Chapter 29

The divers, who could not read, roughly shook their heads, but still looked like they didn’t understand well.

I was lost in thought for a moment.

Obviously, the moment this wine is presented to the emperor, the nobles will smell the money and everyone will be eager to save it.

There’s only one shipwreck I’ve swept today, and there have been a lot of ships submerged in the sea for hundreds of years.

If there is a rumor that precious wine is hidden in a sunken ship, everyone will gather like bees and jump into the sea.

There was only one surefire way to keep their mouth shut.

Dealing with divers in the way of the Duke of Baloa.

“Let’s make a deal.”

I jutted at a bag full of wine bottles.

“There are a few more wrecks besides the ship I found today.”

Greed permeated the divers’ eyes.

“I’m going to leave the next work to you. The pay, too, will be the same this time.”

There was the most obvious way, but I couldn’t avoid it no matter how hard I thought about it.

“However, if words leak about what happened today, there is wine that is more than 100 years old that can be found in the sea anywhere in the empire. If there’s a rumor going around I’ll think it’s coming out from your mouth.”

The divers took a small breath.

“I am the Duke of Baloa.”

I couldn’t become the Duke of Baloa, so she only borrowed her name.

Her reputation, her notoriety.

I continued the dirty play today to hide my weak reality.

“If you go against me, there will be no place to shut your eyes in this empire, right?”

And even today, this dirty play satisfied the audience.

“I swear!”

“Believe me, my Duke.”

The divers trembled and bowed before me.

For a moment, the joy of finding wine felt indescribable, and I looked at the people who bowed their heads in front of me.

The wine was first sent to the palace in a carriage, and then I headed for Count Linoa.

It would be rude if you came to the Count’s territory and didn’t stop by once.

In addition, I wanted to delay my return to the palace by one more day because of the accident with Cardan.

“Come on in.”

The count, who ran out at a step, greeted me with a stoop.

Since she promised to help the count’s business, he has not been able to stretch his back before me.

“We prepared a grand dinner for the Duke.”

The count led me to dinner.

***

On the long table in the hall, there were all kinds of freshly cooked delicacies.

The smell of food with a strong aroma filled the hall as if it were sparing no spices.

The count took out my chair altogether and poured the wine himself instead of leaving it to his servant.

All of them were dressed neatly and smiled excessively, as if they had told their families firmly.

“Come on, have a bite.”

When the count raised the glass, I also raised it moderately and pretended to moisten my lips.

“How’s the coast going, Duke?”

asked the count, pretending not to be curious, in a light voice.

But inside, he seemed to be very curious about what I did.

“I just looked around once. Your Majesty is very interested in trade with the East.”

Of course I didn’t mean to let him know what I did.

With every penny saved until she goes into exile, she can’t leak information about what’s going to be as lucrative as wine over 100 years old.

“Ha ha, how surprised I was to hear that the Duke was leaving His Majesty for a few days. I think it’s pretty important.”

The count asked again stealthily.

“Well, what’s not important?”

I finally answered with a stiffened face.

Recognizing that my expression was unusual, the count hurriedly closed his mouth and pretended to be absorbed in the meat.

“It’s very tender because it’s veal.”

I felt different when I saw the divers crawling in front of me.

I felt bitter then for some reason, but now………….

Power is the best. It’s thrilling. It’s always new.

Then I could imagine how much effort the Duke would have made to vomit blood before he got this power.

No matter how powerful as a duke she was, she was much younger than the other noble family’s heads.

And the only woman.

She was the perfect thing to bite at the bottom of the food chain.

If she was an ordinary person, even the status of a duke would not have been a shield.

But the Duke of Baloa trampled on all the bad conditions and climbed to the top of the food chain.

Even if the position was won in all kinds of low and mean ways, it could not be disparaged as much as its ability.

And I’m not in a position to blame the Duke of Baloa either.

Not as much as the Duke of Baloa, but I also intended to survive by any means possible.

I looked carefully at the count’s daughter sitting on the other side.

The long blonde hair, the green-eyed girl, shyly lowered long lashes, and the nose that falls gently, and exceptionally red lips.

Indeed, it has also been mentioned in the original. In fact, it looked like she could proudly be ranked high in the list of ladies, who are famous for her beauty in society.

“Haha, is there any food that doesn’t suit your taste?”

When I didn’t even touch the food, the count was sweating and carefully biting.

“No, there’s not.”

I smiled moderately and pretended to put a glass of wine in my mouth.

In fact, my head was full of “next” moves by the emperor, so I didn’t feel like eating food.

So I got to the point right away without further consideration.

“How old is your daughter this year?”

The count answered me with a straight face, though he did not understand the intent of my question.

“She came of age this year.”

I gave a smile of satisfaction before I knew it.

Luck seemed to have worked once more here.