(Florentia's POV)

"Remeasurement?"

Yovanes tilted his head.

Then the Emperor's aide, who handed the papers over, frowned and said to Duigi Angenas.

"If you are concerned that we made a mistake in the calculation now---."

"Calculation is not the problem!"

The Patriarch of Angenas shouted in frustration.

What is it then?

"Please re-measure the land itself to make sure the size of each estate is properly sized!"

"That makes no sense..."

"There's a limit to how you can force it even if you try!"

Most nobles shook their heads and clicked their tongues.

However, Duigi Angenas held his shameless face straight and looked only at Emperor Yovanes.

Probably by this point, he seemed to have no doubts, believing that the Emperor would side with him.

And I watched.

He took a glance at Perez in his side.

"Patriarch of Angenas."

I slowly clasped my fingers and called Duigi Angenas.

"What, Deputy Patriarch of Lombardi?"

Patriarch Angenas replied with displeasure when I called him.

"Are you saying that the difference is so small that you can't accept it?"

"That's right."

I nodded a couple of times and this time I asked Emperor Yovanes.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you reluctant to make a judgement only because of the slight difference in size?"

"Well, that's right."

"So, is it still the same that the size of the estate should be the only standard for selecting a representative family?"

"It is."

"Then I'll help you decide, Your Majesty."

I said so and slowly got up from my seat.

There's nothing urgent.

It's just a board that goes the way I planned it.

As I moved step by step, countless eyes moved together.

My whole body was thrilled by the hot gaze from head to toe.

I presented the documents from the mansion to Emperor Yovanes.

That's what I cherished in my safe.

Rattle

Empress Lavigne was surprised and raised her body halfway which made the chair made a small noise.

"What's this?"

Emperor Yovanes asked me.

I looked back at Empress Lavigne and replied.

"That is the contract that the Angenas family made when they borrowed money from the Pellet Corporation."

Did you have a hard time finding this?

"Henforek's estate is held as collateral."

The day I attended the nobility conference, the identity of the bundle of papers Claryvan brought was the contract he wrote with Angenas.

I moved it to the Lombardi's mansion in advance because I thought that the Empress would definitely aim for it when the hunting began in earnest.

And because the Lombardi mansion is where the Empress' most powerful weapon, being a member of the Royal family, loses its power.

I lifted one corner of my mouth so that only Empress Lavigne could see it.

"No, Your Majesty!"

I thought so.

As soon as I was finished, the Empress took the mound.

You should've done that before.

I was bored dealing with Duigi.

"You didn't borrow the money, Empress?"

"It's not that..."

The Empress glared at me outright and said.

"I meant that the Deputy Patriarch of Lombardi was making a very big misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

"Yes, the contract is between the Angenas family and the Pellet Corporation. This is not where Lombardi will intervene."

Then she added in a cold voice.

"Wouldn't it not be possible to act as an agent just because a sinner was concealed in a Lombardi mansion?"

A sinner?

"What do you mean sinner, Empress?"

I'm not going to let it slide this time either.

"That's too much to say. Isn't that a false accusation without any evidence?"

And I added one more thing, like a tout.

"There is no evidence or witnesses that Claryvan Pellet was involved in the attempt murder, so why are you making such a claim? Are you compelling or did you just need an excuse to find this contract and turn over the Pellet Corporation?"

"What?!"

The Empress screamed as if she were going to kill me right away.

But everyone in the conference room heard.

Then they began to nod their heads.

"If you made a contract with the estate as collateral, it would be so..."

"That's really why the Pellet Corporation...?"

"If that's the case, then it made sense."

The eyes of the Empress and the Patriarch of Angenas have changed completely from before.
As the chatter continued, it was not long before those who initially thought, 'Is that really so?' suddenly changed to 'So that's what happened!' attitude.

In the meantime, Emperor Yovanes was reading the documents I gave him one by one.

"It clearly stated that the parties to the contract are the owners of Pellet Corporation. The Empress is right."

Yovanes is so stupid. (A/N: In the translated file it was stated as 'Yovanes the stupid' and 'A dull Yovanes'. I think stupid suits him more so I used it. LMAO. Please continue.)

Perez may have given him a hint in advance, but he is still on the side of Angenas, albeit vaguely.

Such a man is the Emperor of the Empire.

I thought, holding back a sigh.

"If so, I will check one thing with the Empress."

Emperor Yovanes raised his head briefly, as if telling me to do so.

"The Angenas family did not pay the last and previous interest. Also, the interest for this month has not yet been paid. Is that correct?"
She looked down at me with chilly blue eyes, as if the Empress had turned into a piece of eyes.

"In fact, after borrowing money, the Angenas family never paid interest."

Angenas do not pay interest even when they borrow money.

It sounds ridiculous, but it was customary.

As the Empress' family, most of the people who have lent money to the family in great power are trying to line up at Angenas.

Therefore, despite the fact that the contract contains the provisions on interest payment intact, even if they do not pay the interest, they are tolerated.

Of course, Empress Lavigne didn't pay the interest, because she thought that Claryvan was trying to impress her.

I asked again.

"Is this true, Empress?"

Empress Lavigne's close fist was shaking, shutting her mouth tightly.

You have nothing to say anymore.

"Your Majesty, if you look at the last page of the contract, there is a provision for the exercise of collateral rights."

In my words, Yovanes glanced at the Empress and opened the last page of the contract.
"It says that if Angenas is unable to repay the interest and principal, the owner of the Pellet Corporation becomes the owner of the Henforek estate, which is a collateral."

"And it also states exactly what it is like to be in a situation where they can't pay the interest and the principal back."

I held three fingers straight up.

"Three times. If you can't pay the interest three times, you'll be considered in 'a situation where you can't pay back the interest and principal'."

When writing the contract with Claryvan, the Empress must have known this because she had checked it herself.

It's a situation where you can exercise your security rights under the contract.

That's why you used the last card of the Imperial knights to chase after Claryvan and search for the upper house.

"Ha!" Then, the Empress suddenly burst into laughter.

"Even so, it's only between the Angenas and Claryvan Pellet, the owner of the Pellet Corporation. You do not have the right to exercise the security right as a representative, Deputy Patriarch."
And she said with a crooked smile.

"Are you going to bring Claryvan Pellet here?"

Probably, if Claryvan stepped out of the Lombardi mansion. He would be killed right away.

Because Empress Lavigne will do anything to protect the Angenas' power as the representative.

"Your Majesty, please call Claryvan Pellet here."

Now she even tries to persuade Emperor Yovanes.

I can't take it anymore.

"You don't have to, Your Majesty."

You're done now, Empress.

"The owner of the Pellet Corporation is here."

The crowd who had been holding their breath, quickly stirred up.

"Claryvan Pellet is here."

"Did he sneak in?"

I forgot that the nobles were in the meeting and looked around.

"What do you mean, Deputy Patriarch of Lombardi? Explain more."

Emperor Yovanes also leaned towards me and asked, urging me.

"Just like I said, the Pellet Corporation's owner is here."

I said and smiled at Empress Lavigne.

"The owner of the Pellet Corporation is me, Florentia Lombardi."

The surroundings become quiet. I couldn't even hear the sound of breathing at the conference hall.
Only a dull silence flowed as if someone had covered my ears tightly with both hands.

Then a sobbing voice came from the Empress.

"What...?"

At the same time, once again, a noisy wave swept through the hall.

"Am I hearing right, right now?"

"The owner of Pellet is the Deputy Patriarch?"

"Does anyone know how old the Deputy Patriarch of Lombardi is this year?"

It's a mess.

The huge conference hall, which can accommodate hundreds of people, has become as noisy as the market floor.

Coming out of that noisy space, Empress Lavigne and I were facing each other.

At first, the blue eyes, which seemed to have hardened and had no movement, gradually began to shake.

You must want to believe that I'm lying, but I'm sure you're feeling it instinctively.

That I mean what I say.

I smiled and watched with sincere eyes.

Empress Lavigne is falling apart.

"How will you prove...Do you have?"

Emperor Yovanes asked me in a rather strangled voice, quite surprised.

"May I call the Commander of the Knights of Lombardi inside for a moment, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, you may."

At the behest of the Emperor, the servant ran outside, and shortly after Sir Lambert Lombardi entered the conference hall.

"Lord Lombardi, will you give me the envelope I left in the carriage?"

Suddenly called to the scene of loud confusion, Lord Lombardi nodded, expressing 'what the hell is going on?' with his face.

Then he handed me an envelope that had been in his thick armor.

I took a piece of paper out of it and showed it to the emperor.

"It's an employment contract written by me and Claryvan Pellet when the Pellet Corporation was first created."

"Employment...contract?"

The Emperor accepted it with a puzzled face.

The content of the contract was simple.

[I, the owner of the Pellet Corporation, employ Claryvan Pellet as its top shareholder.

Claryvan Pellet, as my agent, will be entrusted with full authority over the top, and this employment contract remains in effect indefinitely unless Claryvan Pellets requests a termination of the Contract.]

And beneath it was the date of the year I turned eleven and the signatures of me and Claryvan side by side.
When I was a child, I felt like I would somehow laugh at the crooked handwriting that I used to write each word in every letter.

"As you can see, Claryvan Pellet is the top employer employed, and I am the owner of the Pellet Corporation."

Instead of the ineffable Emperor and Empress, I looked at Perez.

He was smiling.

Red lips draw a perfect line and eyes full of warm affection for me were watching me.

The moment when my secret, which I have kept for a long time, is revealed to the world is the closest to me.

I smiled at Perez and then took the employment contract halfway from the Emperor's hand.

Ah! I got a handprint!

How important this is!

I said, holding Claryvan's lifelong employment contract, folded it and tucked it into the envelope.

"As the owner of the Pellet Corporation, I will exercise my right to secure the estate of Henforek."

Just one word will do.

The land is mine now and I can do as I please.

"Can I have it back, Your Majesty?"

I said, Pointing to the contract between the Angenas and Pellet.
"Yes, here you go."

Emperor Yovanes handed over the contract he had in his other hand.

Look at this, there's a handprint here too.

But this time I didn't care much.

It's not even mine.

I quickly handed over the contract to the Patriarch of Brown.

"And the Henforek estate is transferred to the Brown family."

This is the end of the game.

Although the Henforek estated is said to be a land in a size of a nail, it is only a nails on the map of the Empire, but in reality, it is a land where the vast and empty fields are very spectacular.

"Oh, thank you, Deputy Patriarch of Lombardi."

Brown said, receiving a bundle of contracts with both hand.

"Don't mention it."

I walked slowly again and returned to my seat and sat down.

Now everyone in the conference hall was looking at Yovanes.

"Then..."

It was when Yovanes had just opened his mount, being pushed back by unspoken pressure.

"You're Majesty, no."

Empress Lavigne grabbed Yovanes by the arm.

"You can't do this, you can't."
Empress Lavigne's voice was shaking.

She used all her cards to defend herself, but eventually lost.

All she could do now was to plead with the Emperor.

The usual high-profile and imposing appearance of the Empress is nowhere to be found.

Her big eyes filled with tears that seemed to flow at any moment.

You might be confused for a moment by that mournful look.

Emperor Yoavnes shook his head coldly and pulled out his arm.

And declared.

"The Brown family has become the new representative of the West."

Thump! Thump!

I felt like I was hearing such a cheerful sound from somewhere.

It feels empty because there isn't.

****

Yovanes threw off his coat roughly.

Even though he didn't drink a sip, his face was red and his head hurt.

After the conference, he went on a falconry as scheduled, but he had to come back soon.

It was because he wasn't feeling well.

"Call the doctor."

Yovanes cried out load as he sat on the bed.

"Now that the West is cleared up, it will be a little quieter."

For the Emperor, the conference held during the morning meant that.
An annoying and troublesome work.

Perhaps that is the reason why he is not in good shape right now.

Thinking about the confrontation between Lombardi and Angenas that had been going on, his head seemed to throb more.

Yovanes stood up looking at a bottle of liquor by his bedside.

"I can't believe the little one had such a secret. Ah, it's pretty good."

Unstable shaking hands made it difficult to pour alcohol in the glass.

Yovanes, then, put his mouth on the bottle and gulped down.

Once, twice.

It was that moment.

"Ah!"

Emperor Yovanes squeezed his chest and fell.

Thud!

A loud sound rang in the Emperor's bedroom.

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A/N: Florentia's secret is finally out! Now what's going to happen next? Yovanes looks like in trouble.