030 The Room Without Her p.4

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“Also, there is a chance that her body would be returned to us.”

“Body?”

Due instinctively blinked at what Tullius had just said.

What was he trying to say? Did they not already mention that Count Cartan had just been reunited with her beloved daughter?

“Surely you understand, Laubert?”

“Well, I can guess to some extent.”

“Hey, fill me in. Explain it properly.”

The two of them stared at Due like he was failing student in school.

“Didn’t I say so before the banquet? A political marriage.”

Laubert mixed in a sigh as he said.

“The high nobles in the capital would have heard enough about his Excellency from Marquis Lavallee to not carelessly approach his Excellency, and Uni who is at marriageable age. Where do you think a suitable partner can be found?”

“I wouldn’t know of such a…...”

He was unfamiliar with the ways of the nobles. Asking him was pointle― wait a second.

“D-Don’t tell me…!?”

He realised.

Tullius, with an amused expression, gave a round of applause to Due who was wide-eyed in shock.

“Well done. That’s right...Count Cartan is that kind of person.”

Being a Count based in the capital, Cartan would have definitely heard rumours from Lavallee. Since he would harbour animosity towards the person who made his daughter a slave, it was unlikely that he would personally head down to Marlan even if he sends an invitation to Marlan. More importantly, his daughter was Uni. If she were to be able to return to Tullius, maybe she might happily accept the marriage.

The truth was likely that it was a strategy that would lead to Tullius’ death and that her job would be to lengthen his stay in the capital for as long as possible. It would be dangerous if marriages to other suitable ladies were arranged with Tullius too. It was not a far-fetched idea that they would attempt to do so.

“Would the Count agree to it?”

That was the crux of it. Why would he hand over his most treasured and beloved daughter back to Tullius, of all people? So long as Count Cartan’s claim that Uni is his daughter was not a lie, it seemed like he would not agree to this.

“If that is the case, then―”

“Nope, the Count was probably telling the truth.”

The theory Due had at the back of his mind was shot down.

Tullius continued.

“When I bought her, I could tell that from her body that she led an aristocratic life and most importantly, had an above average magic power. Considering that she is of roughly the same age as Anrietta Pola Carta, it highly unlikely for there to be anybody else other than her.”

“...Up until now, haven’t you been interested in Uni’s past?”

“Well, I’ve only been interested in her abilities. Additionally, at that point of time, Uni’s memories were all in a blur because of the trauma she faced. So I did not have much of an opportunity to ask about her true identity. Actually, Uni herself would probably have greater difficulties remembering that she was once Anrietta.”

If that was the case, it was harder to imagine that Count Cartan would be on board with this.

Still, Laubert shook his head.

“He would be on board, or at least be made to go with this plan. No doubts about it.”

“Heh, aren’t you showing way too much confidence? Where is your proof?”

“The Cartan family was built in a single generation by Count Pierre Simon Cartan. The lands he had been given is considered small when compared to his title. Since he is a new established aristocrat, he did not have any land given to him from the kingdom. …...In other words, he would be in opposition to the land-owning nobles and would be part of the centralist faction.”

In conclusion, the relationship between Cartan and Marquis Lavallee was not one built on friendship but of political interests.

“To add on, since his family was recently established, not only does his family lack history, but even now with this scandal, his position in the centralist faction would surely be diminished. And what if the leader of the faction, Marquis Lavallee decides to ask him to hand over his daughter for marriage? ...He will not be able to disagree. Isn’t that right?”

Tullius continued to assert his argument.

Certainly, if he values the family’s position, he cannot refuse. In the first place, he sought after a mistress in order to preserve the bloodline of the family. He did not get involved with Uni’s mother, Anna Marie, because he wanted to play with fire. He merely wanted to achieve a certain result. He would definitely be pained to lose his long lost daughter, but he would eventually make the heartrending decision to hand her over.

If it was Lavallee at the heart of this plot, he would pick somebody whom he would not feel bothered even if he had to sacrifice him. As deduced, Count Cartan was unlikely to be influential within the faction and would be a prime choice for sacrifice. The other members in the faction were mostly people of families with a big social standing and rich history, so it might be difficult to persuade them to be the sacrifice and even if they were forced to listen to the order, they might become another problem later.

“He would lose his daughter by the very same authority that allowed him to gain his long lost daughter. …...How ridiculous.”

Tullius commented.

It was truly ridiculous. Truly hopeless.

Lavallee probably would try to finish things up while he was still in the capital in order to attach a collar onto Tullius. Tullius estimates that it would take less than a month for him to be done.

The reunion between father and daughter was just a fleeting dream.

“While it might be bad news for Count Cartan, that doesn’t mean it is the same for the rest of Cartan’s family. According to the Count himself, not long after Uni was born, the rightful successor was born too.”

What Laubert was trying to say was that the shrew, Josephine, managed to give birth to a son in that period. A child they had when they were both in their forties. He does not know how he was raised, but in essence, that was what the Count mentioned in his long story. If the son died prematurely because of birth defects, then he would have been talking about making Uni the legitimate successor instead. Since nothing of the sort was mentioned, it is safe to assume that that Cartan’s son grew up normally.

“Mm. If Uni returns to the family, it was also be a reason for a domestic squabble. Hence, the people around the Count would try to get rid of her. If things go sideways, men who might try to marry into family could appear.”

Not only would they secure themselves as a descendant of the Count’s family, they can also be married to a peerless beauty in the process. For young nobles, such an opportunity would surely be irresistible.

“To prevent infighting over the inheritance, he would look for somebody with lands far away from the capital. For example, a certain somebody who works as a viscount at the edge of the kingdom, a man with an unknown relationship with his daughter.”

This would be extremely pleasing to the legitimate wife, who once ousted Uni.

“...Certainly it seems that everybody apart from the Count will not be a good thing. However, would Uni want to come back to your side now? Why would she go being a treasure sword to becoming an old scabbard?”

Due was particularly doubtful about that. Wouldn’t Tullius simply be chased by bothersome things and end up losing his asset?

Nevertheless, Tullius refuted him.

“If that is the case, Uni has truly become a treasured sword. She would not be easily swung.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Do you not understand? The Uni from Marlan that went through all of this was both Uni and not Uni. She is the Count’s daughter, Anrietta Pola Cartan. I would not try to make such a highly esteemed person fight the way I have been making her do. If Count Cartan got wind of it, he would angrily press for a divorce. But, even before that―”

Laubert took over Tullius’ explanation.

“―if his Excellency were to make the woman he should be protecting stand on the frontlines, his Excellency’s social position would falter immediately. While there are many nobles that became adventurers, it is entirely unprecedented for a married woman to continue doing so. In fact, if she was ordered to do so by her husband, the rumours would become even more intense than the human experimentations on slaves. That would be more than enough reason for his Excellency’s brother to punish his Excellency.”

Indeed, she had became a treasured sword. No matter how smoothly she can cut, she was a sword that could never be swung. A person would only injure himself by recklessly swinging this sword.

The joker that Tullius held on his hands became the old maid.

Ah, so the only use for Uni would be at most as an alchemy assistant.

“Furthermore, there is no need to patiently wait for me to use Uni. The public should have sympathy for the Count who has to turn over his long lost daughter. If carefully utilised, he can come up with false charges against me out of the blue. For example, he could claim that I used the fact that she was a former slave to look down on her or to force her to do disgusting acts in the bedroom. If such rumours last long enough, Count Cartan could use it as a reason to intervene.”

Either way, Uni will be used as a tool to pressure Tullius. It was sickening.
Knowing that she was a crazy woman, or more like a woman crazy in her loyalty towards her master, hearing about such a future was enough to make Due feel like running away.

“......How cruel. If Uni catches wind of this, she might kill herself on the spot.”

“Not possible. If she killed herself, her reason for doing so will be speculated and be used as an attack against me. After all, she went from being a slave to a noble in a single night. Many would come to the conclusion that for such a lucky person to commit suicide, her spirit must have been broken due to the mistreatment she faced during her time as a slave. That would be the thoughts of any respectable noble. With her intelligence, Uni should be able to guess this outcome no matter how weak she has become.”

It was too cruel.
Even dying was not an option for her in this circumstance.

“Now that it has come to this, the greatest mercy we can offer to Uni is plan D.”

Laubert earnestly declared.

“It’s the Chief Maid we are talking about. Between her own existence and his Excellency’s benefit, she would not hesitate to discard her life. Amidst the coming calamity, nobody will suspect she took her own life if she was found dead.”

“Well...”

As he tried to make a reply, he noticed a slight moisture in his breath.

It basically meant that Tullius wasn’t thoughtless towards his longest serving and most loyal subordinate.

The expression Tullius was holding now was no longer the anger and anxiety he thought he saw earlier. It appeared to be anguish. Was this simply a trick of the mind?

Nevertheless, the verdict by Tullius was still as ominous as before. In order for him to escape from the capital, he called for his subordinates to throw their lives away if they become a hindrance during the turmoil.

(......Hey, wait a minute?)

All of a sudden, Due had a sudden realisation.
Wasn’t there something strange about what Tullius said?
If plan D was executed, Uni will die. Die by her own hands.
While he spoke of her death as though it was set in stone, what did this man say earlier?

‘―I estimate with 80 percent likelihood that she would be fine.’

80 percent.

He was referring to her chances of survival after executing plan D.

There was no coherence between her definitely dying and the fact that if she commited suicide, it was a situation where one cannot suspect that she took her own life.

…...Why? Why was there such a contradiction?

“...Hey, master.”

“Huh, have you finally understood?”

Tullius revealed a smile to Due.

It was his first smile ever since they returned to the room and he put on a solemn expression.

At first look, it was tender loving smile, but in fact, it was an inauspicious smile that possessed arrogance and insolence.

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