NOVEL WEB Chapter 180
Inside the box was a pair of swan sculptures made of magic stone. It was the imperial treasure the emperor had given her as a gift.
“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”
“Once you ascend to the throne, you’ll find a way to make me return it anyway. It feels uneasy to carry the Empire’s treasure straight to Pendel. Besides, since the emperor sent it unofficially, it would be easy for people to think I stole it.”
“Your calculation seems about right.” Edward closed the box and pushed it aside before speaking.
“I hired mercenaries.”
“Those unreliable people?”
To nobles, mercenaries were pawns moved by money. They had no pride or loyalty and would never serve a lord faithfully or keep secrets forever. Well, mercenaries had no lords to serve, unlike knights. That was the difference between knights and mercenaries. Although information about their clients was strictly protected to maintain their credibility, it also meant they could accept jobs from rival clients.
Nobles, therefore, preferred private soldiers and were reluctant to use mercenaries. Mercenaries were usually employed for dangerous missions or wars because they were considered expendable compared to knights. To nobles, mercenaries were just consumables.
“Have you heard that a large number of commoners have also contracted sleeping sickness?”
“Of course, I know. As the head of a merchant group, I heard that the imperial and temple clinics had no space, so most went to Servenia’s clinics. Many died because they couldn’t afford treatment.”
“Have you heard any recent news about that?”
“What? Well, it’s probably the same situation now, right?
Oh
, now that I think about it… I haven’t heard anything recently. The last thing I heard was last year about the store owner’s friend outside the capital closing for a day because of sleeping sickness.”
“After partnering with Servenia, that was the first thing we addressed. We admitted commoners with sleeping sickness directly to Servenia’s clinics. We also covered the treatment costs for those already receiving treatment.”
“Why would Grand Duke do that?”
“Because the imperial family caused this problem, someone had to clean it up.”
She looked surprised, then shook her head. “Seriously, you’re such old-fashioned thinking. You haven’t even returned to the imperial family yet, so why are you looking out for them? It’s not like anyone will notice.”
Despite her words, Diana seemed to understand. Though she had lived recklessly, she was still royalty and understood the responsibilities of the imperial family.
“Where did you get the money for this?”
“Well, I am the Grand Duke. My territory is quite large.”
Diana didn’t know Edward was the head of the Felice merchant group. From his days as the crown prince, he had always gathered information about her through Ellisian but never revealed all his cards to her.
“That’s true. But… how does this relate to the current situation?”
“Do you know why commoners become mercenaries?”
“Because it’s hard to make a living, or they need money urgently…
Ah
! Many probably became mercenaries because they needed a large sum of money for a sick family member.”
Diana’s face lit up with realization.
“There must be many mercenaries with family members suffering from sleeping sickness. But since Servenia helped them, they’d be willing to cooperate. Mercenaries claim to have some loyalty, so they wouldn’t turn their backs on someone who saved their family.”
“Exactly.”
“And Grand Duke is allied with Servenia now, being engaged to Lady Luize.”
“Yes.”
However, Luize’s significant role was not just because of her background. Edward consulted her in every stage of planning.
“…Given the situation, using mercenaries could solve the problem. However, contacting each mercenary group and uniting them would take a lot of time. There’s no one among the knights skilled in handling mercenaries, which adds to the risk of the plan. We need to find someone to lead them first.”
Luize, freshly bathed and with her hair dried, naturally leaned back in her chair. Edward nonchalantly picked up a comb and approached her.
“About that, I have a one-time voucher for the Dawn Wolf Mercenary Group. Although it’s a verbal contract, I got it from their leader, Vivian, so it’s reliable. How about using that?”
Luize shared her story with Vivian. After hearing her out, Edward nodded.
“The leader of the Dawn Wolf Mercenary group is definitely a good fit. Known for being tight-lipped and highly competent, she is considered the best among the mercenary leaders. The group itself has a high reputation, so she wouldn’t make such an offer to Miss Luize lightly.”
He spoke while combing Luize’s hair.
“However, she’s quick to calculate profit and loss. If she thinks we’re not beneficial, she will turn her back on us at any time. Even if she accepts our proposal, we can’t share the entire plan with her.”
“Then we should simply present what we want and gauge her response. After all, they don’t know that sleeping sickness is caused by black magic. If I make the request, it will seem like Servenia is trying to change their perception.”
Servenia had no cases of curing sleeping sickness, so after losing patients to imperial and temple clinics, public opinion doubted their competence. In such a situation, if Servenia quickly found and transported the missing patients and treated them for free, the disgraceful label attached to them could be covered with a good image for a while. The imperial family and affiliated clinics had long and complicated admission procedures, so it was something only Servenia, experienced with emergency patients, could do. Moreover, if Edward and his team could dispel the black magic while most of the sleeping sickness patients were hospitalized in Servenia, it would be a perfect opportunity to achieve a complete image overhaul.
Edward smiled with interest.
“Won’t some people find it suspicious if the missing patients are found near Servenia’s clinics? What do you think?”
“There may be some room for interpretation, but it won’t be a big problem. The important fact is that Servenia is covering the treatment costs. In reality, it’s funded by Felice Merchant Guild.”
“Additionally, the Empire’s citizens will likely suspect commoners as the culprit. To them, the Servenia clinics feel much closer than the imperial or temple clinics.”
“People in the Empire might suspect commoners. They feel closer to Servenia’s clinics than the imperial or temple clinics.”
Edward gently ran his fingers through Luize’s neatly combed hair. She smiled slightly, enjoying it.
“Right. The imperial and temple clinics are few and expensive, mostly serving the nobility. The temple accepts commoners but only pre-registered patients, not emergencies.”
“So if the emperor suspects us, it would look strange. Servenia would be financially disadvantaged, and none of us wouldn’t leave the mansion during that time.”
“Our allies who joined us will also avoid suspicion. But can we persuade all the guardians?”
“Among the moderates, it was clear they believed the emperor had taken their families hostage. Those who didn’t know learned, and those who suspected became certain. The imperial decree making discharge difficult clarified the situation.”
Luize turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because most of them were too afraid to attend our engagement due to the emperor’s threats. Those who attended knew the situation.”
“Now that you mention it… that’s true.”
Luize nodded.
“They want to rescue their family held hostage, regardless of whether they side with us or the current emperor. In such a situation, the proposal from ‘Servenia’ would be very appealing.”
Edward took her hand and led her to the bed.
“Servenia has publicly stated that our engagement and the family are separate. As Miss Luize mentioned, they have a justification to change their perception. Even if the emperor finds out, he can’t easily touch Servenia, which he desires so much.”
“But he’ll realize you’re behind it.”
“He’ll pretend not to know. He got what he wanted. Officially, it’s Servenia’s proposal, not mine. But if everything goes smoothly, my reputation will surpass the emperor’s.”
“…So you considered all of that.”
As he predicted, everything went smoothly. No matter how much they dug, it would appear to be Servenia’s doing. They couldn’t openly accuse them of staging it.
Servenia persuaded hesitant people to apply for discharge immediately, citing concerns for their loved ones’ safety. With the imperial decree, it would take a week to be discharged, giving them time to prepare. Of course, Diana didn’t need to know all these details.
“I feel relieved now. So that’s what happened. My curiosity is satisfied. I’ll be going now.” As she stood up to go, she turned back to him. “
Oh
, the scheduled date for the reinstatement document announcement hasn’t changed, right?”