Chapter 117: 118

Wilhelm came at a good time. It’s also convenient for me to catch the King here, question him, and get his spoken word. Hence, it would be foolish to let Wilhelm escape here. I need to catch him no matter what the cost.

“Good day to you, King Wilhelm,” I said.

“Oh…? Ooh, Flora, good day to you as well,” Wilhelm said.

Got him!

This time, I dared to call him by his first name instead of the more formal “Your Majesty.” 1 Calling him by his formal address would be a bit of a distraction. I usually call him that way to keep my distance. However, by calling him just King Wilhelm, I acted as if we were closer today. Wilhelm seemed to have been caught off-guard by that and stumbled on his usual speech. It’s like talking to a child or grandchild.

“Actually, I wanted to meet you, King Wilhelm, but even if I made an appointment for a consultation, it would take some time before I could actually see you,” I said. “That’s why I decided to have a consultation with His Grace Dietrich today.”

“I see, I see!” Wilhelm said. “You don’t need to fret about that. From now on, I’ll ask the staff to let you through whenever you have anything to ask of me, Flora!” he continued as he entered Dietrich’s office and sat down on the sofa.

Kuh-kuh-kuh…! Now he can’t escape anymore. He’s fallen into my trap.

Dietrich puts one hand on his forehead and shakes his head. It’s probably because he knows that Wilhelm was caught in my trap. After all, Dietrich just heard about my business. If it was just Dietrich, he would have been able to lie and deflect about House Valtek without consequence, but he can’t lie with the King present. As soon as he sat there, I win.

“Hmm? What’s this? An application to own new ships…. I’ll approve it,” Wilhelm said.

“Hold…! Your Majesty!” Dietrich gasped.

“Thank you,” I said.

It just took a quick read of the documents I had given Dietrich, and now I have the King’s consent. It’s like an affectionate grandfather to his grandchildren. Dietrich was trying to stop Wilhelm, but it was too late. Since I immediately thanked him, this project was already approved and can’t just be taken back. It’s convenient for me to clean up one thing right away. As soon as I get home today, I’ll send a letter to my representatives in Caan territory to start construction.

“So then?” Wilhelm said, smiling. “What business did you have with me?”

Dietrich shook his head again, perhaps because Wilhelm looked so pitiful then. But there’s no reason for me to let Wilhelm escape here. Since the prey came to the trap on their own, I have to follow through with the kill.

“Yes,” I said. “I wished to ask you about an investment scam involving the Valtek Marquisate…”

“Wha…?!” Wilhelm gasped, his mouth agape as he whips his head between me and Dietrich.

He would have expected to be asked about Marquess Valtek’s ruckus at the crepe cafe, but he probably never thought he would be asked about the fraud case.

“Princess Flora…… as you said before, it’s not just a ‘fraud’ case but an ‘investment scam’, which means you’ve already investigated it beforehand, haven’t you?” Dietrich said.

“Yes. Of course, I have,” I said.

It’s a lie. I don’t really know, so I came to ask, you see~.

But if I say foolishly honestly that I don’t know anything, I’m afraid that they’ll evade my inquiry, since I’m here to learn new information. This time it’s not so easy. For example, just because there is evidence of fraud, condemning House Valtek does not end it.

No matter how you look at it, there are many nobles involved in this matter. If you try to unravel the threads and give appropriate punishment to those involved, there will be a big fuss that will overturn the noble society of the Kingdom of Ploiss. That’s why Wilhelm and Dietrich should have planned to handle this matter in secret without making it public.

For example, if the full details of the incident were not made public and only those related to Marquis Valtek were convicted of some other crime, those who knew only the surface details would not know about the extent of their crimes. Conversely, those who knew who were intimately involved with the crime would understand that it was related to the investment fraud scheme, then they’d be quiet for fear of getting punished, too.

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It is easy to imagine that if the whole story were brought public and everyone involved was condemned, there would be a huge backlash. And if those people were to revolt against the judicial decision and rebelled against the state as a whole, the country could be shaken to its core.

As a King or Prime Minister, this situation is not what you want. With that in mind, they only threatened them with “I know of your crimes.” or “If you go too far, you will be punished like House Valtek.” and otherwise let them slide by without punishment.

Then I came along saying, “I know what the Valteks are doing and your plans to deal with them.” so it’s no wonder these two are caught off-guard.

“Please don’t misunderstand me, I didn’t come here to ask all the aristocrats involved in the crime to be charged,” I said. “I just want all the victims who have been saddled with debts through this fraud to be forgiven. That’s all I ask.”

“…………”

At that, Dietrich and Wilhelm looked at each other. This is the least I can compromise on. I don’t think it’s a good idea to suddenly present the bare minimum as a negotiation, but this time it’s not a question of trying to get the other party to make concessions or to reach a favorable settlement.

For me, my goal is for Marquis Roppe’s debts to be cleared and for Simon to be freed from his shackles. My parents would probably get angry if they found out, but it would be fine if Simon wasn’t used as a pawn by Sophie, Emma, and the others in the future.

However, this is not an easy task. It will be a much more difficult solution than Wilhelm and Dietrich had originally envisioned.

First of all, in order to forgive a debt from fraud, the victim and the perpetrator must be clarified, the amount of damage must be stated, and who has the right to do the fraudulent debt must also be made certain. With the ambiguous solution the two of them had in mind, it would not be the end after disposing of only House Valtek.

Is Simon’s debt to House Valtek, to House Arnhardt, or to yet another family? Without revealing them, Simon’s debts will not disappear. And to clarify that means that the whole picture of this investment fraud case must be uncovered anyway.

“There is no need to fully investigate the crimes of all Houses involved,” I said. “Instead, let’s just pretend that the victims never had the debts they were wrongly saddled with. And if the perpetrators choose to rebel, you can tell them to either forgive the illegal debts or be charged with fraud, whichever pleases you more.”

I will add a little more based on the fact that my request was not accurately conveyed. I’m not saying that you should uproot the entire operation and charge all the criminals. If anything, you can make the crime of this fraud case a simple joke. It’s just a good story if the debts that have been burdening the victims are gone and they would be free.

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“… Understood,” Wilhelm said. “We will forgive the debts that were illegally incurred.”

“Thank you very much,” I said. “There is a possibility that the debts will not come to light without being declared by the individuals themselves, so please proceed with caution in the investigation. And… on a more personal note, please make especially sure that Marquis Roppe’s debts are forgiven.”

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“…”

The two of them looked at each other again at my words.

“Mmm,” Wilhelm hummed. “I swear to see this matter through to the end and if Marquis Roppe is also a victim, his debts will be cleared.”

“Thank you very much,” I said.

With a sworn oath from the King, I am in a good mood. After that, I will not forget to follow up with them both. If you just say harsh things and order them around, you may be blacklisted, and in the worst case, you may even be assassinated. At best, I wonder if I’ll be deported from the country after being stripped of my title.

I can’t choose the option of leaving this country, my developed territory, and my friends now. In that case, all I can do is help make this country a little richer and better.

As soon as the talk about politics was over, I gave them the souvenirs I had brought, and after that, we had a pleasant conversation before heading back home.

After returning to the Carruthers Residence, I write letters here and there. I have a lot of work to do. When in the hell will I be able to have “tee-hee, haha” time with girls?

Most of the letters were entrusted to Helmut and sent, but I still have one more. Once I have sent this letter, there is no going back. Only this letter needs to be treated with caution in order to reconcile with that girl.

“Isabella, since you are acquainted with her, you should be able to contact her. First of all, please tell her the information we have obtained. If you give her my letter out of the blue, she may reject it outright. I know this is a difficult task, but this is all for her… please, I’m counting on you…”

Honestly, I want to rush to her right now, tell her everything, and reconcile with her. But if I went to see her too carelessly, I would just be rejected again. It’s the same with letters. There is a high possibility that she won’t read my letter at all. And above all, if the contents of this letter were known to the enemy, it would be a serious problem. This letter must be received directly by her and must be handled with care.

This letter describes everything she has been involved in up until now, as well as the sins and crimes of those around her. If my enemies find out about the contents of this letter even by mistake, not only us, but she will also be in danger.

I still need her to read this letter. On top of that, if she doesn’t cooperate with the plan, we don’t have the means to turn our disadvantage around…

I feel sorry for myself. I hate this powerlessness, where I can’t turn this situation around unless I put the very person I want to protect in danger and bear the brunt of the risks. But now is not the time to say that. We will settle the matter at a night party in about 2 weeks. I have to hurry up and prepare for that…

“Please leave it to me, Miss Flora,” Isabella said. “By my honor as your servant, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely see this task through. I’m proud to say that I have worked for you for so long. And I also feel like I wish to save her from this situation, as well.”

“Thank you, Isabella,” I said. “But I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself. Rather than putting your life at risk, please make sure you survive and succeed.”

“Of course… thank you for your concern, Miss Flora,” Isabella said.

This scheme is finally about to reach its final stage. If contact with her fails here, everything will be an utter waste of time and effort. Regarding this matter, I decided to entrust everything to Isabella, the one I trusted the most, and wait for the results.

After Flora left, Wilhelm and Dietrich were resting on the sofa in the latter’s office.

“Fuu~~~……” Wilhelm sighed. “There really is no end to the depths of that girl…”

“Quite so…” Dietrich said. “Where in the hell did she get the information about the investment scam…?”

Even with Wilhelm’s and Dietrich’s information networks, they had not been able to obtain any information on the investment fraud that House Valtek had been involved with until now. Thanks to their happening to arrest Marquess Valtek at the crepe cafe, they had the evidence come out during her interrogation.

So how could Flora know about organized crime so cleverly hidden that even they only recently learned about it? They can’t even get a vague sense of what her information network must be like.

Moreover, she probably came to hammer the nails in like this because she saw through their intent to leave the investigation into the fraud incomplete, and had no intention of catching the others.

“Uncover the whole picture and fully grasp the weaknesses of all nobles involved.”

In short, Flora’s consultation this time was like this.

After clarifying the whole situation, only some people will be caught and judged. Then other people will have to live in fear of not knowing when they will be judged for their crimes. On the other hand, it will not be possible to stand up and counterattack. After all, they were the ones who committed the crime. With rich blackmail material brought upon themselves, they had no choice but to be silent.

If you dispose of all of them at the same time, they may unite against judgment and cause a rebellion. That’s why Wilhelm and the others were thinking of leaving the whole matter unresolved. However, as Flora said, if the whole scheme was brought to light and then overlooked without punishment, there would be little benefit for the parties concerned to unite and cause a rebellion. To go so far in protecting their interests would be like confessing to their crimes.

There is the matter of Wilhelm and Dietrich’s vision for the future of this country. The Kingdom of Ploiss, which currently has Lords with strong authority in various territories and a loose sense of cooperation, will be transformed into a unified nation with a strong central authority. Even Flora seems to have seen through their intentions. No, she has definitely seen through them.

Flora has always been a strength of the royal authority, helping them concentrate power in the center. In the current system of this country, where the Lords of various territories are tied together with a middling sense of unity, sooner or later they will fall behind other countries. The policies of these two were desperate attempts to create change before that happened, and now they are steadily progressing thanks to Flora’s help from the shadows.

So it is with this case as well. This can be used as an excuse to weaken the power of the Feudal Lords and the rest of the nobility. The two of them were trying to take care not to make the nobility suddenly turn their backs against the Crown being too hasty with their decision, but if they do as Flora says, they will be able to keep the Heads of Houses and their families at bay.

Marquis Roppe also suddenly came up. Both of them have heard that the Roppe Marquisate is ruled by a wonderful Lord. Besides, his second son is said to have a rare talent for magic… and now they were explicitly told to rescue House Roppe and bring them into their fold.

What insight. She does not seem like a 15-year-old girl at all. How many moves ahead is she reading?

And the reinforcement of her navy. It is proof that the Caan Knighthood will take the brunt of the hostilities against the ships of the Kingdom of Hollant which has recently turned hostile. This also means that Flora does not intend to go against Ploiss, but also shows her loyalty to work for the kingdom’s benefit.

All the advice and suggestions made here are for the kingdom and the royal family, and Flora is making manifest her continued loyal support.

Of course, the two do not suspect Flora’s rebelling. However, even so, as Flora shows her loyalty she also shows a glimpse of the temperament of a rare warrior.

“If we become so dependent on Flora, soon we won’t be able to resist her or House Carruthers, will we?” Wilhelm murmured.

“That is not funny, so please don’t say that too carelessly…” Dietrich said, shaking his head again.

He feared that Wilhelm might have cursed them to that exact future.

Footnotes

Lost in translation: Flora has often been calling Wilhelm the extremely formal, “Your Royal Majesty, Wilhelm,” but I’ve cut much of it for time and smoothness when spoken in English. This time, she just called him “Wilhelm-sama” in Japanese, which “King Wilhelm” is an accurate translation of, but obviously can’t get all the nuance through.

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