RVMPT Chapter 104

Chapter 104

The weight hidden behind that serene voice created such a dissonance that Andrew felt almost dizzy. He retraced his memory to make sure he heard correctly—and the Duke’s grim expression confirmed it.

“…Tell me more, Duke.”

Even though the room was sealed with only the three of them inside, Andrew lowered his voice cautiously.

“You remember the slave trafficking rings that were crushed recently in the capital?”

“Yes.”

“I was the one who took them down.”

Cough! Cough! 

“What did you just say…?”

“I said, I was the one who eliminated them, Prince Andrew.”

Cough! Cough!

Harold didn’t wait for him to recover and calmly continued speaking. Andrew, rubbing his sore throat, tried to make sense of what he heard and asked for confirmation.

“…So, you’re saying that because His Majesty reacted strangely to the annihilation of those illegal traffickers, you decided to look into it—and found something?”

“Yes. And this is what I found.”

Harold handed him a set of documents.

“These are… ledgers?”

The documents were divided into two categories. There were many ledgers on the right, but only two on the left.

He started with the smaller pile on the left, then moved on to the larger one. As he flipped back and forth, frowns began to form on his brows.

The Marquis spoke first.

“The ones on the right seem ordinary, but these on the left… something’s not right.”

“Indeed. Some entries list people, but no amounts next to their names—as if they weren’t sold.”

Andrew and the Marquis turned to Harold.

“There were only two such places at first, and I got nothing else from them but these ledgers. But later, I found four more locations using similar records.”

Harold had instructed his agents to retrieve all ledgers after each raid. When the strange pattern recurred, he held back from eliminating those locations, observing instead.

“You found four more of these places?”

“Yes. That’s what I confirmed personally.”

There might be others that were already taken down before they found out, or ones yet to be discovered—but that wasn’t the most pressing concern now.

“I placed spies in those four groups, and they managed to trace where those unsold people were being taken.”

“Where?”

“The Petrium family, the Owex family, and the Tatum family.”

“…!”

“As you know, they’re all close to His Majesty.”

“They’re not just close. If His Majesty told them to die, they’d ask when.”

Andrew clenched his fist, speaking in a cold, bitter tone. The butler’s and knight captain’s families were among the ones named. That made it clear—His Majesty had to be deeply involved.

“No wonder he ignored the capital’s public safety all this time.”

Disgust flickered across the Marquis’s face.

“Have you found out what they’re doing with those people?” he asked.

Harold shook his head.

“We tried various approaches, but their security is tight. We couldn’t find out what’s happening inside.”

The people transporting these citizens were always the same. Even bribing servants only revealed that they were taken underground. Guards blocked every path forward.

They couldn’t even sneak in , because the selection criteria kept changing—sometimes only women, sometimes only men, or even just people with golden hair.

Andrew, who had been silent, narrowed his eyes.

“All three of those families have recruited citizens through the vocational training center.”

Being close to the Emperor, Andrew had met them personally. The Tatum family hired red-haired citizens; the Petrium and Owex families recruited commoners with scarlet eyes.

If Harold’s claims were true, they must have used the training center to get to their targets. As Andrew’s crimson eyes gleamed sharply, Harold quietly added,

“Since Your Highness improved the lives of the lower class, it probably became harder for them to kidnap people freely. That’s why they resorted to new methods.”

Andrew clenched his fists. He’d suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed made his anger boil.

In a country where human trafficking was illegal, the Emperor himself was secretly abducting citizens.

Whatever the reason, it was unforgivable.

He stood, saying they should block the noble families from using the training center—but Harold stopped him.

“Calm down, Your Highness. This situation isn’t entirely bad.”

“Duke! How can you say—”

Andrew stopped mid-sentence. He took a breath and sat down again, regaining his composure.

“…So that’s it. There’s a reason you’re telling me all this.”

Harold smiled faintly.

“I won’t deny it. A few days ago, the Tatum family reached out to the vocational center asking to hire ten citizens. That’s correct, isn’t it?”

“It is. Just as you said, they contacted us.”

Andrew’s crimson eyes sparkled.

Yes, just like Harold said, this wasn’t a bad situation. In fact—it was a golden opportunity.

Just as they once used the training center to take people, now it was their turn to use it against them.

***

As the three finished their talk, they heard movement outside the door.

It was just Diana and the Marchioness who were returning after their own discussion.

Thankfully, the snow had stopped and the sun had come out. With the roads clearing, they could head home safely.

Andrew left first. Diana and Harold stayed to have an early dinner with the Marquis and Marchioness.

When they were about to leave, the Marchioness called Harold.

“May I have a word with you alone, Duke?”

“Of course.”

He followed her to another room. Once the servants were dismissed, she looked at him.

Black hair.

That black hair reminded her of the man her sister had loved. Now that she knew Diana was her sister’s daughter, it made her heart even heavier.

“Marchioness, just to be clear—I am not your sister’s husband. I hope you won’t mistake me for him.”

“…I know well enough that you’re not like that unreliable man. You’re not someone who would fail to protect the Duchess.”

Compared to that commoner knight who stole away her sister, Harold at least seemed dependable. Though, judging from the way he competed with her for what he wanted, the Marchioness still worried that his possessiveness might end up hurting Diana.

“I suppose I was needlessly concerned, then. So why did you wish to speak to me in private?”

She didn’t mention that she’d do anything to keep them apart if he ever hurt Diana. Instead, she organized her thoughts and asked calmly:

“What do you plan to do about Count Garcia?”