Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 104

☆ 105 ☆

“I doubted my eyes when I saw the two young ladies’ reports.”

The Emperor looked down at Clatie and Ruatisha with an overbearing expression.

“How dare you commit such outrageous acts at the Dawn Festival that I personally oversee! How can someone who steals from a young age be considered a pillar of the Empire!”

The Emperor’s roar echoed through the vast Diluculum Hall.

“I will thoroughly investigate this matter and make an example of them!”

The young ladies and gentlemen in the hall bowed their heads, their faces pale at the Emperor’s wrath.

Until just a moment ago, they were happily dining, celebrating the successful competition, but now this sudden disaster.

However, Ruatisha, one of the targets of that anger, had a nonchalant expression.

‘I might be a little annoyed, but getting this angry is an overreaction on purpose.’

From the Emperor’s perspective, it’s not that bad.

Tarenka and Paeraton.

Both are from prestigious, high-ranking families.

‘He’s laying the groundwork to avoid easily dismissing it as a child’s mistake and hold the families accountable.’

He plans to leverage the situation to his advantage by holding the families responsible.

Only after extracting concessions will he say, ‘Haha, children can be driven by childish competitiveness,’ and cover it up.

In the process, the wrongdoer’s reputation will be tarnished, but the Emperor won’t care much.

He might think it’s only natural to receive such punishment for pulling such tricks in a competition he personally oversees.

‘Or maybe, once the Dawn Festival is over and this matter subsides, he’s planning to get something else in exchange for restoring the tarnished reputation.’

Originally, no matter how wrong someone is, if a powerful person keeps them close and favors them, the situation will eventually change.

Isn’t it common in society to flatter them while criticizing them behind their back?

‘The Emperor is sensitive to his own interests. He’s quick to calculate and doesn’t care much about his reputation.’

You could say he’s well-suited for being at the center of power but also prone to making enemies.

“I ask the two young ladies: unless you’re challenging my authority, you must answer truthfully. What exactly happened?”

As the Emperor asked this, a notification window popped up in front of Ruatisha.

Sudden Quest Alert!

〈Clatie is Crazy!〉

Dear Reader!

Clatie is daring to frame you for cheating.

It’s unfair! I’m angry! I’m annoyed!

Using such petty tricks because she can’t win with skill!

Clatie is Crazy!

If you’re framed like this, it’s a huge crisis for your reputation and influence!

Clear your name quickly!

And please make her disappear!

– Conditions:

1. Clear the suspicion of cheating

2. Unmask Clatie

– Reward: 10,000 Cash Gacha Ticket, Increased Influence within the Empire

‘I was going to do that anyway.’

You have accepted the quest.

While Ruatisha was accepting the quest, Clatie stepped forward first.

“I am honored, Your Majesty. I don’t know what’s going on either. For the Paeraton Duchess and my report to be the same… This is not just cheating but an insult to the Imperial Family. I find it hard to believe that such a thing happened.”

Clatie trembled slightly, as if she didn’t know what to do because a frightening and bewildering thing had happened.

Her wronged and pitiful appearance made people want to comfort her.

“What do you think, Paeraton Duchess?”

“I think such a thing could happen, if someone copied mine.”

Ruatisha shrugged and said nonchalantly.

The Emperor’s eyes flickered at her confident attitude.

“Oh, so the Duchess is saying that Tarenka Young Lady copied the Duchess’s report?”

“I have never even consulted anyone else’s opinion, so if the two reports are the same, that’s highly likely.”

“Indeed.”

The Emperor stroked his chin.

Clatie’s eyes flashed at that reaction.

‘Is the Emperor blind? Why is he reacting like that when she’s acting so arrogant and reckless!’

I can’t let this go on.

“…Ruatisha, why are you so eager to attack me? I know you dislike me, but this is a really big deal.”

Ruatisha ignored her with an expression that said, ‘Is that a dog barking somewhere?’

The more she did that, the more Clatie made a distressed and pitiful face and continued to speak.

“It might be a prank to make things difficult for me, but this is not a problem that can be easily overlooked. How dare you even try to deceive His Majesty the Emperor?”

Ruatisha let out a faint sigh and turned her head towards Clatie.

“Tarenka Young Lady, speak based on facts, not emotions.”

“…What?”

“This isn’t a matter of running to the adults and asking who was bad and who was good.”

“When did I—”

“If you try to frame it as such an emotional issue, I suspect it’s because you have no basis or logic for your claims.”

“Su-suspicion!”

“Pfft… !”

At that moment, laughter erupted from among the young ladies and gentlemen who were watching.

Looking back, Raphael was trying to hold back his laughter and maintain his composure.

Clatie’s face turned bright red.

“I understand the two young ladies’ claims. You both claim to be innocent. Then there’s no choice but to conduct a cross-examination.”

The Emperor stepped in to resolve the situation.

“Tarenka Young Lady, you submitted the report first. This may not be decisive evidence, but it is a rather important fact.”

Clatie glanced at Ruatisha as if to say, ‘Did you hear that?’

“So I will give you the right to speak first.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

Clatie, who had shown her respect, raised her head and began to speak in a clear voice.

“First of all, I will tell you about my actions from writing the report to submitting it. As soon as I received the competition topic, I went to the library with the other young ladies. After discussing with the other young ladies and looking up data in the library, I wrote and submitted the report.”

“Are you saying you were in the library until you submitted it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. All the young ladies who were in the library must have witnessed me.”

The Emperor looked around at the young ladies as if to ask if that was true, and the young ladies bowed their heads.

“Neat. Above all, there are many witnesses who can testify.”

“I am honored.”

Clatie bowed her head.

The corners of her hidden lips twitched upwards.

‘I won.’

Clatie knew Ruatisha’s movements well.

And even that it would inevitably be suspicious.

“What about Paeraton Duchess?”

“I went to the garden after receiving the competition topic.”

“Oh, the garden.”

“Yes, I first organized some ideas by hand in the garden. Then I used the restroom for a while. I came back and wrote the report.”

“Are there any witnesses to the Duchess’s movements?”

“I, I was with her!”

Pochet Young Lady stepped forward and raised her hand.

“Paeraton Duchess was with me in the garden!”

“Both sides have witnesses.”

That’s when it happened.

“Pochet Young Lady, weren’t you alone when I met you in the garden? You’re not going to pretend you don’t know, are you? We even exchanged conversations.”

Cellando Young Lady stepped forward and spoke sharply.

“That was when Paeraton Duchess was away using the restroom. I couldn’t follow her there!”

Pochet Young Lady protested.

But that statement was tantamount to saying that she was not a complete witness.

“Cellando Young Lady, tell us what happened.”

“I discussed with the young ladies in the library and then went out to the garden to clear my head and organize my thoughts.”

When Cellando Young Lady looked at the other young ladies, they nodded in agreement.

“At that time, I saw Pochet Young Lady sitting alone on the grass. So I exchanged a few words as a greeting.”

“Hmm, so there were no witnesses when Paeraton Duchess used the restroom?”

Ruatisha answered the Emperor’s question.

“Yes, I didn’t encounter anyone. Unless someone saw me from afar, no one crossed paths with me.”

“Hmm, you didn’t meet anyone while using the restroom?”

“I was in Diluculum Hall, and almost all the other young ladies were in the library, so I think that’s why.”

Having vague movements is very disadvantageous in terms of circumstances.

But the Emperor couldn’t help but be intrigued by Ruatisha’s calm acknowledgment.

By now, people were starting to talk among themselves.

“Could it be Paeraton Duchess? She didn’t seem like it…”

“But she submitted the report later and went somewhere else in the middle.”

“Tarenka Young Lady was in the library the whole time. I saw her.”

Ruatisha was not shaken at all by the sounds of people suspecting her of cheating.

It was beyond just being composed.

Moreover, there was a sense of ease in Ruatisha’s eyes as she looked straight at the Emperor.

It was the eyes of someone who was testing and judging, not someone suspected as a suspect.

‘Oh ho…’

The Emperor found it both offensive and quite tempting.

As Ruatisha thought, the Emperor was more calculating than emotional.

The scales were constantly moving in the Emperor’s head.

‘She’s not deliberately hiding that look.’

It was a kind of provocation, and it worked very well.

The Emperor, who was considering whether to just seize Paeraton’s weaknesses with enough justification, changed his mind.

“Then let’s hear about the reports. This time, I will give the right to speak to Tarenka Young Lady first, who is more innocent in terms of circumstances.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Clatie opened her mouth in a calm tone.

“The effectiveness of relief depends on how efficiently it is distributed. I had in-depth discussions with close young ladies about this.”

When Clatie looked at the young ladies she had discussed with, they nodded.

“How to classify the support classes. For this, I referred to the 〈Northwestern Region Income Atmosphere Report〉 and 〈Northwestern Region Relief Status Survey〉 in the library.”

When the Emperor looked at the officials, they immediately confirmed.

“The figures in the report match the figures in the report exactly.”

Clatie smiled with satisfaction. This would be clear evidence.

“But while writing the report alone, I began to wonder, ‘Can this really solve the problem?'”

“So?”

“So I began to contemplate the distribution structure and financial situation of the relief rice. Currently, when conducting relief, the relief team goes directly to the Northwestern region. This is inefficient…”

Clatie’s words flowed smoothly without interruption.

It seemed like she had prepared very thoroughly.

‘She’s putting on a show with someone else’s report…’ Ruatisha chuckled.

It seemed like she had written a script in advance, knowing that there would be a cross-examination.

As a result, Clatie’s words were plausible.

It was as if she was speaking her own opinion, not copying someone else’s.

When Clatie finished speaking, the Empress burst into laughter.

“Now that I see it, Tarenka Young Lady is very thoughtful.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

Clatie bowed her head with a touched expression.

“I knew you were good at leading the atmosphere among the young ladies, but I didn’t know you were so good at developing logic based on data. I have a new perspective on the young lady.”

It seemed like the Empress was trying to preemptively secure Clatie, convinced that she was innocent.

It wasn’t unreasonable.

The atmosphere in the hall was filled with recognition of Clatie’s innocence and contempt for Ruatisha, who had committed fraud.

Ruatisha took in the Empress Dowager, who still hadn’t stepped forward, and the Empress, who was looking at her with worried eyes.

At that time, the Emperor opened his mouth heavily.

“We must give the Paeraton Duchess the right to speak. What are the Duchess’s thoughts?”

Despite being in an infinitely unfavorable situation, Ruatisha smiled brightly.

“I have nothing to say about that.”

“What?!”

The hall became noisy at the unexpected words.

The Emperor frowned and said.

“Duchess, you must be careful. Right now, your words mean that you copied Tarenka Young Lady’s report exactly.”

“That can’t be.”

Ruatisha smiled even more deeply.

“The reason I have nothing to say is simple.”

“…What is that reason?”

Ruatisha turned her head and looked at Clatie.

A face full of superiority, intoxicated with victory.

She stared at that face and slowly opened her mouth.

“Why should I provide supporting evidence for a report that is full of loopholes and that I have already discarded?”

“… !”

Clatie’s face slowly began to distort as if a shell was being peeled off.

Ruatisha smiled.

‘Yes, I wanted to see that face.’

* * *

The repercussions of my words were enormous.

Amid the echoing murmurs, the Emperor raised his hand.

“Discarded opinion… did you say?”

“Yes, as I said before, I organized some ideas by hand before going to the restroom. That’s the opinion I wrote at that time.”

“It’s a trick to get out of the situation!”

Unlike before, when she was relaxed, Clatie shouted with a flushed face.

I ignored Clatie and shrugged.

“Anyway, it’s not the report I wrote, so I have nothing to say about it.”

“Your Majesty! Paeraton Duchess didn’t even come to the library. She can’t provide proper evidence, so she’s trying to get out of the situation with such ridiculous words!”

“Tarenka Young Lady, restrain yourself! Paeraton Duchess was quiet when you were speaking. But why do you keep adding words so frivolously!”

Clatie closed her mouth with a face full of injustice at the Empress’s rebuke.

“Duchess, explain the situation.”

At the Emperor’s command, I bowed my head.

“The reason I discarded that idea is simple. The logic was flawed.”

“Oh?”

“As Tarenka Young Lady said, the current method of the relief team going directly to the Northwestern region is clearly inefficient and costly. But could it be that the officials of the Empire and His Majesty the Great Emperor have not thought of that?”

“Surely not.”

The Emperor smiled.

“Yes, there is a reason why the current method has been maintained for three years. Like Tarenka Young Lady’s report, if it goes through the hands of several territories, the distribution stage will increase even if the time is shortened.”

“That’s right.”

“And the more people involved and the more stages there are, the higher the management and supervision costs.”

In other words, it’s easier to embezzle [steal or misappropriate funds].

“For example, in the 24th year of Emperor Astellian, when the method advocated by Tarenka Young Lady was implemented during a large-scale drought in the eastern region, the embezzlement of officials was later revealed.”

“It was a terrible thing. Because of that, no relief was provided at all. Many imperial citizens in the east died.”

“Of course, I’m not saying that His Majesty the Great Emperor’s servants will embezzle. But history is always the teacher of the present. It is natural to learn from past failures.”

“That’s right. We shouldn’t implement the same failed policies of the past.”

Clatie’s face was rotting.

It was only natural, as her opinion, which had been praised just a moment ago, was refuted point by point as ‘a policy that had already failed in the past.’

But what to do?

It’s not over yet.

“And it is also flawed to decide on relief distribution based on the 〈Northwestern Region Income Atmosphere Report〉 and 〈Northwestern Region Relief Status Survey〉.”

“Why?”

“The two reports were written and submitted by the Northwestern region. In order to receive even more relief rice, the bourgeoisie [middle class] and gentry classes were excluded from the population. As a result, 72.8% of people are starving to death because they have no food.”

The Emperor’s eyes flickered when the exact figures came out of my mouth.

“The Duchess knows all the figures even though she didn’t go to the library?”

“Of course. Only someone who is only capable of that would think that the evidence would be flawed because I didn’t go to the library.”

Clatie’s face turned bright red at the clear sniping.

“If you are going to think about the distribution practically, it is better to refer to the relief result reports from last year and the year before last. It was written by an official dispatched from the central government, so it is much more objective.”

Clatie’s greenish eyes trembled like a candle in the wind at my words.

She finally realized.

It would be good to find and refer to the Northwestern Region Income Atmosphere Report and the Northwestern Region Relief Status Survey in the library.

Those were the titles of the reports that I deliberately wrote while writing fake ideas.

Clatie saw that and referred to it as it was.

I smiled brightly at Clatie.

‘Idiot. How could you fall for such an obvious trap?’