CHAPTER 38
“I heard that the coachman went missing. But that’s all I know.”
The Duke of Brimstone claimed innocence.
“The carriage you rode in was one I provided. If anything happened with that carriage, anyone would think I was behind it.”
“…”
“Who was it that said even a child wouldn’t make it so obvious when playing their hand?”
“This case is different. The assassin was skilled. There were five assassins in total, including this one. That’s more than enough to kill a helpless noble lady like me. I only had one bodyguard with me, remember?”
“…”
“Were you planning to kill me and make the scene look like an accident?”
“Nonsense…!”
The Duke raised his voice — then suddenly fell silent.
It seemed he realized that anything he said would sound like an excuse.
“I haven’t told my father yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I wanted to speak to you first.”
With the setting sun behind her, Linaria placed a glowstone on the table.
“I’d like to sell you this glowstone, Your Grace.”
“Is this blackmail?”
“It’s a business deal.”
There was enough circumstantial evidence to suggest the Duke had orchestrated an assassination attempt.
If Linaria pushed the accusation, people would suspect him until the real culprit was found — if they ever were.
It was a severely disadvantageous position for the Duke.
But Linaria was offering to pretend the attempt never happened… in exchange for selling him glowstones.
The Duke of Brimstone examined the glowstone seriously.
“You had it polished. I’ve never seen a polished glowstone before, but… it’s pointless.”
Most raw materials increased in value when refined, but glowstone was still just glowstone.
“Ten runes.”
Glowstone was a mineral so worthless that miners didn’t even bother extracting it — the labor cost alone made it unprofitable.
Still, out of courtesy for the polishing effort, the Duke offered a slightly generous price.
“I was thinking of a higher price.”
“Shameless. Is this your price for silence?”
“No. It’s because this is the item you need most right now. So naturally, you should pay accordingly.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Mining tunnels can go down to forty meters underground. And the imperial family charges for light use by distance. Recently, the fee was raised again.”
The maintenance cost of a mine had become astronomical.
“Don’t tell me… you’re suggesting replacing the divine beast’s power with glowstones to light the mines?”
“Yes.”
The ever-rising cost of light from the imperial divine beast had indeed been a headache.
But still—
“The half-wit from Obel is even worse than I thought.”
The Duke placed 10 runes on the table.
“That’s the most I’ll pay. If you don’t like it, go ahead and believe I tried to kill you.”
He started to rise — and would’ve left, had he not seen what came next.
“…!”
Just then, the sun fully set, and the garden lit up in a strange, glowing blue.
It looked as if the garden itself was glowing.
“What is this…”
It was the glowstones Linaria had instructed to be placed in advance.
Unlike ordinary glowstones, these emitted enough light to illuminate an entire mine — and then some.
“So let me ask again: how much are you willing to pay?”
The Duke picked up one of the glowstones on the ground.
As he inspected it more carefully, he realized something was different from the glowstones he knew.
It was the polishing.
“…Runes.”
He murmured:
“I’ll pay a million runes for the entire mine owned by Obel.”
“That’s not possible.”
Linaria rejected him flatly.
The Duke furrowed his brow.
“You know I’m offering a very generous price.”
“This isn’t about money. It’s about sentiment. That mine is worth more than gold to my father. I can’t sell it.”
“Then give me exclusive rights to purchase glowstones before anyone else finds out about this. If I have the priority, I’ll pay a premium.”
“That too is up to my father’s heart.”
“…”
“Though he does trust me quite a lot.”
Even if the Duke bought up every glowstone on the market, the supply would still fall short.
He had no choice but to acknowledge that Linaria held all the power here.
“What do you want?”
“We’ll need someone to process the raw stones and handle distribution. Let’s go into business together.”
“Business… partners?”
“Yes. I’m offering you a deal that lets you control the market.”
“…”
“I told you, it’s not blackmail. It’s a transaction.”
Despite her boldness, the Duke remained expressionless.
“I can appreciate youthful confidence, but aren’t you afraid? What if I steal your business idea?”
“You’re not the kind of man who would.”
He was a man of exact calculations.
If he disliked something, he would openly oppose it. He wasn’t the type to sneak around with underhanded schemes.
‘And even if I’ve misjudged him, it doesn’t matter.’
Seeing his slight hesitation, Linaria added:
“If you want to steal it, go ahead. But without Obel owning the mine, I doubt your plan will succeed.”
The Duke had to admit it.
Linaria was the one giving him the opportunity.
And it was a solid business proposal.
‘Especially now, with the imperial family constantly raising light fees… this is quite a clever move.’
He quickly ran the calculations in his head.
In the long term, this was profitable.
Other mine owners would think like he did, and the glowstone business would boom.
“80-20. I get 80.”
“You’re trying to get a free ride, aren’t you? 70-30. Obviously, I get the 70.”
“…You’re the one trying to ride for free. I should get the 70.”
“So the Duke of Brimstone isn’t always perfectly logical after all.”
Flinch.
That remark clearly poked at his pride.
“50-50. We split the profits evenly. I’ll not only provide the business idea, I’ll be involved in operations too.”
“…”
“Think carefully. I can always partner with someone else. But for you, this is a one-time chance.”
Many noble families invest in mines besides Brimstone.
And they all pay the imperial family for light.
Not just mines — nearly everyone needs light.
Especially those who need it to generate profit. To them, glowstone would be more valuable than any gem.
The Duke looked at Linaria, who stood before the glowing blue garden.
“You know how to calculate, don’t you?”
Gems don’t sparkle from the start. Raw stones look like colored rocks.
Only experts can tell them apart.
And yet, someone recognizes the value within, carves it, and makes it shine.
Just like that, it’s humans who determine a gem’s worth — and Linaria had created her own value.
“How much do you think I can make in a month, Your Grace? Would a hundred million runes be enough?”
“You really say the most ridiculous things.”
He spoke sternly.
“Not a hundred million….”
He had already finished calculating — and before he even realized it, the corners of his lips curled upward.
A stone that emits its own light is called a glowstone.
But to the Duke, the one truly radiating light was—
“It’ll be more than that.”
It was Linaria.
“Did you hear the news?”
In a social salon where all sorts of gossip gathered, noble ladies were once again exchanging secrets.
Every time someone said “Did you hear?”, the others listened eagerly — it always meant something juicy.
“They say the Duke of Brimstone tried to kill the young lady of Obel. And get this — he used a coachman who worked for their house for half his life!”
“Everyone knows Brimstone and Obel don’t get along, but… still, she’s his niece, isn’t she?”
“Exactly!”
Voices rose in outrage.
Rumor had it that the Duke of Brimstone tried to assassinate Lady Linaria of House Obel.
Though she survived, gossip was already spreading through high society that their relationship was irreparably damaged.
Just then—
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh my! Duchess of Brimstone!”
The noblewomen, who had been badmouthing the Duke, turned pale.
“When did you get here? You’re so quiet, we didn’t even notice!”
“Perhaps it’s not that I’m quiet — maybe you were just too caught up in such entertaining stories.”
The Duchess smiled sweetly.
“So tell me… who was trying to kill whom again?”
She had definitely heard it.
And now, pretending she hadn’t would only stoke her fury further.
“Well, that is…”
The ladies hesitantly opened their mouths, now carefully watching every word.
