Charlotte frowned and clenched her fist once more. If she had her way, she wouldn’t even want to exchange words with a man like him, but the Grand Duke was the most crucial piece in the plan she had laid out. If the Grand Duke were to be left out, she might have to rebuild the entire board from scratch. She forcefully swallowed the surging anger rising within her.
“The Rebel Count’s diamond mine will soon be going up for auction.”
At that, the Grand Duke’s eyebrows arched upward. Only then did his expression show a bit more interest than just a moment ago.
“Aren’t those matters far too high-status to be spoken of by a mere street whore?”
However, he did not accept it immediately. He opened his mouth with a rather absurd look on his face.
“It seems you are trying to lure me with some clumsy tricks, but what should I do? Shall I kill you?”
Since she had expected this kind of sharp reaction to some degree, Charlotte did not back down.
“How much the auction price of the mine will be estimated at, who the intended winning bidder is, and how you can take possession of that mine. This crazy woman knows all of it. If you kill me now, you won’t be able to hear that information. Will you still kill me?”
The Grand Duke let out a scoff and slowly scanned Charlotte from head to toe. Despite wearing a worn, shabby, cheap robe, her shoes were quite high-end. If so, this appearance must be a facade… Who could she be, and what was her game?
A glint of genuine intrigue flickered faintly in the Grand Duke’s eyes.
“Ah, well, well, my apologies. Your figure is simply so fine that I mistook you for a whore. Well, it’s a pity things turned out this way.”
After offering an apology that hardly felt like one, the Grand Duke slowly stood up. Charlotte, anew feeling the massive bulk of the Grand Duke—who seemed taller than her by more than two handspans—kept her gaze fixed firmly on his chest. It was because she feared her hood might slip down if she raised her head.
“Look into the Count’s mine. Then, you will realize my words are not lies.”
“And once I find out they aren’t lies?”
“Then you will have to seek me out again. Because you must pay the price for receiving the information.”
The Grand Duke’s slanted lips slowly returned to their original position. With a chillingly cold expression, he gazed steadily at Charlotte. Then, he let out another derisive chuckle.
“Just what is it you expect to get from me?”
His low-whispering voice was so bizarrely seductive that it almost felt enchanting. Charlotte desperately ignored his breath grazing against her skin and strained her eyes.
“Come to the imperial ball.”
His attendance at the ball was the very beginning of her plan. Therefore, Charlotte did not want to miss his appearance.
A piercing murderous intent settled in Charlotte’s blue eyes.
“Then I will tell you everything you desire.”
Inossi Blan, the adjutant to Grand Duke Vermier, kept biting his nails and trembling his legs. Although he was surrounded by the plush cushions of the carriage and thick walls that blocked out most of the outside noise, he seemed unable to feel even a shred of peace.
Understandably so. The reason the outside was so chaotic was because of the Grand Duke’s victory celebration, yet the very protagonist of that victory celebration, the Grand Duke, had completely vanished.
While skipping a street festival might not be a major issue, the real problem was that they were supposed to head to the imperial palace to report shortly.
A victory report without the general! No matter how lenient the Emperor might be, it was certain that he would be furious this time.
“Should I just quit my job at a time like this?”
Inosi muttered insincerely, venting his frustration about the Grand Duke, who was nowhere to be found. The moment a flicker of genuine feeling nearly slipped through his hollow words, a sharp tapping sound came from the window. It was the Grand Duke!
“Your Excellency!”
Throwing the carriage door wide open, Inosi shoved the Grand Duke inside the carriage, making sure no one was watching. Then, he cried out in a voice sharpened to an edge.
“Where on earth have you been?! Do you have any idea how hard I looked for you?! No, this is no time for this. Hans! Hurry up and get moving. We mustn’t keep His Majesty waiting!”
Urging the coachman to get the carriage moving, Inosi wiped his cold sweat away with a handkerchief and let out a sigh of relief.
If they raced there now, they would just barely make it in time. By doing so, they could avoid giving the nobles who were waiting to pick a fight with the Grand Duke’s household any openings. Just as Inosi was stroking his chest in relief, the Grand Duke, who had been wearing a peculiar expression, suddenly opened his mouth.
“So, you are saying that you, too, had no idea where I was.”
“Pardon?”
Inosi furrowed his brow fiercely and raised his voice.
“Did you just let my words go in one ear and out the other? I searched the entire plaza! I couldn’t find you no matter where I looked, and I even entertained the absurd thought that you might have already gone back to the mansion!”
Immediately, the Grand Duke’s brows knitted tightly. He wore an expression that suggested he was deep in thought, repeatedly rubbing his face with his palms. It was an unusual attitude.
At that sight, Inosi’s heart sank cold.
“Did something happen?”
Inosi regained his composure in an instant, his eyes gleaming behind his spectacles as he asked.
“Was it an attempted assassination, perhaps?”
“Do I look like it succeeded?”
“You look perfectly fine.”
The Grand Duke chuckled softly and interlocked his fingers.
Even the peerless Inosi had been unable to find him. Yet that woman had approached him while knowing full well that he was the Grand Duke. That fact thoroughly displeased him. Since the Grand Duke had no idea who she was, wasn’t he currently at a disadvantage?
“Search the auction house. Gather everything you can if you hear even a whisper about the Count Rebel family.”
“Ah… Sure, whatever. But why?”
“Just do as you are told.”
Faced with the overtly high-handed command, Inosi grumbled, but that was all he did. The Grand Duke gazed steadily at Inosi for a moment before casting his gaze out the carriage window. Looking at the murky sky tinged with the rawness of winter, the fierce eyes of the woman he had met earlier came to mind.
“Come to the imperial ball.” “Then I will tell you everything you want to know.”
Recalling those words, the Grand Duke winced with one eye and let out a distorted laugh.
“Since she opened her jaws wide, sticking my neck right into them must be the math that adds up for both of us.”
His red lips twisted in a defiant smirk. “Inosi. Bring me an invitation to the Imperial Ball.”
Though his identity remains unknown for now, I truly hope something interesting happens.
“Well said.”
Charlotte clutched her still-racing heart, calming herself down. She had done well enough just by not getting angry, despite being treated like a prostitute and subjected to insults the entire time. Besides, hadn’t she said everything she needed to say?
“To come to the Imperial Ball.”
If that happens, this absurd gamble will have succeeded. Charlotte let out a long sigh and wiped away her cold sweat.