I couldn’t sleep a wink. The alcohol wouldn’t take effect, and even breakfast wouldn’t go down.
Everything I put in my mouth felt like chewing sand—completely tasteless.
In the morning I was told Ignis had disappeared.
When I heard the vault door was left open, my eyes flew wide and I rushed over.
Most of the gold was still there, but there was no doubt some had been taken.
“Find him right now!”
Alexios roared at the top of his lungs.
The night before, one of Lunafrea’s pet moneylenders had reported to her.
Ignis had returned every last coin with the brightest, most refreshed expression they had ever seen on him, then walked out of the shop with a spring in his step.
It seemed the rat had finally jumped from the sinking ship.
Humans are wretched creatures once you peel back the skin.
They dig their own graves out of self-love.
Lunafrea wondered what kind of life—and what kind of death—would be beautiful like a peony: blooming to its fullest, then scattering its petals while still lovely, never withering or wilting.
Ignis was captured shortly afterward.
He had been at a gambling den since morning, melting the stolen gold.
The moment he caught sight of Alexios’s face—dark circles carved under his eyes—he went deathly pale. He was grabbed by the collar and dragged away.
The people at the gambling house had seen the whole thing. They struggled to hold back their laughter and later spread the story all over the night taverns.
At Lunafrea’s tea party, the topic was how Alexios had suffered a catastrophic loss in business.
Lunafrea told the gossip-loving ladies all about the fate of the three merchant associations that had tried to flee Trisha, along with the insurance details. She made sure they understood that Alexios had no choice but to pay the full forty thousand gold coins no matter what.
“Please be very careful with lending and borrowing money, everyone~”
The moment she added that final gentle warning, one woman’s face lit up with realization. She suddenly remembered an urgent errand and stood up.
Instantly the others chimed in—“Oh, me too!”—and the entire party emptied out.
They were probably rushing home to warn their husbands:
Whatever you do, do not lend money to the Kairos family.
By the time the sun began to set and long shadows urged people to hurry home—
Alexios and his aides, accompanied by the mansion’s guards, hurried toward the palace’s underground treasury.
A man came running up, out of breath, clutching a single key in his hand.
He steadied his ragged breathing and handed the key to Alexios.
Alexios inserted it into the massive iron door and turned it.
With a heavy clack, the lock opened.
The iron door was immensely heavy; Alexios had to pull it slowly.
Inside, crates were stored neatly, and beside them—stacked without a single gap—shone gold ingots stamped with Aristera’s royal crest.
Alexios scooped gold coins from one of the crates into hemp sacks and handed them to the guards.
He filled sack after sack until they were bulging, then had the guards carry them as he started to leave the vault.
“Chancellor, might I ask what exactly you are doing? Stealing from the national treasury?”
It was Lord Devon Victorias, the Chief Justice.
Beside him stood Count Aelius Quintus, and behind them an entire line of fully armed guards.
“This isn’t what it looks like… I’m only… borrowing it for a short while… Once I ascend the throne there will be no problem at all.”
“The assets of the national treasury do not belong to the king. Moreover, you are not the king—and a thief can never become king.”
“A thief!? Who the hell do you think you’re—”
“You, Lord Alexios.”
Victorias cut off the thief’s words and spoke with steel in his voice.
“Arrest them.”
At Victorias’s quiet command, the guards seized every single person present.
Alexios alone was placed under house arrest at his mansion, but the Justice Department’s guards now completely monitored both inside and out.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Lord Quintus, thank you for the report. Thanks to you the treasury was saved from being emptied.”
“I’m glad I could be of service. But Lord Victorias, you are truly admirable—losing your beloved grandson yet still carrying out your duties. I can only bow my head in respect.”
“What are you saying? It was only because you took action that we could stop this. I am the one who should be grateful.”
“By the way, Lord Victorias, may I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Would it be possible for me to visit Lord Alexios while he is under house arrest?”
“If necessary, I can arrange it.”
“Also, is Lord Alexios still legally capable of performing legal acts?”
“He is.”
“Understood. Thank you very much.”
With that, Quintus left the room.
The following day, just past noon.
Quintus visited the Chief Justice’s office and requested a meeting.
Victorias granted permission on the condition that he be present; Quintus accepted without hesitation.
“There is one request I must make.”
“What is it?”
“I would like no other personnel along the route to Lord Alexios’s room.”
“Why is that?”
Quintus beckoned the person waiting outside to enter.
The figure wore a deep indigo dress, hair neatly arranged, face hidden behind a veil.
Around her neck hung the royal necklace adorned with a large ruby.
The moment Victorias saw her face, he understood everything.
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
The three of them left the Justice Department in a carriage and headed for the Kairos mansion.
After passing through the gate, the carriage stopped at the entrance. Victorias stepped out first and ordered the guards stationed along the route to Alexios’s study to withdraw.
Then the other two descended from the carriage, and the three proceeded to Alexios’s room.
“A visitor for Lord Alexios.”
There was no reply from inside, but Victorias opened the door and let the two through.
“What do you want with me now?”
The moment he saw the face of the person who entered, Alexios’s eyes widened.
“You were alive…? Didn’t we hold your funeral?”
“We did hold one, but no one actually saw my body, did they?”
“Well, that’s true, but… why would you…”
“If you had known, would you still have killed Miredias IV?”
Alexios was at a loss for words.
Anastasia smiled mischievously.
“My apologies. That is not why I’m here today. What do you intend to do about the insurance payment?”
“That has nothing to do with you.”
“Yet you went so far as to steal from the national treasury because you didn’t have enough, correct?”
It sounded as if Alexios was grinding his teeth.
“My family wishes to purchase something from you.”
“What?”
“Sell us the territorial rights to Trisha. We will buy them for the exact forty thousand gold coins you are required to pay.”
“What!? Don’t be ridiculous! That sum is nowhere near enough!”
“Is that so? Then what exactly do you plan to sell to raise the money?”
“Everything I can sell!”
“Will you make the deadline?”
“I will!”
“I see. In that case, we will purchase the treaty and memorandum concerning Trisha’s governance rights from Her Majesty Queen Clarissa.”
“How do you know about that!?”
He lunged forward, but Victorias and Quintus held him back.
“I heard it when the Imperial Chancellor visited Aelius territory. After your family signed the treaty, the King of Trisha—”
“Shut up!! Fine! I’ll sell it!”
“Then please sign here.”
Alexios signed the two contracts.
One was the transfer of territorial rights; the other stated that the payment for those rights would be offset against the insurance payout.
“Lord Alexios cannot leave this room, but how do you intend to make the payment? If you like, I can deliver it to the insurers on your behalf.”
“Do whatever you want…”
“Lord Victorias, would you accompany us to the Justice Department? Once the insurance is paid, those merchants will be able to resume business. I’d like to deliver it as quickly as possible.”
“Understood. I will attach one notary. As for the territorial rights, I would like to add my signature as witness.”
He checked the contract documents and signed his name on the back as witness.
“Please instruct the notary to visit a person named Denaris at the Aelius mansion.”
“Understood.”
After leaving the Kairos mansion, they headed back to the Justice Department to see Victorias off.
“That is quite a large carriage…”
“Lord Victorias, forgive me for a moment.”
Anastasia cut him off, opened the central door, and stepped into the rear compartment.
Quintus clutched his head and sighed.
Rustling and clinking sounds leaked out from inside.
A short while later, Anastasia returned to her seat.
“Your Highness… that outfit…?”
“My apologies. Ever since the attack I have been living in male disguise, and I’ve grown so used to it… Women’s clothing feels terribly restrictive now.”
She scratched her head.
“I see… so you have been in male attire all this time.”
Victorias gave a gentle, warm smile.
“How embarrassing…”
Her grandfather covered his face with both hands.
“There were rumors recently that Lord Quintus had brought an extraordinarily beautiful young man with him. So it was actually Your Highness in disguise. You have been moving about in that form?”
“Yes, I’ve been running around quite a bit.”
“That is truly surprising. What exactly have you been doing?”
“Searching for those who attacked me.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes, though I have also borrowed my aunt’s help.”
“How strong-willed… Still, Your Highness, please do not overdo it. Now that you are here, the country can finally regain peace. Please take care of your health.”
“Thank you for your kind words. However, I believe this is something I must do myself. And Lord Victorias, there is one more request I have.”
“What is it?”
“Please do not make today’s events public yet. I wish to keep the fact that Anastasia is alive hidden for a little longer.”
“Understood. In return, may I have your promise that when the time comes you will tell me everything?”
“Of course.”
Victorias smiled.
“I shall keep it in my heart.”
“Thank you.”
After dropping Victorias at the Justice Department, they returned to the mansion.
Lunafrea was waiting in the sitting room.
Denaris showed her aunt the contracts.
“You did it. Finally. Well done.”
“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Aunt.”
“Thank you.”
Lunafrea looked slightly uncomfortable.
“How are you feeling?”
“The nausea is really getting to me.”
“That sounds awful… I suffered terribly from seasickness myself.”
“As long as I stay still it’s manageable. But Alexios truly took the most foolish possible action.”
“Yes. I had Grandfather move just in case, but even I was surprised by how perfectly it worked.”
“Well spotted—stealing from the national treasury, of all things.”
“Exactly. The moneylenders wouldn’t lend, the nobles wouldn’t lend… so the only options left were to steal or rob. Thanks to that, we got the contracts! And Lord Victorias even added his endorsement!”
“Now all that’s left is to deliver the gold.”
“Yes. Thanks to you introducing us to the moneylenders, Aunt.”
They had been short on coin, so they sold a portion of the gold ingots to the moneylenders at a ten-percent discount.
“Forgive the discount. Those people won’t move without profit.”
“It’s fine. How was Her Majesty the Queen?”
“She showed no movement at all, so Leda withdrew quite some time ago. She’s helping me now.”
“So it really was because she lost her son?”
“Most likely. Since the funeral she has shut herself away in Valeria territory. At one point she even directed her hatred toward you, but day by day her heart seems to have grown weaker. I’m about to become a mother myself. I can understand how she feels.”
“There’s something I want you to hear.”
“What? Go on.”
“I’ve decided to forgive that person.”
Lunafrea’s eyes widened, but after hearing her niece’s honest feelings, she simply said, “Then do as you wish.”
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