Queen Gilsis looked at Count Bloset with an unpleasant look on her face the whole time. She was not the same person but had a look in her eyes as if she were looking at a giant bug. In fact, the Queen's evaluation of the Count must have been similar, but Count Bloset always had a relaxed attitude, whether he knew it or not.
“Everyone get out.”
The Queen, who had been irritated for a while, spoke. Then the maids who were standing there all went out, leaving only the Count and the Queen in the drawing room.
It was only then that Count Bloset realized that the atmosphere was strange that he pretended to slightly straighten his hunched shoulders. However, this did not straighten the awkward posture that had been established for decades and only made him look more uncomfortable and untrustworthy.
“You have work to do.”
Count Bloset nodded.
“Just say anything.”
“Do you know anyone who has a pass to cross the southern border?”
The Count's narrow eyes blinked a couple of times in confusion.
"...A person who has a pass? Doesn’t that mean anyone can get it if they just apply?”
“Do you think I would have called the Count all the way here if I was looking for someone with my pass?”
Only then did Count Bloset realize the Queen's intentions. She asked if he knew anyone who had a pass other than her own, that is, someone who was crossing the border illegally. Of course, the Count knew more than a dozen such people.
“I know, but...”
“What do such people usually cross the border for?”
“It’s mostly to make money. It is a business that buys and sells things that should not be seen by others.”
“Are there any among them who do business with people?”
The Count's cheeks, yellow and swollen like those of a patient, trembled. He did everything the Queen told him to do, but this was his first time doing anything like this. Is this woman trying to traffick people now?
“I need to, but...”
“Why are you slurring your words? Does it exist or does not exist?”
"There is. There is. But Your Majesty. If you are caught trading people, you will be severely punished in Rotair. They say things like that are not uncommon in the South..l.”
The southern region, except for the two principalities of Melgan and Catania, had its own rules and was closer to a lawless area. It was a place where war was an everyday occurrence, so public security was a mess. In such places, it was still common to kidnap people and sell them as slaves to merchants or to pirates.
“So, you have to choose someone who is shrewd enough not to get caught. Count, with your own eyes.”
The Queen had an expressionless expression. It was as if it was something she naturally had to do.
Count Bloset didn't respond for a moment, just busily moving his fingers. The Queen said.
“If you complete this task successfully, I will pay you well.”
"Uh... What is the price?”
“The Marquis of Heyborne would be a reasonable amount, right?”
The Count's eyes widened. Not only did his eyes widen, but his body even bounced as he sat in his chair.
“Heh, the Marquis of Heyborne, huh? That... Then..."
“If you want to own land that has been a Marquis’ territory for generations, the status of a Count alone would not be enough. I won’t give you a last name, but your daughter is also my son’s wife, and it would be a loss of respect for my son if the Princess’s father were to be content with being a Count forever.”
The Count, whose lips were trembling, suddenly lowered his head. His mouth was already so wide that it seemed as if it was going to be caught by his ear.
The Marquis of Hayborne was a very old nobleman. The Marquisate he ruled was relatively prosperous in terms of farming compared to Rotair, and because it had a waterway that reached the capital, he was able to enjoy a very wealthy life as he earned a considerable amount of income from tolls.
But unfortunately, he had no children to pass on the title to. There were many people who wanted to become his adopted son, but for some reason, he declared that he would return all his titles and lands to the palace after his death unless he was his biological son whom he had seen from his original wife. That was already ten years ago.
After the Marquis of Heyborne died, the question of who would own the land became a very interesting topic among the nobles. Then, last year, when the Marchioness passed away, the Marquis of Hayborne was heartbroken beyond words. Because of that heartache, the chronic illness he had been suffering from had become so serious that he was now in a situation where he was living today and tomorrow without conscious awareness.
When he heard the rumors about the Marquis, Count Bloset also wanted the land and was almost drooling. However, at first glance, it is a place he can only dream about. Since he knew that not even a small corner of the Marquis' territory would fall into his hands, he didn't even think about it after that. But what is this?
“M-if what you said is true...”
“When have I ever given you even a penny less?”
The Queen was sarcastic fiercely. True to her words, Count Bloset received a huge amount of money as compensation for every task the Queen asked him to do. He grabbed jewelry, gold, and anything valuable and lived a debauched life with it. The Count pretended to bow his head and smiled flatteringly.
“Of course, Queen Mother has always been generous to me. Of course...”
“So that means you’re ready to work properly, right?”
“I am always ready to jump into a fire for my Queen. Well, Your Majesty....”
The queen frowned and looked away. Count Bloset continued.
“That’s it... Who needs to be taken to the South?”
If she was just a commoner girl, there was no need to bother taking risks. All he has to do is stick it somewhere out of sight. However, if she is someone who cannot do that, such as at the bottom of the nobility... In any case, the answer was to send them across the border as the Queen said.
Queen Gilsis did not respond for a while. Then she suddenly folded the fan that was covering half of her face with a thud and raised her black eyes.
“That Tien girl.”
The Count opened his lips in a daze at the Queen's sudden words. Then he immediately realized who he was talking about and her face became pale.
“Wow, Queen, that... Even if it's me...”
“You can’t do it?”
“Uh, how... Degradation of the status of a Princess of a country, a nation, and a Crown Princess...”
“Princess of a country?”
The Queen suddenly started laughing loudly. The Count's expression became even more dazed. For a moment he even wondered if Queen Gilsis had gone crazy.
“Count Bloset, I guess you were more loyal to the royal family than you seemed? The Crown Princess of a country? Is this bitch the Crown Princess? Have you never thought that your daughter could have sat in that Crown Princess’s seat?”
"Yes? No, that... That's it...”
Of course, it was something the Count was very much looking forward to. Even though Flavia was his daughter, she was always seen as lacking and stupid, so she was never an attractive child, but even so, she became a Princess and she developed the ability to give her father various things. If Krald becomes Crown Prince and Flavia takes Judith's place as Crown Princess, he will receive at least one title this time... He's lying if he said he didn't think that way.
However, when the King declared Franz the Crown Prince, Count Bloset was not particularly indignant. All he wanted was money. He was a great man who would not care if his daughter was a Princess, a Crown Princess, or a waiter at a street restaurant, as long as he could scrape together the money.
Queen Gilsis, who had been laughing like a crazy person, suddenly stopped laughing and glared at Count Bloset with burning eyes. Her eyes were so sinister that if she had held a knife in her hand, she would have stabbed him right away.
“You can’t do that.”
“...”
“You can’t do that. Not without her. So you must get that girl out of my sight. If you do that, you will not only improve your life. It means that your daughter’s life will also unfold.”
“Oh, yeah..."
“I’ll give you one month. Get that girl out of Rotair within a month. Whether you leave her to become food for crows in the wilderness or sell her to a pirate ship, it’s up to you.”
The Queen's smile was completely gone, and with a cold demeanor, she waved her hand as if to tell him to leave. This time, even the languid Count Bloset couldn't help but hesitate and came out.
Count Bloset, who was slowly walking out along the low corridor railing with his palm, saw two women coming towards him from a distance. Just by looking at their contrasting hair, reminiscent of dark lapis lazuli and ruby, they could be recognized as Judith and the daughter of the Marquis of Ebelta.
Count Bloset was second to none in terms of blackness and viciousness, but when he remembered the conversation he had in the Queen's palace a little while ago, it was somehow difficult for him to look shamelessly at Judith's face. Judith also knew that he was Flavia's father, but she deliberately did not say hello and just passed by in silence. This was because she knew very well that he was a person with nothing good to offer.
Cheraan, who was watching out of the corner of her eye as the Count's hunched back receded, whispered.
“It is Count Bloset. I get goosebumps every time I see him.”
Judith did not reply but agreed with a faint smile. Cheraan continued.
“Duke Laetian is like that, and the Queen’s palace is like a snake’s den.”
“Cheraan, your voice is too loud.”
However, her comment that it was like a snake’s den was more accurate than anything else. Judith recalled a fragment of a conversation she once had with Franz.
"Because the place you are going from now on is a den of vipers."
The snake, which had been hiding in a dark burrow using rotten leaves and dry dirt as a cover, was trying to crawl out again. Baring his teeth and flicking his tongue. And Judith herself was now going to face it with her bare body.
“Tell them that the Crown Princess has arrived.”
As they reached the tightly closed door of the Queen's Palace, Cheraan spoke in a stern voice. Her facial expressions get quite fierce when she doesn't smile, and rumors have already spread a lot about what her real personality is like. The maid looked inside with a more frightened look than at Judith and went in without delay, and then she came out again.
“Your Majesty wants you to come in.”
“Wait outside, Cheraan.”
When going to see a King or Queen, it was etiquette not to have a maid follow her in, so Cheraan followed Judith's words exactly. However, she couldn't take her anxious gaze off the back figure disappearing into the door.
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