﹡ ⊹ ⊰ Chapter 223 ⊱ ⊹ ﹡
"The young Deputy Head is very outspoken." Ethan Klaus spoke to me in a harsh voice.
When I mentioned the Empress, he seemed quite upset. However, even in the midst of that, Ethan Klaus's eyes didn't stop searching the inside of the carriage.
It seemed like he was looking through the corners to see if there was a space where Clerivan could hide.
"I, the Deputy Head of Lombardy, have no reason to be wary of what I say in front of an Angenas Knight." I bit a sharp reply, wanting to not lose.
"You'll regret it if you don't get out of the carriage soon, Sir Klaus."
"......"
As soon as I finished speaking, Klaus squeezed his body back out of the carriage while holding the door.
Then all of a sudden, he pulled out his sword.
Shiiing!
There was a loud sound enough to make my ears ring.
"You dare open the Lombardy's carriage. Do you want to die, Ethan Klaus?"
It was Lambert Lombardy, the Commander of Lombardy Knights, who appeared in an instant and swung his sword.
The two men's clashed swords were vibrating with tremendous force.
"Move!"
"Hounds of Angenas!"
From the back, familiar voices were heard along with the sound of horses' trotting.
Looking outside, I could see Angenas and the Imperial Knights that were close to the carriage, stepping away.
"Tia, no, Deputy Head, are you okay?"
It was Gillieu and Mairon who stood out from the window. In addition to the two, there are probably a few more Lombardy Knights who came along with them.
I smirked at the hardened face of Ethan Klaus who was looking at the Knights of Lombardy surrounding the carriage.
It was known that I would go to the meeting, but did I say that I was going alone?
Now Angenas and the Imperial Knights must be careful with their actions unless they intend to engage in an all-out war with Lombardy.
Of course, what they've done so far is not something to be overlooked.
"Sir Lombardy."
"Yes, Deputy Head."
"You can stop now. I'm fine."
"Okay."
To be precise, my Dad's cousin, Lambert Lombardy, was a man who's on good terms with me.
But before that, we have a relationship as the Deputy Head and the Commander of the Lombardy Knights.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sir Lombardy pushed back the sword of Ethan Klaus before retreating.
I spoke to Ethan Klaus.
"I dare you to open my carriage door again, Sir Klaus."
The eyes staring at me through the closing door were unusual, but I didn't care much.
What can you do by staring at me like that?
I spoke to the coachman.
"Let's go to the place I mentioned earlier."
"Yes, Deputy Head."
The carriage started moving again. But this time with the Lombardy's Knights escorting us surrounding the carriage.
As we started to go down the avenue, I saw the Lombardy's citizens looking at the carriage with wide eyes.
Soon after, I arrived at my first destination.
"We're here, Deputy Head." The coachman informed me.
But I didn't get off the carriage.
Instead, the carriage slowed down and slowly passed by, as I looked out of the window to see the Pellet Company's building.
"Those motherf*ckers..."
It was a scene where swearing was bound to come out of my mouth naturally.
'I told you it was a mess.'
The word 'mess' was an understatement.
There were no Pellet workers that were busily carrying the carts in the front.
The surrounding area was still guarded by the Imperial Knights, creating a brutal atmosphere, and only upper-rank personnel were busily moving.
In one place, there's a group that collects broken and scattered crates and another group sweeps the floor with a cleaning tool in both hands.
All of them were wearing miserable looks on their faces.
"Ah!"
At that time, one of the people carrying a crate screamed.
His hand seemed to be stabbed by a piece of glass that had been mixed in the crate. The red blood flowing through his fingers drips on the ground.
"They're dead."
Anger rose from inside me.
I wanted to immediately snatch away the broom from the staff's hand and get rid of all the Imperial Knights who were just walking around the company with their noses high in the air, with it.
I wanted to yell at them at the top of my lungs!
"From today on, this will be our office."
"But why is my name...?"
"Because this building belongs to Clerivan."
The old memories of starting the business of the Pellet Trading Company were flooding my mind.
"The first goal of our Pellet Company is mining."
There was Clerivan, Violet, and me. The times when the three people gathered in the office and had meetings passed like a kaleidoscope in my head.
Also, it wasn't just us.
To make Pellet Company what it is now, a lot of people have worked hard.
I took my eyes off the Pellet Company and spoke to the coachman.
"Depart now for the Imperial Palace."
The Pellets do not end here.
It will take some time to get it back to normal, but after that, it will start to run busily again.
"I'll get it all back."
Of course, after getting all those damn people responsible for it to pay the price.
***
The conference hall of the Imperial Palace.
There was still time until the meeting began, but quite a few nobles were arriving one after another.
The seats in the conference hall were already full. As such, today's issue was of great interest to the Empire's nobles.
Angenas or Braun, who becomes the next representative of the West will be determined after today's meeting.
A battle between Angenas, who produced Empresses and ruled the West for the past 40 years, and Braun, the West-born Head with the Second Prince on his back.
This wasn't just a simple matter.
It was also directly linked to the inevitable appointment of the Crown Prince.
These aristocrats, who sat in groups of twos and threes, were looking at the outcome of the meeting.
At that point, several people kept glancing at someone, looking nervous.
"I can't believe the Empress is here..."
"The fate of Angenas is at stake, so of course, she's present."
Empress Ravini was sitting in the leftmost seat, among the three chairs at the top.
It was originally where Astana sat.
There was no sign of displeasure in the Empress's face, although all the aristocrats could be heard whispering.
She was just sitting there with a soft smile as she was holding her place in a laid-back manner.
In the state of Angenas' dignity, there were a lot of people vaguely expecting that today's meeting will end with Angenas' victory.
"Empress." Duigi approached and reported half-whispering.
"I got a report that Firentia Lombardy has left the mansion."
"What about the carriage?"
"That is...it's said that there was only Firentia Lombardy inside."
"I thought I told you to check the luggage compartment as well."
"The Lombardy also escorted her with their Knights...Lambert Lombardy and Shannanet Lombardy's sons accompanied her."
"...Sly foxes."
The three were part of the Lombardy's Knights, but they were also members of the Lombardy family.
If for any reason they were injured, then Lombardy would be given a justification to directly intervene in the conflict.
But confronting Lombardy head-on was very burdensome not only for Angenas but also for the Imperial Family.
'If you want to hit me, hit me if you can.'
That's what Firentia Lombardy is saying.
"It's all that old man's trick." Empress Ravini gritted her teeth, recalling Rulhac Lombardy.
Like playing chess while hiding in the mansion, they are moving Lombardy's blood relatives one by one.
Probably being sick is all just an excuse.
"How could a man as big as Clerivan Pellet hide in the compartment?" Duigi asked carefully.
"Fool. They would do anything to oppress our Angenas family. Those Lombardy people." Empress Ravini snarled, glaring at the vacant seat where the Deputy Head would soon be seated.
"Tell Ethan to check the luggage compartment at any cost." She said.
"But how..."
"By all means." Ravini coldly said.
"Tell them to check by any means necessary."
"If Clerivan Pellet is hiding in the luggage compartment, then what should we do?"
"Of course, kill him. If he's hiding in that small space, then just stab him."
As the Empress looked forward to the nobles who could not hear their conversation, she smiled beautifully and said, making herself clear.
"The dead can't speak, can they, Duigi?"
The Emperor is on the side of Angenas anyway.
All he needs to do is to attend the meeting and hand over to Angenas the rights of the secured land to the Braun family, just as Chanton Sousseau did.
"...Yes, I understand."
It was when Duigi, who replied with a dark face, turned around that a completely unexpected figure stood behind him.
"Croiten?"
It was Croiten Angenas, who ran the Durac merchant guild. Croiten, whose relationship grew estranged after the Empress abandoned him while competing with Duigi for the title.
However, the complexion of Croiten Angenas, who suddenly came to the conference hall, was dark.
"May I talk to you for a moment, Empress?"
"....You may."
Sensing something unusual, the Empress quietly followed Durac merchant guild leader outside. The two stood in a deserted corridor of a courtyard.
"Last night, my father passed away."
Croiten's father was a member of the Angenas family for many years.
"And before my father died, I was able to ask about his relationship with the Brauns."
At that moment, Empress Ravini's eyes sparkled.
From the day the Braun family reappeared, Ravini was trying to figure out exactly what happened 40 years ago.
However, no matter how much she searched and investigated, she couldn't find any information on what happened at that time.
There was not a single piece of document left.
Croiten Angenas' father was one of the few remaining elders who were active at that time. And the last time Ravini visited his death bed, he didn't open his mouth, saying he knew nothing.
"What did he say?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my father didn't want to mention what happened that day until the end."
"What?" Ravini's voice sharpened.
But the grim-faced Croiten Angenas wasn't as daunted in front of Ravini as before.
It wasn't because he was bold. Rather, he was a person who was close to giving up everything.
"I'm here today to bring my father's last words to the Empress." Croiten Angenas said as he looked directly at Empress Ravini.
And with a troubled face, he uttered his father's will.
"Don't trust the Emperor."
In the end, these were the departing words left by Angena's elder who was worried about the future of his family.
"Don't trust the Imperial Family who abandoned the Braun family."
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February 02, 2022
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