PLMYP 42

Chapter 42 —

“It’s a magic tool that has been passed down to the head of the family for generations. I don’t know exactly what its power is, but it’s probably for protecting the family.”

Duke William smiled kindly, like a grandfather telling his grandson an old story.

“After that magic tool was stolen, things started to go badly for that family.”

Perhaps the loss of Anup’s honor was also part of that misfortune.

The 2nd Prince nodded at Duke William’s explanation, but then frowned.

“You knew all that, and still introduced that person to me?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t think the young count would dare cause trouble that would upset His Majesty…”

At first, it sounded like an apology. But in truth, the words hinted at blaming the 2nd Prince—asking why he had gotten involved with that person and caused such trouble.

Understanding that, the 2nd Prince picked up his teacup and drank for no reason.

“I didn’t think Mother would be so angry. It’s not even a sword the First Emperor used, right? It was just an old sword a vassal used, and I only had it repaired. So what if it has that name?”

“It may not be just an ordinary sword.”

“What?”

“That sword… no, never mind.”

Duke William shook his head after seeming like he was about to say something. The 2nd Prince pouted.

“What is it? Just tell me properly.”

“I’ll tell you when I’m certain. It’s not really important, so don’t worry.”

“What the….”

Duke William often acted like this. He would bait the 2nd Prince with something interesting, and when the Prince took the bait, he would suddenly stop talking.

Whether he did this on purpose or it was just a bad habit, either way, it was annoying.

Seeing the 2nd Prince’s obvious displeasure, Duke William put on a soothing tone.

“Come to think of it, His Majesty said he plans to attend Marquis Blair’s wedding in person.”

“Why? Are you going too, Uncle?”

“No, not me. You should go, Your Highness.”

The 2nd Prince made a sour face.

“Am I crazy? There are two people there I can’t stand!”

“If you congratulate Marquis Blair on his wedding and apologize for what happened at the auction, His Majesty might lift your confinement order.”

The 2nd Prince’s confinement would last until the Emperor himself lifted it.

If he missed this chance, he didn’t know when he’d be free again. He understood that well.

“But…”

“Of course, I don’t mean you should only congratulate him and come back. Don’t you want revenge on those two who dared act arrogantly in front of you?”

Could there be a sweeter temptation?

The 2nd Prince was tempted without realizing it, but quickly composed himself.

“Mother will be watching me. I can’t act recklessly.”

“Don’t worry. You only need to give this gift to Marquis Blair with a good heart.”

Duke William took out a flat box from his inner pocket.

While the 2nd Prince opened the lid to check the contents, Duke William whispered in a low voice.

“That gift will cause trouble for Marquis Blair… just a little later.”

Exactly one month and one week later—on the day of the railway opening ceremony.

Duke William’s red eyes glimmered like they were soaked in blood as he thought to himself.

---

“Hmph, foolish brat.”

Only after the perfectly soundproof carriage door closed did Duke William loosen his cravat.

Across from him sat someone with their face hidden under a hood. From within the shadow, a small voice spoke as the carriage began to move.

“Did you deliver the item?”

“Yes. It looks like an expensive jewel, so Marquis Blair won’t suspect anything.”

The important part was that the giver was the 2nd Prince.

If the 2nd Prince succeeded in persuading the Emperor, he would attend the wedding instead of His Majesty.

No one knew exactly why Raise Messer had been put up for auction, but word had spread that the Emperor had been furious with Marquis Blair.

People avoided mentioning it openly for fear of angering the Emperor, but they were all dying of curiosity.

Would the Emperor send a representative to the wedding or not? Would the once-proud Marquis Blair fall from grace this time?

Duke William actually wanted the two to break apart, but because of the railway project, he knew that wouldn’t happen—unfortunately.

“A gift from the 2nd Prince will make it seem like the Emperor has forgiven her, but in truth, it will be seen as the Prince’s apology.”

So Marquis Blair would certainly wear the necklace at an official event where the Emperor would be present—namely, the railway opening ceremony one month later.

“You made the item properly, right?”

“Of course. But as I said before, to release the poison gas, you’ll have to crack the crystal.”

If this were the old days when magic was freely used, they could have activated it remotely.

It was a pity that things which used to be solved by magic were now impossible.

“I’ve treated it specially so it won’t break by accident. To crack it, you’ll need to get close to the Marquis and spray it with a dissolving liquid. I assume you’ve prepared for that?”

Right after the railway opening ceremony, the Marquis would be inside the train—most likely in the last VIP car.

The car in front would be for her guards and servants.

That meant anyone trying to approach her would have to get past them, which was impossible without the right status.

“Hmph, how many times do I have to say not to worry? I already have the perfect person for the job.”

“If you mean Viscount Callio, didn’t you demand money from him?”

The hooded person sounded puzzled.

“I even heard rumors that he’s trying to send his daughter to Viscount Schultz.”

“That just means he’s desperate.”

Everyone knew Viscount Schultz had filthy habits. No sane father would send his daughter to him.

If Callio was even considering it, he wasn’t a very good father.

“He’s probably thinking, ‘If only I’d managed to take my brother’s title and inheritance, I wouldn’t be in this situation.’”

Duke William’s guess was exactly right.

Viscount Callio blamed not himself for killing a dog, nor Duke William for demanding an enormous compensation fee for it, but Irenea.

If it weren’t for that woman, he wouldn’t be in this financial mess!

“In his situation, if I tell him he can work off his debt by doing me a favor, he’ll accept gladly.”

Duke William took out a cigarette case and lit one.

“Besides, he probably wants to get rid of Marquis Blair even more than I do.”

There was no way he would refuse.

Chuckling, Duke William exhaled a cloud of smoke.

The hooded figure, disliking the smoke, pulled the hood further down to cover their nose and mouth.

“If something goes wrong, you can keep him quiet, right?”

“Keep him quiet? He’ll do more than that—he’ll take all the blame and lose his head for us.”

The laughter mixed with smoke twisted in the air like a snake flicking its tongue.

---

Only one week remained until the wedding.

Although the date was approaching, there was still so much to do that things were hectic.

The only comfort was that he had gotten used to this mansion—both the servants who worked here and the tasks he had to do.

“No matter how I look at it, these flowers would suit the Young Lord’s ear better than any vase.”

Inside the glass greenhouse in the main estate’s garden, the gardener Albert grinned as he held a flower next to Leonard’s face while they were cutting blooms together.

“I told you to cut it out. Flowers don’t suit a big guy like me.”

When Albert first made such a joke, Leonard reacted like it was unbearable. But now, without even looking away from the flowers, he replied casually.

Albert watched Leonard, who was kneeling among white hyacinths, carefully cutting the stems.

Maybe it was because of his posture, but he looked like he was performing some kind of holy ritual, even though he was just cutting flowers.

Albert glanced at the basket beside him.

“Let’s see… this should be enough. You can stop now.”

“Already?”

Leonard looked at the basket, now filled high with hyacinths, and nodded.

When he stood up, his neck felt stiff, so he rolled it with a crack. Picking up the basket, he stepped carefully between the flowers.

“These flowers always smell so nice.”

“Haha, that’s because they’re grown with care.”

Smiling at Albert’s joke, Leonard lifted the basket a bit.

Even though the greenhouse was full of different scents, the sweet fragrance of hyacinths still reached his nose.

Gently touching the purple, white, and light lavender flowers in the basket, Leonard walked toward the worktable near the entrance with Albert.

“Are you only using hyacinths today?”

“Yeah. I think if I arrange them well, they’ll look nice enough on their own.”

He answered while picturing Irenea’s office in his mind.