/
Rany’s lengthy explanation continued.
“Additionally, I didn’t get that much money. I also promised that I would return it thoroughly.”
“Not that one. There’s another matter except that one, right?”
She gasped.
The eyes looking at me shook in worry.
“Is this about me hosting a card game? It hasn’t even started yet.”
My head went numb at the words said carefully.
Card game?
Even after the hardship she went through because of the illegal gambling at the previous academy?
“Were the disciplinary actions and probations you received at the previous academy not enough?”
Rany waved her hands as if telling me to relax.
“Everything’s all on set so I won’t get caught doing anything illegally. This game will be run legally.”
It was probably a gamble that was set cleverly with elements that could be argued as legitimate.
“If it’s not that one, is this about my plan to open a marketplace for second hand articles in the academy? Is it a matter of handling items brought into the dormitory?”
Every time she admitted to new businesses she was doing inside the academy, my headache tormented me further.
Wonderful, indeed.
“I see you have been really busy . . .”
The works done inside the academy were so much, and she even worked on the guild’s scale expansion.
She would be out of shape if she worked all day and night.
In addition, it wasn’t only Rany who did their business diligently.
When did Benji come in contact with Jeremy?
Is it okay to leave Jeremy with Benji?
I hoped for them to be friends, but it seemed like this . . .
My mind was all over the place again.
It was really my fault to overlook the fact that that prudent and kind kid had the same merchant blood as Rany did.
Holding my twitching head, I spoke calmly.
“Not that. Why don’t you tell me about Rocke Merchant Guild being pressured? And it’s related to the Paris March, to boot.”
Rany, who was counting for the work she did with her fingers, flinched.
Her troubled face finally turned calm.
She looked like she was troubled with the other things, but not with the most important one.
“Well, for that one, that is because my father is terrible at handling the guild.”
“The one the Marchy attacked wasn’t you, but me.”
“. . .”
Until last year, Philip Viscount was relatively neutral.
There was a situation that the only successor was injured by the Bolton family and then they slowly joined the noble faction.
Of course, the House of Philip had no ways to pressure the guild.
Still, Mago had an important post inside the student council, so it was easy for her to move academy sentiment.
“One more. You know that guy is in this academy, right?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
I recalled Rany talking with a familiar male student not long ago.
It must be that she was worried if I would find out about him that she hurriedly sent him off the moment our eyes met.
“Dmitry Beyond.”
Rany flinched as she heard the name I said.
Rany moved her eyes rapidly.
His name was purposefully taken out of the file folder she gave me.
“You hid it on purpose.”
As the interrogation continued on, Rany finally confessed.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make you uneasy about things that didn’t seem troubling. He even has a fiancee.”
“But still it is true that you were entangled in something not good with Dmitry. They could bring out things from the past.”
If there was still evidence remaining . . .
If that fell into other families, such as Philip Viscounty, it would be very troubling.
Rany soon nodded.
“Well, such a probability does indeed exist.”
In fact, it was already on going.
If I hadn’t known who and how they were intertwined thanks to last night’s footwork, I would have run around quite a bit to handle it.
“Let’s start with checking the list of students who use products from Rocke Guild inside the academy.”
“. . .”
“There’s something you’re preparing, right?”
There was no way Rany couldn’t read what the other party was planning to do.
They were not fools who would miss the golden opportunity when the Crown Prince visited the academy.
At the end of the silence, Rany nodded.
She still looked unwilling, but it wasn’t as though she couldn’t understand me.
* * *
“The food has cooled down.”
Even though I told them to eat first, the food was still untouched.
It seemed like everyone was waiting to have lunch together.
“Eat, guys. If thing goes wrong, you’ll be late to class.”
Although they looked like they were waiting calmly, everyone quickly reached for the food as if they couldn’t hide the hunger.
“Are you not eating, Marianne?”
Hearing Jeremy’s question, I wiped the sauce around his lips and answered.
“I will. But, Jeremy.”
“Yes?”
“I heard that you decided to invest in Rocke Guild?”
The one who was surprised with the question I asked in low wasn’t Jeremy but Benji.
Benji, who glanced at Rany as though he felt guilty, played with his sandwich in silence.
“Yes. I was told that I wouldn’t suffer a big loss even if the investment fails.”
“Even though you wouldn’t suffer a loss, there’s a possibility you wouldn’t have any profits. Besides, you have to weigh up the value when you’ll invest in something.”
Jeremy blinked his eyes.
He looked like he didn’t understand why I was telling him this.
“Was I deceived?”
“I’m sure you weren’t deceived.”
No matter how hungry Benji was for profit, he wasn’t foolish to deceive a prince.