North x Northwest

Chapter 343

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After wiping away his tears, Maxwell explained even that.

“It was because the Admiral and Miss Liloa being together greatly offended the Prince Regent.”

The Minister of Finance was surprised and asked sarcastically.

“You tried to assassinate a Marquess of this Empire just for that reason?”

“The Prince Regent was unbearably displeased that the Admiral’s ancestors came from a foreign land. I, myself, am appalled to say this outloud, but he deemed the Admiral’s bloodline too vulgar to be associated with the lineage of Obernyu…”

Displeasure crashed over the conference hall like a wave. Most of the ministers at court were intellectuals who belonged to the emerging aristocracy, while the merchants of the Union were commoners from the middle class. After all, the traditional nobles neither worked at court nor dirtied their hands by making money themselves.

The longer the silence lasted, the colder the atmosphere became. Union members whispered to the person next to them while casting disapproving glances. The ministers, on the other hand, showed their displeasure by clearing their throats.

‘Of course, with the shocking revelation that their lives had been at risk merely due to the scheming of a nobleman with discriminatory thoughts, such hostility won’t easily subside.’

The Minister of Finance opened his mouth again, addressing Venua.

“Am I right in assuming that in the eyes of the Regent, who thinks the Retiro family, which boasts history dating back to the monarchy, is vulgar, am I seen as nothing more than scum?”

‘Someone as esteemed as the Minister of Finance can openly reprimand Venua. However, the rest have no choice but to keep their anger to themselves.’

Lil looked up at Annette on the podium.

‘Although she might be offended by Venua, she might also find me cold-hearted for directly accusing my own blood relative in a public setting. But I’m in no position to cover the fire. I had to take advantage of the situation in which even wealthy families have to pay attention to the middle class. After all, the small merchants’ union itself represents the ordinary imperial citizens, which makes up the majority of the subjects. Even the Emperor won’t be able to ignore them, meaning Venua won’t be able to endure it any less.’

The emperor looked down at Venua with stern eyes.

“Venua. Try denying it.”

“This is unfair, Your Majesty. I never said anything like that. The Minister of Finance should also excuse himself for being hastily provoked.”

Lil lowered her head and pursed her lips.

‘It’s futile to stubbornly deny it because I will force you to admit it yourself.’

“I know why my brother is so obsessed with matters related to our bloodline, Your Majesty. I forgot to tell you, but the reason for his obsession over my bloodline is…”

Venua’s eyes shot at Lil, clearly wondering if she indeed knew the truth. In fact, it didn’t matter if she knew the truth or not.

‘Venua was desperate enough to run from Obernyu to Roahn, and from Roahn to Sesbron, so he probably can’t bear the thought of anyone in this hall finding out or even suspecting it.’

Venua stood up from his seat and bowed his head towards the emperor.

“Please allow me to meet you alone, Your Majesty.”

“…”

He then glared at Lil as if warning her.

“I will speak to Your Majesty alone.”

Lil obediently shut her mouth.

‘The more he tries to save his fatal hand, the better. Venua will choose to defend his own masculinity rather than deny the charge of attempting murder of the Admiral. It’s actually not surprising that he places so much value on his masculinity that he gives up resisting altogether. Venua was harshly trained to man up and lived his life thinking that was the only way to prove himself. He never missed the opportunity to stress to me that I’m only a woman, thereby disciplining me almost to the point of abuse because that was the same way he was taught.

In the end, as long as Venua cannot escape the shadow of our father, Joseph, he’ll never be able to progress on his own or stand up to others…’

***

After breaking up the meeting and sending Maxwell away, Lil waited for Venua to come out after his talk with the emperor.

Soon enough, the conference room door opened and a slender man walked out. He appeared even paler than he looked during the meeting and gritted his teeth upon seeing her.

“What do you think you know…”

Lil, who didn’t wait there to have this talk with him, got straight to the point.

“I know everything you are worried about.”

Lil initially spoke calmly as she walked towards him but hesitated halfway.

‘Facing Venua like this, I’m reminded of Ed… His unconscious state in that damn forest, all bloody and in a mess…’

“Apologise to the Admiral first. If you do that, I might be more lenient.”

“…”

But Venua looked steadfast as though there was no space for any amendments. Therefore, Lil had no reason to show mercy either. So, she decided to accumulate his fear by aiming a cannon directly at him and light the wick with an uncertain length.

“Otherwise, leave Sesbron. And do not even think about turning on His Majesty and dragging me with you by force, because I may become light-mouthed if necessary. If you continue to misbehave in front of me, I also might bring shame to our principality. You do not expect that I will simply forget, do you?”

“…”

Lil moved a little closer to Venua and made her demands clear.

“Stay quietly in Obernyu and pray that I forget everything. Ah, and if you ever threaten Maxwell or his family, I might also be forced to open my mouth, so be careful.”

Murderous eyes stared at her. Venua, who was now trembling all over, screamed at her face.

“Aaaahhh!”

His cries persisted until his voice broke apart. Soon the exhausted man struggled out of breath. Lil waited for Venua to finish yelling and continued in a calm tone.

“Now that I think about it, is your voice not becoming a bit too… thin? Hm. No, I must be mistaken, right?”

For a moment, Venua didn’t seem to comprehend what she was referring to, but he then hurriedly grabbed his throat. Instantly, he was too embarrassed to even think about expressing his anger any further.

“If I hear that voice of yours once more, I think I can conclude whether I was mistaken or not.”

Venua, unable to make another sound, kept his mouth shut while Lil left her seat in contented silence…

***

As dawn approached, dew formed on the deck floor and railings, prompting the deckhands to wipe various parts of the ship with dry towels.

Ed’s messenger pigeon rested on his shoulder as he leaned on the railing. The bird, with its red wings neatly tucked in, stretched one of its legs, allowing Ed to deftly pull the paper out of the communication tube.

He then stared at his name that Lil had written. Reading it gave him the illusion of hearing her voice calling out to him.

[ Edgar. ]

‘I miss your voice so much… so much so that when I see you again, I’ll cling to you and listen to you all day long. And even if you’d try to shake me off, I won’t let go…

Her letter today is too short. I have been curious about where she is, what she’s doing, what she’s thinking, whether the palace food is to her liking, whether she likes the weather, whether she gets to laugh a lot, whether she gets some fresh air, and whether she misses me, but the letter only contains serious information… The report I receive from my servants in the Retiro mansion contains even more details about Liloa’s current situation… I knew that she had a close relationship with Empress Annette, as Liloa had told me all about her during our trip, but now that she’s with her old friend, does she not even remember me? My servants mentioned she never visits the Retiro mansion and instead resides in the Empress’s transept. Does that mean she could have forgotten me by now? People always say that when the body becomes distant, the mind becomes distant as well. Could that be true?’

Ed shuddered at the thought of that old saying. One he normally wouldn’t have paid any mind to in the past.

“If she won’t think of me, then I’ll have to force myself to think of something else, too.”

He folded the paper neatly and put it in his inner pocket before heading up the stern deck. Captain Long, who played the role of navigator, looked back at Ed curiously, his officer’s shirt fluttering in the strong wind.

Ed took over the wheel with one hand, as his other was still wrapped in leather padding.

“Let’s do it.”

“Where to, Sir?”

‘The more I think about this, the more I hate it. It’s making me anxious… Is it because I’m afraid of the outcome?’

Ed rested his forearm on his wheel and looked at the gently sparkling Risch River. The leisure river drew wide, flowing in curves while the wind pushed the surface of the water, creating wrinkles. It was a perfect tailwind. A very good wind direction for their purpose.

‘To the place that’s up the river.’

“Sesbron.”

***

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