Chapter 8: Operation to Relinquish the Succession (1)

The mere fact that a member of the imperial family had come to visit made every servant of the Arcturus Marquis House tense. Because of that, the banquet preparations were carried out under especially tight control.

Not the slightest speck of dust was permitted on the tablecloths, and not the slightest flaw was permitted in the taste of the wine and food being prepared.

But the moment everything was brought to a halt, a dreadful silence fell over the estate.

“Bring Simon to me at once!”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Barely suppressing his fury, Marquis Deneuve turned sharply on his heel. He reached the study first, and a short while later, Simon appeared.

The sight of Simon still carrying himself so boldly made his anger flare all over again.

“It seems I must remind you of the promise we made not long ago, Simon.”

“You mean the promise that the words ‘break off the engagement’ would come from the Imperial Princess’s own lips?”

“You wretch!”

It was a furious roar.

Even hearing such a scolding again after so long felt strangely welcome, but Simon could not very well laugh. This was not the time for jokes.

“Is this because the Imperial Princess returned so quickly?”

“The root of the problem is your insincere attitude.”

“I spoke with the Imperial Princess at length. And I stated it plainly to her. That she is not suited to the Arcturus Family.”

“……What?”

Marquis Deneuve was horrified.

It was something he had never imagined hearing. Before leaving, the princess had spoken in a way that had seemed, at least somewhat, to shield Simon.

And yet he had said she was not suited to the Family.

It was absurd.

With that single sentence, he had practically denied the Imperial House itself.

“H-how could you do such a thing? Even if you are the eldest son—no, precisely because you are the eldest son, do you not understand that there is a Family honor you are bound to protect? Was it not enough for you to tarnish that honor? Were you intent on shattering it altogether?”

“I am disappointed, Father.”

When Simon said he was disappointed, with not the slightest sign of remorse, Marquis Deneuve furrowed his brow and waited for what would come next.

Come to think of it, it had been like this before as well.

Simon was not the kind of man who would create such a disaster for no reason.

“Would I really have treated the Imperial Princess so harshly for no reason? I had my reasons. And yet, without even asking what those reasons were, you take only the Imperial Princess’s side. How could I not feel disappointed?”

“This is astonishing. And what exactly is this grand reason of yours?”

“Have you ever heard of a gathering called El Luna?”

“I have not.”

“Then let me explain.”

Simon told him everything, without omitting a single detail—not only about the secret gathering called El Luna, but also the conversation he had had with the Imperial Princess.

The marquis knew it well enough too.

In the Imperial Capital, where countless nobles gathered, secret meetings between men and women took place without end.

At least in this age, it was by no means unnatural for one person to choose multiple lovers.

“But the name El Luna is one I have never heard before.”

“That is not what matters. What matters is that Baron Iroste is the Imperial Princess’s paramour.”

“Do you have proof?”

“If Baron Iroste is brought in and interrogated, the truth will come out.”

Because Simon spoke so boldly without any evidence, Marquis Deneuve felt faint.

There was certainty in Simon’s voice.

As though the moment an order was given, he would drag Baron Iroste in at once.

But what mattered was evidence.

To make such a claim without evidence was no different from slander.

“You do not mean to tell me you expect me to believe this?”

“I am only explaining the situation I was placed in. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you, Father.”

“Was this information that scoundrel Ranieri dug up?”

“No.”

No outsiders could be drawn into this matter. If they were, he might not be able to avoid disaster.

“There are more people who serve as my eyes and ears than you imagine. I am, after all, the eldest son of Arcturus.”

“Even so, that does not excuse your irreverence. The Imperial Princess shed tears! And despite the fact that you are standing here perfectly well on both legs, you did not even come out to see her off.”

“So that happened.”

He had expected as much. Hypocrisy was one of the roles the princess played best.

“I was thinking of going up to the Imperial Capital before long. When I do, I will meet with the Imperial Princess and smooth things over properly.”

“Are you serious?”

“I have no intention of insisting only on my own stubbornness. I also believe your concerns are valid.”

Only then did Marquis Deneuve let out a deep sigh.

“My son. Even if what you say is true…… do not turn a small indiscretion into a great calamity. Any noble may fall prey to such temptations. Do not look at the tree and miss the forest. Not only your future, but the Family’s future hangs in the balance. At times, one must know how to sacrifice the lesser for the greater.”

“My Lord.”

He called him My Lord instead of Father.

This time, Simon’s gaze turned sharp. He raised his voice without hesitation.

“Do you truly consider this a small indiscretion? Even while watching the eldest son of the Arcturus Family become the second husband?”

“It is nothing but rumor.”

“The day will come when I reveal the truth. When that time comes, I will show you clear evidence myself.”

Simon knew all of Imperial Princess Mercedes’s tastes and preferences, the places she liked to go, and much more besides. He also remembered quite a bit of information about Baron Iroste.

Catching them in the act and securing evidence would not be difficult.

What mattered was timing.

If he did that, however, relations with the Imperial House would deteriorate beyond repair.

If he wanted the Imperial Princess herself to speak of breaking off the engagement, he had to settle this matter as cleanly as possible.

What concerned him most, however, was the Alphonse Count House.

In his previous life, it had been the house the princess backed from behind the scenes. The Alphonse Count House was none other than the Imperial Princess’s maternal family.

Come to think of it, the reason relations between our Family and the Aldebaran Family worsened was because the Alphonse Count House dared to weave its schemes.

In his previous life, war with the Aldebaran Family came in the end. Arcturus won that war, but the Family also suffered enormous losses.

In the midst of it all, the one that grew noticeably by reaping the windfall was the Alphonse Count House.

Using its geographic advantage, it amassed tremendous wealth by selling grain, weapons, and other war supplies.

Later, Simon seized the initiative back through immense effort, but he had no wish to go through that painful process ever again.

Above all, now that he had no intention of becoming the heir, it was a development he had to avoid all the more.

There must be a connection between the Imperial Princess and the Alphonse Count House. A connection beyond mere blood ties on her mother’s side. I need to seize that.

Only then could his younger brother inherit a sound territory.

Having quickly sorted out his thoughts, Simon softened his expression and bowed his head slightly.

“In any case, I am sorry for causing you concern, Father. I am an adult now. And as a proud member of Arcturus, I will resolve this matter cleanly.”

“I will ask you only one thing. Do you truly not hold the Imperial Princess in your heart?”

“No.”

It was a clean, decisive answer.

The marquis let out another long sigh. It seemed turning his son’s heart would not be easy.

“Then I shall take my leave now, Father.”

Without a word, the marquis waved his hand.

When Simon returned to his room, a welcome face was waiting there. It was Ranieri, who had gone out to investigate at Simon’s command not long ago.

“You came back sooner than I expected.”

“The Imperial Princess also returned sooner than expected.”

“What, are you disappointed that you did not get the chance to make an impression on her?”

With that reply, Simon lay down on the bed. The soft cushions calmed his heart.

The bed really was the best.

“Of course not. You know this already. I have no interest in a post at the center.”

“And yet the Empire would prosper if someone as clever as you went to the Imperial Capital and made a name for himself.”

“I have no interest in rank and fame.”

That much was true.

Even Ranieri, who gave off such an intellectual and scholarly air, was the sort of man who, once night fell, wondered which woman’s heart he might steal next.

“I heard His Lordship was furious. It is fortunate you came through unharmed. I was told it would not have been strange even if a limb had been broken.”

“And who dared say something so insolent?”

“Miss Debianne.”

“……It was a close thing. It would not have been strange at all if he had drawn his sword.”

Simon briefly summarized for Ranieri the conversation he had had with Marquis Deneuve.

“Well done. Had you not said you would go to the Imperial Capital, things might truly have become dangerous. But do you really have physical evidence?”

“Of course.”

Seeing his master’s expression, Ranieri did not doubt him. That supremely confident look was Simon’s trademark.

Simon changed the subject.

“So. How did it go?”

“The investigation is complete. Fortunately, there is only one bakery in Minor Village.”

“Recite it.”

Simon hated paperwork. Knowing that well, Ranieri had naturally prepared no documents.

“It was not a bakery with any particularly noteworthy name. A middle-aged man in his forties runs it, and it sells around ten kinds of bread. The bread there is cheaper than bread in the Imperial Capital, and since it tastes good, it has an excellent reputation. I heard travelers come looking for it after hearing the rumors. Also, the owner is said to be a man of fine character, one who does not turn away needy neighbors but helps them.”

Ranieri continued with an explanation longer than the history of that tiny bakery itself.

But in the end, the information Simon actually wanted never came out of his mouth.

Unable to bear it any longer, Simon finally asked,

“Are there no employees?”

“By employees, you mean?”

Ranieri pressed the point sharply. Simon had the distinct feeling that he had stepped into a trap, but he could not stop now.

“No, I mean, in a country shop, it is common for families to run the business together, is it not? And how many unmarried men in their forties are there in that village?”

“Would it not be better to refine your question a little? Trim away what should be trimmed away, for example.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Whether there was a sweet and pretty young woman there.”

The moment the correct answer came out, Simon let out a sigh.

This bastard deliberately left out anything about Lua.

Ranieri pushed up his glasses with a smooth motion and smiled in triumph.

“I found it rather curious when you suddenly ordered me to investigate a bakery in some remote place. And sure enough, there was a young woman around your age working there. So that ordinary girl managed to push the Imperial Princess aside?”

“So you deliberately told me everything except that part?”

“Please forgive my disloyalty.”

He did not look even remotely like a man who had committed disloyalty. If anything, Ranieri’s face was flushed with the intoxication of victory.

“Well, that answers one of my questions. Now that I know your ideal type, Young Master, this seems likely to become very valuable information. For a very long time, I think.”

“Do not you dare think of using that to negotiate with Father. I would rather not attend the funeral of a subordinate and friend I happen to cherish.”

“That is the method of an amateur. There is far more for me to gain from you than from the head of the Family, so there is no need for such a thing.”

Ranieri smiled in that infuriating way of his.

In other words, he intended to use this matter itself as leverage.

“But how exactly did you come to know this woman? As I have said before, you have never been to Minor Village.”

“How are you a strategist when your imagination is this poor?”

“Imagination is a virtue for writers, not strategists.”

“She could have come to the city! To sell bread! Do you not know how popular bakeries are in the Imperial Capital these days? Why does it not occur to you that I might have seen her then?”

“You are always confident and bold in all things, Young Master. Put badly, you are arrogant and excessively self-assured.”

“Ha, so now you are insulting me to my face?”

“I mean only that you possess a strong sense of self-regard. Please do not misunderstand. A man like that, while in a relationship with the Imperial Princess, turning his eyes toward a commoner woman? It does not accord with reason.”

It was a sharp analysis.

But it did not matter anymore. What mattered was that Lua was there.

“She was my first love in my previous life. That is why I wanted to find her.”

“Regression again? You are not saying this because you expect me to believe it, are you?”

“Her name is Lua.”

At those words, Ranieri was slightly startled.

“……Had I mentioned her name?”