Chapter 57

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 57

Chapter Title: The Minister's Fall

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Count Etienne's estate.

A coffin containing a corpse and a letter from the Claudio Ducal House had arrived.

"They think they can treat me like a fool!"

Minister Etienne, furious to the top of his head, tore the letter to shreds before he could even finish reading it.

The scattered pieces roughly said this:

The real culprit who poisoned the drinks wasn't Birna, but her close maidservant. Enraged at seeing her lady humiliated at the banquet, the maid had played a prank on the drinks of the honored guests.

When the situation grew serious, the terrified maid had taken poison and died to atone for her crime.

"Now that we've found the true culprit, we hope you'll quell your anger and restore our old friendship... My ass!"

The minister had no intention of completely breaking ties with his ally, the Regent Duke.

He had planned to back off at a point where neither side lost face.

But when the Regent Duke sent a fake culprit and whisked away his daughter, his fury ignited.

"Do you think you can treat me like this, Regent Duke?"

He must think I'm lacking something, clinging to his side.

"I'll show you who needs who more."

Etienne moved without hesitation.

The position of southern tax collector, whose term was ending soon, had Baron Brega—a retainer of the Regent Duke—slated for appointment.

It was a prime posting in Baldina's territory, overseeing tax collection in the relatively fertile southern region where plenty of perks trickled down.

However, Etienne dug up Baron Brega's old scandal, dismissed him, and installed Sir Petri, the son of his mentor, in his place.

He was using his influence as Interior Minister to overpower his ally, the Regent Duke. It was tantamount to a declaration of war.

"Etienne, that bastard!"

The Regent Duke slammed his fist on the desk.

Starting with him, the once-solid faction of the Regent Duke began to fracture.

"His Excellency the Regent Duke didn't order this!"

"We're officials eating Baldina's salary, not his underlings—why is he giving orders?"

"Hmph, you didn't complain when you took his money."

The Regent Duke's retainers schemed to force the minister's subordinates out of office, while the minister's men halted administrative processes by nitpicking the retainers' work.

They blamed each other and began tearing into one another.

The minister came from hereditary nobility, with deep networks and loyal followers. That was precisely why the Regent Duke had sought to win him over in the first place.

The Regent Duke at the time could never have imagined that the minister's strengths would one day become his greatest headache.

Neither the Regent Duke nor the minister, both leaders commanding their own people, could back down easily—not with their pride at stake.

The back-and-forth bickering dragged on, yielding more losses than gains.

Arrows that had once been aimed together at a common target were now pointed at each other, causing endless headaches.

The one who welcomed the growing rift between the Regent Duke and the minister most of all was Prime Minister Sise.

"A day like this has finally come!"

Was this what the princess meant when she said an opportunity would soon arise?

"Is Her Highness the princess truly... going to help us?"

Sise hesitated.

He recalled the spy Medea had recently captured.

"Please kill me, my lord! I swear I won't betray you again."

The maid he had sent to the Princess Palace had returned in tears, confessing everything from that day.

From how the princess had realized he poisoned her tea, to how his son was now held hostage by her.

Uncovering the spy was impressive enough, but the princess's follow-up move to silence her astonished Sise even more.

"If you want forgiveness, keep telling the Regent Duke that I'm still drinking that poisoned tea."

He now understood why she had left the maid's punishment to him. The Regent Duke's misconception would open a path for them.

The changed Medea was breathing new life into the fragile royal authority.

"So, don't worry—just think about how we can bring down the minister now that he's split from his uncle."

"Bring him down... In that case, I have something prepared for the minister."

Sise muttered to himself.

Color finally returned to his ashen, fatigue-ridden face for the first time.

Sise's movements soon reached the Regent Duke.

"Your Excellency, the prime minister's subordinates are investigating Minister Etienne's corruption."

"Sise? Ha. He thinks he can pick us off now that the minister and I have fallen out?"

The Regent Duke snorted derisively.

"The so-called young genius of Baldina is all talk. No youthful boldness in him."

His aide chimed in agreement, subtly gauging his mood.

"Your words are spot on, Your Excellency. They're digging into the minister's hidden slush funds—should we tip him off?"

No matter their internal squabble, they couldn't let a common enemy like Sise prevail.

The Regent Duke started to agree, then paused and shook his head.

"...No. Let it be this time. Let the prime minister keep investigating."

"Pardon?"

"Once the minister gets bitten a little, he'll finally realize how much he needs me to keep his position. Etienne seems to have forgotten who kept him safe as minister all this time."

"But... what if Sise uncovers something big?"

"Don't worry. Even if he succeeds, Sise won't last long."

The Regent Duke flashed a sinister grin.

It had been over half a year since he started feeding him the tea that induced mania. Reactions should start appearing soon.

"How long can that sharp mind of his stay intact?"

Once mania set in, any punishment for Etienne would fizzle out amid the chaos.

"We already know the outcome. Letting that arrogant old fool taste a bit of bitterness is no big deal."

The Regent Duke burst into hearty laughter.

One sunny afternoon.

"Who the hell are you people!"

Knight burst into Count Etienne's residence.

Their epaulets bore the crest of the Baldina royal family.

"Do you know who I am? How dare lowly royal knights barge in without fear?"

Before the minister could bellow sternly, his arms were seized, and he was forced to his knees.

"Lark E. Etienne, you are under arrest for human trafficking, murder, and violation of military law."

"Let go! What the hell is this!"

"You wouldn't claim ignorance about former Head Maid Lady Quizin and the children who vanished from the palace, would you?"

The knight captain with piercing eyes unrolled a scroll densely packed with the names of the missing.

"You smuggled out palace children under the royal banner, toyed with them until some died, sold the survivors, and used the proceeds for slush funds. Even hell would spit out scum like you."

'How do they know that!'

The knights produced evidence as if fully prepared, their movements seamless.

Cold sweat briefly beaded on the minister's face before he regained his composure and grew brazen.

"Ha, you think killing some commoner brats is enough to touch me?"

A fine and having a servant take the punishment would suffice. He had endless money and power.

As if anticipating his retort, the knight captain smirked.

"Minister, I mentioned military law violation earlier. Did you know those children sold here were resold abroad via the Black Eye Merchant Company?"

"W-what?"

"The Black Eye Merchant Company was funded by your slush funds. In other words, you leaked palace personnel abroad during wartime."

Violations of military law in wartime meant immediate execution. The minister's face drained of color.

"Take him to prison. Seize him."

The noose Sise had meticulously woven tightened around his neck in one pull.

Even the cunning minister saw no way out.

Resisting arrest, he was dragged away by the knights, who amiably gripped both his arms.

"Claudio! Tell Duke Claudio I've been arrested! Got it!"

Before passing through the final door, he twisted his body with all his might and shouted at his valet.

"Do it now! Immediately!"

"Y-yes! D-don't worry, my lord!"

Umberto nodded repeatedly, his face a mask of barely contained terror.

Meanwhile, the minister, hauled away between layers of gleaming silver armor, soon vanished from sight.

"W-what just happened?"

The count's household was in chaos.

Not only had royal knights suddenly stormed in and taken their master, but they were now ransacking the house.

"Why are they tearing the place apart? Why was the master arrested?"

"Found one! Another body here!"

"Recover all the remains!"

Amid the pandemonium, Umberto calmly went about his task.

"I'll leave this to you, butler. I need to write to Duke Claudio and head to the prison where the master is."

"Got it, Umberto. I'm counting on you."

The butler left.

Instead of writing as ordered, Umberto scribbled furiously on the parchment, muttering under his breath.

"Ca...rl...mada... you fucking... bastard..."