I’m Not the One Who Seduced the Grand Duke Chapter 33

“No, but why didn’t you tell me about something so valuable until now?!”

“It wasn’t something I received. It was something I was going to receive. And it wasn’t free, either……”

“It’s an engagement gift I’m giving to my fiancée. Ah, of course, this is only a tiny fraction of what I’ll be able to give her in the future.”

“My goodness! Congratulations on your engagement, Your Grace. Wait, what engagement? I think you might as well get married right away.”

Marquess. Get married today.

Jean’s eyes seemed to have turned into gold coins as he rubbed his hands together and made his proposal.

“People from Zaherette really are amusing. More than anything, I think we get along extremely well.”

“That means you’re calling us greedy, doesn’t it? I won’t deny it.”

Could there possibly be another representative who would sell out the head of a trading company for the benefit of said company, despite it not even being his own business?

Well, technically speaking, the terms were so good that calling it “selling her out” was a bit much.

“Anyway. So I was considering several different ways to deal with this, but fortunately, we weren’t just sitting around doing nothing either. We had a little luck on our side, too.”

“You found a solution?”

“Yes. Actually, there was something I’d been searching for to solve this problem for quite some time.”

I grinned as I spoke.

“You’ve heard of something called a ‘scroll,’ right?”

“A scroll?”

Leon nodded lightly at my words.

“Of course I know. A spellbook imbued with a unique magic, right? A legacy left behind by the mages of the past.”

“That’s right.”

I slowly continued.

“It is said that, until several hundred years ago, there were people known as mages who could use magic without scrolls, but that isn’t the case anymore. As the magical power that had been passed down through generations of humans gradually disappeared, people became unable to use magic.”

And yet, magic still existed.

Through the spellbooks left behind by the mages—in other words, through scrolls.

“But I understand that most of them are kept by the Imperial Family. Isn’t it illegal for ordinary people to possess scrolls?”

“That’s right. It’s dangerous for ordinary people to possess intermediate-grade or higher scrolls.”

Scrolls were divided into several types.

Some of them contained extremely powerful magic, and it was obvious that such things would pose a considerable threat if they fell into ordinary hands. So all intermediate-grade and higher spellbooks were kept by the Imperial Family.

However, there was an exception.

“Scrolls that are somewhat inferior to intermediate grade can be privately owned. Of course, only after receiving approval from the Imperial Family.”

High-grade spellbooks had to be reported immediately upon discovery, but the lower grades did not.

For example, a spell that kept your body warm during a cold winter would be intermediate grade or higher and therefore had to be reported, whereas a spell that summoned a cool breeze for a short while when it was hot would be classified as low grade.

‘But…… if you look carefully, there are actually quite a few useful ones among them.’

In fact, these small, miscellaneous spellbooks were commonly used in everyday life.

‘They’re also traded at surprisingly high prices.’

Perhaps because they could no longer be produced and therefore existed in limited quantities, or because the magic engraved on every scroll was different. There were even nobles who specialized in collecting nothing but these.

As a result, scrolls themselves were incredibly expensive, yet there was still considerable demand for them.

However—

‘Zaherette’s financial power is second to none.’

After Jean’s people searched high and low, they eventually found the owner of the scroll I had been looking for. And fortunately, they managed to connect with Zaherette just before it was put up for auction.

“And the item is supposed to arrive today.”

“Yes. We bought it for twice the price the auction house had offered. It’s scheduled to arrive sometime this morning.”

So that was how it happened.

Leon nodded.

“Come to think of it, doesn’t Zaherette also have a scroll? One that has been passed down through the family.”

“Yes. I’ve heard that we do.”

I answered Leon’s question.

At the founding of Orden, there were five noble families who had helped the first Emperor establish the Empire.

The first Emperor, who had been a powerful mage, bestowed one scroll upon each of his loyal subjects, with each scroll containing the magic they desired.

Zaherette was one of them.

“But I don’t know where it is now. I heard that the whereabouts of the scrolls belonging to the other families are also unknown. As time passed, they were forgotten from people’s memories, and honestly, there aren’t even any records of anyone having actually seen them.”

“Then you don’t even know what kind of scroll Zaherette possesses?”

“I don’t. Not only me, but my father, the previous Marquess, and even my grandfather said they didn’t know. No one has ever seen it. If it really were something that amazing, it would have stood out in some way.”

I waved my hand dismissively, thinking that it was probably just some fairy tale made up by our ancestors who wanted to elevate the family’s prestige.

“So, what kind of magic is imbued in the scroll you’ve been searching for all this time?”

“Ah, that.”

I grinned as if he had asked exactly the right question.

Then I handed him the advertisement lying in front of me.

It contained a photograph of an old piece of parchment that was scheduled to be auctioned, along with a brief description.

Yes, the magic I had worked so hard to obtain was—

“What? A magic that keeps flowers in a vase fresh for a long time?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Apparently, a mage created it a very long time ago to comfort his sick wife. He wanted her, who couldn’t get out of bed, to be able to look at fresh flowers for as long as possible. Something like that.”

“Romantic.”

“And now that romance is going to bring an enormous miracle to the Roar Trading Company.”

It really was perfect.

“But why this one in particular? There must be more useful magic.”

“I told you. Scrolls are difficult to deal with. Of course, I’ve heard there are spellbooks containing magic that accelerates plant growth, increases harvest yields, or suppresses growth…… But it would be difficult to get Imperial approval for those, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah. I suppose so.”

“Exactly. So I needed a magic that was ambiguous enough to receive permission for use without much difficulty.”

And the one we had chosen was the scroll containing the magic that kept flowers in a vase fresh for a long time.

“Preservation is exactly what it sounds like—it simply keeps them fresh in their current state. And even at its longest, the limit is apparently two months. But two months is more than enough time for the Roar Trading Company. We won’t have to use the shortest route anymore.”

Since the tea leaves would only begin to wither once the magic wore off, in practice, it would effectively give us even more than two months.

Having finished explaining the scroll, I clapped my hands.

All right, then.

“Shall we start fighting back?”

 

***

 

A few days later, at Club .

Among the familiar faces who had gathered to seek the leisurely pleasures and indulgence of a late night, there was one particularly recognizable figure.

At a table not far from the poker table, a man sat alone in the spacious area, leisurely tilting a glass of whiskey.

Count Valentine, Gerold Valentine, swirled the whiskey in his glass and chuckled.

In his hand was the newspaper that had been published that very day.

More precisely, the newspaper contained an article about how Valentine had dealt a blow to Zaherette.

‘That insolent wench…… She’s been throwing her weight around without knowing her place. Heh. That’s what she gets for being so arrogant.’

Gerold Valentine thought that the , which the young woman had caused after becoming the heir, had merely been a matter of luck as well.

‘And everyone was so intimidated by that girl without even knowing that. Tsk, tsk……. Well, this opportunity should have taught her a lesson. She won’t be throwing her weight around anymore.’

Even for Zaherette, the toll issue had been a masterstroke.

Of course, it was nothing more than a single piece of land, but the repercussions of today’s move would be considerable.

‘I’ve bought off the newspaper and planted the story, too. The other lords should start reacting soon. Unless they’re complete fools, they won’t just sit there and watch someone right next to them increase their toll fivefold.’

Pfft!

The half-drunk count burst into a silly laugh.

Still, his head seemed to be working well enough, because there was only one option left for the Marquess.

To request another negotiation with him.

She had put on quite a show when speaking to his representative, but that bravado wouldn’t last long.

“I spoiled you too much, and now you think you can look down on me and climb all over my head……. Tsk. Just you wait. I’m not going to let this end with just one incident!”

The land wasn’t going anywhere, after all.

So, once they finished this negotiation, he could loosen the leash a little, then tighten it around the Marquess’s neck the same way again.

And then repeat it for the rest of their lives.

This land would become Zaherette’s leash.

And the person holding that leash would be none other than himself.

Gerold Valentine.

He was grinning viciously as though he had already taken Zaherette into the palm of his hand when—

“Well, well, if it isn’t someone I know!”