I Am The Villainess With A Maxed-Out Luck Stat - Chapter 143
Only Noblemtl
143. Marquis Balton
found the Emperor’s illegitimate child?
“I heard that our staff were completely ignorant of trade. From selecting trading ships to setting tariffs, they couldn’t agree on anything.”
“Oh, I see. You said you replaced all the existing staff, but this problem has arisen.”
When I answered her in a feminine tone, Countess Gott’s eyes lit up.
“That’s why! Since there were problems from start to finish, King Pyron eventually demanded that all the staff be replaced. He said he couldn’t conduct business with people who didn’t even know the rules.”
“So? Have our staff changed?”
“Of course not! We were on a tight schedule so we said let’s just push through. But in the end… … .”
The countess covered her mouth with her fan, but she couldn’t hide the laughter that was leaking out between her teeth.
“King Pyron declared the complete nullification of diplomatic relations. King Pyron has a fiery temper, so who would have thought he would overturn diplomatic relations like that!”
She burst into hearty laughter.
I nodded quietly and finished my tea.
‘I see, that’s how it turned out. But the details are different from the original.’
Of course, in the original work, diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Pyron were strained.
But at that time, the disaster occurred when a trading ship carrying expensive trade goods was wrecked.
It was a mistake to set sail without properly checking the weather conditions.
But this time, trade fell through before we could even establish diplomatic relations.
‘Could it be because Marquis Balton intervened?’
I heard from Perwin that most of the people involved in this trade were parachuted in by Marquis Balton and Shiloh.
It seems that this also influenced the original development.
“I’m sure a lot of people suffered losses because of this. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid major losses. Thank you very much, Your Highness!”
Countess Gott grabbed both my hands.
“If the princess hadn’t stopped me then, I would have invested a lot of money in the trading ship.”
“ah.”
Somehow, I thought you were in a really good mood earlier.
It seems she was able to avoid losses thanks to my advice to stop investing the other day.
Countess Gott asked with a smile on her face.
“How on earth did you know in advance, Your Majesty? That this trade would fail?”
“I didn’t know in advance, I just thought it was more likely. Originally, His Majesty Perwin and I were supposed to be in charge of the trade together.”
“Ah. Then, Your Majesty, you probably know the general situation.”
“Yes. After reviewing the documents, I found that there were many shortcomings.”
I explained it as if it was nothing special, but Countess Gott was amazed.
“The more I look at you, the more I think you’re amazing. I was surprised that you recently succeeded in your jewelry business, but I didn’t know you had such foresight!”
A cheerful smile never left her lips as she continued to praise me.
How much money did you plan on investing in the alternative trading ship to be so happy?
As if reading my doubts, Countess Gott spoke cheerfully.
“Haha, I guess there are a lot of people who are upset right now?”
* * *
“What on earth can you do!”
The Emperor, who was furious, threw a bundle of documents at Marquis Balton.
The trade agreement with the Kingdom of Pyron, now a scrap of paper, was scattered into thin air.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Marquis Balton lay flat on his stomach and bowed his head.
If it had been a small matter, Shiloh would have stepped in and stopped the Emperor from getting angry, but this was not something that could be passed over with just a little flirtation.
“Do you know how much we’ve lost because of you? What do you do when you put such idiots in executive positions? Because of you, the empire has become a laughing stock!”
The emperor was greatly affected by the breakdown in diplomatic relations with Pyron.
Not only did the enormous amount of money poured into establishing diplomatic relations go up in smoke, but the relationship between the two countries deteriorated significantly, putting diplomatic relations in jeopardy.
“It would have been better to leave it to the Crown Prince and the Princess. What a disgrace this is because of you. Oh my, my head.”
The emperor pretended to fall backwards.
But Marquis Balton was also upset.
He too was risking his life for this diplomatic relationship.
He had invested a large sum of money in the investment because he had quickly obtained inside information.
Moreover, since he had appointed all his relatives as executives in the trade, it was burdensome to just endure the resentment of those around him.
“This was a perfect opportunity to bring back the missing magic stones, but you’re just blowing it like this?”
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, didn’t you recently confiscate Baron Garrett’s lands? If you could send outside personnel as soon as possible to reopen the Western Magic Stone mines… … .”
“You’re saying that now! It’s not even enough to cover up the incident, and you’re telling me to send someone there?”
The emperor, who had been raising his voice, belatedly looked around.
“Ahem.”
What happened at Garrett Estate was a closely guarded secret even within the Imperial Court.
The emperor, who had belatedly sent his subjects out, lowered his voice.
“And you, is it true that you’ve been selling Jim’s name lately?”
“yes?”
“I heard you were going around the palace here and there on the imperial orders. Is that true?”
“… … .”
That knight commander ended up telling the emperor.
As Marquis Balton gnashed his teeth, the Emperor gave a shocking order.
“I am very disappointed in you. The Marquis will take responsibility for this matter.”
“If you say responsibility?”
“We must somehow establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Pyron!”
The Marquis of Balton’s eyes widened.
“How can I restore diplomatic relations that have already been broken off?”
“Oh, well! Whether it’s using your sister or placating King Pyron, somehow you can resolve this matter!”
“your majesty.”
“If you don’t take responsibility for this and turn it around, your life will not be safe!”
The Marquis of Balton was speechless at the seemingly forced order.
He quickly racked his brain, but no clever plan came to mind to turn the situation around.
Impulsive words came out of his mouth as he felt a sense of crisis.
“Your Majesty, it is true that I have not been able to devote my full attention to trade. However, there was a good reason for this.”
“What now?”
The emperor’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Recently, we discovered someone believed to be Your Majesty’s blood relative and have been tracking his movements.”
“… … What?”
At that moment, the emperor’s expression changed.
The Marquis of Balton explained only that he was the Emperor’s blood relative, but the Emperor immediately knew who he meant.
The Emperor’s fingertips trembled slightly.
“Marquis, can you take responsibility for those words?”
“Well, I’ve only found a lookalike so far, so I need to investigate further… … .”
“You’re saying that now!”
The emperor suddenly rose from his seat.
He was a child who had been buried in a corner of my heart a long time ago.
At one time, there was hope that the child might be alive, but that hope was dashed time and time again.
Every time expectations were dashed, the emperor fell.
He had long since given up hope that his child would live. But a faint lingering longing still stirred within him.
“How dare you tease me! I don’t even want to see your face, so get out now!”
The emperor, in a fit of rage, threw the question at Marquis Balton.
* * *
“With that old man’s temper, tsk.”
After finishing the private meeting with the Emperor.
Marquis Balton returned to the Crystal House and collapsed into his chair.
My forehead stung from the question the emperor had thrown. The bleeding barely stopped, but I still felt dizzy.
“Are you okay, my lord?”
Aiden hurriedly checked on Marquis Balton’s condition. He had snuck out again today, leaving training behind.
Marquis Balton, who had been looking at Aiden with displeasure, nodded.
“That guy?”
“I hid it in a closed warehouse behind the Knights Templar. No one will come there.”
“A warehouse? What if you leave it there and it gets worse?”
“I’ve been checking on you all night, and your health doesn’t look too bad. The doctor you called said there’s no need to worry too much.”
Aiden desperately tried to explain, but Marquis Balton snorted.
“Huh. Even so, if you don’t regain consciousness, you’ll be no different from a living corpse.”
A man who was thought to be dead recently miraculously came back to life.
He had no way of explaining how the man who had been stabbed in the heart had come back to life, but it was fortunate that the one who could influence the emperor had come back to life.
But the man had been on the verge of death for several days already.
Marquis Balton muttered in discontent.
“It’s taking longer than I thought.”
“What are you talking about?”
He glared at Aiden, who asked stupidly.
“You, bring my daughter right now.”
“Oh, yes!”
At the order of Marquis Balton, Aiden went straight to find Evelyn.
Evelyn, who entered the reception room as usual, greeted Marquis Balton.
“Why did you call me, Father?”
“Just steal a few locks of Lady Shiloh’s hair.”
“Why the hair?”
“I’m doing this because I need to find out something.”
He planned to ask the temple to confirm his paternity.
If you want to get your hands on the Emperor and shake him, a paternity test result would be more certain than ten words.