LIGHTNOVELSTORY “I just can’t understand why the Olbia Baron Clan is bothering me like this. Right, Chloe?”
Chloe, sitting at the small desk beside me, put down her pen and replied.
“I guess they don’t know that bothering you brings absolutely no good. Our Young Lord is not the kind of person to draw his sword unless someone provokes him first.”
It’s incredibly foolish to share family secrets with a mere maid.
Especially when you’re trying to maintain a shadowy life that requires even more careful attention to confidentiality.
However, Chloe and Chris are always exceptions.
She’s my woman, but that rookie informant of our clan, Rosy, has dusted off every bit of information without leaving a trace.
‘There’s no possibility of Chloe or Christina betraying you.’
That’s how credible the report was.
Especially Chloe, who seems to like me so much that I wonder if her reason for living is to idolize me.
The chance of security being breached through her is ten times lower than getting struck by lightning while being taken away in an ambulance during a traffic accident.
Worrying about leaks would be a foolish thing to do.
“But if they’re bothering me, I need to make them pay. Chloe, Chris, and for the protection of our clan, of course.”
Even if their actions are currently in the preparatory stage, if they were truly plotting rather than just joking around,
it would be only natural to educate them through their own suffering (they don’t even know why they’re getting punished), right?
“So, I investigated the weaknesses of the Olbia Baron Clan. To my surprise, there were more various issues than I thought. I would love to report them myself, but that seems a bit difficult.”
Even though it was just a casual remark made from my heart to Chloe,
she replied as if she fully understood my reasoning.
“If you were personally harmed, it might be different, but if you report them without suffering any harm yourself, you’d actually become the target of punishment instead, right? Besides, if they question how you obtained that information, the people blaming you will just accuse you of eavesdropping on the secrets of other clans like a rat.”
This is why people should study and learn.
At the time I met her, she couldn’t even write her name properly.
Now, she’s analyzing and understanding the ecosystem of the nobility.
The high-ranking folks in the Toscan Empire tend to have a strong prejudice that if your status is low, your natural abilities must be trivial as well.
But that’s purely a problem that arises from the disparity in educational opportunities.
‘I should take Chloe and Chris out to the suburbs for fun in three days.’
Since she studied hard, I should reward her.
“You’ve studied a lot.”
When I patted her head, Chloe smiled as if she owned the world.
“So, what do you think I’ll do now?”
“Previously, the butler taught me that in these situations, it’s best to send an ‘anonymous tip’ to a judge you know in the High Court.”
Hiring a suspicious person to send an anonymous tip makes it impossible to track who sent it in this era. Even if they want to follow the trail, they won’t be able to.
And sending a tip to an acquaintance in the court isn’t really a big deal.
It’s like how many people come together through connections, friendships, or blood relations; it’s just about lending a ‘reward’ to help each other.
It’ll be completely anonymous, so they won’t even know that I sent it.
‘If you want to remain anonymous, you have to be prepared for that level of risk.’
Also, if my acquaintance rises to fame, my chances of getting a lighter sentence in a criminal trial will increase, so it’s a win-win scenario.
“That’s the most straightforward and certain method. You’ve really studied a lot.”
However, to put it bluntly, that action contradicts the aesthetics and spirit of the shadowy life.
If the handwriting is traced, it could lead back to me.
A shadow shouldn’t give anyone any ‘room for speculation’ about who might be behind it.
If it were to get out that I orchestrated this, the full-force assault from the Duke Sforza’s faction would come raining down on me.
Why? Because it’s the virtue of the nobility to attack in numbers against the political assaults from opposing factions.
“But if they manage to trace the handwriting, it could lead back to me.”
This could be minimized by having someone else ghostwrite it, but there’s a safer and more certain method.
“So, this time, I’ll spread rumors.”
Chloe perked up her ears, trying not to miss a single word.
“Just spreading the rumor that the Olbia Baron Clan has lots of corruption. Just that alone will have everyone in the High Court itching to tear each other apart.”
My friend who majored in Korean history said this.
“To become the prime minister in Joseon, you have to take up a high position (partially to keep a check on the opposition), and you have to have two or three high-ranking individuals dismissed or fired to become worthy of the title.”
Just hearing that makes me spin.
You mean to tell me that kids at a mere assistant manager or section chief level have to impeach people at the level of CEO or president to get ahead?
But similar principles apply in our High Court.
Taking down a clearly guilty noble gives you a huge advantage for rising up.
Just look at how Chief Judge Manchini and Associate Judge Aldante made names for themselves by taking down high-ranking folks in society.
If we can appropriately spread rumors, there will be plenty of people eager to investigate with a tax audit or inspection.
The High Court is where people are willing to sell their souls for the sake of success.
“And besides, rumors typically don’t leave any evidence behind.”
No matter what country you go to, rumors of impending doom or ominous prophecies have always been around.
However, there are surprisingly few cases where the real culprits were caught.
Moreover, most real culprits end up ‘confessing’ and revealing themselves, so the catch rate is almost non-existent.
‘If the source of the rumor is just some pathetic servant?’
No one would care.
“If I do this, everything will be neatly arranged. Those who tried to mess with the Baron Rothschild Clan will be trembling in fear, not even knowing who got them.”
Since they don’t know who the criminal is, others won’t fear our clan.
That’s the only disappointing part, but…
Expecting to eliminate enemies who are ready to strike without revealing my identity is a bit too much.
‘When a person is too greedy, they get punished.’
It’s like trying to eat grilled pork belly and fried kimchi while maintaining health is just impossible.
“You’re really meticulous, Young Lord.”
It’s important to be as thorough as possible when handling affairs.
That way, you won’t have to suffer the terrible consequences of doing things twice.
No, if it only stops at doing it twice, I shouldn’t even let it reach a point of calamity.
And I contacted the spies, giving them orders to spread the rumors from a ‘suitable place.’
Judge Aldante, Associate Judge of the High Court.
He was always obsessed with getting ahead.
Among the judges working in the High Court, there was no one who wouldn’t put their life on the line for success, so that wasn’t particularly special…
‘Has my wife started to have morning sickness?’
Unlike the other nobility of a similar rank who just donned fancy robes, he and his wife had truly married out of love, so his heart was especially tender toward her.
“Sigh, even if Baron Rothschild has vowed to get her admitted to Medici Hospital at all costs during childbirth… If it’s a boy, I should at least prepare a lavish feast for my wife to enjoy during her postpartum recovery.”
Being right by his wife’s side and helping her out was originally impossible.
So, he hoped to at least feed her well so she would recover swiftly and enjoy the joy of holding their child with a bright smile.
“I’ll have to do my best again today.”
The lifeline he was grasping in Rothschild Baron was almost as good as a Count.
His own abilities, the Emperor’s and the Duke’s favoritism, and even marrying the granddaughter of a young baroness of the Rothschild Clan.
‘Baron Rothschild will definitely rise to at least Count.’
If someone like him gives support, if I work hard for my entire life, who knows…
Reaching the rank of Baronet is definitely within reach.
Although his current status isn’t low, a father’s heart yearns to pass on a better title and status to his beloved child.
Thinking that way, while trying to start the day with the spirit of life or death…
He heard voices from investigators buzzing near his ear.
Sure enough, those ruffians don’t seem to be working hard, and while he was considering whether to reprimand them…
“Did you hear that? The Olbia Baron Clan’s servants seem to be living quite well nowadays. They say they’re even giving those expensive Cafe Medici Cakes to the servants.”
Upon hearing that, Judge Aldante quietly tuned into the gossip.
Because the experience he gained over nearly ten years of being a judge whispered to him.
‘If I shake them down, apples will drop from the apple tree like rain.’
“And even the grooms are wearing armor and carrying swords?”
Aldante grabbed the investigator who said that and asked.
“Tell me more details.”