Chapter 22
The Grand Duke believed that Luigi’s death was, to some extent, her own doing.
“Even as an adult, she kept clinging to her dreamy idealism.”
Perhaps it was only natural for her.
After all, not only herself but her husband too had a similar temperament.
The Duke of Argen, despite being the younger brother of the King of Mortum, had accepted a fief close to the capital. That alone showed how mild-mannered and unambitious he was.
“But trying to force such a lifestyle on her nephews? That’s plain foolish.”
The King’s sons were embroiled in a deadly power struggle for the throne. They were fighting with their lives on the line. Telling them to be kind to each other just because they were brothers? Luigi’s words would never reach them.
“If she truly wanted to mediate between them, she should’ve taught that unqualified second prince how to live humbly.”
Out of pity, Luigi had given far too much to the Second Prince. As a result, the First Prince grew wary of him.
Now, even if the Second Prince wanted to reconcile, there was no going back.
Having accepted his impending defeat, the Second Prince planned to poison Luigi and shift the situation in his favor.
He intended to frame the First Prince for the poisoning, destroy his faction, incite a civil war, and claim the throne.
The Grand Duke didn’t bother to evaluate whether the Second Prince’s plan could actually succeed.
What he wanted was civil war in Mortum.
He could supply weapons secretly and amass wealth. He could also absorb refugees from Mortum and raise them into nameless soldiers.
Luigi’s death, in the midst of it all, was merely a necessary sacrifice.
“Are the items ready? Everything prepared?”
He meant the weapons to be provided to the Second Prince to escalate the war.
“No need to worry. They’re all prepped and can be shipped at your command.”
“Good.”
The Grand Duke nodded.
He wasn’t concerned about smuggling—he had done far worse things.
What captured his interest was something else.
“Laura Leways…”
The woman who had suddenly emerged at Asel’s side.
The woman who would be caught up in the poisoning incident thanks to Luigi’s whim—how would she handle the crisis?
“If she sinks and drowns, I’ll abandon her.”
He pitied the hardships she would face, but had no intention of helping.
If she couldn’t even overcome this level of trouble, she wasn’t worth taking in.
But if Laura managed to survive…
“Then I’ll take her.”
She was too valuable a talent to be left in the hands of his nephew. Why let her go to waste?
No matter the outcome, he had nothing to lose.
The Grand Duke decided to sit back and wait patiently.
“Just how valuable is this woman my nephew picked?”
Marienne was anxious.
She had stayed in the Empire using her foot injury as an excuse, but she had achieved nothing.
The nobles didn’t send her gifts or request meetings. Even the palace maids quietly avoided her.
“If this keeps up, I’ll be sent back to the kingdom the moment my foot heals…!”
Asel hadn’t met with her once since the ball. His knight—rumored to be his close confidant—looked at her with clear disdain, as if itching to send her away.
“She’s in charge of the banquet?”
That’s when Marienne heard good news from her loyal maid, Benny.
Laura had clashed with Princess Luigi and ended up in charge of the banquet.
Just imagining Laura being nitpicked and humiliated at the banquet made Marienne laugh with glee.
“If only my foot were healed, I’d have loved to watch it myself.”
Marienne covered her mouth and giggled—only to suddenly stop.
“Wait… being in charge of the banquet could be an opportunity too.”
If the banquet went smoothly, Laura’s reputation would rise.
It would mean she had the capability to manage imperial events.
“I have to sabotage it, no matter what.”
Marienne bit her lip.
Laura needed to fail for Marienne to find her opening again.
Luckily, although she had lost her reputation, she wasn’t under house arrest or surveillance, so she had freedom of movement.
Thanks to that, she was able to gather information through Benny.
“I found out, Princess!”
They learned what dishes Laura planned to serve and her overall concept for the banquet.
“Seafood is the main ingredient?”
“Princess Luigi’s tastes are well known, after all.”
“True enough.”
It seemed Laura was preparing the menu to suit Princess Luigi’s preferences.
“Apparently, the Empire uses cold storage facilities—enhanced with mana stones.”
They even found out how the ingredients were stored.
“I see…”
It made sense that Laura couldn’t control all the information. She was in charge of the overall operation, but the specifics were left to her subordinates.
And with so many palace staff involved in an event of this scale, it was only natural.
“I should thank Lady Marceline…”
Thinking of the noblewoman who humiliated her with incomprehensible jargon while backing Laura made Marienne sullen again. But even in that humiliating moment, she had learned something valuable:
Seafood spoiled easily, even with slight changes in condition.
“So if I tamper with the mana stone in the cold storage, the entire banquet will be ruined.”
What would Laura do when she woke up to find everything spoiled?
She regretted not being there to witness it herself—but just imagining it filled her with excitement.
“I can’t wait.”
Banquet Day
“Who’s in charge of ingredients? Who’s in charge of storage?!”
“I’m so sorry! Really sorry!”
“You think sorry brings the food back?! How are we supposed to fix this? The banquet is today! Where are we going to find new ingredients?!”
The kitchen was in chaos.
Last night, everything was in order. But now the freezer door had been left wide open. The cooling system had been destroyed, and all the prepared ingredients had spoiled.
“I heard the job market is horrible these days…”
“And now that Lady Leways is in charge? She’s going to flip out when she finds out…”
The kitchen staff flinched, thinking of Laura’s potential fury. Outside the palace, they were respected chefs, but in front of nobles, they were just commoners.
And this disaster—losing all the ingredients—was their fault. Even if they were fired after the banquet, they’d have no right to complain.
They worried whether they’d ever find work again.
If the banquet failed, news of today’s fiasco would spread like wildfire.
“Damn it…”
And the person officially in charge of this banquet was Laura Leways.
It wasn’t their role to hide it—they had to report the situation.
“…That’s what happened.”
Head Chef Rihan explained everything to Laura, then tightly closed his eyes. He feared she might slap him in anger.
“Are there no usable ingredients at all?”
But Laura didn’t get angry. She only clicked her tongue, then calmly began asking questions.
“The appetizer was marinated shrimp and scallops, right? Those were in Storage Room 2, so they’re safe?”
“Yes, thankfully.”
“So the main dish is the problem. You were using sea bass?”
“…Yes.”
Rihan had planned to serve smoked sea bass. It absorbed flavor well and had a rich, savory taste.
“It’s also Princess Luigi’s favorite fish.”
Laura went silent for a moment in thought—then raised her head.
“So if we can just get the ingredients again, we’re good?”
“Yes, but realistically, where can we find that much seafood on such short notice?”
It wasn’t a small banquet. The amount of ingredients needed was massive—far beyond what could be bought in any market.
Rihan sighed, and the whole kitchen sank into gloom.
Everyone imagined the worst—until…
“If it’s ingredients, I can handle it.”
