“Because circumstances have been discovered where funds from the Rukanosa Duchy have flowed into an arms trafficking organization.”
“Funds from the Rukanosa Duchy? It’s true my wife agreed to cover Count Vicente’s gambling debts, but…”
“No. Separate from the gambling debts, she made a deal with the organization.”
Masera continued firmly.
“Resolve this quickly before your House is reduced to the organization’s cash cow. This is a warning and a final chance for the historic Rukanosa Duchy. Otherwise, I will assume the Duke Rukanosa is complicit.”
Masera rose from his seat, his eyes lowered as he glared.
“I treat everyone under investigation equally.”
The Duke Rukanosa, remembering being thoroughly beaten by Masera in the past when he was in the military, reflexively recoiled.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Until now, I’ve been treating you with respect, considering your status as a noble…”
Seeing his pupils tremble slightly, Masera spoke slowly.
“If you don’t behave properly, then the secret between us might not stay a secret for long.”
In short, it was a threat to beat him in front of everyone.
The Duke Rukanosa’s face turned blue.
‘Helene, what on earth have you done?’
To give cause for not only herself but the entire Rukanosa Dukedom to be in danger.
* * *
Cynthia, who was having a meal with Masera, asked casually.
“I heard you’re investigating the Rukanosa Duchy? There was an article about it.”
An additional article had been released stating that the Rukanosa Duchy was behind the bribery of executives to destroy evidence, causing Rutemia to be in an uproar.
“Yes.”
‘Is she perhaps trying to stop me? Still, she is family with the Duchess.’
But contrary to Masera’s worries, Cynthia was wearing a bright smile.
“Investigate them thoroughly and give them a taste of prison. So they can come to their senses and be reformed.”
That’s a relief.
Masera didn’t ask Cynthia about the photo she was in with the Duke Rukanosa.
Judging from her occasional guilty expression, it seemed she had a secret she was hiding, but he felt that if he started pressing her, she would run away.
After finishing his meal, he went to his office and crumpled the letter Helene had sent with the photo, frowning.
「To Cynthia, Brigadier General, you are merely a tool. Once your usefulness is gone, she will seek other benefactors. Whether it’s the Duke Rukanosa, or another powerful figure.」
“Usefulness…”
It felt like she was directly confronting what he had always feared.
He was regretting his past words, ‘This is a marriage of convenience, I don’t care who you meet.’
Had Cynthia been preparing to leave at any time since hearing those words?
Knock, knock.
Just then, the door opened, and Cynthia came in with a flushed face.
Realizing she had been too hasty, she belatedly knocked on the door, which was quite cute.
“I made chewy cookies, would you like to try them for dessert?”
Cynthia, who had long given up on her cold city woman persona, held out a plate full of cookies.
Masera relaxed his expression and asked with a smile.
“What flavor are they?”
“Chewy flavor.”
She placed the plate of cookies on the desk and blinked, as if trying to gauge his reaction.
It was similar to when Eugene shyly brought him a sword-shaped twig in the past.
He took a cookie, receiving Cynthia’s expectant gaze.
Just as she said, it really was chewy.
“It’s delicious.”
He wanted to give a long and heartfelt review, but he couldn’t think of any other good words.
Nevertheless, Cynthia’s eyes sparkled, and she looked delighted.
“Do you want to eat it again next time?”
“I want to eat it for the rest of my life.”
“That’s difficult. I can’t make them every day.”
Cynthia picked up a cookie and smiled playfully.
It was then.
Shake, shake-
Whether it was another earthquake, the floor and lights began to shake.
Cynthia quickly crawled under the desk in the office.
He was momentarily surprised by her skillful movements, as if she had received earthquake training, but he couldn’t help but be taken aback by her subsequent actions.
“This earthquake seems a bit strong. Brigadier General, you should quickly…”
Cynthia, looking up at Masera with bewildered eyes, realized something was wrong.
Both of her hands were touching his thighs as he sat in front of the desk.
It was like a scene from a steamy office romance drama.
The shaking soon stopped.
Masera took her hands, which were crouched under the desk, and pulled them out, saying.
“Earthquakes have become more frequent since high explosives were dropped on the defeated empire. It may have even affected the glaciers in the sea.”
His sudden analysis of the cause, and the fact that he was speaking faster than usual, suggested that he was quite flustered.
The way he got up was also embarrassingly awkward.
Just as Cynthia was about to slip away after getting up, he pulled her hand, closing the distance.
“Today.”
“Yes?”
His expression as he held onto Cynthia looked somewhat pitiful.
“Will you sleep with me?”
He maintained a wholesome attitude, as if suitable for all ages, but it sounded very unwholesome, perhaps because of his voice. The alluring charm he had been showing recently also played a part.
‘Isn’t he going to pretend to be harmless and then suddenly devour me?’
They had already kissed before, hadn’t they? Although it was just for show.
Moreover, they were a married couple, so it wouldn’t be strange if they progressed further here.
Then there would be no turning back, right? The genre would suddenly change, and I would see the abyss in my dear sister’s comfortable trash can.
“Um… perhaps, are you planning to, implement a plan for children?”
Just in case, Cynthia asked in a mosquito-like voice.
Masera froze as if he had broken down and didn’t move. The fountain pen he was holding slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor.
He remembered one of his past grave statements, when he got angry and said that even if they had a child, nothing would change, so don’t even dream about it.
“It’s sudden, but.”
It took him a while to sort out his thoughts, so he spoke after a long pause. Then, with a determined face, he continued.
“I will do my best.”
Seeing his ears turn red, Cynthia waved her hands in embarrassment.
“Ah, no! I’m not suggesting we have children!”
“Then I will do my best with the joy without responsibility-”
“Oh, that’s not it either.”
It seemed they were thinking different things. He said with a wholesome expression and voice.
“If you ever want to, please tell me. I’m always ready…”
“Eek!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Cynthia covered his mouth.
Masera looked at her, her face bright red as she covered his mouth, and recalled the contents of Helene’s letter.
「Does it matter if she is a murderer?」
‘It doesn’t matter.’
She didn’t seem like she could kill even a bug, but if, by any chance, Cynthia had done such a thing… he would be an accomplice anyway.
* * *
At the same time, at the Duke Rukanosa’s residence.
The Duke Rukanosa, feeling enraged, clutched his dark hair.
「In addition, there is still an outstanding balance from the Duchess’s transaction.」
Through the organization’s reply, he learned that Helene had embezzled funds from the Rukanosa Duchy’s trading company.
This was a fatal matter that could lead to the downfall of the family.
The Medea royal family, who were related to them through his maternal line, would never stand still.
The Dowager Duchess was the de facto head of the Rukanosa Duchy, and she was likely to make a cold-hearted decision about the family’s survival and pass the title of Duke Rukanosa to a noble from the maternal family line.
He had taken in a fallen princess as his wife just because of her bloodline, but now he was about to lose everything.
He called Helene’s maid and asked if she had noticed any suspicious behavior from her recently.
“It was a bit strange that she asked me to prepare desserts for two every night.”
“Why is that?”
“She doesn’t like sweets. Didn’t you know?”
The maid said she had something to show him and left the room.
She returned shortly and handed the Duke Rukanosa an object.
“I found this on the carpet while cleaning.”
It was none other than a men’s cufflink.
Could it be that she had been bringing members of the organization into her bedroom every night?
Since there was no affection between them, he wouldn’t care about an affair. But it was a different story if she was siphoning off the Duke Rukanosa Duchy’s money and giving it to the organization.
Come to think of it, Helene was more of a liability than an asset. It was better to break up with her as soon as possible before she did anything worse.
Marrying her was the worst choice he had ever made in his life.
‘Should I get a divorce?’
After all, there was an alternative. Even though she was a fake, she was more like the real thing.
