Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 78

“Ian.”

Meanwhile, Ian, who had gone out to the central garden, turned his head at Romandro’s call.

“I heard the Countess of Mereloff has arrived? Where is she? It seems the Count was too embarrassed to come himself, hahaha! How amusing.”

“I thought so too, but the Countess is currently in Madam Mary’s room.”

“Huh? Madam Mary Bratz? Why there? I heard they were friends. Is she perhaps there to mourn her belatedly?”

“Well, I’d be relieved if that were the case. She said she lent something to Madam Mary and is looking for it.”

“…What kind of thing?”

“I don’t know either. She wouldn’t answer when I asked.”

At Ian’s words, Romandro tilted his head. What could noble ladies possibly exchange? The Countess of Mereloff’s strange behavior, which was expected to end quickly, continued until after lunch.

Squeak.

“……”

The expression on the Countess of Mereloff’s face as she left Mary’s room was peculiar. It was as if she had achieved what she wanted, but also as if she hadn’t…

Ian could tell that she had failed to find the item when he saw the servant who followed her out was pale.

“Madam?”

“Ah. Baron Ian, it took longer than I thought.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No. It seems it was lost in the commotion. It doesn’t seem to be in the room.”

The Countess smiled, brushing her hair back. If a stranger saw her, they would have thought she was truly radiant and charming. Judging by her behavior earlier and now, it seemed the Countess of Mereloff had no intention of revealing what she was looking for.

Then there was no need to stir up trouble by asking.

“Then, shall we go to the drawing room?”

“I was just in the mood for tea, that would be nice.”

“Countess of Mereloff, good day.”

“Oh my! Hello. How have you been? I believe your name was Romandro.”

“That’s correct, Madam.”

Mereloff greeted Romandro with a hand kiss and then went down to the drawing room, chattering away. Beric, who was watching her from below the stairs, muttered.

“I smell a very unusual crazy person.”

“…Beric.”

“It’s true. Why is she like that?”

“Look around the room and then tidy it up.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

Beric answered casually and entered Mary’s room.

When Ian arrived at the drawing room, Romandro and the Countess of Mereloff were already pouring tea.

“Baron Ian, I am very sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s alright, Madam. Please don’t mind it.”

“And I mentioned earlier that I had another gift, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.”

Ian replied, sitting across from the Countess of Mereloff.

“I heard that you have to pay a contribution to the central government.”

“Ah. How did you know?”

“News travels fast. But the amount seems quite large, so we were wondering if we could help you a little.”

“The Count of Mereloff?”

“Yes. It might not be as much as you want, but we could probably lend you about 5,000 gold coins.”

“Ah. Lend?”

“Yes, interest-free, but in return, we would like some Gula seeds. How does that sound?”

Ian smiled brightly as he replied.

“That doesn’t sound very good.”

“Cough!”

Romandro choked without realizing it. Even so, to give such a blatant rejection. But the Countess, on the other hand, just shrugged as if nothing had happened.

“Is that so?”

“First of all, thank you for your concern, Count and Countess. However, the contribution is meaningful only if we pay it ourselves, and we also have the means to do so.”

“You have the means? Are you serious?”

“I am serious. Therefore, I cannot accept your offer. Besides, if you compare the interest on 5,000 gold coins and Gula, the latter’s value is overwhelmingly higher. Gula seeds never die and can be replanted a dozen times, which means it can solve the problem of starvation in winter, right?”

“Even so, Gula was previously worthless.”

“That was before. Gold coins can be earned again, but once a person dies, it’s over.”

It was a statement that clearly understood Mereloff’s situation. They had plenty of money, but nowhere to spend it. The Countess smiled softly as she sipped her tea.

“If you want to buy Gula, I will actively respond to that. That would be clean and good for both of us. After all, isn’t it said that solving things with money is the easiest thing in the world?”

“…If you were to sell, how much would you ask for?”

“Fifty coins per sack.”

“Fifty coins, you say?”

“Gold coins.”

Romandro, who was listening from across the table, coughed and spilled his tea. Didn’t she say it was ten gold coins per sack before?

But Ian had made it clear. ‘At least’ ten coins.

“Goodness. To sell such weeds for fifty gold coins.”

“Shall I show you the size?”

Ian, unconcerned, called a servant. The servant flapped an empty sack to show its size. A small sack that reached from the ground to the calf.

The Countess of Mereloff raised her eyebrows, still expressing admiration, though not genuine.

“Wow.”

As if it were not her concern.

“Are you making fun of me right now?”

“Of course not, Madam. You are here on behalf of the Count, aren’t you? Insulting you is insulting the Count. That can never happen.”

Looking at her attitude, Ian was certain. She clearly had no interest in the Gula trade or anything else. It seemed that the item she had lent to Madam Mary was her only purpose…

“Each sack contains about thirty to forty Gula seeds. If you plant them all, they will multiply into hundreds within a month, and then into thousands, tens of thousands in another month.”

That was assuming that none were eaten and all were planted in the ground. Since it was already the middle of winter, that was impossible.

“In two months, that’s enough to save everyone in the Mereloff territory. I believe you know that the foundation of a territory comes from its population.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“There are many reasons for price formation. We, like the Count of Mereloff, only prioritize the people of our territory… How much did you sell grains for back then?”

Romandro interjected as if he had been waiting for the opportunity.

“Excluding essential items like wheat and corn, the prices of secondary ingredients were more than doubled. Potatoes were particularly impressive. You were charging half a gold coin per container.”

It meant, ‘Isn’t that what you guys did?’ When you asked for help, you said it was difficult and tried to charge such high prices, and now you’re getting the same treatment.

The Countess twisted her head and stared blankly out the window. And then, as if something had come to mind, she quietly murmured.

“Actually, the Count is the one who opens the purse, so my opinion doesn’t seem to matter much. If we want to eat and live, would fifty gold coins be a problem? We might even have to give up land.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Meanwhile, inside Mary’s room.

While Ian, the Countess of Mereloff, and Romandro were engaged in a subtle negotiation, Beric, who was casually looking around Mary’s room, felt a presence and turned around.

Squeak.

“Beric? What are you doing here?”

It was Hanna. She wiped her wet hands on her apron and tilted her head.

“Ah, the Countess of Mereloff came earlier and rummaged through the room, and I was told to look around and then lock the door.”

“Rummaged through the room? Why?”

“I don’t know. It seems Mary borrowed something and didn’t return it. Ian thinks it’s in the room, but I can’t find it.”

Mary’s actions as she fled. Even in that urgent moment, she tried to stop by the room.

“You don’t know what it is either?”

“Am I crazy?”

“Hmm. It’s definitely not an easy situation.”

Hanna put her arms on her waist and quickly scanned the room. Then, she knelt down and poked under the bed with a broom.

“What are you doing?”

“Places to hide things. There are not many spaces in a room, you know. Under the bed, or in the closet, under or behind the storage units…”

“I’ve looked everywhere.”

“If not, then the floor or ceiling.”

“Floor and ceiling?”

Hanna walked around, tapping the floor with the broom. She was trying to find empty spaces by the sound.

Thump! Thump thump!

“Yes. Sometimes the wooden floor is torn. The ceiling is too high to reach… Ah!”

Hanna looked up at the ceiling as if she had remembered something. Her gaze was fixed on the chandelier decoration. Cloth that started from the center and spread out in all directions, like scattered branches, was hanging here and there.

“Just a moment. A chair won’t do.”

“A ladder?”

“Yes, yes.”

“I’ll get it. You keep tapping the floor.”

Beric, who was about to run out, stopped. Come to think of it, he didn’t know how Hanna was so skilled.

“But you, what are you? You’re good at picking locks, you have good hand skills, and your ability to hide and find things is extraordinary.”

“Everyone in my neighborhood is about this good.”

“I don’t think so…”

It was a skill created by the environment. Hanna’s house was relatively less so, but he heard that some houses had collapsed because they had hidden so many drugs in the ceiling.

When Hanna gestured for him to hurry, Beric shook his head but faithfully obeyed.

“Hold it tight.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I climbed up?”

“You can’t even find clothes in the drawer, can you? Just hold it steady.”

Squeak.

Hanna climbed up the ladder and reached her hand inside the chandelier. The warmth of the light bulbs could be felt at her fingertips, and the sticky dust that clung to them was on her hand.

“A little more to the left… Ah!”

“Why? Why why? Did you find it?”

“Uh…”

Hanna took out a round object she had grabbed. It was a black, glossy powder compact. It seemed that this was the item that Madam Mary and the Countess of Mereloff had been exchanging…

“Why did she hide makeup here?”

“I know, it’s nothing special!”

“Shall we open it?”

While Hanna handed over the compact and climbed down the ladder, Beric couldn’t resist and opened the lid first. It was filled with fine powder.

“It’s really nothing… Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This… smell…”

Hanna asked curiously, but Beric didn’t answer because he was sniffing the powder. It seemed to have a strange smell.

After taking a couple of breaths, Beric’s eyes suddenly rolled back and he fell forward.

Thud!

“Gasp! Beric!”

At the same time, the powder was scattered on the floor. Hanna shook Beric’s body, but his body was stiffening and he showed no signs of waking up.

“Ugh…”

“Ah, I, Baron Ian! Baron Ian!”

Hanna stepped back and hurriedly ran to the drawing room, opening the door without even knocking. Romandro, Ian, and the Countess of Mereloff turned to her with surprised expressions.

“Baron Ian! Something terrible has happened!”

“What’s all the commotion, Hanna?”

“Beric found that, the thing. It’s a black, round compact, and he collapsed as soon as he smelled the powder.”

“What on earth is that…”

Unlike Ian, who didn’t understand, the Countess of Mereloff reflexively ran out. When Hanna was pushed back and fell, Ian was also surprised and followed her.

“Madam? Madam!”

Tap tap!

The way she was running, grabbing the hem of her dress, was desperate. Ian quickly caught up with the Countess of Mereloff and grabbed her arm.

Swoosh!

“Madam. Please calm down for a moment…”

“Let go of me!”

“No, just wait a moment…”

A light scuffle. The Countess slipped down the stairs, and Ian also rolled down with her. Romandro and Hanna, who had followed, called out to Ian.

“Baron Ian! Are you alright?”

“B, Baron Ian! Are you okay?”

“Ah, I’m fine. Madam, are you hurt…”

“Ah…”

The Countess of Mereloff was so urgent that she was climbing up the stairs. Under the slightly lifted skirt, the Countess’s ankle was visible. A purplish skin that could not be called human.

Ian was startled for a moment, but soon realized it was a bruise.