ITIF Chapter 38

Mikhail’s Worries

“Get up first.”

Perhaps feeling upset, Mikhail put down the cards he was holding onto the table and stood up from his seat.

No one at the same table tried to stop him as they carefully watched him put on his jacket with an expressionless face.

“…….”

Kavelaseth, who had been watching Mikhail’s retreating figure, also stood up from his seat.

The reason Kavelaseth had come to this place today was to meet Mikhail.

He thought Mikhail might know what Lady Amaterasu was planning to do with the Semper bulbs.

Of course, he hadn’t expected Mikhail’s mood to sour before he could find that out.

****

It had already been two hours since the dejected Mikhail had shouted “Just one more drink!”

Kavelaseth, who had quickly abandoned his plan to gather information about Lady Amaterasu through Mikhail, grabbed the collar of Mikhail’s jacket as he lay face-down on the bar table, rubbing his face.

“Get up.”

“Just! One more drink……. Huh?”

Mikhail looked up at Kavelaseth with his eyes slightly raised, his expression quite pitiful, but Kavelaseth was not one to be swayed by it.

“If you won’t get up, I’ll leave you behind.”

Kavelaseth spoke coldly and let go of Mikhail’s jacket collar he had been holding.

“How heartless…….”

Mikhail glanced at Kavelaseth lightly and sniffled as he got up from his seat.

Then he asked.

“You’ll escort me to the mansion, right?”

Kavelaseth squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt something bubbling up inside him because of Mikhail’s whining.

But he soon regained his composure and opened his eyes.

“I recommend you walk on your own two feet if possible.”

Even during the not-so-long journey to the carriage, Mikhail’s complaints continued.

“Kavel? Lately, Giselle has been…….”

The name that came from Mikhail’s mouth was indeed Giselle Grante, but the content was quite different from what Kavelaseth wanted to hear.

“……She’s changed, you know? She doesn’t call me ‘big brother’ affectionately like before, and her gaze when she looks at me seems different somehow?”

It seemed like Giselle Grante had never affectionately called Mikhail ‘big brother’ before either, but Kavelaseth didn’t bother to mention that.

And he considered for a moment.

‘Should I just abandon him and leave?’

Kavelaseth quietly gazed at the surroundings that had rapidly darkened after sunset.

The wind was particularly cold today, as if jealous of the flowers that were beginning to stir and bloom.

If he left him on the street like this, Mikhail would certainly catch a cold.

‘Come to think of it, it was around this time.’

Although Mikhail had a physique as robust as the academy trainees who aspired to be knights, during his academy days he would invariably fall seriously ill with a cold once every year.

Usually he seemed thoughtless, straightforward and simple, but only when he was sick did he show his vulnerable side.

Ever since he had gotten medicine from the infirmary for him just once, Mikhail seemed to consider Kavelaseth a friend.

“Kavel……? Are you listening to me?”

When no answer came back, Mikhail raised one eyebrow and glared at Kavelaseth, pressing him for a response.

Kavelaseth pushed such Mikhail into the carriage.

“Shut up and just get in.”

“Ugh…….”

Mikhail looked up at him with a tearful expression.

“Just try saying your stomach feels bad.”

At Kavelaseth’s sharp rebuke, Mikhail just nodded with his mouth tightly shut.

****

Giselle Grante gazed at the red sunset disappearing between the distant mountain ranges and thought.

‘What choice will Count Frederick make?’

Today’s price of Semper bulbs matched exactly the amount she had predicted yesterday.

Since things went as she said, it was sufficiently predictable that there would be a reaction from Count Frederick.

But there were always variables.

“Miss. It’s quite cold today. I brought something for you to wear.”

Lindsey said, unfolding a thick shawl.

“Thank you, Lindsey.”

As Lindsey wrapped the shawl around Giselle Grante’s shoulders, she shook her head.

“It’s nothing. But why do you keep staying outside?”

“Just, because the sunset is pretty?”

“It is pretty.”

Lindsey, who had stood beside Giselle Grante for a moment looking up at the sky, asked.

“Should I prepare some warm tea?”

“Yes. Two cups.”

Lindsey, who had looked at Giselle Grante with a puzzled expression for a moment, soon nodded.

“Yes, Miss. I’ll prepare two cups of warm tea.”

Watching Lindsey turn toward the mansion, Giselle Grante pulled the end of her shawl slightly to close it in front.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance.

“……Oh? Miss, someone seems to be coming.”

“Yes, it must be my guest. Please guide them this way.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Lindsey nodded and walked back toward the mansion.

She had made a bit of a gamble recently.

If this matter was resolved well, she could gain two benefits at once.

Although her chances of winning were high from the start, nothing in the world could be guaranteed.

The past Giselle Grante’s diary stated that small changes in the present could greatly alter the future.

Of course, the future didn’t always change in a good direction.

Just like the previous Giselle Grante, who despite seeing the future multiple times, couldn’t prevent her own death.

Every time she changed part of the present and looked at the future, the future would change anew, so there seemed to be nothing she could do about it.

And the current Giselle Grante was trying to eliminate the parts that the past Giselle Grante had worried about.

The diary contained quite detailed accounts of the Semper bulb incident.

In fact, as before, but especially recently, the value of wealth had risen to a level that threatened social status.

A merchant guild master with a huge trading company was treated better than a lower noble without proper territory.

The barriers of social status were still high, but no one could guarantee it would remain so in the future.

That’s why everyone was desperately trying to get Semper bulbs with their eyes on fire.

If they could resell the Semper bulbs they had bought cheaply at skyrocketing prices, their future lives could change.

Now, due to her small action of provoking Lady Minster at the Empress’s tea party, the Count Minster’s wife was in danger of being dismissed from her position as the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, but in the future written in the diary, that wasn’t the case.

Although they would go through a precarious period with their family fortune temporarily declining, the Count Minster family would gain more gold coins than they had lost through investment failures through this Semper bulb incident.

That wasn’t all.

The Count Minster family, continuing to accumulate achievements and gain the Empress’s trust, would even receive a marquis title.

Thanks to that, the Count Minster family’s power would become strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Marquis Latse family.

‘That won’t do.’

So the method Giselle Grante used was to block one of the Empress’s forces that would grow in the future.

So that the small flutter of wings now could become a huge storm that would swallow the Count Minster family.

And if things went according to Giselle Grante’s will, she would be able to break at least one of the Empress’s wings.

The sound of horse hooves was already getting much closer.

****

When the carriage stopped in front of the huge iron gate, the guards who confirmed the carriage’s emblem opened the iron gate.

Count Frederick looked at the vast garden of Duke Amaterasu’s mansion and thought.

‘She must have known I would come in advance.’

That thought seemed to be correct.

When Count Frederick got out of the carriage, a waiting servant guided him.

Contrary to his expectation that they would head inside the mansion, the servant headed toward the vast garden.

After walking for some time, Giselle Grante came into view.

“You seem to have been confident I would come.”

Count Frederick said as he approached Giselle Grante.

“I checked today’s price of Semper bulbs. I hope you weren’t thinking something like ‘she could have gotten it right by coincidence once.'”

Count Frederick felt inwardly stung.

When what Lady Amaterasu, who had suddenly visited Count Frederick’s mansion yesterday, said came true today exactly as she had said, it was indeed amazing.

But he didn’t think that what would happen next would also go according to her words.

However, he was curious.

“How did you know? Today’s price of Semper bulbs.”

“I don’t think I can tell you the source of the information. More than that, the fact that you came to find me today must be to provide me with information worthy of that, right?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing new I’ve found out regarding Her Imperial Highness’s case.”

“Oh my, that’s disappointing.”

Lady Amaterasu said with an expression that showed no disappointment at all.

“It’s not much to call it a substitute, but I did succeed in finding the betrayer of Imperial Princess Trinity.”

“You mean Count Zimmer’s daughter?”

“You already knew……?”

“I happened to hear about it. Is there anything else besides that?”

Lady Amaterasu naturally requested new information.

Although he was a bit flustered by her attitude, as if she naturally believed a pet dog would perform tricks, Count Frederick obediently opened his mouth.

“I heard that Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter’s trial will be held soon.”

Count Frederick glanced sideways at Lady Amaterasu.

Judging by the fact that she showed no sign of surprise, she seemed to already know about the trial news as well.

“This is a sudden thought.”

Only then did Lady Amaterasu turn her head toward Count Frederick.

“It doesn’t seem like what you wanted from me was information about Imperial Princess Trinity’s case.”

Lady Amaterasu looked at Count Frederick with an expression asking what he meant.

“I have a feeling that you have more requests regarding Semper bulbs from me. Though I have no evidence to back this up.”

“As I told you last time, dispose of all the bulbs you have before the Semper blooms. That’s all I’m requesting.”

“……?”

Count Frederick’s brow furrowed slightly, but Lady Amaterasu continued speaking without concern.

“Then the Count Frederick family will obtain unprecedented wealth.”