North x Northwest

Chapter 340

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August’s face seemed like he just heard something straight out of a fairy tale.

‘If I show them urgency, I could fail to reach my goal. Like Venua Obernyu.’

Mireille suppressed his discomfort and urged them gently.

“Come on now.”

Poussin answered on his behalf.

“I guess not. It never occurred to me that he could be a woman.”

August agreed with Poussin.

“It’s true that, for a man, his looks appeared more on the feminine side, but he was still definitely a man.”

“In truth, I don’t understand what made you think so. While I agree that in this world, gender may sometimes be confusing… Yes, such people exist, but that wasn’t the case with the Black Whale at all.”

“I agree with Jacques. Based on his appearance and body, a question of his gender never occurred to me. Just as it’s natural for me to be a man, so was it for the Black Whale.”

‘I did not call them here to repeat the same thing like a bunch of parrots… Although they are useless now, these two are the ones who actually encountered Lil Schweiz recently.’

Mireille tried his best to maintain his composure and asked a question while thinking out loud.

“Then how could such a magical thing happen…!”

His eyes brightened. Like a man possessed, he repeated the words he just uttered.

“…Magic?”

Mireille quickly sent the men out of his study, especially now that they had begun to look at him with suspicion. He then nervously closed the study door without even letting either Enzo or Jean in.

Left alone, he wandered around the study deep in thought.

“Magic… it must be magic…”

‘What if the Mireille heirloom that Liloa took was not just an artefact, but a magical one that manifested some mysterious powers and contributed to disguising her identity? Shit! Does this even make sense? …No, in a world where mermaids are real, why would there not be magic that can seamlessly change a person’s appearance or control people’s memories?’

Mireille rang the bell on his desk and Enzo immediately shouted from beyond the door.

“Your Grace, what is going on!”

“Call Jean!”

The sound that was getting closer became distant again.

“…Yes!”

Before long, there was a knock and the door opened. In the doorway, Jean bowed his head.

Mireille was sitting leisurely, snuggling into his backrest. When he had calmed down enough, he asked.

“What happened to your attempt to appease Maxwell Farin?”

“He said he would give me an answer, but I have not heard back from him yet.”

“Go find him again.”

Mireille explained the reason why he wanted to retrieve the heirloom, wondering if Jean might get the wrong idea.

“Liloa, she pissed me off immensely. No matter what happens, you need to bring me that necklace.”

“How do I appease him?”

“Any means necessary. Tell him I could grant him whatever it is that he wants.”

“…”

After Jean nodded and turned around without saying a word, Mireille spoke to his back as he disappeared through the crack in the door.

“And add that, through me, he will be able to see his family much sooner.”

“Yes, I got it.”

‘No matter what, I will reveal Lil Schweiz’s identity to the world. And her corpse, torn apart like livestock, will be hung from the highest tower in Gualtiero.’

He took out a cigarette and questioned, sitting quietly amid the billowing smoke, collecting his thoughts.

‘Now, how do I chain down pirates and drag them into the swamp?

First of all, the Lemoine family is a difficult family to mess with. Although it is a traditional family, it has been actively engaged in business in recent years. Countless merchants and aristocratic families are indebted to Lemoine. Moreover, the head of the family, the Count, is not only an outstanding scholar but also has a great personality that earns him a significant number of followers… How annoying. There is no particular benefit of involving Cesar in this case… Plus, it is unclear whether he participated in this act of piracy or not. Considering my understanding of Cesar’s character, he would never have participated. In addition, there is no one who does not know how much Count Lemoine cherishes his younger brother, Cesar, as if he were his own son… For now, I have to be satisfied with catching the man’s weakness, but nothing more…There is no point in concocting or investing in the path leading to Cesar.

So, in the end, I am only left with Liloa. Just like with Robero, she will probably put herself in a position where she can easily be buried, such that even if I leave her alone, she herself will make people uncomfortable and tire out her side. How easy it will be to deal with her… Or, it is not yet too late to have a son with her, only to snatch it out of her womb before handing her over to the Navy for execution. Actually, the process of having a son with Liloa would already be a disgrace for a woman like her. Now that I think about it, that is not a bad route to take either. The thought of seeing my ‘little birdy’ suffocating again is exciting me. Her figure from behind, sitting helplessly like a doll, wearing clothes that expose her shoulders, hair drizzled on the nape of her neck… her forcibly dolled up lips giving only obediently gentle answers… Her face, succumbing to me and swallowing humiliation was very beautiful indeed…’

A feeling of heat surged to his lower abdomen, tightening his breath. As he closed his eyes, his imagination became instantly more lively. Mireille, who hung his cigarette from his lips at an angle, slid down comfortably in the chair, lifted his body and pulled his pants down from his waist…

***

The afternoon sunlight was a much-welcomed companion. Despite the decreasing temperatures, the sky was clear and reflected on the blue water of the small river by the palace grounds. In front of the river, under a white awning with gold tassels, the Emperor, the Empress, Lil, and Venua all sat down for tea.

During their gettogether, the emperor had constantly eaten the white refreshments that were as light as a feather. His speed was so fierce that Annette didn’t even dare to spare some for Lil, so she just explained.

“It is a snack made from ground coconut. His Majesty likes them very much.”

Lil could sense that Venua, who was highly sensitive to table manners, was trying his best to avoid looking at the emperor.

Instead of answering, Lil gently smiled at Annette.

‘From what I’ve observed so far, the Emperor eats non-stop throughout the day. In the past, he just liked and enjoyed food, but now he’s resorted to binge eating… Based on his abnormal appetite, there must be some pressures or stress affecting his mental state. Fortunately, it seems like Annette’s presence forces him to show restraint till some extent.’

Only after eating all the refreshments, the emperor asked Lil.

“Did you enjoy the banquet?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

Slogans shouted by the small merchants’ association gathered in the main building were heard all the way to their table. In fact, the chants had been loud since the beginning of their tea time, but all four of them pretended not to hear. However, as it continued to the point where it got on his nerves, the emperor eventually sighed.

“I have a meeting with the union soon…”

“…”

The emperor then habitually touched his forehead as Annette gently placed her hand on his shoulder. He obviously pitied himself, folding his hand on the back of hers.

“I cannot even drink a cup of tea comfortably…”

He tried to smile and lift his teacup, but this time, the chants weren’t even part of some slogan. The shouts were full of swearing and inaudible words, which continued for a long time.

“…Stop, just stop!”

The emperor finally slammed the table, got up, and headed towards the river. Venua, who needed to appease him, quickly walked next to him and matched his pace.

Annette leaned over and whispered to Lil.

“…In the last few years, a huge amount of money has been spent on securing a naval fleet and replenishing the Navy. Robero departing for the Monferrand Strait… You heard about that, right? Whatever you do, do not mention that in front of His Majesty…”

“Yes.”

Lil recalled a rumour she heard in Roahn some time ago*.

‘The Emperor is putting pressure on Ed over the Saint-Viève Canal toll issue. At the time, I only understood it as a fight he picked with Ed, but thinking about it again, I guess it’s related to the financial situation of the imperial family.’

“…At the time, no one expected it would cost this much, such that when it came time to pay, everyone was surprised that it emptied the national treasury. As the budget was being spent all over the place, the imperial army’s salaries were gradually reduced. It unfortunately resulted in the imperial army becoming lethargic and unmotivated… They couldn’t even properly suppress petty bandits. Even if they were ordered to do it, all they would do was go hiking as if they were enjoying an outing… So, there had to be some new means for capital to flow in, but this subjugation of pirates of the south ended in vain, right? In return for dispatching Admiral Retiro, the Merchant Guild brought treasury to His Majesty, however, since there was no result in the South, everyone is slowly withdrawing…”

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Reference:

‘Lil recalled a rumour she heard in Roahn some time ago.’ = The rumour that is talked about is the one from chapter 263, Vol. 7. During an outing/date with Ed to the festival in Roahn, they overheard a conversation between locals:

“…Come on, man. How can you say that so confidently after seeing what Sesbron has been doing to Roahn for the past half year? Not only have the taxes gone up, but according to the guy working at the government office, Sesbron is even trying to have Roahn pay a toll for using the Saint-Viève Canal which leads to the capital… But if the Admiral stays away like this, who will take care of all that?…”

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