“Yanox?”
I looked straight at him and answered.
“No. It’s clearly the imperial family’s sabotage. There’s no way Cesare or the Duke drafted such a ridiculous budget proposal. At first, the public funds allocation budget would have been higher. But that amount wasn’t approved by the imperial family.”
Originally, nobles were granted territories and had to manage their territory’s finances with the income from there, with each having discretion over financial operations. However, to prevent excessive exploitation by nobles, the Torusian imperial family reviewed budgets for nobles with many territories, and the Yanox Ducal family fell under that line.
However, since so much money and tribute changed hands, it was customary to usually pass things roughly. In other words, they normally don’t interfere this excessively.
“……”
“The ducal family must have kept requesting with gradually reduced budget amounts. But they kept getting rejected, and in the end, this amount must have been the best they could do.”
“What’s your basis?”
“The imperial family wouldn’t have approved such an absurd amount in the first place. This is obviously too little at a glance. It’s an amount that should be rejected. The fact that this was approved without reconsideration means it’s what the imperial family intended.”
Is it the correct answer? A slight silence flowed in the professor’s office. Because I had made remarks condemning the imperial family, I broke out in cold sweat while looking at him. Then Professor Peter soon burst into loud laughter and leaned back comfortably in his chair as if satisfied.
“Right. The Yanox Ducal family is now a worthless husk abandoned by the imperial family. If other nobles start turning their backs, it’s really the end.”
“I-I don’t really understand why you’re telling me this.”
“I said that age is full of youthful vigor, right?”
All doors and windows were firmly closed, but Professor Peter lowered his voice as if speaking of something even more secret.
“Cesare Yanox might pull off something useless. I know that guy well. I’ve been watching him since he was young. He’s an amazing guy with extraordinary ambition and capability.”
“……”
“And there’s one more pink-haired one sticking close to him. Astol.”
Cain?
“I’m personally sending informants, and there’s talk that they’re buying up large quantities of copper and iron ore in the Astol territory.”
At those words, my vision went dark. Talk of buying copper and iron ore meant making weapons. As expected, Cain seemed to be joining Cesare to help with the rebellion.
“I’m anxious about what that child might do. Moreover, his position has narrowed even more due to the recent assassin that came for Crown Prince Cedric.”
As expected, adults’ intuition was no joke. Professor Peter was guessing that Cesare would start a rebellion.
“But I still don’t really understand why the imperial family is oppressing the ducal family….”
“They’re trying to eliminate risk factors. Because Lampel started a rebellion over ten years ago.”
Lampel was the current Duke of Yanox. I took a deep breath at the suddenly heavy atmosphere.
‘To think of rebellion for generations, these guys are worse than I thought?’
But as far as I knew, there had never been a rebellion in the empire. I had read the required history book ‘Empire History Read Backwards’ three times for assignments, but there was no such content at all.
Even if there had been, Cesare wouldn’t be able to walk around fine right now.
“I think you’re mistaken, Professor.”
“No. There definitely was one. All evidence was erased, but I know. It’s something even the imperial family hides. It was an unavoidable incident, but… well, though the Yanox Ducal family guys are gloomy and eccentric, they’re not such bad guys.”
If that’s not bad, what is? With the intuition that I seemed to have penetrated too deep a secret, I got up stealthily, scared.
“I-I just… suddenly remembered overdue assignments, um… I’ll come back next time. Just process the exam as a zero, whatever. Goodbye!”
I quickly turned around and opened the door, but no matter how much I pulled the doorknob, it wouldn’t open.
“Eek. Why won’t it open!”
From behind, Professor Peter approached me with a chuckle. With nowhere to run, I stuck close to the door and pleaded with him.
“Wh-why are you doing this to me? I want to live peacefully. I’m going on a gourmet tour! I don’t know about such things! I don’t want to know! Let me go, kyaaah!”
“Calm down. You really yap like a Chihuahua! Tsk.”
Professor Peter grabbed the back of my neck in one motion. As I hung in the air making a tearful face, he laughed as if dumbfounded and sat me back on the chair.
“Why are you telling me such things, Professor!”
“I have a feeling you’ll balance things well.”
“Pardon?”
“Someone deliberately attacked Crown Prince Cedric disguised as Yanox. That incident will make the nobles’ factions more solid, and Yanox will become more isolated. There won’t be many nobles to assist him.”
“So why are you telling me this….”
“I only handle the grade with the Crown Prince, so I don’t know much about other matters, but I know that Yanox isn’t a student with very good character. But didn’t you instantly make Yanox into a righteous person? By making the Crown Prince into a shameless enemy.”
“I didn’t do that! I’m going crazy!”
“People are made to see only what they want to see. His appearance of sacrificing himself for a friend must have been quite impressive to the young students. That’s enough.”
“……”
“Master Mellans. For people, having a place to stand is extremely important. Whether in the market, in politics, at the academy, anywhere—if someone has no place to stand, balance collapses. They lose their reason and commit crazy acts.”
I didn’t really understand the part about me balancing things well, but I understood the core of what he was saying. It meant even a cornered rat will bite a cat. Cesare was a rat driven into a corner, and Professor Peter was worried about what Cesare might do to the imperial family.
“I’m not asking for financial aid. I’m saying he needs a mental pillar. To use a comparison, something like a comfort teddy bear?”
“Huh?”
A comfort teddy bear, he says. The only son of the Mellans Merchant Guild who will make something of himself when he enters society is just a teddy bear…. I don’t know how I became a teddy bear.
But Professor Peter’s words asking me to balance things so the rebellion itself doesn’t happen matched my current resolution. Watching directly from the side and manipulating so the rebellion itself doesn’t occur. Moreover, if Professor Peter became an ally, it would be a bit easier.
‘Not being used as a tool, but conversely, me manipulating him? That’s pretty good.’
“Become Yanox’s place to stand. So that child doesn’t go down the wrong path. That’s all I’m asking.”
At Professor Peter’s serious words, images of Cesare came to mind.
On the night of the ball, after being unfairly bound and confronting Cedric, he was mostly alone. Sitting alone with no one approaching, just staring at books and silently attending classes. A deep anger and gloom inappropriate for his age had seeped in, making him look no different from a villain in a fairy tale.
However, the Cesare Yanox I knew was someone who smiled more wonderfully than anyone. Even as empty words, I couldn’t say he resembled sunlight. But Cesare was calm like the shade under a willow tree full of green leaves and beautiful like a nocturne flowing in a quiet night.
Someone who could continue to be beautiful if the imperial family didn’t strangle him. He was that kind of guy. Not the villain of the century.
‘Cesare Yanox.’
When I recited his name inwardly, strangely my heart settled calmly. It felt like my tangled mind was being neatly organized.
Feeling confident that I could do anything to help him, I took a deep breath and spoke to Professor Peter as if declaring war.
“But I have a condition.”
“You want to make a deal? You’re a merchant to the bone.”
“Please take responsibility and put Cesare and me in the Taitus tour group. It was you who brought up the tour group first anyway, Professor.”
“Hmm. Would that be enough?”
“And one more thing.”
I boldly placed my palm on his desk and continued.
“I’ll pay all of Cesare’s tuition until graduation, so please just lend your name as if you paid it, Professor.”
I wasn’t thoughtlessly paying his tuition like a pushover. I needed insurance too. Though the professor’s proposal to assist Cesare seemed like nothing much, at this rate, if Cesare committed something, the only one to see blood would be me as his close associate. No matter how much I shouted that I assisted the ducal family because Professor Peter asked me to, without evidence it wouldn’t work.
‘I need proof that he’s definitely on our side.’
“You’re trying to drag me in.”
“You’re the one who dragged me into the mud first, Professor. Don’t think you’ll stay clean alone. If Cesare needs a place to stand, the Mellans Merchant Guild’s money alone isn’t enough.”
‘If the former Finance Minister is said to be Cesare’s patron, his reputation will improve a bit more.’
While I was thinking that, Professor Peter burst into hearty laughter.
“Good! Hahaha! Very good! I’ll accept the deal. Well, you’re quite a sharp fellow.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“My assistant position will probably… Oh dear, I need to extend my appointment first!”
The professor kept muttering incomprehensible things while rummaging through papers. But since I had found a way to go to the Taitus Principality and could repay the debt of Cesare not taking the exam, nothing entered my ears due to my proud feelings.
‘And I found out that Cesare is using Cain to gather troops. That’s pretty good information.’
I had to prevent bloodshed from occurring. A traitor? What nonsense! He will remain forever as a splendid and powerful Duke of Yanox. Because I’ll make it so.
