Artizea went out quietly without being noticed by the people of the mansion.
The clothes were of the nobility and were more commonly worn in times of mourning. There was nothing special about the characteristic of such a dress.
The striking white blonde was wrapped in a finely woven net of fine brown thread.
A black veil was attached to the brim of the hat, covering all the way to her lips. That was the biggest reason for choosing a mourning dress in the first place.
Freil removed his epaulettes.
(T/N: Epaulette is the ornamental shoulder piece on military uniforms.)
It seemed that Artizea knew why Alphonse was inadequate to accompany her. Alphonse was an overly picturesque knight, so even wearing rags, he was sure to still look good.
Except for Freil, one coachman was the only attendant. Alice didnât come along either.
âDo you often go out like this?â Freil asked in surprise
âUntil now, I didnât have much to go out for this kind of thing, but yes. Should there be occasions where Iâll need to go out unnoticed, I will have to operate this way.â
Freil looked at the black two wheeled carriage without a single crest.
Nowhere, there were no special features anywhere. No one would be able to tell who Artizea is or what kind of person she was.
There was nothing dangerous to do unless a fight broke out in the field.
And such a thing could be avoided by having a strong coachman and moving carefully.
Â
Freil thought he didnât know what Artizea was like.
He had known that she was clever from the time she proposed a contract marriage by tying up her own marriage and Western military affairs.
When Saintess Olgaâs heart was linked to the Baron Yetz case, she even advised Cedric that he shouldnât miss it.
But isnât this like an area of experience?
Freil thought that even if he prepared for Cedricâs secret affairs, he would not be able to do this thoroughly.
Freil was wary of Artizea.
Behind the Grand Duke of Evron were many simple, good-natured Northerners.
At first, several people were shocked that the master was engaged to Milairaâs daughter.
But everyone noticed that Artizea had suffered a great deal under Milairaâs hands and put their guard down.
There was no one who did not sympathize with her, knowing how miserable she was in Rosan.
When Artizea came to the mansion and showed a calm appearance, his good feelings grew.
She was noble and kind.
While entrusting great authority to her subordinates, she knew almost everything.
It was the mistress that the people of the Grand Duke of Evron had longed for.
However, Freil was convinced that the event with Milaira was also made up by Artizea.
The work that began with Saintess Olgaâs heart was not finished yet.
In fact, Artizea received an invitation from the Empress because of this incident.
It didnât seem like she had bad intentions.
But it wasnât clear to Freil how far Artizeaâs work would be connected or what big picture she was drawing.
It was dangerous to be that invisible.
Freil thought that he should be alert and keep his head straight.
The carriage passed the downtown area and entered the old street.
This street has been inside the city gate since the early days of the establishment of the imperial capital, but due to its lack of geographical advantage, it was not incorporated into the center.
However, a new building could not be built, nor could it create a strong community like a rural village, so the slums were in progress.
Most of the inhabitants were not citizens who had lived for a long time, but were thieves who came to the city.
There was a bar in the middle. Artizea opened one of the doors and entered.
Freil followed her. He was taken aback in his heart that Artizea knew a place like this.
Artizea did not hesitate to approach the bartender. And said,âTell Rye Fidget that Iâm here to buy a bottle of barberry wine.â
The bartenderâs face hardened.
The other clerks panicked when they heard it and went inside.
âWhere did you hear the name?â
âRye? Because we know each other very well.â
Artizea leaned against the back of the chair in a relaxed manner.
The breathless tension settled down in the store.
Rye Fidget was a solver and an honest villain. He would do everything he could if you gave him money and kept his trust in the person who gave him the money first.
âYou are the one who sold humanity for money. So you have to be loyal to money.â
Artizea praised him for that point.
She used money to grow Ryeâs organization. Because there were many things that needed black hands.
Under Artizea he bloomed as a trusted villain.
From forgery of documents to intimidation, kidnapping, torture, and spreading bad rumors, it was a useful load. In fact, he matched Artizea very well.
And in the end, he betrayed Artizea.
Artizea remembered that he had come to court with forged documents and evidence of the assassination.
[Iâm sorry, Marchioness. I am a man who sells humanity for money.]
With a face that had lost one eye and broken nose from torture, Rye confessed.
Artizea did not think she was betrayed. It wasnât a relationship that was made with fidelity anyway.
There was no need for conflict between the emperor and his former master, who have been accused of treason.
Why did he need to risk his life to protect her?
Apart from that, of course, this time he felt the need to have some other safeguards, not money.
It wasnât long before Rye came out to the store with a pale complexion.
As if he came out of bed right away, his hair was shaky and his shirt was wrinkled. It was refreshing to see the young face after a long time.
Artizea looked at him closely, so Rye felt embarrassed.
âWho are you?â Asking so, he tilted his head.
Only his colleagues knew what his real name was. Because the name was so cute, he was often looked down on, so he changed his name to Watt when he came to the city.
It was because of the mail coming from his hometown that he gave out his name to his colleagues.
There was no way anyone who knew his name would come. Much less referring to the âbarberry wineâ.
âBarberry wineâ was a slang word for murder in this area.
âWho is it? She looks young, but when you look at your gestures, it doesnât seem right. And the man beside herâŚ.. Is he a knight?â
âDecide after hearing my suggestion, Rye. Right now, you wonât even understand if you roll your head,â Artizea said briefly.
Rye bit his lips gently and asked.
âHow did you know my name?â
âIs that important?â
Beyond the veil, thin lips smiled brightly
âIâm here to buy barberry wine. And youâll sell whatever money can buy.â
âOkay, Iâll connect you with someone who can sell.â
âI want you to take care of it yourself. Of course, it doesnât mean I want you to use your own hands.â
This woman is dangerous. Rye trusted his intuition.
He wondered how she knew his name. However, it was better not to get connected.
It is true that he is a guy who sells anything for money. However, he did not sell his life or his family.
Artizea gave Rye a small bunch wrapped in black paper.
Rye took it and weighed it by hand. Looking at the thickness and texture, it seemed like ten gold coins.
If it was 10 golds, it was enough for a common peopleâs family to eat and live for a month.
It wasnât a small amount of money, but Rye pushed it away with his hand.
Then Artizea presented a second bundle. Rye pushed it back again. Then came the third bundle.
Rye flinched briefly this time. Artizea asked as she held out the fourth bundle.
âIs that enough to sell humanity yet?â
âDamn it, stop it.â
Artizea added two more bundles to make a total of 60 gold.
Rye rolled his eyes.
He wondered how far the amount would go up. He said he wouldnât be bought, but it seemed that he could be sold depending on the amount.
However, it wasnât a bunch of gold coins that came out as the seventh, but an envelope.
Artizea silently put it on top of the stack of gold coins.
Rye felt ominous and grabbed the envelope and opened it.
[To brother Rye.
The youngest is in very good condition thanks to the money and the doctor you sent us this time. I can even walk around.
All thatâs left is to dry out firewood this winter. Thanks to you, I have a lot of room, so hopefully I can prepare a cloth to hang on the wall before winter. Thank you so much.
But is it okay to send me such a large amount of money? You are not working dangerously, are you? Sending me a doctor from the capital must have cost you a lot of money.
The youngest is also important, but the older brother is also important. Do not work too hard. And as far as I am concerned, I just want my brother to return to his hometown.]
There was a longer comment below, but it didnât come into Ryeâs eyes.
The hand holding the letter trembled.
He had never sent money to a doctor, so this woman must have done it.
And Rye wasnât so stupid that he couldnât know it was a blackmail.
âAhhhhh! â
He screamed and jumped to his feet.
Freil tried to block it. But Artizea shook her head and signaled Freil to stop.
Rye reached out his fist at Artizea, but he dared not touch her.
This woman is a noble.
She also knows why Rye needs money.
He couldnât figure out how far she knew, and how far she would have played tricks. It was too dangerous.
Artizea finally took out a small card and handed it to Rai.
Rye read the card and sat down. And asked in a tone of resignation.
âIs this all I need to do? You donât have to look for me to deal with such a stupid guy. Iâll just give it to a drunkard with a tenth of the money. Itâs a waste.â
âI want perfect results, and itâs not a waste if I think I can get you on my side.â
After saying so, Artizea took the card back and put it in her handbag.
Rye stroked his head with his palms. And he sighed.
âOkay. Youâll be able to hear the news the day after tomorrow. Lady Rosan.â
By saying so, he revealed that he knew who Artizea was.
But Artizea was not shaken.
Inside the card was the name of the person to be dealt with. If he was stupid enough to see it and still not recognize who she was, then she wouldnât even make a deal with Rye.
âI donât mind if you donât give me separate news,â Artizea said so and stood up from her seat.
âWhat did you ask for?â Freil asked as they made their exit.
âTo get rid of traces,â Artizea said as she got into the carriage. The next destination was a safe house.\n