92 – Weaknesses
First, let’s focus on the task at hand.
After securing Victoria’s weakness, an idea came to Sienna’s mind.
Along with the idea, a concrete plan was formed.
No need for hesitation, discussion, or advice. It was just a natural progression, like a magician performing a trick… It was an innate ability, unavoidable.
Now that the plan is set, it’s time to execute it.
Sienna immediately looked at the head of the op*ium den.
James, the human who confessed to knowing, waiting for his fate with a lost expression. He was an ordinary member of the minor aristocracy, a 3rd-year student in the military department.
Somehow, Sienna managed to strike a deal and even obtained morphine. It seemed like he had some skills. At least enough to be used as bait.
“You.”
“Your Highness, please show mercy…”
“Then do as I say.”
“I’ve confessed everything I know.”
“One of you, go straight to Timothy Wolfall and deliver this message. It seems like Maydof Pharmaceuticals has gotten involved somehow, and if we don’t act, the leakage of morphine will become public knowledge.”
It meant giving the culprit who stole the morphine time to cover up the incident.
The suspicious order raised doubts on the face of the op*ium den’s manager, and Sienna narrowed her eyebrows, letting out a short sigh.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. What can I expect from you? Just deliver the message to Timothy Wolfall as I instructed. It’s not like it’s a lie, right? It’s true that you guys were caught by me, and it’s true that it will become public if you stay quiet.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Do as I say, and I can show leniency. At the very least, you won’t die in vain while installing support beams in the mine, right?”
Did Sienna think it was a deal worth trying?
The students who were rolling op*ium barrels exchanged glances. They seemed to want to exchange thoughts, but they couldn’t because of Sienna’s watchful eyes.
Sienna had no intention of waiting, so she gave an additional notice.
“One person.”
“Yes…?”
“I’ll pardon only one person who runs right now. The rest of you can sit nicely with your guests and wait until my business is done, then I’ll hand you over to the guards… Surely you didn’t think you could all be forgiven, did you?”
Immediately after this notice,
“I’ll go-!”
The boss, James, immediately darted out of the op*ium den.
The trembling and scared appearance was nowhere to be found, replaced by a very agile figure.
Along with him, the organization members and guests who were rolling op*ium barrels had stunned expressions. Although they were all just ordinary Academy students, there was still a clear hierarchy, and it was quite a sight to see the representative figure trying to live on his own.
“That son of a b*tch…!”
“…I’ll kill him.”
“Your Highness Sienna, that guy is the worst…!”
The remaining individuals all shouted in anger.
However, Sienna didn’t pay any attention.
After all, she had no intention of granting mercy.
Whether they were the ones who ran as bait or the ones who stayed in the op*ium den and fought, they were all going to be sent to the mines or the deck. It wasn’t out of malice, but there was no reason to show them any mercy. They would all be thrown into the abyss.
There was only one person that Sienna wanted to spare.
Everyone else, she wanted to torment equally.
“Come to think of it, what is Allen doing right now?”
Compared to the clumsy op*ium dealers in front of him, he possessed a unique ability that was a hundred times more competent, no, it was impossible to compare in the first place.
By now, Alan would probably be in the manufacturing room or tending to the silocibin greenhouse. Or maybe he was busy managing the ethanol factory. Siena was quite diligent, but Alan was no less.
Originally, after organizing the op*ium den organization, she had planned to have fun with Alan.
They were going to stroll through the main garden of the Thames Palace, admire the newly bloomed op*ium flowers, and have dinner together.
Even a formal dinner.
Unlike Siena, who had no complaints about eating oatmeal, pudding, and fruit all year round, Alan seemed to take care of his food to some extent. Siena didn’t have a hobby for gourmet food, but she had planned to go along with Alan…
Unfortunately, that pleasure seemed to be postponed.
Victoria.
Because it was a priority to get rid of her sister, who showed excessive interest and favoritism towards Alan.
A few hours later.
“Your Majesty. As you instructed, I have informed Timothy. He seemed very surprised, but he said he would handle it himself, so he asked me to keep quiet. He even said he would kill me if the news leaked, no, he said it.”
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The bait seemed to have been successfully thrown.
By now, Timothy, Victoria’s sixth cousin who leaked the morphine, would be doing something to resolve the situation.
He could seek help from the elders of the family, or maybe he would try to solve it on his own.
Either way, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was making efforts to conceal his mistake. But the more he tried, the bigger the flaw became.
“The burden of going to my sister will only grow.”
After entrusting the op*ium den to the escort knights, Siena headed towards Victoria.
It was a moment when she was more excited than ever to meet her sister.
**
At the same time.
Princess Victoria sat in her office attached to the palace, wearing a proud expression.
Today was a regular workday.
Unless there were special circumstances, she always commuted to the military headquarters. As a princess, she often attended external events, but today was not one of those days.
However, there was a reason for her lingering in the palace. It was because she had finally achieved what she desired after a fierce struggle with the court.
“His Majesty the Emperor has agreed to bestow the Madway Viscountcy upon Alan Maydoff. Her Majesty Victoria will take charge of ensuring that the qualifications are met. Please assist for the sake of the royal peace.”
It was joyful news delivered by the chief of staff who had just come to visit. Finally, the title to be bestowed upon Alan had been decided.
Viscount Madway.
The formal title was longer.
Viscount Madway of Brüfen Tournament.
It was one of the royal titles.
The title had been granted to the Bangye noble family, who had established their martial prowess about 80 years ago during the war. Although the title had been discontinued after only three generations due to the lack of a successor, it could not be ignored. There was only one title created based on the martial prowess of the noble family.
“There is no title more suitable for Alan.”
A title closely associated with the royal family, symbolizing indirect recognition of his expertise.
Even after giving away half of the Taesurim to the empire, being able to comfort and reward Alan Maydoff, who was subject to criticism and finger-pointing, was there anything better than this?
What made her even happier was the fact that the Emperor had agreed to bestow the title.
It meant that the Emperor had softened his stance towards Alan.
Doubts might still remain, but it was a significant progress. Her father would know better the meaning of bestowing a viscountcy, especially a royal one, upon Alan, considering how people looked at him.
“It’s not time to celebrate yet.”
However, the biggest hurdle had been overcome.
Now, all that remained was to confirm Alan’s intentions.
To bestow the imperial title, one had to become a member of the imperial family.
In the lineage of Alan Medov, a typical fallen noble, there was no mingling of noble blood. Hence, there was only one way.
Marriage to the nobility.
Perhaps the real challenge begins now.
Even if one has obtained the emperor’s consent, it would be futile if Alan himself refuses to become a member of the imperial family. Nobles who reject engagement with the nobility might exist, but for Alan, it was a plausible story.
To ensure Alan doesn’t feel burdened…
“No, he probably can’t avoid feeling burdened.”
Victoria wanted to approach cautiously to make it bearable at least. Formally, the procedure of selecting a spouse should be followed, but Victoria herself intended to seek Alan’s consent directly. She had no intention of rushing or pressuring him.
She didn’t desire a marriage based solely on strategic interests.
A marriage built on mutual respect, affection, cooperation, and, if possible, a bit of tenderness.
“Your Excellency, Princess Sienna requests an audience.”
The report from the courtier interrupted at this moment.
Victoria’s expression, which had been excited for a moment, cooled sharply.
“Why now? What’s the reason?”
Surely, news about the imperial title hadn’t been leaked.
The nomination of Alan as a viscount was insider information known only to the emperor, Victoria herself, and the courtier general. There was still plenty of time before it could be officially announced. Revealing it now would turn the aristocratic society upside down.
But considering Sienna’s abilities, it was also possible.
“It might become complicated.”
As much as she wished to postpone the meeting with Sienna.
But anyway, the wall had to be crossed someday.
Treating the step-sister like a wall might not be appropriate, but reality dictated otherwise. Considering Sienna’s personality, there was no way Alan could simply let her go. If it were Sienna, she would undoubtedly use her unique devilish talent to somehow manipulate the situation.
Perhaps she would even turn the world upside down, thinking that she had been robbed of what was rightfully hers.
If unavoidable friction was the case, dealing with it now wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Tell her to come in.”
Victoria prepared herself and ushered Sienna in.
Unconsciously, she even gripped the knife handle. Not because she wanted to strike Sienna down at the first appearance, but to control her emotions. Although Victoria hadn’t trained as rigorously as the knights, she did have an attachment to her sword.
Shortly after, Sienna made her entrance.
Silver hair cascading down to her waist, cute enough to want to poke, but a round face that had never been touched by a hand in a lifetime.
Up to this point, everything remained the same.
However.
“Sienna, is there something good happening?”
“Yeah. There is.”
Sienna’s expression was oddly excited. It seemed like she wanted to boast about something, fidgeting with her small hands as a bonus.
Smiling was a good thing, but considering her emotionally underdeveloped nature, it made Victoria uneasy.
After an awkward silence lingered for a while, Sienna finally spoke.
“You can pass without making it an issue. It might be related to my sister, though.”
A somewhat random announcement.
Victoria thought of it with an awkward smile, but that smile was quickly erased.
“The Wolfall family is stealing military-grade morphine and selling it to the public. We’ll find out how many are involved soon, won’t we?”