was why Alice, even though she knew Artizea had prepared the money pouches for this purpose, still looked worried.

“That is almost half of the budget you can spend this year, my lady.”

“It’s fine.”

If she ended up marrying Cedric, the House of Rosan would eventually come into her hands anyway.

If she did not, she would no longer need the money.

Alice did not ask again. She politely bowed to show that she understood and hurried to Artizea’s room.

After sending Alice away, Artizea headed toward Milaera’s dressing room.

She intended to greet the Emperor.

Milaera did not like Artizea appearing before the Emperor.

But there was no reason for Artizea to care about Milaera’s feelings anymore. She had no reason to waste an opportunity to make an impression on the Emperor.

The Imperial Guards and attendants gave her a slight bow.

Artizea returned the greeting and spoke to the attendant standing by the door.

“Please tell them that Artizea, Milaera’s daughter, wishes to pay her respects.”

As she spoke, she took a small silk pouch from her pocket and handed it to the attendant.

It was the same kind of pouch she had told Alice to distribute.

Artizea always carried several of them herself.

The attendant, who had already received one from her several times, smiled kindly and nodded.

He opened the door, went inside, and announced her arrival.

Milaera’s bright laughter could be heard mixed with the sound of the piano.

The pleasant conversation briefly stopped, and then the door opened wide.

“Please come in, Lady Artizea.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, if any guests arrive while I’m inside, could you let me know first? I would like to handle them myself so I don’t disturb the time His Majesty and my mother are spending together.”

“Of course.”

Artizea carefully stepped inside.

The Emperor was sitting comfortably on a sofa.

Milaera was wearing only her petticoat. Her maids were neatly arranging the clothes she had changed out of to one side.

Emperor Gregor was selfish and cold-hearted.

He cared more about confirming his own power than ruling the country. He was suspicious, lustful, and greedy.

But his love for Milaera was genuine.

He had been involved with countless women, but Milaera was the only one he had kept at his side for twenty-five years.

Even after Milaera gave birth to another man’s child, he stayed away from her for less than a year.

He was even fairly affectionate toward Artizea simply because she was Milaera’s daughter.

Artizea had no way of understanding what that love meant.

There had been a time when she had been curious about love.

But it no longer mattered to her.

She lowered herself onto one knee and bowed before the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire has descended upon this humble dwelling, and I hardly know how to contain my joy. I am Artizea, daughter of Milaera, here to pay my respects to Your Imperial Majesty. May you enjoy ten thousand years of health.”

“It has been a long time. You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”

The Emperor smiled.

With a snake-like smile, he looked Artizea up and down with narrowed eyes.

His gaze was almost like an appraisal.

“You would have been much prettier if you’d taken after your mother.”

“At least you know how to recognize beauty.”

Milaera approached lightly and sat on his thigh, speaking as though she were sulking.

“What can I do? Even if her face is plain, she’s still my daughter, so I suppose I have to live with it.”

“Why? Tia may not resemble you, but beauty runs in the blood. Once she fills out a little and gains a more mature air, she’ll become beautiful in an instant.”

“She was spoiled too much growing up and doesn’t know any better. If you say things like that, she’ll actually believe you, darling.”

Milaera stroked his cheek affectionately.

The Emperor smiled.

“Do you think I’m only saying this to win your favor? What about you, Tia? Do you think so too?”

Artizea politely lowered her eyes.

When she was very young, Milaera had hated and beaten Artizea because she did not resemble her.

She had tormented her by saying, If only you had looked even half like me, His Majesty would have treated you like his own daughter.

Artizea had believed her.

She would cry and apologize, and sometimes she dreamed at night of being born as the Emperor’s daughter so that she could receive all her parents’ love just like Lawrence.

But looking back now, it had been foolish.

If she had looked exactly like Milaera, she would certainly have been dragged into the Emperor’s bedchamber as soon as she turned sixteen.

When she thought of that, she felt that it was fortunate she had not inherited her beautiful mother’s face.

“I am deeply honored. Since Your Majesty loves my mother and therefore looks kindly upon me as well, what greater honor could I ask for?”

“How old are you this year?”

“I am eighteen.”

“You’ve truly become an adult. I should find you a good match.”

“What? She’s only eighteen. Why are you already talking about marriage?”

Milaera spoke sharply.

The Emperor laughed heartily, took Milaera’s wrist, and gently kissed her palm.

“I understand that you want to keep your daughter close, but you should at least arrange an engagement before she turns twenty.”

“Hmm. Even so…”

“I’ll find her the finest match imaginable. We can’t leave her forever as a sister who has to depend on her older brother, can we?”

The Emperor smiled.

By a “good match,” he did not mean a suitable husband for Artizea. He meant a political marriage that would benefit Lawrence.

Milaera misunderstood him and continued to sulk unhappily.

Even that seemed adorable to the Emperor.

Artizea merely lowered her head politely.

Milaera angrily sprang to her feet.

She had changed into one outfit after another in front of the Emperor, but it had all been a show intended to display her charms. The dress she would actually wear had already been decided.

She slipped into a seductive green satin dress with a deeply exposed back and open sides that offered glimpses of her full breasts.

Just then, an attendant entered and spoke politely.

“There is a guest here asking to see Lady Artizea.”

Artizea quickly said,

“I beg your pardon. I shall take my leave.”

The Emperor waved for her to go.

Milaera glanced back at her.

Artizea backed out of the dressing room.

The attendant followed her and asked in a low voice,

“Countess Yunis is waiting in the lobby. She is making quite a scene, insisting that she must see His Majesty.”

“Yes. I’ll take care of it.”

“Did you know Countess Yunis was going to come?”

“Yes. I only guessed.”

Artizea had not gathered information in advance.

She simply remembered.

The attendant, unaware of this, looked impressed.

“You truly are remarkable. And thank you.”

“For what?”

“His Majesty is in an exceptionally good mood for once. If Countess Yunis ruins it, we’ll certainly be punished.”

“It is only natural that I should receive a guest who has come to my home. And it is still too early to say. If I fail to calm Countess Yunis down, she will make the same kind of scene.”

As she spoke, Artizea headed toward the lobby.

Countess Yunis’s shouting echoed all the way up to the second floor.

“Are you saying that even I, his own daughter, can’t see him because of that filthy woman?”

The butler was bowing repeatedly, completely at a loss.

Artizea hurried down the stairs.

“Hello, Countess Yunis. What brings you—”

Smack!

Countess Yunis suddenly raised her hand and struck Artizea hard across the cheek.