ITIF Chapter 58

Shocking Purpose of the Villa

If she had ever heard even once before that Duke Cardia’s birthday was on the same day as hers, there was no way she would have forgotten.

Although she hadn’t kept track of all the celebratory occasions of every noble in the Empire, she had kept track of at least the anniversaries of important imperial figures like Duke Cardia, so Mikhail’s words felt completely unfamiliar to her.

Moreover, unlike other noble families that had many anniversaries to keep track of, the Cardia ducal house had no one else to care for besides Kavelaseth, which made it all the more strange.

She would surely have received questions asking what kind of gift would be good to send since Duke Cardia’s birthday was approaching.

As Giselle Grante froze in shock, Mikhail quickly spoke up.

“Ah, did I never mention this before? The publicly known birthday would be different. But the day Kavel was actually born seems to be on the day of the Founding Day…”

Mikhail added an explanation about this.

The Academy they both attended was in a remote location far from the imperial capital, so all students lived in dormitories, and even for annual events like the Founding Day, non-attendance during the semester was the rule.

However, the Cardia ducal house’s butler had once visited the Academy dormitory during the semester.

“That day was Founding Day, you see? I naturally thought the butler came to visit Kavel because he couldn’t attend the Founding Day and had to stay at the Academy…”

Although the Academy’s dormitories were four-person rooms regardless of status, for some reason only Mikhail and Kavelaseth used a two-person room, Mikhail added.

“If the Cardia ducal house’s butler hadn’t said happy birthday to Kavel that day, I wouldn’t have known until now either.”

“If there was a separate real birthday, why would he hide it?”

At her question, Mikhail shook his head.

“Well… I’m not sure about that either. After that time, the Cardia ducal house’s butler never visited the Academy dormitory on the Founding Day again. Since Kavel seemed to want to keep his birthday hidden, I didn’t ask about it separately.”

Mikhail also seemed to be mulling over the reason and closed his mouth after that.

‘Why would he have to hide his actual birth date… That means there must have been circumstances that made it necessary…’

Giselle Grante couldn’t quite understand it. The reason for separating his actual birth date from his public birthday. And the purpose that made it necessary to do so.

****

The moving carriage stopped in front of the building at the address written on Baron Cypress’s invitation.

Before getting out of the carriage, Giselle Grante checked her appearance in the mirror one last time.

Hidden by a large-brimmed hat and long veil, it would be difficult to identify her face without looking closely.

After getting out of the carriage, Giselle Grante looked around briefly.

The building’s exterior wasn’t shabby, but the area was dark and there were no people passing by, creating a somewhat dangerous atmosphere.

Just as she was about to enter the building, thinking it was good she had brought several guards just in case, a man with a sturdy build who was guarding the entrance spoke to her.

“Please show your invitation.”

After checking the invitation she had brought, the man pointed to the knights behind Giselle Grante and said.

“The invitation stated one person. No other personnel are allowed to enter.”

Giselle Grante hesitated for a moment.

Count Frederick, who had actually received Baron Cypress’s invitation, hadn’t come, and she was attending as his representative—what would happen if she ignored the rules Baron Cypress had set?

She judged that there might not be another opportunity.

Only after Giselle Grante instructed the knights to wait there was she able to enter the building.

“I’ll escort you inside.”

She followed the sturdy man. There were several doors along the narrow corridor. Thinking they must have prepared separate private rooms, she was walking when the man stopped deep inside the corridor.

As she entered inside, the man bowed.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Left alone, Giselle Grante looked around the interior.

‘Is this used as a guest room?’

The interior decoration was simple—just a fireplace, sofa, and table.

Discovering a curtain draped on one wall, she approached it without hesitation and drew it open.

There was a spacious bed there.

The curtain seemed to be serving as a partition separating the interior.

‘He wouldn’t have invited me to a place merely used as lodging…’

Giselle Grante walked toward the sofa while thinking about the purpose of this place.

She had heard that when Baron Cypress handed the invitation to Count Frederick, he had said something like this:

[Whatever you imagine, you will be satisfied beyond your imagination.]

She was pondering what exactly he meant by being satisfied, when she sensed a presence from the corridor. Giselle Grante tensed up and stared at the door.

Soon a young man walked in, and Giselle Grante’s eyes widened at his appearance. The young man was nearly naked.

“It’s an… honor to serve you, my lady.”

The body of the young man with bronze skin and a sturdy build was covered in wounds. From old scars to recent ones.

Unable to find a place to look, she averted her gaze, and the young man strode toward her.

Giselle Grante stepped back as much as he closed the distance.

“It seems this is your first time at a place like this.”

“By ‘a place like this’…”

Before Giselle Grante’s question could finish, the young man reached out as if to lift the veil covering her face. Giselle Grante glared at him and stepped back.

However, the young man chuckled and said.

“I won’t harm you. I won’t bite either. So you don’t need to be so frightened. Rather, it’s me who should be frightened.”

The young man righted an overturned cup on the table and continued.

“You seem tense, so let me serve you tea to help you relax.”

Giselle Grante watched the young man’s actions quietly before asking.

“Judging by your manner of speech, you’re not from the Empire?”

The young man nodded with an expressionless face.

“That’s correct, but my lady didn’t come here to have a conversation with me, did you?”

Giselle Grante suddenly realized.

What kind of place this was, and also why Baron Cypress had invited Count Frederick.

“Are you a slave?”

At Giselle Grante’s question, the young man twisted up one corner of his mouth.

“If you ask whether I was a slave from the moment I was born, I could answer no, but now, as you can see.”

The young man raised both arms. On his wrists were bluish bruises that seemed to be marks from being bound.

‘Slave trading is still happening in the Empire.’

Giselle Grante scanned the marks remaining on the young man’s wrists, ankles, and neck with a furrowed brow.

“Are you pitying me?”

“…?”

Giselle Grante didn’t answer and just looked at the young man.

“You’re looking at me with eyes that say I’m pitiful.”

Feeling uncomfortable that she had unintentionally hurt the young man, she forced a smile and spoke.

“I’d like to have a conversation for a moment, if that’s alright?”

“Please, sit.”

Following the young man’s invitation, Giselle Grante sat on the sofa and conversed with him. About how he came to drift to this place, things like that.

Instead of explaining his situation in detail, he accurately grasped what she was interested in and explained that.

About this slave trading establishment run by Baron Cypress.

After hearing his entire story, Giselle Grante took out a gold coin from her bosom and held it out.

“What’s this?”

“Consider it proof that you faithfully performed your duties well during the time you were with me.”

“…”

The young man didn’t seem inclined to accept the gold coin Giselle Grante offered.

Unable to do otherwise, she placed the gold coin on the table and stood up.

Then she hurried out of the place with somewhat quick steps.

Without even time to calm her pounding heart, she was trying to escape the building when someone urgently called out to stop her.

“My lady. Are you leaving already?”

It was the man who had checked her invitation when she first arrived.

“I’ve enjoyed myself enough today, so I thought I’d head back… Is there a problem?”

“Did that slave from earlier not please you?”

“…”

While Giselle Grante hesitated briefly about what to say, the man quickly continued.

“Please give us one more chance. This time we’ll educate him properly. He’s had his nose in the air from the start, so we did put special effort into his training…”

“…”

“Or perhaps his appearance didn’t please you? We prepared a top-quality item after hearing that a distinguished person would be visiting… If you could tell us your preferred appearance, next time we could prepare accordingly…”

The man’s continued words didn’t properly register in her ears.

‘Does the Empress even know that Baron Cypress is involved in slave trading?’

In the past, after receiving similar news, she had gone on an undercover investigation. But unlike the rampant rumors, she hadn’t found any particular evidence.

So she had considered it just a baseless rumor, not knowing that this old evil practice still remained.

“What will happen to that slave from earlier now?”

“Since my lady didn’t take a liking to him, he’ll be shown to another noblewoman.”

Giselle Grante gathered her spinning thoughts and said.

“I’ll… I’ll buy that slave from earlier. Is that acceptable?”

If she took him with her, he could serve as a witness proving that slave trading was taking place.

There were also other things she wanted to confirm.