The Marquis of Prasis was so anxious that he could not sit still and paced around the reception room busily.
He came here to put out the most urgent fire, but he still doesn't know if he came to the right place.
Should I go back now and come back later when I'm sure?
No. What if Adele Leopold finds out in the meantime?
And if he reports it to the guards, the court, or the Emperor...
“Phew.”
The thought alone was so horrible that Marquis Prasis shivered.
That absolutely had to be stopped.
Otherwise, not only his family but also the Empress and even the Crown Prince would be in danger.
'No, His Highness the Crown Prince may already be in danger.'
Following the Empress's request to keep watch over the Crown Prince, the Marquis immediately did so.
As he was doing this, he came to know some strange facts, one of which was that the Crown Prince would sometimes leave the palace and go to the casino.
And it wasn't a legal facility, but an illegal casino run by dark forces.
“Why on earth do you go to illegal casinos...”
“Illegal casino?”
“...!”
The Marquis of Prasis turned around in surprise when he heard Adele's voice.
Then he saw Adele and Perdes standing at the door.
When did they come?
I didn't even hear the door open, let alone a knock?
The Marquis of Prasis swallowed dryly, feeling a little creeped out by Adele's silent appearance.
Adele looked at the Marquis of Prasis with a smile.
“Why are you standing here, Your Grace, instead of sitting on the sofa?”
“Huh? Oh, I was looking at the picture because it was so pretty.”
The Marquis couldn't bring himself to say that he was pacing around the room anxiously, so he gave a vague answer.
There happened to be a large picture of an angel hanging in front of him.
It was a very famous painting that anyone who had studied aristocratic manners would know.
“Isn’t this painting [The Sound of the Angel’s Trumpet] by Michelan? A masterpiece is a masterpiece. It’s very well-drawn. The colors are also wonderful...”
“It’s a fake.”
The mouth of the Marquis of Prasis, who had been chattering, closed like a clamshell at the words that came out as if thrown out of the blue.
Who would have dared imagine that a forgery would be hanging in the drawing room of a prestigious Duke's house?
If he had just stayed still, he would have gotten to the middle, but because he pretended to know, he ended up in a very embarrassing situation.
The Marquis, who had become a person without discernment who could not tell the difference between a counterfeit and a genuine product in an instant, quickly racked his brain to figure out a way to resolve the situation.
“Actually, I was wondering because there were some areas where the paint had spread.”
No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only way to handle the situation.
He stuck his face in, pretending to look closely at the painting.
“Now that I look at it, the lines are a little blurry... I thought it was because the painting was old, but it turns out it was a forgery.”
“Ha.”
When he praised it to the point of making his mouth water, he changed his attitude as soon as he found out that it was a fake, and Adele let out a small laugh because he thought it was funny.
The Marquis, who was even more embarrassed by the laughter, continued to speak as he thought of it.
“Haha, I don’t know who copied this, but I really need to study drawing more. This masterpiece is all I can do, tsk tsk.”
“I agree with that opinion.”
"Yes?"
“But unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll be able to further develop your drawing skills here. My father has passed away.”
“That... what?”
So what is it?
The person who drew this picture was Duke Leopold?
Marquis Prasis froze with his mouth open at the fact that he had finally gotten the situation under control, but instead, he had made things worse.
Adele, on the other hand, smiled as if nothing had happened and walked towards the sofa.
Perdes, who was looking at the Marquis of Prasis with pitiful eyes, followed Adele.
“Just sit down.”
And he sat down on the sofa before anyone else and said.
Perdes was the youngest here, but he was the highest in status, so his actions were not a problem at all.
Adele sat next to Perdes, and Marquis Prasis, who had come to his senses late, sat awkwardly across from them.
The Marquis took a sip of tea to moisten his dry mouth.
“I heard you had something to tell me.”
As soon as he put down his teacup, Adele asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The Marquis smiled awkwardly and looked at Perdes, who was sitting next to him, rather than Adele.
Perdes, who immediately understood what his gaze meant, smiled and tilted his head.
“Your Grace, it seems that my presence here is uncomfortable.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
The Marquis, who had been hit hard, coughed loudly.
Adele said, picking up her teacup.
“Since His Highness is my fiancé, please think of us as one, and speak to me comfortably.”
The Marquis was about to say what kind of nonsense that was, but he held back his words.
Now he was in a position where he had to please Adele and look good.
Just a little while ago, he unintentionally made a disparaging remark about her father, which upset her, so from now on, he had to be very careful with his words.
“Of course, Your Highness the Prince and the Lady are about to get married, so they are no different from one body... but sometimes, there are things you shouldn’t hear from each other, Your Highness.”
So the Marquis asked for understanding from Perdes, not Adele.
“Since this is exactly the case, if you don’t mind, could you step aside for a moment?”
“If you don’t want to do that.”
But Perdes flatly refused.
“If it’s a story that you can’t hear, then I don’t want to hear it either.”
The Marquis swallowed his irritation inside as he saw Adele getting involved.
He felt sad once again that he had to bow down and listen to children who were the same age as his grandchildren.
“If you have nothing more to say, I will get up now.”
“Oh, no.”
When Adele made it seem as if she was going to get up at any moment, the Marquis of Prasis hurriedly waved his hand.
“I will tell you. I will tell you everything.”
Although Perdes was still on his mind, solving the problem took priority.
If this can't be resolved, everything will be ruined, so Prasis opens his heavy mouth with a deep sigh.
“Did you know that I paid off the remaining Pura balance from Max Top a week ago?”
“Yes, I know. The manager was very happy that the payment was made early.”
Because Pura was so expensive, the contract was made so that Max would pay about 40% of the total price when purchasing Pura, and the remaining 60% would be paid after making and selling magical items with the Pura.
Of course, the period was two years, and even if the item was not sold, the payment had to be made within that period unconditionally.
Usually, the balance is paid promptly, but this time, it was paid in just 4 months, so it was natural that the manager in charge was pleased.
“Why are you suddenly talking about that? Is there a problem?”
“There was a problem though...”
Thr Marquis came here to say this, but when he tried to say it, his mouth wouldn't open.
He also had no idea how to tell the story.
As the Marquis of Prasis's expression gradually darkened, Adele's expression also became serious.
The same was true for Perdes.
“What’s the problem? I thought the balance was definitely paid.”
Perdes no longer worked for the Duke, but he was well aware of it because the manager in charge bragged about it so much.
The expression on Marquis Prasis' face darkened even more when he realized that even Perdes knew about it.
He hesitated for a moment, his lips moving as if he was about to say something, and then he let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Counterfeit... gold coins.”
"What?"
“At the top of Max... all the gold coins sent as a deposit to Resa were counterfeit.”
Making counterfeit gold coins was considered a crime as serious as treason.
But when the story of counterfeit gold coins came up, Perdes' eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Oh my God."
It was the same for Adele.
She blinked rapidly as if she couldn't believe it.
“I’m telling you this in advance so that you don’t misunderstand, but it’s definitely not intentional, Young Lady.”
The Marquis of Prasis waved his hands and made an urgent excuse.
“Not only me, but even the staff at the top of Max had no idea about this. If they had known, and if it was intentional, they wouldn’t have come to Young Lady and confessed. Seriously, really, I don’t know about this.”
It may sound like a lame excuse, but he was sincere.
It was true.
The Marquis of Prasis was also shocked when he heard the story of the counterfeit gold coins from the merchant and hurriedly went to find the dark merchant he had made the deal with.
However, the dark top had already disappeared without a trace.
Marquis Prasis, who was suddenly swindled out of 100,000 gold, felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing.
His legs were shaking so much that he couldn't even stand up straight.
But he can't just sit there forever.
The damage was so severe that it threatened the existence of the upper level, so it had to be repaired somehow.
And the counterfeit gold coins that were flowing into Duke Leopold's house and the magician's tower also had to be dealt with.
The amount of counterfeit gold coins flowing on both sides was approximately 50,000 gold.
The Marquis of Prasis hurriedly came to see Adele, thinking that he had to somehow resolve the situation before they found out about it and made it public.
Will he really believe his sincerity?
The Marquis of Prasis wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pleaded with Adele.
“I’ll catch the culprit somehow, so please just leave this case alone until then.”
“Can you catch the culprit?”
“That is...”
Marquis Prasis hesitated because he could not give a definitive answer as his opponent was a dark lord.
Adele crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then said.
“Then let’s do this. I will take care of all the money.”
“You’ll take care of all 100,000 gold?”
“It looks like there are 100,000 gold coins worth of counterfeit gold.”
Oh, I didn't mean to say this...
Marquis Prasis, who had unintentionally revealed the fact in surprise, diligently wiped away the cold sweat that was flowing more than before.
“Whether it’s 100,000 gold or 200,000 gold, I’ll take care of it.”
On the other hand, Adele wasn't surprised at all when she heard the amount and spoke in a steady voice.
“Instead, I would like Your Grace the Marquis to help me as well.”
He came here to put out the most urgent fire, but he still doesn't know if he came to the right place.
Should I go back now and come back later when I'm sure?
No. What if Adele Leopold finds out in the meantime?
And if he reports it to the guards, the court, or the Emperor...
“Phew.”
The thought alone was so horrible that Marquis Prasis shivered.
That absolutely had to be stopped.
Otherwise, not only his family but also the Empress and even the Crown Prince would be in danger.
'No, His Highness the Crown Prince may already be in danger.'
Following the Empress's request to keep watch over the Crown Prince, the Marquis immediately did so.
As he was doing this, he came to know some strange facts, one of which was that the Crown Prince would sometimes leave the palace and go to the casino.
And it wasn't a legal facility, but an illegal casino run by dark forces.
“Why on earth do you go to illegal casinos...”
“Illegal casino?”
“...!”
The Marquis of Prasis turned around in surprise when he heard Adele's voice.
Then he saw Adele and Perdes standing at the door.
When did they come?
I didn't even hear the door open, let alone a knock?
The Marquis of Prasis swallowed dryly, feeling a little creeped out by Adele's silent appearance.
Adele looked at the Marquis of Prasis with a smile.
“Why are you standing here, Your Grace, instead of sitting on the sofa?”
“Huh? Oh, I was looking at the picture because it was so pretty.”
The Marquis couldn't bring himself to say that he was pacing around the room anxiously, so he gave a vague answer.
There happened to be a large picture of an angel hanging in front of him.
It was a very famous painting that anyone who had studied aristocratic manners would know.
“Isn’t this painting [The Sound of the Angel’s Trumpet] by Michelan? A masterpiece is a masterpiece. It’s very well-drawn. The colors are also wonderful...”
“It’s a fake.”
The mouth of the Marquis of Prasis, who had been chattering, closed like a clamshell at the words that came out as if thrown out of the blue.
Who would have dared imagine that a forgery would be hanging in the drawing room of a prestigious Duke's house?
If he had just stayed still, he would have gotten to the middle, but because he pretended to know, he ended up in a very embarrassing situation.
The Marquis, who had become a person without discernment who could not tell the difference between a counterfeit and a genuine product in an instant, quickly racked his brain to figure out a way to resolve the situation.
“Actually, I was wondering because there were some areas where the paint had spread.”
No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only way to handle the situation.
He stuck his face in, pretending to look closely at the painting.
“Now that I look at it, the lines are a little blurry... I thought it was because the painting was old, but it turns out it was a forgery.”
“Ha.”
When he praised it to the point of making his mouth water, he changed his attitude as soon as he found out that it was a fake, and Adele let out a small laugh because he thought it was funny.
The Marquis, who was even more embarrassed by the laughter, continued to speak as he thought of it.
“Haha, I don’t know who copied this, but I really need to study drawing more. This masterpiece is all I can do, tsk tsk.”
“I agree with that opinion.”
"Yes?"
“But unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll be able to further develop your drawing skills here. My father has passed away.”
“That... what?”
So what is it?
The person who drew this picture was Duke Leopold?
Marquis Prasis froze with his mouth open at the fact that he had finally gotten the situation under control, but instead, he had made things worse.
Adele, on the other hand, smiled as if nothing had happened and walked towards the sofa.
Perdes, who was looking at the Marquis of Prasis with pitiful eyes, followed Adele.
“Just sit down.”
And he sat down on the sofa before anyone else and said.
Perdes was the youngest here, but he was the highest in status, so his actions were not a problem at all.
Adele sat next to Perdes, and Marquis Prasis, who had come to his senses late, sat awkwardly across from them.
The Marquis took a sip of tea to moisten his dry mouth.
“I heard you had something to tell me.”
As soon as he put down his teacup, Adele asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The Marquis smiled awkwardly and looked at Perdes, who was sitting next to him, rather than Adele.
Perdes, who immediately understood what his gaze meant, smiled and tilted his head.
“Your Grace, it seems that my presence here is uncomfortable.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
The Marquis, who had been hit hard, coughed loudly.
Adele said, picking up her teacup.
“Since His Highness is my fiancé, please think of us as one, and speak to me comfortably.”
The Marquis was about to say what kind of nonsense that was, but he held back his words.
Now he was in a position where he had to please Adele and look good.
Just a little while ago, he unintentionally made a disparaging remark about her father, which upset her, so from now on, he had to be very careful with his words.
“Of course, Your Highness the Prince and the Lady are about to get married, so they are no different from one body... but sometimes, there are things you shouldn’t hear from each other, Your Highness.”
So the Marquis asked for understanding from Perdes, not Adele.
“Since this is exactly the case, if you don’t mind, could you step aside for a moment?”
“If you don’t want to do that.”
But Perdes flatly refused.
“If it’s a story that you can’t hear, then I don’t want to hear it either.”
The Marquis swallowed his irritation inside as he saw Adele getting involved.
He felt sad once again that he had to bow down and listen to children who were the same age as his grandchildren.
“If you have nothing more to say, I will get up now.”
“Oh, no.”
When Adele made it seem as if she was going to get up at any moment, the Marquis of Prasis hurriedly waved his hand.
“I will tell you. I will tell you everything.”
Although Perdes was still on his mind, solving the problem took priority.
If this can't be resolved, everything will be ruined, so Prasis opens his heavy mouth with a deep sigh.
“Did you know that I paid off the remaining Pura balance from Max Top a week ago?”
“Yes, I know. The manager was very happy that the payment was made early.”
Because Pura was so expensive, the contract was made so that Max would pay about 40% of the total price when purchasing Pura, and the remaining 60% would be paid after making and selling magical items with the Pura.
Of course, the period was two years, and even if the item was not sold, the payment had to be made within that period unconditionally.
Usually, the balance is paid promptly, but this time, it was paid in just 4 months, so it was natural that the manager in charge was pleased.
“Why are you suddenly talking about that? Is there a problem?”
“There was a problem though...”
Thr Marquis came here to say this, but when he tried to say it, his mouth wouldn't open.
He also had no idea how to tell the story.
As the Marquis of Prasis's expression gradually darkened, Adele's expression also became serious.
The same was true for Perdes.
“What’s the problem? I thought the balance was definitely paid.”
Perdes no longer worked for the Duke, but he was well aware of it because the manager in charge bragged about it so much.
The expression on Marquis Prasis' face darkened even more when he realized that even Perdes knew about it.
He hesitated for a moment, his lips moving as if he was about to say something, and then he let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Counterfeit... gold coins.”
"What?"
“At the top of Max... all the gold coins sent as a deposit to Resa were counterfeit.”
Making counterfeit gold coins was considered a crime as serious as treason.
But when the story of counterfeit gold coins came up, Perdes' eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Oh my God."
It was the same for Adele.
She blinked rapidly as if she couldn't believe it.
“I’m telling you this in advance so that you don’t misunderstand, but it’s definitely not intentional, Young Lady.”
The Marquis of Prasis waved his hands and made an urgent excuse.
“Not only me, but even the staff at the top of Max had no idea about this. If they had known, and if it was intentional, they wouldn’t have come to Young Lady and confessed. Seriously, really, I don’t know about this.”
It may sound like a lame excuse, but he was sincere.
It was true.
The Marquis of Prasis was also shocked when he heard the story of the counterfeit gold coins from the merchant and hurriedly went to find the dark merchant he had made the deal with.
However, the dark top had already disappeared without a trace.
Marquis Prasis, who was suddenly swindled out of 100,000 gold, felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing.
His legs were shaking so much that he couldn't even stand up straight.
But he can't just sit there forever.
The damage was so severe that it threatened the existence of the upper level, so it had to be repaired somehow.
And the counterfeit gold coins that were flowing into Duke Leopold's house and the magician's tower also had to be dealt with.
The amount of counterfeit gold coins flowing on both sides was approximately 50,000 gold.
The Marquis of Prasis hurriedly came to see Adele, thinking that he had to somehow resolve the situation before they found out about it and made it public.
Will he really believe his sincerity?
The Marquis of Prasis wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pleaded with Adele.
“I’ll catch the culprit somehow, so please just leave this case alone until then.”
“Can you catch the culprit?”
“That is...”
Marquis Prasis hesitated because he could not give a definitive answer as his opponent was a dark lord.
Adele crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then said.
“Then let’s do this. I will take care of all the money.”
“You’ll take care of all 100,000 gold?”
“It looks like there are 100,000 gold coins worth of counterfeit gold.”
Oh, I didn't mean to say this...
Marquis Prasis, who had unintentionally revealed the fact in surprise, diligently wiped away the cold sweat that was flowing more than before.
“Whether it’s 100,000 gold or 200,000 gold, I’ll take care of it.”
On the other hand, Adele wasn't surprised at all when she heard the amount and spoke in a steady voice.
“Instead, I would like Your Grace the Marquis to help me as well.”
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