บท 248: [Chapter 248] A bored Abelus
"Your Highness! Sob, Your Highness!"
Bang. A tear-stained beauty rushed in through the wide-open door. Abelus, who was in the middle of a discussion with the Minister of Military Affairs, had a tired expression on his face.
He had controlled the news for this very reason.
"Your Highness, is the rumor that my father has gone missing true?"
"Yes, it's true."
Abelus said softly to Megara, who was sobbing as she clung to him. He gently patted her back and gestured to the Minister of Military Affairs to leave.
It was outrageous that the Crown Prince's consort, not even the Crown Princess, would come in and interrupt a discussion about important state affairs. The Minister of Military Affairs was displeased, but he retreated as instructed. Abelus led Megara to a sofa in one corner of his office.
Her pretty face was a mess, as if she had been crying for a long time. Well, it wasn't a good thing for the Marquis of Rikeandros, or his family, for that matter, to have lost so many troops and then gone missing.
Abelus sighed, wiped Megara's cheek, and said,
"Maggie, listen carefully. I'm also heartbroken that the Marquis has disappeared. It's a great loss to the country to lose such a talented man. But…"
He was going to say that they would search diligently, so she should wait patiently. Such sadness was part of wartime. But Megara, who didn't miss the word he had carelessly used, widened her eyes.
"'Lost'? Your Highness, if my father is missing, doesn't that mean we can still find him?"
Ugh. Abelus clicked his tongue. He took his hand off Megara's tear-stained cheek and remained silent for a moment. Megara couldn't even breathe during the short silence.
Finally, Abelus spoke.
"The wall collapsed. The Marquis happened to be under it. They haven't found his body, so they're calling it a disappearance, but the chances of him surviving and returning are low. I'll call the Lesser Marquis later and tell him to temporarily inherit the title and attend the state council."
Megara's pretty face was filled with terror. She couldn't even hear the explanation that 'if the Marquis returns, everything will go back to normal'.
She felt as if the sky were falling. Her father, who had always doted on her since she was a child. He had treated her younger brother, the heir, accordingly, but both siblings knew that he loved her even more. In a childhood without a mother, her father was her world.
Megara remained silent for a long time, and Abelus was about to get up. This defeat had been a blow to him as well. But Megara quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"Your Highness, my brother is still too young. How can a child like that attend a state council…?"
The Marquis of Rikeandros's family was somewhat ostracized in noble society because of the issue of Megara's hidden birth, but Abelus favored Megara and had planted his people in many positions, so they appeared as confident as ever.
But power ultimately came from the recognition of others. Wasn't the Ellandria family a prime example? How easily their honor, which had lasted since the founding of the country, had been shattered.
Could a young Lesser Marquis even protect half of what was his in this treacherous court? Megara was afraid that he wouldn't be able to. Her brother didn't even listen to her anymore. He had come to the Marquis's estate for the holidays, but he didn't talk to anyone in the family…
Abelus's attitude also made her uneasy. Just yesterday, Abelus hadn't let go of Megara. He had whispered, "I love you, I love you," as if he were breathing. At a time like this, he should have cried with her. He should have said that he was grateful for the Marquis's courage and that they should wait for his return.
But she saw clear 'annoyance' in his eyes now.
She felt like her neck was being choked. Megara widened her eyes and listened unrealistically to Abelus's casual words.
"What's so wrong with being too young? The Lesser Marquis must have received some education from his family. Historically, there was an emperor who ascended to the throne at six months old…"
He patted her shoulder carelessly, as if to say, "Do you understand now?" Megara felt that gesture like a club beating her.
"Anyway, I'm in a difficult position because the Marquis lost. So, Maggie. Does your family have some money? I trusted you so much, and you lost, so it would be good to show your sincerity for the sake of the Marquis's family's position."
The words that followed felt like a slap across her face.
Megara was so dumbfounded that she asked back. It was contrary to her actions so far, pretending to understand Abelus's heart better than anyone else.
She couldn't help it.
"Yes?"
"Money, Maggie. I know the Marquis's family has been working hard. But my trust in the Marquis's family might look bad to some people. They might say that I'm too fond of you and gave you a political position that's beyond your station. If the Marquis had won this time and proven my judgment, things would be different, but he didn't, did he?"
"I… my family doesn't have any spare money right now, Your Highness. You know. That bad woman from the Morie Trading Company took a lot of our family's assets, and whatever was left, we gave it all as military funds…"
"Come on, a family of such long-standing grand nobles can't have nothing left. What were you saving it for? You know that if you invest a little in a crisis like this, you can get much more back, right?"
Invest? Save? Get back?
Megara's head was spinning. The Marquis's family really, really had no money. Her biological mother, a prominent commoner, had already sold off a large portion of her assets, and the special products of the territory were not selling well because the McKinnon Trading Company had taken over the distribution network. The Marquis's family's assets were the same.
They had spent it all. For Abelus. Or to make Megara win his favor.
Thinking that they would really 'get back a lot' if everything went well.
She felt like throwing up, but she couldn't wrinkle her face now. Megara knew better than anyone how sensitive Abelus was these days. So, she quickly smiled. Perhaps using all the strength she had left.
"I really don't have any spare money, but… I'll look into it. It's right to make Your Highness happy, even if it means sacrificing everything my family has."
"I'm glad you said that, Maggie. You really are the perfect woman for me."
Megara smiled at Abelus's praise, kissed him, and left his office.
The Minister of Military Affairs could see her trembling figure as she left. He sat down at the table as Abelus gestured for him to do so and asked,
"Don't you need to comfort her more? She lost her father."
"State affairs are more important now. If she's the Crown Prince's woman, she should be able to accept that."
He had been dragging her around the court, saying she was his beloved woman, and doing everything she asked. When had that been? The Minister of Military Affairs was bewildered, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to give the impression that he was interfering in the Crown Prince's consort's affairs. Abelus, true to his word, focused on 'state affairs' instead, but he sat there glumly for a while.
Then, a beautiful maid approached Abelus. His expression brightened when he saw her.
"Ah, you appeared just when I needed you. Will you bring me some tea?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The maid's voice was very sweet. As if she believed that her loveliness was known to the other person. Abelus's face, as he glanced at her retreating figure, revealed everything.
The Minister of Military Affairs failed to hide his surprised expression. Abelus burst into laughter when he saw his face.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
The truth was that Abelus had already started to feel bored with Megara. He had just been keeping her around because she had saved his life and because he had found it amusing how the Marquis of Rikeandros had been bringing her to him.
'Well, without that Marquis, what's the point? I'll keep her position because she's my savior, but I don't have to be with only one woman.'
Even when he was dating Natasha, Abelus had briefly dated a few women for fun. It wasn't because he wanted to break up with Natasha, but because he found it boring to be devoted to only one woman. And he found it amusing when Natasha found out about those women and came to him, complaining.
Megara was different from Natasha. When Abelus flirted with women of lower status for fun, she would 'eliminate' them without a trace. And she would act coy in front of him, like an angel.
At first, Abelus found it amusing. He was so smitten with Megara that he didn't feel any problems. But he still disliked being controlled. He found it ridiculous that she pretended not to be jealous in front of him. She was even more greedy than Natasha.
Now, she had dared to barge into the Crown Prince's office, having heard news that he had told her not to tell anyone. It meant she had planted her people around him. It was unacceptable for a consort of such low status, not even a commoner.
'It wouldn't hurt to teach her a lesson.'
He didn't intend to bring in another official consort. She had made a great contribution by saving him from assassination, and he felt sorry for her situation. But because of that, Abelus wanted Megara to act more to his liking.
Anyway, it wasn't a very important issue, so he asked the Minister of Military Affairs coldly,
"So, what else do we need to stop that bastard Cledwyn? Scrape together everything you have! Joyce McKinnon is in the Imperial City, so the McKinnon family won't be able to do anything else. They're just merchants, so they must have a distribution network. Tell them to hand it all over for use in supplies!"
****
Valentine was afraid of his brother's office.
It wasn't because there was something terrible in the office of the proud Duke of Ellandria. It wasn't because he was afraid of being caught sneaking in, having confirmed his brother's absence. It was just…
When he was a child, he had played in his brother's office and read an important document. He remembered his brother's terrifying face at that time.
Ever since she saw that, Valentine had never dared to enter her brother's office again.
He was a dreamlike brother, handsome, kind, and good at indulging his younger sister's whims, but Valentine had always been a little afraid of Nellusion. It was as if something was hidden behind his kind smile.
He called his family his beloved, but it seemed as if he didn't love anyone.
Valentine didn't want to summon the monster who loved no one. So, she found a line, a line she didn't intend to keep for anyone else. To keep the world of the happy Valentine Ellandria from breaking.
The office she had entered now was not the one she had entered as a child. The mansion back then had been burned down, and this was a small house that was even unfamiliar to Valentine. And the office Nellusion had used back then was the Lesser Duke's, and this house only had one room suitable for an office, the Duke's.
But despite all those differences, Valentine felt a familiar fear as soon as she stepped into Nellusion's office.
'There's no need to be afraid.'
She had dismissed the servants. And Valentine had a reason to enter her brother's office. She was so surprised when Alekto told her that the Imperial Family had wanted her as the Crown Princess, but her brother had refused.
'I have to make my own place.'
Yes. If she found evidence like Alekto said, if she showed it to Abelus… her childhood feud with Megara would be over. Valentine would ascend to the position she had dreamed of. She just had to hide the part about how involved the Ellandria family was when Megara framed Princess Camille…
Valentine, determined, began to search everything Nellusion had left in his office. Books, boxes, drawers, cabinets…
Everything was so well organized that there were very few words Valentine had to read. There were a lot of formal ledgers that Valentine wasn't even curious about, and there were no documents with interesting content.
Just as Valentine was about to hit one of the statues on the desk in frustration, something happened.
Creak. Click, click. Several small pieces of metal interlocked and turned, and a part of the desk top flipped open. Several letters inside were revealed.
Letters with the sender's initials 'M'.
Valentine's hand, trembling with excitement, reached out to grab the letters. She began to read from the first page, without a moment's hesitation.
The man with the monocle, who was watching her from outside the window, disappeared with a brisk movement.
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