Chapter 352

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“As long as you give him what he wants, Mireille will keep his promise. For him, a pardon is nothing too difficult, you just have to keep your mouth shut until a certain amount of time has passed. Don’t worry about me, I’m in no position to blame you and even if I was I wouldn’t, not when I know the full story.”

‘Listening to her words, it seems that rejecting Mireille’s proposal will only lead to a loss on my side. Especially knowing that she will eventually give the necklace to Mireille through someone else if I don’t do it...’

Maxwell, still hesitant, sought her approval.

“...Is this really okay?”

“I’m not a judge, so don’t try to get confirmation from me. You apologised to Edgar and have suffered enough, so I don’t plan on being strict with your decision. The Duke didn’t demand that you shouldn’t testify, so I leave the decision entirely up to you.”

Lil didn’t test his loyalty. She had no expectations from him other than his human conscience. Maxwell knew that to prove his loyalty, he had to pay for his sins. But he didn’t have the courage. In his own defence, any ordinary human being probably would make the same choice. Rather than swearing his belated loyalty to Lil, he just wanted to escape the entire situation. He just wanted to quickly return to his family and protect them even though it was an unfair choice.

This tiresome, endless fight between nobles wasn’t something he should participate in.

As a result, Maxwell chose the pardon. And he had no regrets...

– – – – – – end of flashback – – – – – – –

Suddenly, someone was captured by the imperial army while calling to abolish the social classes.

‘These days, there are many people who put forward bold ideas, claiming that everyone is equal. I once had such thoughts as well. But no matter how much I insisted that all people are born with the same eyes, nose, and mouth, nothing changed. Just as a man like Jean, Mireille’s lackey, could never be like me and receive a title, I could never pass as a natural-born noble.

But Liloa...

From Kano to Simena, the two Southerners and I moved together with the servants while following her. The male servants’ quarters were always large rooms with several beds... The older one snored horribly, so I woke up a few times. At one of those times, I saw Liloa, looking after the Southerners... I think it was the day before we arrived in Simena... She sat on the floor next to their bed and said a few words... She appeared to be reciting something. Wishing them smooth sailing.

How could Liloa, who had never knelt before the Prince regent of the Archduchy in her whole life, kneel before those humble Southerners and take care of them?

I can’t seem to erase that scene from my mind...’

Maxwell pressed his hood down in an attempt to shake her off. He had to move before he became more caught up in his thoughts. He slammed down on the reins and steered his horse with his back to the Empire. The wind rushed into his face and chest while he kept mentally repeating the same sentence over and over again.

‘...I will live without thinking about anything, focusing only on protecting my family and estate...’

“Well...”

“Because you once boarded a smuggling ship.”

Edgar lifted Lil’s knee, kissed it, and muttered.

“...You have me all figured out...”

“I know. But it’s bigger than that right? Has it something to do with your collection back at Roahn?”

“...”

As Lil narrowed her eyes, Ed subtly averted her gaze. His action of pausing rather than answering straight away always made her more curious.

Lil urged him again.

“I heard you’re currently collecting items that are up for auction.”

It was an auction entrusted to the Sesbron Auction Company by government offices in the name of the imperial family. The imperial family auctioned off some of the confiscated smuggled goods in order to solve urgent financial problems. Now, the royal family’s artefacts, works of art, various alcoholic beverages, nobles’ collections, furniture, and real estate, which had become extinct under the imperial rule, came pouring out. Ed, never one to miss an opportunity, he sent his servants to bid on hundreds of pieces in the never-ending auction.

This auction was currently one of Sesbron’s most hottest topics, so there was no way it wouldn’t have reached Lil’s ears.

Ed slowly nodded his head.

“There were too many people involved to make a hasty move. It was just too much of a hassle. I was thinking about personally touching the topic about ‘pirates’ only after seeing the solution...”

“You were right.”

‘Somehow, four ships were swept away in less than a month... Even for an admiral who could fly and crawl, it was a task that was close to impossible...’

– – – – –