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Chapter 40
“Feeding them this stuff is why the child won’t eat proper meals! Look, she’s already gotten hooked on snacks!”
I pointed at Seraphina, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the cookies since Gepetto appeared.
“Hmph, pity you don’t understand the joy of a bunny’s eating show.”
Coincidentally, Seraphina was dressed in a plump bunny outfit, holding a cookie in her hand. Apparently, she had stealthily taken one while I looked away.
Clutching it with both hands, she nibbled the cookie with her front teeth like a bunny, keeping an eye on me—as if worried I might snatch it away.
Honestly… she’s cute.
Maybe it was because her eyes were so wide. I imagined tiny bunny ears wiggling on top of her head.
Shin Ludina admired Gepetto’s excellent judgment.
It was hard to argue with that.
“Who’s saying she shouldn’t eat at all? She can eat her meal and snacks! It’s just nutrition—picky eating can cause imbalances!”
“Just feed her whatever. Does it really affect her growth?”
“Who in their right mind feeds a child anything without thought?”
“What are you saying? That’s exactly how my father raised me!”
For a moment, I was speechless.
“…If I argue with this, do I become a villain?”
“Probably?”
Gepetto didn’t hand over the cookies to Seraphina, despite the little concessions.
“Finish your meal first. Only eat snacks when there’s room left in your stomach.”
“Eeeh.”
“Don’t try to look cute; it’ll just weaken your resolve.”
After giving Marsha a quick request as well, I took Gepetto to an empty room.
I had something for him to do.
I need to gauge the scale of the Marquis family’s criminal enterprises.
The first step was to understand which illegal businesses the Marquis had been running.
Gepetto seemed to have anticipated this, as he handed me an enormous stack of ledgers.
“This many…?”
“Father kept separate ledgers for each business.”
Even if one was discovered, the Marquis could deny links to other enterprises, so he maintained independent ledgers and finances for each operation.
I inspected them one by one. Some were familiar; others were completely new to me.
“So the ones I knew were just the tip of the iceberg.”
There was one caveat when gathering intel through Shirin. If I didn’t know something, Shirin couldn’t pick it up either. Her influence was limited by her small size.
But when collecting supplementary data for things I already knew, she was unmatched in capability.
Gepetto murmured,
“Still, it’s much less than before.”
“Who’s saying that?”
Since the Marquis had no intention of passing down power or funds, even to his own son, he managed all the businesses alone. I knew from the start that Gepetto was not involved.
Someone with influence over that many enterprises wouldn’t need to smuggle drugs anyway.
Meanwhile, underground businesses were struggling after losing their head. Some were turning on each other, getting caught up in power struggles or internal conflicts.
“If they fight and collapse on their own, it’s good for us. Just poke their pride as much as you can.”
“I know that much.”
Gepetto grumbled, frowning as he stared toward the door.
“What is it?”
I felt it too. The distant noise was getting closer.
Soon after,
“Help… please, miss!”
Two servants scratched their necks awkwardly as a man entered, kneeling before me.
Blood dripped from his forehead; his clothes were ruined, his face swollen, barely able to open his eyes—but I could still recognize him.
“Sir Loren?”
“The Count intends to trade you for money, handing you over to the Marquis of Lebanon. The Marquis is rumored to have beaten his ex-wife into divorce. Please, ensure the young lady does not suffer misfortune.”
My reaction was simple:
What the hell?
Luigi leaned back in his room, arms crossed, staring down at Laura.
Unlike before, when he used to greet her with a broad smile, now there were furrows on his brow.
He simply couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“Honestly, I admired you when you refused to spend my ransom at the tribunal. I thought that showed wisdom.”
The Crown Princess had to assist the Crown Prince in ruling the empire, so she needed keen judgment.
Few people could influence both nations like Luigi. Not wasting such an opportunity on self-defense was the right choice.
Yet…
“You’re not helping yourself. You want to use me for your friend’s sake.”
“……”
“How disappointing.”
He clicked his tongue, yet I didn’t find him entirely unpleasant—he understood that my intentions were good.
“See things objectively. If you make poor decisions based on sentiment, you’ll regret it.”
“I will not regret it.”
Laura spoke with certainty.
“The most valuable thing in the world is saving someone’s life, and this will change my friend’s life.”
Using a precious opportunity for a meaningful purpose—why regret it? Luigi had no rebuttal.
He knew better than anyone how important marriage was in one’s lifetime.
Originally, Luigi was betrothed to the King of Mortum. But falling in love with his brother’s sister, he chose happiness over political gain.
He believed a lifelong partner must be compatible.
After a long sigh, Luigi looked at Laura more calmly.
“…So, what do you want me to do?”
I didn’t fully understand, but Laura’s words carried weight. They could soften others, persuade, and steer them toward her desired outcome.
“Just tell me where Esha is.”
Since marriage matters involved two families, I, as a third party, couldn’t intervene…
But Luigi is different.
Once a princess of the empire and now the Crown Prince’s aunt, she wielded influence across the empire.
“Is that enough?”
“Even that alone is a great favor; what more could I ask?”
Laura intended to rescue Esha herself. Luigi would return to Mortum, so relying on past power would only restore the problem once she left.
Better to resolve it firmly now.
She was confident—she had even dealt with Esha’s father before the curse activated.
Surely handling him twice won’t be hard.
Once defeated, dealing with him a second time was manageable.
Every time Roben saw his daughter Esha, he felt discomfort and fear.
Esha resembled her deceased mother so closely that villagers trusted her, and he feared she might one day drive him from his estate.
Roben had become a step-son-in-law and eventually Count Marcelin.
Esha’s mother had despised Roben, but she died before signing the divorce papers, preserving his position.
Esha remained unaware of Roben’s secrets, though he constantly worried she might discover them.
Now that her memories returned…
I don’t know why others have forgotten me crawling in the estate before Laura, but…
Roben sensed an opportunity.
This time, he would firmly remove Esha, who had undermined his authority, and restore order to the estate.
And, of course, collect the reward for raising her.
Thus, Roben arranged for Esha to meet the Marquis of Lebanon.
Esha resisted.
“I cannot attend that gathering. The one I love is—”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Foolish child.”
Roben had the knights confine her.
Still angry, he shouted across the mansion.
“What’s the point of crying over petty knights!”
She had been abandoned by the one who barely punished a few servants and ran off. Roben could not understand why she clung so desperately to someone so disloyal.
