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Chapter 9
“About the mine Lady Odette mentioned. If that is true, shouldn’t we take action immediately?”
At Aden’s words, Caesar crossed his legs the other way and lifted his wineglass.
“It is not as if the count only stole my mine.”
“That is true. But we cannot just sit on our hands.”
“Do I look like I’m sitting on my hands?”
“Well, no, but…”
Aden moistened his lips and spoke bluntly.
“The count is stirring up the imperial faction. He is saying that unless we crush you, our lord, whose fame has soared as a war hero, there will be serious consequences later. Since our lord has been away from the Empire for so long, you have not been able to build up power. At this rate, we cannot bring down the Emperor.”
The Emperor had disguised the incident of Caesar’s biological father’s murder as a matter of jealousy and buried it.
Even worse, the Emperor had named the count as Caesar’s godfather. Because of that, Caesar had suffered through childhood under surveillance and abuse.
He must pay the price, no matter what.
But now that Odette had rolled into his hands like a stroke of luck, Caesar had no reason to rush.
“That cannot be. I have a very excellent card that can turn the world upside down.”
“Are you referring to Lady Odette?”
“Yes.”
Huh? Is this a dream too?
“The count smuggling out his daughter and sending a maid in her place as his wife is a grave crime. But he might try to evade responsibility by producing false documents claiming that Lady Odette had already been adopted as his daughter.”
“Aden.”
“I apologize. I called Lady Odette a maid only to speak bluntly for your sake, my lord.”
“Odette is not a maid.”
“Yes, I know.”
“No, that is not what I meant… Odette is Herabrua’s daughter.”
As he idly spun his wineglass, Caesar curled the corner of his lips.
“Herabrua, you say?”
“Yes. The Emperor…”
Thunk.
A sound interrupted him, and Caesar’s words at the end were lost.
What? What is it?
Trying to focus, Odette tilted her head.
“Why am I inside Caesar’s dream?”
She muttered the thought to herself, but it came out loud.
“Odette?”
Caesar noticed her clinging to the carriage door and looked utterly baffled.
“What are you doing there?”
“Eek!”
Odette screamed, then went down with a thud, clutching her head.
She must have nodded off in the hired carriage and jolted awake.
“Aaagh.”
“Oh dear, miss. What kind of dream did you have that you were flailing around like that? Is your head okay?”
“Yes. No blood.”
“That’s a relief. I was thinking of waking you, but you were sleeping so soundly that I left you alone. Still, wake yourself up now. We’ve arrived at Raon Town.”
The city came into view outside the window.
Raon Town, a commercial district, had many hired carriages traveling to all parts of the Empire.
Even if Caesar chased her this far, there was no way he would find out where she went from here.
Come to think of it, Caesar even knew my mother’s real name.
In the mountain village, her mother had introduced herself as “May,” but her real name was Herabrua Balen.
She had told Odette never to tell anyone that name and to keep it to herself.
Caesar said I was the Emperor’s “something-something-something.”
So what if she was the Emperor’s hidden daughter?
Could the Emperor’s illegitimate child really be a card strong enough to turn the world upside down?
That’s strange. I’m not even carrying anything that belongs to Caesar right now.
She did have a wedding ring, but that belonged to Amelia. It had been left behind by Amelia before she ran away, and Count Anderson had given it to her. There was no way that could pull her into Caesar’s dream.
Probably just a weird dream.
Odette shook her head hard to erase the memory of it.
“We’ve arrived! Get off here!”
The hired carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door.
Odette and the others, cramped inside the carriage for so long, got out.
“Wow! It’s so busy.”
There were many people bustling about, and countless carriages crossed the main road nonstop.
Having lived in the quiet High Middleton district, she felt as though her eyes were spinning.
“Watch where you’re going!”
She collided with someone coming the other way and their shoulders bumped.
“Sorry. Excuse me.”
The man in the beret winked with a playful expression.
“Can’t spare any money for that.”
“Then maybe I should buy you some?”
The beret-wearing man shook a black leather pouch in his hand. It looked quite heavy.
Tch. Showing off money like that? But why did that pouch look so familiar?
“I’m busy!”
Odette pulled her hood down deep and hurried past the beret-wearing man.
How long had she been walking? If she wanted to catch another hired carriage, she needed to get near the carriage depot, but it felt like she was circling the same place.
Still, if she asked for directions, someone might lead her somewhere strange and try to make a move on her.
“Crepes! Delicious crepes for sale! Only 3 silver!”
She caught a whiff of a savory baked smell, and there on a street stall was a mountain of freshly made crepes for sale.
“My mother used to like crepes.”
She decided to buy some crepes while also asking where the hired carriage stand was, and joined the long line.
Gradually the line shortened, and finally it was her turn.
“Two crepes, please.”
She planned to eat one right there and take the other to her mother’s grave.
“If you pay 7 silver, pretty lady, I’ll give you three.”
“No. I only need two.”
Odette reached into her inner pocket and went pale.
Her money pouch was gone.
“That beret-wearing guy waving that pouch in front of my eyes! It looked familiar because it was mine!”
The man in the beret had been a pickpocket.
In a strange place, with not a single person she knew…
Why is this happening to me!
She should have realized then.
This was a trap set by Caesar.
“Leaving home is hard, Odette.”
From an alley a little distance away, Caesar watched Odette fighting back tears.
He had not gone to the mine. He had stepped away to give Odette a chance to escape.
He wanted to see where she was going, and who she would ask for help.
Odette did not know it, but she was the only weapon that could bring down the Emperor.
Because she was the daughter born between the Emperor and Herabrua, the great saintess forbidden to marry.
For the past twenty years, both the Emperor’s faction and the nobles had been desperately searching for Odette.
The Emperor’s faction wanted to kill her. The noble faction wanted to use her to bring the Emperor down.
But in the end, no one had found her, and everyone had given up.
I never imagined Herabrua’s daughter would be masquerading as a fake wife in my house.
The beret-wearing man approached, holding out the leather pouch with both hands.
“The job you assigned is done.”
“Aden.”
Caesar looked over at Aden.
“Give him the promised money and have him beaten hard enough that he can’t leave his house for several days. How dare you try to flirt with my wife?”
“My lord! I was only doing what I always do. That’s how I did it when I picked other ladies’ pockets too.”
The pickpocket hurriedly flattened himself to the ground and begged not to be hit.
“Is my wife the same as other women?”
“Well, no, but I only winked at her—I didn’t even touch her.”
“Then I suppose I should pluck out your eyes.”
“I deserve to die.”
“Then should I kill you?”
“N-no, please…”
Terrified, the pickpocket was dragged away by the knights.
Caesar opened the leather pouch Aden had handed him.
“My wife really was quite thrifty.”
Inside the pouch were dirty gold and silver coins.
There were also gemstone brooches, necklaces, and earrings.
These were the items Odette had been wearing when Caesar returned to the mansion after the victory celebration.
“You didn’t even take off the wedding ring?”
He lifted his gaze and looked at Odette.
After rummaging through her bag and then even emptying her hood pocket, Odette finally began to cry.
“You’re so cute when you cry. What if some other bastard tries to make a move?”
“Will you keep watching her?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll go and bring Lady Odette ba—”
Caesar cut Aden off.
“I did not tell you to help Odette. Buy a few vagrants and have them kidnap Odette.”
