chapter 241: Intertwining Intentions 2

​When Liliana woke up, she made an effort to act as she always did. Thanks to that, Marianne didn't seem to find anything suspicious. However, internally, she was far from calm.

​In the back of her mind, she kept replaying the contents of the journal she’d found in the shack the previous night. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she was on the verge of understanding something.

​"But... I lack sufficient information."

​If it were a spell cast upon a soul, the analysis itself would be difficult, but it wouldn't be impossible to ask Ben Draco or Petra Muirulainen for help. It would be faster to rely on experts in the field rather than brooding alone. If the analysis went well, there was a chance many of the questions she harbored would be resolved instantly. However, Liliana didn't feel like relying on anyone else.

​She didn't want to expose too much of herself, and above all, this was a delicate matter. It was better if no one else knew about that shack or the research.

​Yet, from the journal alone, she couldn't tell who the researcher looked up to as 'Master.' If she knew their identity, she might understand why they sought to create a human with such absurd amounts of mana. Whatever the reason, it was bound to be something terrible, but the scale of the damage was the real concern.

​"If it were just me, it would be fine... but if the Kingdom is affected..."

​She gasped, her eyes widening. She laced her trembling fingers together, trying desperately to stay calm.

​It was the first time she had ever felt this way. No matter how old she had been, she had never been swallowed by her emotions; she had always been able to think things through logically. Somewhere in her mind, a cool, analytical part of her wondered if this was what fear felt like.

​"Could it be...?"

​The hypothesis that came to mind was far too absurd. And yet, once she thought of it, she couldn't help but feel it was the truth.

​What surfaced in Liliana's mind was the otome game from her past life. Since the game had progressed entirely from the heroine’s perspective, perhaps various behind-the-scenes matters had simply been omitted.

​Above all, the heroine, Emilia Navy, was a mere baron’s daughter. Even if she followed Crown Prince Riley's route, they wouldn't even reach marriage by the game’s ending. The story simply depicted them becoming lovers and promising a future together. In other words, she would never learn information classified as a state secret.

​Due to the constraints of being a game, the story had touched upon things that were likely state secrets. However, the heroine was never involved in the core of those issues. And that was perfectly fine. The game’s story focused on the romance between the heroine and the love interests, not on being a suspense thriller. Unnecessary information for the romance wouldn't be depicted, nor would it appear in the fan books or strategy guides. No matter how massive a conspiracy existed behind the incidents in the story, Liliana, the player, had no way of knowing.

​Even so, there was something Liliana had always wondered about.

​Why was the Liliana in the game able to use Dark Magic when she was supposed to be a specialist in Wind Magic? To be precise, she had used Black Magic, but the attribute with the highest affinity for Black Magic was Dark.

​Unlike reality, the game’s Liliana had no contact with Petra Muirulainen or Ben Draco. She might have, but it hadn't been mentioned in the main story or the setting materials, so it was hard to believe they had influenced her.

​"I am..."

​She had to consider even the possibilities she didn't want to believe.

​Liliana bit her lip, then looked up as she felt a familiar presence. Glancing toward the window, she saw Obsidian. Seeing her eyes widen slightly, Obsidian tilted his head. Entering the room without permission, he spoke in a casual tone.

​"It’s been a while, My Lady."

​"It hasn't been that long, surely."

​Though she had been startled for a moment, Liliana immediately put on a smile. However, she was self-aware enough to know the expression was stiff. Sure enough, Obsidian furrowed his brows suspiciously.

​"Did something happen?"

​"No, nothing in particular. What brings you here?"

​Liliana immediately regained her usual composure. She answered flatly, but Obsidian didn't seem convinced. He directed a probing gaze toward her. When she met his eyes boldly, Obsidian eventually seemed to give up. He let out a small sigh and scratched his head.

​He moved away from the window and sat wordlessly on the sofa. Liliana didn't mind; it was business as usual. Mirroring him, she sat across from him.

​Obsidians pulled a letter from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. To the tilting Liliana, he announced the letter’s origin.

​"It’s a letter from Earl Koepke addressed to Marquess Tanner."

​"My."

​Blinking, Liliana whispered the single word as she picked up the envelope.

​Earl Koepke’s territory was where Malvina Tanner had been wed. He ruled a territory located in the western part of the Yunatian Empire and was said to be aggressively involved in various businesses. Despite being an Earl, some whispered that his practical power rivaled that of the Empire’s high-ranking nobles because of his wealthy territory. That was likely an exaggeration, but the House of Koepke certainly had that much momentum lately.

​"You did well to bring this."

​As Liliana let out the impressed remark, Obsidian recalled something and let out a pleasant chuckle.

​"That spoiled little princess worked hard for it."

​"Lady Malvina?"

​"Yeah."

​At the unexpected news, Liliana’s eyes widened slightly, and Obsidian nodded.

​It was Liliana’s instruction for Obsidian to approach Malvina. There was no doubt her brother, Shaun Tanner, was involved in human trafficking, but there was no evidence. It was clear they couldn't arrest Shaun based solely on conversations Obsidian had overheard. Besides, Liliana had no intention of telling anyone about Obsidian’s existence. Obsidian felt the same. Normally, spies and assassins used by royalty or high-ranking nobles never showed their faces in public.

​However, even so, Shaun Tanner was a cautious man. Even after sneaking into his mansion, no evidence of human trafficking appeared. In fact, even the letters that would prove his connection to the neighboring territory’s lords were kept to a bare minimum.

​They couldn't catch Shaun like this. That was when Liliana turned her attention to Shaun’s sister, Malvina. Malvina wasn't as cunning as Shaun. Her only interests were luxury; political maneuvering and hidden motives were beyond her comprehension. And Shaun couldn't completely control her. Since Shaun himself looked down on Malvina from the bottom of his heart, gaps were bound to appear no matter how much he tried to restrict her movements. And as someone who could move freely within the mansion without suspicion... she was too good a tool not to use.

​"'To help you reclaim your status as the Crown Prince’s fiancée,' I told her, and she gleefully snuck into Earl Koepke’s office. Apparently, she swiped it from a bundle of letters the butler had received."

​Furthermore, Earl Koepke was two peas in a pod with Shaun Tanner; he immediately looked down on women and children. Moreover, he hadn't seen through Malvina’s true nature yet. Because of that, Malvina seemed to be able to enter and leave all rooms more freely than when she was at the Marquess of Tanner's house.

​"And she was the one who told me to write to Earl Koepke."

​"Lady Malvina did?"

​"Right. She told him, 'It seems Brother has been getting close to other nobles lately. I suppose he thinks you won't betray us now that my marriage is settled.' I gave her a little nudge, but I didn't think she'd do this well."

​Liliana let out a faint, bitter smile at Obsidian's words. It seemed Obsidian had successfully manipulated the prideful Malvina. Malvina herself surely had no idea she was dancing in the palm of Obsidian’s hand.

​In any case, it had taken some time, but things were proceeding better than Liliana had expected.

​Earl Koepke must have panicked at Malvina’s words. Wordlessly taking the letter from the envelope and skimming it, Liliana saw lines of text that backed up Obsidian’s words.

​It stated that Earl Koepke could provide better services to the House of Tanner than other nobles, and that since he was the pioneer in 'slave trading,' he was prepared to share his expertise with other nobles if the House of Tanner were to join hands with another family—in short, it was a threat: 'If you switch to another noble, I'm ready to ruin your house.'

​"He seems quite flustered."

​"It seems the reason Earl Koepke was able to maintain his current power was that the human trafficking got on track."

​"He should have engaged in a more honest and stable business."

​'How unfortunate,' Liliana thought as she put the letter back in the envelope. She looked at Obsidian and asked calmly.

​"May I handle this correspondence?"

​"Yeah, that’s why I brought it back."

​"That helps."

​She had no intention of revealing the source, but the letter Obsidian brought would leave Liliana’s hands and reach Riley. Once it did, it would undoubtedly become material to denounce Marquess Tanner. The fact that the sender was a powerful noble from a neighboring country was also crucial. If they played their cards right, Shaun Tanner would be suspected of colluding with a foreign nation and executed as a traitor.

​Among the 'Northern Immigrants,' those with particularly high combat abilities—the 'Alvaldi descendants'—were precious military assets for the Slibegrad Kingdom. If they were taken to a neighboring country and forced into military service, they could become a threat to the Kingdom.

​"Also, I have one more report."

​"A report?"

​Liliana tilted her head, wondering what it could be. Obsidian prefaced with, "It’s not exactly evidence, but..." and mentioned the mercenary his 'former colleague' had captured.

​Liliana blinked as she listened to Obsidian’s story. She looked down for a moment in thought, then looked up.

​"So the 'Northern Immigrants' were being transported from the Kingdom to the Empire by hired mercenaries. And the client was one of the northern lords... is that it?"

​"That’s how it looks. Of course, that northern lord probably isn't the mastermind. They’re likely just using the name so no one finds out who the real mastermind is."

​The mastermind wasn't necessarily Shaun Tanner and Earl Koepke. Currently, they only had information suggesting those two were the main players, but the problem was that the immigrants were being kidnapped and sold to the Empire even before Shaun got his hands dirty. And even when Obsidian searched Earl Koepke’s territory, there was no sign of the captured immigrants living there.

​"They're probably being taken somewhere else from Earl Koepke’s territory, but I can't find out where."

​Obsidian looked bitter as well. However, Liliana didn't blame him. She shook her head slowly and smiled.

​"Investigating that far must be difficult. There is no need to rush."

​"You’re not saying I don't need to look into it, though."

​Obsidian let out an involuntary chuckle, and Liliana put on a look of mock offense.

​"Of course. Either way, this matter must be resolved."

​Some might think it was a simple slave trade. But Liliana was certain that wasn't the case. Because among the targeted immigrants, there were no women, who were usually in high demand in the general slave trade. While the slaves included men capable of heavy labor, that didn't mean women were excluded. In fact, women were prized in a different way than men.

​Obsidian likely realized that too. His eyes glinted as he blinked.

​"At this rate, the Empire might invade the Kingdom."

​"They have already invaded."

​"The Margrave of Kennys’ territory?"

​"Yes."

​To Obsidian’s teasing remark, Liliana nodded flatly. The forces of the neighboring lord who attacked the Margrave’s territory included Alvaldi descendants. Obsidian likely wasn't aware of that fact, but Liliana suspected there was some connection between that fact and the human trafficking.

​"It will be troublesome if it’s an organized conspiracy by the neighboring country, so please make sure you don't overlook anything."

​Obsidian shrugged at Liliana’s request, which was a disguised order. He looked exasperated, but he didn't seem to truly mind. Then, Obsidian stood up with a theatrical air and performed a graceful bow.

​"As my princess commands."

​Not expecting such an attitude, Liliana narrowed her eyes slightly. Then, she spoke in a voice tinged with coldness.

​"You really aren't suited for the role of a servant."

​"Seriously? That spoiled little princess really liked it."

​Obsidian grumbled with an expression that said his pride was wounded. However, Liliana shook her head. She didn't say anything, but Obsidian clearly got the message: 'That’s because Lady Malvina has no eye for quality.'

—-

Toc

Chapter 242