“...That the Duke of Diarca could be emotionally swayed by his own family... To be honest, that’s hard to believe.”

Especially because that family was Kiole.

“Perhaps you're associating the word cherish with something too warm. Cherishing someone isn’t always based on affection. People can decide to cherish another for many reasons. And influence doesn’t only move in one direction.”

“That’s...”

Hearing it put that way, it made a bit more sense. Hadn’t Kachian also clearly ‘cherished’ Yudrain Aile? Even if it had been nothing more than clutching a useful weapon to keep it from slipping away, the fact remained that he had listened to Yuder more readily than anyone else and granted him much wealth and prestige.

And the fact that he hadn’t even appeared on the day of Yuder’s execution could also be interpreted as a reaction to losing something he valued.

“You shouldn’t interpret someone like the Duke of Diarca through the lens of ordinary parenthood. I doubt even the Duke himself ever thought he was capable of being emotionally shaken by one of his children. But the outcome doesn’t lie.”

Whatever the reasons, it was true that after Kiole disappeared, the Duke’s actions became uncharacteristically quiet and then he died. If everything else was eliminated and that alone remained, then, as Kishiar had said, that might well be the answer.

Yuder nodded in reply.

“I also suspected that Crown Prince Kachian had a hand in the Duke’s death. I thought perhaps he used an unknown poison, something like the Doodulem, and then disguised it as death from an existing illness.”

Now that Kiorne’s unstable situation and Kiole’s premature death were added to the equation, the conclusion became even clearer.

“If he had tried to deal with the Duke alone, without involving me—whom he didn’t fully trust at the time—then he would’ve needed someone on the inside. Given that he’s already tried manipulating House Apeto in a similar fashion this time around, it wouldn’t be surprising.”

Some people never change. And Kachian la Orr was especially one of them.

The fact that Kachian’s past plots could be inferred from his current behavior only made that clearer.

Kishiar nodded slowly, as if reading the part Yuder had chosen to omit.

“Yes. This time, he probably won’t be able to attempt the same thing—or if he does, we’ll deal with it immediately.”

“I admit I’m quite curious now how the Duke of Diarca will react to whatever’s coming for Kiole.”

“So am I. And now that we’ve begun to suspect these things, I think it’s worth taking a deeper look into Kiole la Diarca.”

“Is it worth going through the trouble? He’s the most straightforward man alive. I could just send someone to ask him directly and he’d probably tell us everything.”

Kishiar gave a faint smile and shook his head.

“That’s probably true. But you know—there are always things people don’t even realize about themselves. I’m wondering if there might be another reason—something we haven’t considered—why the Duke would be so shaken by Kiole’s death.”

That there might be something hidden about Kiole. Even just hearing it felt strange. But there was an unclear yet distinct conviction in Kishiar’s voice.

“Well... If there is something even Kiole doesn’t know, then perhaps an external investigation would be better. Do you have any particular lead?”

“His origin.”

“...What?”

Even if there were a hundred suspicious things about Kiole, his origin had never been one of them. The unexpected answer slipped past Yuder’s lips before he realized.

“Did you know Kiole’s mother is different from the other children’s?”

Yuder shook his head.

“I didn’t.”

“The Duke of Diarca had two wives. His first wife bore all the other children, but she died in an accident. He remained unmarried for a long time after that before finally taking a second wife. That second wife was Kiole’s mother. She was known to be the illegitimate daughter of a minor noble house.”

Being an illegitimate daughter of a noble house meant that she had at least been acknowledged by her father, unlike someone like Kanna, who hadn’t even received recognition. So technically, she was still a noble.

Still... nobles of higher birth would look down on someone like that just like they would a commoner.

And to become the wife of a Duke—especially the Duke of House Diarca—was completely inappropriate for someone of her station.

“From what I’ve gathered, the Duke had already known the second wife even before the first wife passed. The reason he didn’t bring her in immediately afterward is unclear, but the most likely explanation is her low status. In any case, she became his second wife, gave birth to Kiole about a year later, and then went off to convalesce—only to die about a decade later.”

On the surface, this all seemed fairly normal. Kiole’s mother may have been disrespected within the household because of her background, but it wasn’t as if Kiole himself was timid or broken because of it. He was legally the son of the Duke and his lawfully wedded wife.

And she was still a noblewoman, after all.

But the fact that Kishiar now thought it was worth re-investigating meant that perhaps something was hidden in what seemed so ordinary.

“You’re planning to look into ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Kiole’s mother’s side of the family?”

“Yes. The Duke’s second wife never made public appearances during her lifetime. There’s barely any documentation or information about her. It’s questionable whether Kiole himself knows much about her at all. She lived and died with almost no presence.”

“If you find anything... let me know. If I run into Kiole again... I might ask him about it.”

Assuming there is a next time.

***

“Duke. Reporting mission completion and return.”

Nathan Zuckerman had returned. Though he had successfully infiltrated Afeim—hostile toward Peleta—and captured the impostors posing as the Shuden Company, his face was as expressionless as ever.

Calm and composed, he knelt on one knee and began his report.

“Just before entering Afeim, we stopped by a nearby village, and there we found individuals who claimed to have recently purchased goods from the Shuden Company. Upon inspection, the merchandise was counterfeit—lacking the proper seal. It was clear the sellers matched the profiles of the people we were tracking.”

Peleta’s secret influence across the North had once again proven its worth. Nathan had entered Afeim with the cooperation of allied territories and used that network to locate the culprits.

“So, did you see their faces?”

“Yes. Once we removed their disguises, we found they were mostly of Southern descent. They claimed they’d committed the crime out of poverty and insisted the goods were just common junk. Believing they were caught simply for impersonating the Shuden Company, we didn’t explain anything else.”

“Just as expected.”

“I had intended to apprehend them quietly, but the situation became noisy. So, upon leaving, I had to show the letter bearing the Third Prince of Apeto’s seal, which you gave me.”

A smile crept onto Kishiar’s face.

“How was the reaction? I imagine it was a sight.”

“They were quite shocked.”

Apparently, there had been some internal squabbling in Afeim over whether or not to submit to Revlin’s authority. In the end, the lord of Afeim acknowledged the seal as authentic and ordered cooperation, allowing Nathan to leave without issue.

“They clearly didn’t like us, but Revlin’s name mattered more.”

“As expected.”

“Also, according to the information we gathered... it seems a spatial rift briefly appeared in Afeim as well. They denied it officially, but the villagers were honest.”

Kishiar nodded as if he had already known.

“Well done, Nathan. Now, it’s time to meet our guests. I’m sure you heard Mick has already brought in the Cat’s Whiskers Company people?”

“Yes. I sent word to them before I came here. Mick should’ve explained everything and brought them to the prison already.”

“My subordinates are all so competent I hardly have anything left to do. Let’s head down.”

They stood and made their way to the underground level of the fortress. There, alongside the storage areas, was the prison—common in any fortress.

Mick and Gohum of the Donavi Manaik caravan were already waiting at the entrance and bowed in greeting. Mick was grinning ear to ear, clearly in a great mood.

“You’re here! Just thinking of seeing those bastards face-to-face really makes me feel better. Sir Zuckerman, I’ll send you the finest wine our company brought in as a thank-you gift!”

“I rarely drink, so that won’t be necessary.”

“Oh, don’t be so modest.”

While Mick tried to force a wine gift on Nathan with shameless enthusiasm, Gohum stood nearby, subtly observing his face. She was trying to hide it, but her gaze kept lingering—probably confirming that Nathan really was of Southern origin like herself.

It didn’t feel like a negative reaction, so Nathan was probably pretending not to notice.

“Gohum. Do you know who’s currently in this prison?”

“Yes,” she answered respectfully, turning to Kishiar.

“Mick told me they’re the impostors who were using his company’s name. He asked me to come along to see if I might recognize anyone... though I’m not sure I’ll be of any help.”

“Hm. I think you’ll be more help than you expect.”

“...Pardon?”

“They’re Southerners. Which means there’s a good chance you might know them.”

Gohum’s eyes widened.