Episode 35. Think Short, Act Quickly
The next morning. Claude summoned the people to his study. When Martha brought up the plan following the meeting with the Golden Lion Merchant Guild yesterday, Claude had said that they should discuss it again with the Duke of Ashford today. He said it was not something to be heard alone.
So they gathered. Claude, the Duke of Ashford, Leon, Edward, and Martha. The Golden Lion Merchant Guild documents lay on the study table. Martha explained to them from the beginning what she had told Leon yesterday. Counter-propose 80 percent of the revenue for one year. Set the admission fee to be nearly free to minimize actual income. In the meantime, gather more evidence of the Golden Lion Merchant Guild's illegal activities. Present the evidence directly to His Imperial Majesty when the hot springs are completed. Use the contract nullification clause to take the hot springs for yourself.
The explanation was over. The study fell silent. Claude remained silent for a while. The Duke of Ashford was also silent. Leon looked at the documents on the table. Edward looked at Martha. Claude spoke first.
"...Does this plan make sense?"
Martha said.
"It does."
Claude looked at Martha.
"Did you come up with this?"
"Yes."
"How? How on earth did you come up with something like this?"
"Just to screw them over, how to suck the blood out of the Golden Lion Merchant Guild...?"
"Suck blood. "
Claude was speechless. He wasn't the only one. It wasn't the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from a noble princess, and the fact that such a plan had come from the mind of Serena, who was notorious for being a scoundrel, only froze the atmosphere in the study.
Claude looked at the documents on the table, then at Martha, then at Edward. Edward nodded. Claude looked at the ceiling. The Duke of Ashford looked at Leon.
"Did you already know?"
Leon said.
"Yes"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Leon asked.
"Since it's her plan, I thought it would be better to hear it directly from her own mouth."
"If I had known about such a massive plan, I wouldn't have gotten into the carriage today."
Martha continued.
"The only place to disembark from a ship you have already boarded is the middle of the ocean, Duke."
The Duke of Ashford looked at Leon, then at Martha, then back at Leon.
"...I made the mistake of breaking off the engagement."
"Ah, that ship has already sailed far away. The captain standing next to you jumped off."
Leon froze. Edward suppressed a laugh. Picking up the documents, the Duke of Ashford looked at Claude and said.
"It is a dangerous plan."
Martha said.
"It is dangerous."
"The moment they notice, they could move preemptively. It is a merchant caravan directly involved with the Empress. If that caravan decides they have suffered a loss after investing in the Valois ducal family, we do not know how they might retaliate."
Claude nodded.
"That is correct. That is why we must ensure they do not notice."
"Do you think that is an easy task?"
"Is siphoning off other people's money an easy task?"
The Duke of Ashford looked at Martha. Martha spoke.
"Duke, do you know what my motto is?"
The Duke of Ashford looked at Martha.
"My money is my money, and your money is my money."
The Duke of Ashford looked at Martha, then at Claude. By the Duke of Ashford's standards, Martha was completely unpredictable. Claude looked elsewhere. Leon choked on his tea and coughed loudly. Martha took a sip of tea. Edward shrugged his shoulders beside Martha, trying to suppress his laughter. Claude spoke as he picked up some documents.
"However, presenting the evidence to His Majesty the Emperor at the time the hot spring development is finished, the timing and gathering the evidence are not easy. Since it involves the Empress, we could get blocked at every turn."
Martha said.
"That is why the evidence must be perfect. Irrefutable."
"You said you would build more evidence; where are you going to build more?"
Martha asked.
"Father."
Claude looked at Martha. Martha spoke.
"It's not like our ducal family was the only one victimized by Felix Holm siphoning off income from the estate."
Claude remained silent. Martha continued.
"Just based on what the Ashford ducal family has confirmed, there were five families. The House of Baron Kaiser, the House of Viscount Lint, the House of Count Strauss, and the House of Viscount Werner. And our House of Valois."
The Duke of Ashford nodded and added.
"They were all targeted through the same route. They were managers planted through a staffing agency, and those managers 'siphoned off' the income to the Golden Lion Merchant Guild."
Martha said.
"Then couldn't we bring those families to our side? They are the evidence, and they are the people who will stand on our side, opposing the Empress and lending us strength."
The study fell silent. Claude looked at Martha. Martha continued.
"They are families who suffered together. They likely possess the same evidence. Combining the separate evidence each of them holds makes it much more powerful. Furthermore, a submission made by five families in solidarity carries far more weight at the Imperial Council than one made by a single family."
Duke Ashford looked at Martha.
"How do you plan to persuade those families? Taking a direct stand against the Empress and the Kreuz ducal family is a tremendous risk for them as well. Moreover, that evidence doesn't specifically point toward the Golden Lion Merchant Guild. There is no concrete proof."
Following Duke Ashford, Leon spoke up from the side.
"There might be some families among them that are already subordinate to the Golden Lion Merchant Guild."
Martha nodded.
"That is why we need to figure it out first. Which families might be on our side, and which have already defected to the other side? We can verify that using the social networks of Edward, who works at the Imperial Palace, and Lady Bianca."
At the mention of Bianca's name, the Duke of Ashford raised his eyebrows.
"You mean the daughter of the Marquis de Drua?"
"Yes. She has a social network. Which families are showing up at the Crown Prince's events these days, and which families have recently contacted the Golden Lion Merchant Guild? Things like that."
The Duke of Ashford looked at Claude. Claude thought for a moment and then said.
"That is not a bad idea."
Edward said.
"I will look into the movements of those families from the Imperial Palace side. I will observe what attitude they display at official events."
The atmosphere in the study grew increasingly heavy. The elders began weighing the pros and cons. Listing risks, raising counterarguments, and re-examining. The conversation dragged on. Watching this, Martha thought to herself. At this rate, we won't reach a conclusion. That was just how adults were. They were being cautious. That wasn't a bad thing. However, now was the time to reach a conclusion. The Golden Lion Merchant Guild was waiting for a reply. There wasn't much time.
Duke Ashford looked at Martha and warned her once again.
"Daughter, if this plan goes wrong, the House of Valois will suffer the biggest blow."
"I know."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I am scared."
"Then why are you trying to do this?"
Martha said.
"There is a saying: it is much better to regret doing something than to regret not doing it. But I am the type who never regrets anything I do. I am just doing what is better."
The study fell silent. Duke Ashford listened intently to Martha's story, then looked at Leon standing beside him. He raised his fist and smacked Leon on the forehead.
"...Ugh, you missed a benefactor."
After each of them was lost in thought about the matter for a moment, Claude spoke up.
"Let's do it."
The study fell silent. Claude spoke.
"Let's go the way Serena suggested. Reverse the Golden Lion Merchant Guild. And recruit the victimized families. Prepare for the Imperial Council."
The Duke of Ashford nodded.
"I agree."
Claude looked at Martha. Martha nodded. Claude started to say something, but stopped. He started to say something again, but stopped again. His mouth opened slightly, then immediately closed tightly. Watching this, Martha thought to herself.
'He can't find a compliment again.'
In the end, instead of speaking, Claude patted Martha's shoulder. Once. Twice. And he stood up from his seat. The Duke of Ashford, Edward, and Leon witnessed the scene. The Duke of Ashford gave Leon a light tap on the head once more. Martha accepted the hand on her shoulder and thought.
'It's fine, Duke. That is enough.'
As the meeting ended and people were leaving, the Duke of Ashford spoke to Claude.
"Duke of Valois."
Claude looked.
"Let's... call off the engagement."
Claude said, looking away.
"I think you need to reach an agreement with Serena, not me. It looks like my words won't work at all."
The Duke of Ashford wore a face full of disappointment. There was a dejected Leon, and beside him, Edward patted him on the shoulder.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 35]
There was a big meeting in the study today. Young Master Leon got smacked on the head twice and froze twice.
Every time the Princess saw that scene, she pretended not to hear and looked away. I don't know how someone whose motto is "My money is my money, and your money is my money" can be so nonchalant. Do you learn that as you live?
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