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IGF 11
“Ah, yes. No, I mean, the banquet hall is here, so why the garden?”
“There was a reason.”
Contrary to Jeffrey’s suggestion to play along for a while to buy time, Aiden had intended from the start to make a brief appearance at the beginning of the banquet and spend the rest of his time in the garden, but he didn't bother saying so. After the commotion in the garden, being there had become more awkward, and decisively, he found Jeffrey’s nagging to be tedious.
He gave a vague nod and glanced at Violet Russell. Her fervent gaze, fixed on him from the moment he entered the banquet hall, was quite cumbersome.
“What kind of reason—no, never mind. Just go quickly and dance at least one dance with Lady Russell.”
“Must I?”
“If you leave like this, people will only suspect why you came here in the first place.”
“Sigh...”
Aiden irritably brushed back his hair and began to walk. While his head knew Jeffrey was right, he wasn't in the mood. Just looking at red hair that resembled Wijena made him feel nauseous. On the other hand, Violet, who had been watching him with an anxious look, could not hide her shyness as he approached, and a smile spread across her face.
“Lady Russell.”
“I greet Your Highness.”
As this was the banquet marking the start of the spring social season, the jewel flowers densely embedded in Violet’s dress sparkled every time she moved. After curtsying, Violet toyed with her hair, which was braided and decorated with fresh flowers, and smiled shyly at Aiden. Looking into her emerald eyes, which sparkled with an undisguised longing for him, the blue eyes he had seen in the garden earlier unconsciously came to mind.
Even in a situation where she had almost suffered something terrible, those eyes had conveyed composure and determination rather than fear and despair. Recalling those deep blue eyes that remained calm despite clearly recognizing him, he felt a dull sensation in his chest. Shaking off the thoughts, he indifferently reached out his hand to Violet. As if she had been waiting, Violet placed her hand on his arm and walked gracefully toward the dance hall.
“You seem to have put a lot of effort into this banquet. You must have worked hard.”
It was a comment laced with a critique of how much money had been poured into it. Knowing that the funds of the Marquis Russell family came from all sorts of corruption, he didn't find this luxurious banquet hall particularly pleasing. However, Violet seemed to perceive the words as the highest praise, as she smiled brightly and curtsied.
“I am so glad that Your Highness found it satisfactory.”
“Not at all.”
A lady whose mind is as much of a flower garden as the decorations in her hair, he thought. She seemed half-delirious just because Aiden had attended. Thinking that he didn't need to worry at all about Dylan’s infiltration being discovered, he masked a sneer with a smile.
“I didn't see you for a while, so I thought you weren't coming.”
“The garden was beautiful, so I took a moment to look around.”
Aiden answered vaguely and turned Violet to the right. Because of this, he missed the momentary stiffening of Violet’s expression. Fortunately, the dance music was nearly over, meaning there was no need for further conversation. Noticing that Dylan, who had infiltrated the Marquis's estate, had returned and was standing in the corner of the banquet hall, Aiden let go of Violet’s hand without hesitation and finished the final move.
“Your Highness. The next piece is my favorite. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, perhaps the next dance as well...”
As if regretting the parting of his hand, Violet stepped closer, unable to hide her anxiety. Aiden moved away subtly as she approached, shaking his head slightly with a painted-on smile.
“I have a schedule, so I must leave now. If there is an opportunity, let us dance together next time.”
At Aiden’s smile, Violet’s cheeks flushed red, as if she had forgotten the words of rejection. Leaving the curtsying Violet behind, he exited the banquet hall, and Dylan, disguised as a servant, hurried to follow him. As they passed through the main gate of the Marquis's estate and approached the carriage, Jeffrey, who had been preparing, stepped down and opened the carriage door.
“You returned quickly.”
“Is there any need to delay?”
“I only said that because I was worried people would wonder why you came here!”
“I don't think you need to worry about that, Jeffrey.”
Aiden lightly brushed past the protesting Jeffrey, and Dylan, who climbed into the carriage behind him, laughed mischievously.
“It was obvious even from thirty feet away that Violet Russell is head-over-heels just by looking at Your Highness's face.”
“...Well, that’s a relief then.”
Jeffrey pouted as he climbed into the carriage and closed the door. Then again, even to him as a man, that face was dangerous enough to occasionally make his heart plummet. It would be even more so in the eyes of women. He felt somewhat aggrieved, thinking he had been anxious based on his own standards. Jeffrey sighed deeply and sank into the backrest.
As the carriage began to move, Aiden turned toward Dylan, who was loosening his collar and messing up his hair again out of frustration.
“So, any gains?”
“Yes. As expected, they intend to jump into trade with Romport. It seems they plan to meet the Romport ambassador at the end of next month. The Robert Merchant Guild has taken our bait hook, line, and sinker.”
The Robert Merchant Guild was the guild operated by the Marquis Russell family. Though called a merchant guild, they were nothing more than the Marquis's henchmen, hiding in the shadows of the Russell family and handling all sorts of shady business. If he could just bring down the Robert Merchant Guild, he could effectively cripple the Marquis's reach. The reason Aiden had established the Adamant Merchant Guild immediately upon his return was precisely to keep the Robert Merchant Guild in check.
“Good. Keep leaking the information.”
“Yes.”
About ten years ago, the relationship with the Northern Kingdom, Romport, had been frozen, but as things thawed, exchanges between the Empire and Romport began to increase. Furthermore, due to the increased volume of trade, the need for full-scale trade with Romport became prominent, so the Robert Merchant Guild would likely be preparing to secure the trade rights with Romport independently this time.
Aiden did not miss the opportunity and leaked various pieces of information so that the Robert Merchant Guild could build their dreams. The gist of the information was that the mana stones buried in the Kingdom of Romport exceeded those of the Empire by more than three times, but they lacked the technology to mine them; therefore, if one could obtain the exclusive mining rights for the mana stones, they could acquire a fortune.
The Robert Merchant Guild believed that information implicitly and was pouring all its strength into the deal with Romport. It had been identified that the guild master, Jayze, had recently met and lobbied nobles of the Kingdom of Romport, and now it seemed he intended to meet and lobby the Romport ambassador soon.
“Ah, and it seems the Robert Guild Master met with Marquis Russell and requested permission for the maintenance of the Arita Port.”
“Such efficient processing. I'm almost grateful.”
At Dylan’s following words, the corners of Aiden’s mouth curled slightly. Things were proceeding smoothly according to plan. If the Russell side had granted permission for the maintenance of the northern Arita Port, it was clear that the Marquis also had high expectations for the deal with Romport. Since they would invest generously to begin full-scale trade, he only had to wait and seize what they had built.
“It will be quite a sight when they realize they've been stabbed in the back. I'm already losing sleep in anticipation, Your Highness.”
Jeffrey spoke excitedly, wearing an ecstatic expression as if that day had already arrived. Dylan nodded in agreement and continued his report.
“And as expected, I found a connection with the Great Temple. I saw some documents stamped with the seal of the Great Temple.”
“Dig deeper into that side.”
“Yes.”
“Everything is flowing smoothly. Except for the matter of Your Highness's engagement.”
Jeffrey’s face darkened instantly. Perhaps just thinking about the marriage talks between the Marquis Russell family and Aiden made his blood boil, as he pushed the carriage window open slightly. Aiden also loosened his cravat and leaned back, lost in thought.
Deimos had said he would try to block it as much as possible, but simply diverting the Emperor's attention would not be enough to break the engagement. He needed to start taking action soon. It was while he was staring out the window, deep in thought, that the exceptionally blue sky of today caught his eye.
In that moment, the eyes from the garden, which he had momentarily pushed aside, broke through his reverie.
“Roselyn Bluebell. Have you heard of her?”
“Roselyn Bluebell?”
Jeffrey raised an eyebrow at the sudden name. Setting aside the fact that a woman's name had suddenly come from the Prince's mouth, if it was Roselyn Bluebell...
“The daughter of Count Bluebell? Of course I've heard of her.”
“If it's that name, I've heard of her as well. A name that was recently embroiled in a bit of a scandal.”
At Dylan’s joining response, Aiden let out a hollow laugh. She was that famous? And a scandal, too—things were getting interesting. He spoke while toyed with the corner of his mouth with a long finger.
“Investigate what kind of scandal it was.”
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