Marcus smiled slightly at Ines’ awkward reaction, but she didn’t notice.
“I have requested to see you because there has been progress in the matter you asked me to investigate.”
Ines persistently dug into the background of the Crown Princess’s secretary maid.
Of course, it wasn’t something Marcus should get involved in, but it was easy to approach him because he was directly involved in the case. Furthermore, Ines wanted to look into this matter secretly. She didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble with something that wasn’t accurate.
“As Your Majesty said, the scale of the matter was too large for a maid to handle alone, and the direction of the money flow was too complicated.”
“Are there any names that can be narrowed down to one?”
“There hasn’t been a name that is clear enough to identify yet.”
“I see.”
In fact, there weren’t many people in the system who could launder this much money multiple times and lend it out.
Naturally, Ines suspected the Duke of Manisut or someone related to him.
But at the same time, she didn’t think he would covet the imperial money in such an obvious and shallow way. Nevertheless, she somehow felt that there must be a bigger plot behind this.
The former Empress had not been caught yet. Even though there was no tangible relationship established, Ines’s senses kept running in that direction.
“What do you mean by progress?”
The money had definitely been embezzled, and the amount was beyond imagination. It was said that the ledgers had been sloppy because there had been no one to properly manage the palace’s internal affairs, but this was the imperial family.
The records of those who brought things in, the documents of those who sent them out, and those who used them were all imperfect, and some estimates could be guessed over several years.
Even if there were differences between what the secretary maid had stated and the actual items, the sudden boldness of the methods after the Empress disappeared really got on Ines’ nerves.
“While going back over the matter, a very unfamiliar name came up.”
Ines’ eyes sparkled. As expected of a knight, Marcus was able to grasp the situation properly.
“Unfamiliar name?”
“Yes, Martin Blake.”
Ines and Casey tilted their heads at the familiar name. Then their eyes met.
“Your Majesty, that name is...?”
Ines, who immediately remembered his name, nodded at Casey.
“Do you know that name?”
Ines shook her head for a moment. She still couldn’t tell if it was the same person. To objectively face the situation, she decided it would be better to listen to Marcus’ story a little more and talk.
“No. Please continue.”
“At first, I searched the nobles, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find a name like that.”
“...”
“Then I found out that the Blake family was an untitled noble family whose lineage was extinct and would soon disappear.”
The lineage was extinct... If he was an untitled noble and had no heirs, he wouldn’t have appeared in society.
“You mean...?”
“He was a servant in the Empress’s palace.”
Ines was quite surprised but soon calmed down. The secretary maid might have joined hands with the Empress's maid. So that alone was not enough to confirm the existence of a greater power.
"What does being a maid of the Empress's palace have to do with the fact that the family line was cut off?"
Imperial servants and maids could marry. It was relatively difficult to move freely, but they could visit their own homes periodically.
"That's because he is already dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes, I don't know the exact date, but it's been at least three years. That's why it wasn't easy to find out his existence."
Using the name of a dead person to commit an illegal act?
Who? Why? For what reason?
Using the name of a dead person is more complicated than creating someone who doesn't exist. Ines, who had set up a bank under a ghost identity, knew the difference clearly.
"The reason his name was used continuously and not easily discovered is because he was the servant in charge of the former Empress's wine when he was alive."
"Wine?"
In an instant, Ines remembered the red wine that Carson had mentioned. The wine of Yamanta, which the Empress always enjoyed, was famous enough to be known even to the nobles. She remembered it as one of the most expensive items among her luxury items.
“After his death, the servants had not traded alcohol, but recently, alcohol has been coming into the palace under his name again.”
Ines closed her eyes tightly because of the elusive entity.
“When I checked with the place where I traded, it was the same name as three years ago, so they said they gave him the alcohol without any suspicion.”
“Where is that alcohol now?”
“I also looked for where that liquor is now...”
Instead of continuing, he shook his head.
There was no liquor. Ines couldn’t help but laugh at that. Was the liquor purchased by the dead being used to comfort the spirits?
Ines felt a little out of breath, so she threw her head back and puffed out her chest.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“Your complexion has been a little pale since earlier, and you don’t look well.”
“I’m just a little tired because I haven’t slept well lately.”
Marcus nodded and asked Casey to make some tea to warm her body up. Since he wasn’t yet an official member of the royal family, he couldn’t prescribe medicine, but he could recommend tea.
“Then, let’s talk. I’ll have the tea brought in.”
“Thank you, Casey.”
“Charlotte might have already entered the palace. I’ll go check on her too.”
When Ines nodded, Casey hurriedly left. Even in that situation, Marcus kept a keen eye on Ines.
Ines smiled faintly at his actions. He was now doing the work of a knight, but he was a member of the National Assembly without a doubt.
“You seem to have lost some weight.”
“Is that so? I had a little loss of appetite. However, I don’t have any pain, so don’t worry too much.”
“I’m sorry. Since I became a member of the National Assembly, I have a habit of checking people’s complexions.”
Ines raised both hands to cover her cheeks. However, her awkwardness was short-lived, and she quickly fell into thought.
The Crown Princess’s secretary’s maid had bought expensive liquor using the name of the deceased servant. Since it was an expensive item, she might have ordered a large quantity to resell it. However, the liquor was no longer available.
“Sir Marcus.”
“Please speak.”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
Before making her request, Ines told him about Blake, whom Noah had mentioned, and Martin Blake, the servant Marcus had known. After that, Ines gave Marcus a few orders regarding the matter.
Martin Blake, the landowner of the casino site, the former Empress's cupbearer, the wine of Yamanta that she loved, and the wine that disappeared with the name of the deceased.
After Marcus left, Ines fell into deep sorrow, leaving her words floating in the air.
And that night, the Empress-to-be, just two days before her wedding, disappeared from the palace without a trace.
Carson closed his eyes and clenched his teeth at the miserable situation unfolding before his eyes.
The first to hear the news of Ines' disappearance was Emma.
She said that she had been overcome by an unknown fever the night before and could not move. That was why she could not attend to Ines the night before.
This morning, Emma, who suddenly opened her eyes to the bright light, first looked for the bedroom where Ines would be. However, not a single sheet was wrinkled and there was no warmth from anyone in the room.
Emma went straight to the office. Ines often spent the night in the office when she could not sleep.
However, Emma was shocked when she saw the scenery in the office. So she immediately reported this to the imperial palace.
Carson, who had come to the Empress’s palace after hearing the news, suppressed his surging emotions and looked around.
There was definitely a knight guarding the office. The only time the two knights were away was for shift changes.
However, even then, since they would shift one at a time, there was never an empty space in front of the office door. So how did the Empress disappear so suddenly?
“Your Majesty.”
“..."
“Last night, a knight who had returned from his shift was found dead.”
Carson tightly closed his eyes. He swallowed the dry saliva that was not going down his throat and barely managed to speak.
“What time?”
“The shift change was around 11 p.m.”
It wasn’t that late. The shift change times were different every time. The order wasn’t something that anyone could know. That meant that this was an internal affair.
Carson looked at the place where Ines had last stayed.
The chair had fallen over. The floor was clean as if she hadn’t been dragged around and struggled.
At that time, Casey heard the news and hurried to the office.
“Tell me.”
At Noah’s words, Casey bent down and began to tell what had happened yesterday. The Emperor turned toward the desk without saying anything, but she trembled all over from the pressure.
“The last time I saw Her Majesty the Empress was around 6 p.m.”
Ines didn’t have a closest maid yet. She wasn’t even an Empress yet, and there was no one she could trust.
It was the job of the imperial maids to bring tea and food. The maids would place the food they brought in in a presentable way in front of the Empress and, if necessary, provide companionship.
The tea that Marcus had asked for was not brought by Casey himself. Emma was in charge of that. Emma had been standing in a corner, shivering, unable to say anything since earlier.
“Her Majesty said she wasn’t hungry, and she skipped dinner.”
As if to back up her words, on one side of the desk in the office were simple bread, a cup of tea, and a knife for spreading the spread on the bread. The cup she was drinking from had spilled over, and there wasn’t much tea left in the cup.
“After that, I went back to my room to do some work.”
The knife that should have been placed next to the bread was on the desk.
Carson had been thirsty and his hands were shaking since earlier, making it difficult for him to keep his body in check, but he slowly approached the desk.
On the desk were the blueprints for the school site.
He remembered her smiling brightly, blushing when she came to him a while ago and told him that the design was complete.
“I have requested to see you because there has been progress in the matter you asked me to investigate.”
Ines persistently dug into the background of the Crown Princess’s secretary maid.
Of course, it wasn’t something Marcus should get involved in, but it was easy to approach him because he was directly involved in the case. Furthermore, Ines wanted to look into this matter secretly. She didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble with something that wasn’t accurate.
“As Your Majesty said, the scale of the matter was too large for a maid to handle alone, and the direction of the money flow was too complicated.”
“Are there any names that can be narrowed down to one?”
“There hasn’t been a name that is clear enough to identify yet.”
“I see.”
In fact, there weren’t many people in the system who could launder this much money multiple times and lend it out.
Naturally, Ines suspected the Duke of Manisut or someone related to him.
But at the same time, she didn’t think he would covet the imperial money in such an obvious and shallow way. Nevertheless, she somehow felt that there must be a bigger plot behind this.
The former Empress had not been caught yet. Even though there was no tangible relationship established, Ines’s senses kept running in that direction.
“What do you mean by progress?”
The money had definitely been embezzled, and the amount was beyond imagination. It was said that the ledgers had been sloppy because there had been no one to properly manage the palace’s internal affairs, but this was the imperial family.
The records of those who brought things in, the documents of those who sent them out, and those who used them were all imperfect, and some estimates could be guessed over several years.
Even if there were differences between what the secretary maid had stated and the actual items, the sudden boldness of the methods after the Empress disappeared really got on Ines’ nerves.
“While going back over the matter, a very unfamiliar name came up.”
Ines’ eyes sparkled. As expected of a knight, Marcus was able to grasp the situation properly.
“Unfamiliar name?”
“Yes, Martin Blake.”
Ines and Casey tilted their heads at the familiar name. Then their eyes met.
“Your Majesty, that name is...?”
Ines, who immediately remembered his name, nodded at Casey.
“Do you know that name?”
Ines shook her head for a moment. She still couldn’t tell if it was the same person. To objectively face the situation, she decided it would be better to listen to Marcus’ story a little more and talk.
“No. Please continue.”
“At first, I searched the nobles, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find a name like that.”
“...”
“Then I found out that the Blake family was an untitled noble family whose lineage was extinct and would soon disappear.”
The lineage was extinct... If he was an untitled noble and had no heirs, he wouldn’t have appeared in society.
“You mean...?”
“He was a servant in the Empress’s palace.”
Ines was quite surprised but soon calmed down. The secretary maid might have joined hands with the Empress's maid. So that alone was not enough to confirm the existence of a greater power.
"What does being a maid of the Empress's palace have to do with the fact that the family line was cut off?"
Imperial servants and maids could marry. It was relatively difficult to move freely, but they could visit their own homes periodically.
"That's because he is already dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes, I don't know the exact date, but it's been at least three years. That's why it wasn't easy to find out his existence."
Using the name of a dead person to commit an illegal act?
Who? Why? For what reason?
Using the name of a dead person is more complicated than creating someone who doesn't exist. Ines, who had set up a bank under a ghost identity, knew the difference clearly.
"The reason his name was used continuously and not easily discovered is because he was the servant in charge of the former Empress's wine when he was alive."
"Wine?"
In an instant, Ines remembered the red wine that Carson had mentioned. The wine of Yamanta, which the Empress always enjoyed, was famous enough to be known even to the nobles. She remembered it as one of the most expensive items among her luxury items.
“After his death, the servants had not traded alcohol, but recently, alcohol has been coming into the palace under his name again.”
Ines closed her eyes tightly because of the elusive entity.
“When I checked with the place where I traded, it was the same name as three years ago, so they said they gave him the alcohol without any suspicion.”
“Where is that alcohol now?”
“I also looked for where that liquor is now...”
Instead of continuing, he shook his head.
There was no liquor. Ines couldn’t help but laugh at that. Was the liquor purchased by the dead being used to comfort the spirits?
Ines felt a little out of breath, so she threw her head back and puffed out her chest.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“Your complexion has been a little pale since earlier, and you don’t look well.”
“I’m just a little tired because I haven’t slept well lately.”
Marcus nodded and asked Casey to make some tea to warm her body up. Since he wasn’t yet an official member of the royal family, he couldn’t prescribe medicine, but he could recommend tea.
“Then, let’s talk. I’ll have the tea brought in.”
“Thank you, Casey.”
“Charlotte might have already entered the palace. I’ll go check on her too.”
When Ines nodded, Casey hurriedly left. Even in that situation, Marcus kept a keen eye on Ines.
Ines smiled faintly at his actions. He was now doing the work of a knight, but he was a member of the National Assembly without a doubt.
“You seem to have lost some weight.”
“Is that so? I had a little loss of appetite. However, I don’t have any pain, so don’t worry too much.”
“I’m sorry. Since I became a member of the National Assembly, I have a habit of checking people’s complexions.”
Ines raised both hands to cover her cheeks. However, her awkwardness was short-lived, and she quickly fell into thought.
The Crown Princess’s secretary’s maid had bought expensive liquor using the name of the deceased servant. Since it was an expensive item, she might have ordered a large quantity to resell it. However, the liquor was no longer available.
“Sir Marcus.”
“Please speak.”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
Before making her request, Ines told him about Blake, whom Noah had mentioned, and Martin Blake, the servant Marcus had known. After that, Ines gave Marcus a few orders regarding the matter.
Martin Blake, the landowner of the casino site, the former Empress's cupbearer, the wine of Yamanta that she loved, and the wine that disappeared with the name of the deceased.
After Marcus left, Ines fell into deep sorrow, leaving her words floating in the air.
And that night, the Empress-to-be, just two days before her wedding, disappeared from the palace without a trace.
***
Carson closed his eyes and clenched his teeth at the miserable situation unfolding before his eyes.
The first to hear the news of Ines' disappearance was Emma.
She said that she had been overcome by an unknown fever the night before and could not move. That was why she could not attend to Ines the night before.
This morning, Emma, who suddenly opened her eyes to the bright light, first looked for the bedroom where Ines would be. However, not a single sheet was wrinkled and there was no warmth from anyone in the room.
Emma went straight to the office. Ines often spent the night in the office when she could not sleep.
However, Emma was shocked when she saw the scenery in the office. So she immediately reported this to the imperial palace.
Carson, who had come to the Empress’s palace after hearing the news, suppressed his surging emotions and looked around.
There was definitely a knight guarding the office. The only time the two knights were away was for shift changes.
However, even then, since they would shift one at a time, there was never an empty space in front of the office door. So how did the Empress disappear so suddenly?
“Your Majesty.”
“..."
“Last night, a knight who had returned from his shift was found dead.”
Carson tightly closed his eyes. He swallowed the dry saliva that was not going down his throat and barely managed to speak.
“What time?”
“The shift change was around 11 p.m.”
It wasn’t that late. The shift change times were different every time. The order wasn’t something that anyone could know. That meant that this was an internal affair.
Carson looked at the place where Ines had last stayed.
The chair had fallen over. The floor was clean as if she hadn’t been dragged around and struggled.
At that time, Casey heard the news and hurried to the office.
“Tell me.”
At Noah’s words, Casey bent down and began to tell what had happened yesterday. The Emperor turned toward the desk without saying anything, but she trembled all over from the pressure.
“The last time I saw Her Majesty the Empress was around 6 p.m.”
Ines didn’t have a closest maid yet. She wasn’t even an Empress yet, and there was no one she could trust.
It was the job of the imperial maids to bring tea and food. The maids would place the food they brought in in a presentable way in front of the Empress and, if necessary, provide companionship.
The tea that Marcus had asked for was not brought by Casey himself. Emma was in charge of that. Emma had been standing in a corner, shivering, unable to say anything since earlier.
“Her Majesty said she wasn’t hungry, and she skipped dinner.”
As if to back up her words, on one side of the desk in the office were simple bread, a cup of tea, and a knife for spreading the spread on the bread. The cup she was drinking from had spilled over, and there wasn’t much tea left in the cup.
“After that, I went back to my room to do some work.”
The knife that should have been placed next to the bread was on the desk.
Carson had been thirsty and his hands were shaking since earlier, making it difficult for him to keep his body in check, but he slowly approached the desk.
On the desk were the blueprints for the school site.
He remembered her smiling brightly, blushing when she came to him a while ago and told him that the design was complete.
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