NOVEL WEB Chapter 93
“Sponsorship?”
“Yes.”
“In my name?”
“That’s correct.”
Duke Sorpel’s eyes widened slightly.
“Who on earth would…”
The news that the butler Luve had just brought him was intriguing, to say the least.
“There are a total of thirteen places.”
Someone was making enormous donations under his name, or more accurately, under the Sorpel family’s name.
“Hmm.”
He himself had been making regular contributions to several causes. But this was different—someone had even created a foundation specifically for this purpose.
“Have you looked into it?”
“Yes.”
A faint smile appeared on Luve’s lips as he nodded.
“It’s the Ghost Trading Company.”
“…Who?”
The Ghost Trading Company?
“The one I know of?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And why are
they
involved?”
The Ghost Trading Company was a name Duke Sorpel had been paying close attention to lately. He wasn’t alone in this; the entire empire was abuzz about it. The company was raking in an astonishing amount of wealth.
More than anything, the mystery surrounding its owner piqued everyone’s curiosity.
‘What kind of relationship does this have with Duke Sephra?’
The fact that Duke Sephra had handed over such a lucrative business was baffling.
“Chris Miller, wasn’t it?”
Duke Sorpel had tried to get information about the person from Duke Sephra but had failed. Sephra had dodged his questions, an uncharacteristic move that only fueled Sorpel’s curiosity.
And now that name was coming up again in this context.
“Take a look at this.”
Still smiling faintly, Luve handed a stack of documents to Duke Sorpel.
“What’s this?”
“Do you remember the mine Lady Camilla was given?”
“The mine?”
Of course, he remembered. He had promised her anything as a reward for recovering the divine beast, and she had chosen a seemingly useless mine.
“These are reports on the amount of minerals extracted from that mine and where those minerals have been transported.”
“And why bring this up now?”
Since giving Camilla ownership of the mine, Duke Sorpel had ceded all rights to her. To avoid burdening her, he had even instructed Luve not to interfere unless she explicitly asked for help.
“Did she ask for assistance?”
He wondered if she had run into trouble managing the mine, unable to find a use for it.
The thought unsettled him. If she had been struggling with that worthless mine, he was more than willing to replace it with a more valuable one.
“First, please take a look at the documents.”
With some hesitation, Duke Sorpel began to examine the papers. His expression shifted with every page.
First, he was astonished by the unexpectedly high volume of minerals extracted. Then, his eyes widened further at the final destination of those minerals.
“Sephra?”
The minerals were being transported to Duke Sephra’s estate.
“More precisely, they were delivered to the black mages under Duke Sephra’s jurisdiction,” Luve clarified.
“Black mages?”
“Yes.”
“…Surely not…”
Luve didn’t elaborate further. Duke Sorpel didn’t need it. He could piece the puzzle together on his own.
“Congratulations.”
Camilla blinked at Duke Sorpel’s words before a bright smile graced her lips.
“Thank you, Father.”
Her calm, composed gratitude seemed as though she had anticipated this moment. Duke Sorpel couldn’t help but smile in return.
“You intended for me to figure it out, didn’t you?”
Once he discovered that Camilla was the true owner of the Ghost Trading Company—and by extension, the magic stones—he couldn’t help but reflect. There were parts of this revelation that didn’t make sense.
‘Why go out of your way?’
Why would she make such massive donations in his name, knowing it would eventually lead back to her?
If not for that, he still might not have realized the truth about her connection to the magic stones and the Ghost Trading Company.
‘She wanted me to know.’
Seeing Camilla respond with a bright smile rather than embarrassment, Duke Sorpel became certain. She had intended for him to learn this truth.
“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”
“It did surprise me.”
Camilla lowered her head slightly, like a child caught in mischief.
“I didn’t expect the magic stones to attract so much attention.”
Feigning trepidation, she hunched her shoulders.
“I was scared people would come after me if they knew I was the owner. It’s terrifying to imagine what might happen…”
“Who would dare!”
She almost pointed at Marquis Gabriel and said,
“That guy,”
but held her tongue.
“I also didn’t want to add unnecessary burdens to your already busy schedule, Father. I planned to tell you once things settled down.”
She ignored the faint murmur of Duke Sephra’s voice in her mind:
“So you thought I had nothing better to do?”
“But the business grew so quickly, and I missed the right timing to tell you.”
“…I see.”
The important thing was that Duke Sorpel believed her.
‘This worked.’
It had been a smart move to donate under his name. If she hadn’t, her ownership of the Ghost Trading Company might have come to light through less favorable channels, tarnishing her reputation as a greedy opportunist.
Not to mention, if word got out that she had turned useless minerals into the highest-grade magic stones, the rumors alone could have been disastrous.
And so, through gritted teeth, she had donated in the name of the Sorpel family.
‘Damn it.’
She had calculated that Luve, as the head of Black Shadow, would quickly notice and inform Duke Sorpel, making it easier for her to explain.
The fact that Duke Sorpel was now patting her on the shoulder proudly showed her plan had worked.
‘That’s right.’
Turning worthless minerals into high-grade magic stones was impressive enough. Add to that her recent acquisition of the mine everyone had been fighting over—it was no wonder Duke Sorpel was pleased.
Of course, Camilla wasn’t interested in the iron from the mine.
‘What I want is the other mineral inside.’
Diamonds.
The iron would be sold back to Duke Sorpel at a fair price. Surely, he wouldn’t expect her to hand it over for free.
Suddenly, an angry shout broke through her thoughts.
“Impossible!”
She turned to see Marquis Gaviel trembling with rage, his eyes fixed on her.
“How could it be her!”
So it wasn’t Duke Sephra who had sabotaged him with magic stones—it was this wretched girl!
He couldn’t believe he had been outmaneuvered by someone like her.
‘And what are you going to do about it?’
Camilla met his furious gaze with the sweetest smile she could muster.
‘What difference does it make that I’m the owner of the Ghost Trading Company?’
Even if they weren’t related by blood, she was still a duke’s daughter. Did he think he could look down on both the Sephra and Sorpel families?
“Ugh…”
Marquis Gaviel seemed to have similar thoughts. His eyes quickly darted away, unable to meet hers.
“Hmph.”
Following her gaze, Duke Sorpel cast a cold glare at Gavriel, whose shoulders slumped further.
‘Damn it!’
The situation had gone from bad to worse. With both Duke Sephra and Duke Sorpel backing her, it seemed impossible to challenge her any longer.
Elsewhere, the stunned voices of other nobles murmured in disbelief.
“So, you handed over the magic stones to
her
?”
“What were you thinking? She’s just a child!”
Duke Jabilon, still reeling from losing the auction, was incredulous.
“You mean she outmaneuvered both of us?”
“Indeed.”
While the others remained in shock, Camilla sat with an angelic smile, the picture of innocence.
***
“Why? What?”
“……”
“If you have something to say, spit it out.”
“……”
“…Fine. I’ll give you five of the finest magic stones.”
“……”
“Seven?”
“……”
“Eight! I won’t go higher!”
“……”
“…Ten.”
“Fine, I’ll let it slide.”
Damn it.
She had thought convincing Duke Sorpel would be the hardest part. But there was one more obstacle left at home.
‘Ravi, you sneaky bastard.’
Unsurprisingly, the news had spread like wildfire that afternoon: Camilla was the true owner of the magic stones and the Ghost Trading Company.
Ravi had come storming to her, glaring daggers at her.
Under the weight of his silent scrutiny, she eventually confessed everything.
‘How much is this whole thing going to cost me?’
“You even lied to me?”