“Are you that grateful?”
“Yes, of course. I have never been so happy since I was born, Your Highness.”
“Hmm, really?”
Ah, it seems my expression of sincerity was not enough.
I forgot that the nobles are a race very loyal to the principle of gain and gain.
So what about a villain obsessed with efficiency and utility?
“Hmm.. like this then? If so-”
“So, I will prove my usefulness to you again this time, Your Highness.”
Lillian smiled confidently, not realizing that she had interrupted the villain's train of thought and what he intended to say.
I will honor you with my thanks!
“I will recruit the Pavel Family Information Guild to our side. I will bring you all the useful information they have.”
This is undoubtedly the correct answer.
* * *
'Hmm. That's not what I meant'
Evren furrowed his eyebrows slightly at Lilian's reaction.
He brought it to a place where it would not be destroyed.
He asked to choose the furniture that would suit her in advance, and even set up a workshop for her so that she would not have to leave this area for twenty-four hours.
'With this much, a normal human being is supposed to feel comfortable, right?'
He intended to ask her to be “nice” to him like she had done before.
'Aren't there many kinds of kindness other than worry?'
He didn't want the kindness she was spreading to everyone.
Rather, he was curious about the kind that only Evren could obtain.
But before he could say a word, she started talking about how she was useful to him...
Efrain crossed his arms and turned his face away: “Okay, as long as you show benefit yourself, I have no loss.”
“By the way, where is your residence located, Your Highness?”
Evren pointed with his finger: “My area is at the right end of the park.”
As for Lillian's room, it was located on the far left of the garden.
This hut designated for the workshop was located exactly at the dividing line that crossed the middle.
Lillian nodded in agreement: “It will come in handy in an emergency.”
“Yes, let us live together in peace while respecting each other’s privacy.”
Evren smiled, narrowing his eyes: “I rely on you, my useful lifeline.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lillian smiled back at him. She felt a strange sensation as if the wings of a butterfly were caressing her chest.
* * *
Cedric was locked in the basement prison of the First Prince's castle.
Even if it was ordered by the Second Prince, he was involved in using illegal mines.
Jan Lillian stopped anxiously: “Miss, you’d better not see this.”
“It's okay, I'm fine”
“I'm afraid your heart will weaken if he begs you...”
“Impossible”
It is not a weakness of heart, but an intention to make a deal.
When I entered the cell, Cedric raised his head in amazement, his hands tied with chains above his head.
"Miss Lillian? Why are you here...?"
“No need for pleasantries, let's get straight to the point. Listen to me carefully, Gerard.”
“A-, my name is Cedric...”
“Oh? Are you still clinging to that identity? You might get killed like this.”
“...yes?”
“You are not Cedric Ben, but Gerard Russell from the Arkiv Guild, right?”
“What are you talking about...?”
The man pretended to be naive, but Lillian's reaction was cold.
We must not forget; We are in Vernis, a land full of people with abilities.
Unbelievable things always happen, and whoever only believes what he sees will be disappointed later.
“The real Cedric Ben died in an accident five years ago. I think it was a landslide...”
“No, this is...”
“The Arkive Guild bought his identity and cleverly exploited it, right?”
“……!”
“Single nobles whose bodies are not found are easy to exploit.”
You may be wondering how I knew that.
But it's annoying to recount all the details of the original novel that I know so well.
“Arkiv Syndicate will not give information without monitoring how things will go.”
“Oh..”
“How the Second Prince uses that information and when he does so becomes part of your information assets.”
“Oh, oh...”
“And the most suitable person to evade dangerous deals with the prince is you, a high-ranking member who is skilled in the art of disguise.”
“…….”
"Gerard Russell. What do you think?"
Since I've come this far, I hope he simply confesses.
I know everything thanks to the novel's information.
I was not in the mood to retrieve information and repeat it in my mind just to fill in the blanks.
Just then, Cedric...
Rather, Gerard, smiling shyly while moving his eyes: “Ah, damn... This is the first time I have been exposed like this, I feel excited.”
“Doesn't that feeling of excitement go away when you think you're going to die?”
“Huh, that's right, isn't it?”
Gerard slumped.
Even if the villain released him now, this man would most likely be killed by the Second Prince.
Because he caused an insult to the second prince.
“Well, did I know? That the Second Prince would blame me like this? Oh, how scary.”
“You were nagging and complaining unnecessarily because you wanted to quit at the right time.”
“Khhhh”
Gerard laughed with his chest, then pointed with his chin at the shadows around him: "Guys, someone please peel this skin off my face. Look, does the border appear here at the temple?"
“Oh...”
“I feel a severe itch that almost killed me. People should talk while looking at each other’s real faces.”
Hah.
Jean, who had been watching, carelessly dug her fingernail into his temple and then tore off the mask.
And then, the man who looked like he was about to cry disappeared.
Instead, a man appeared with sharp gray eyes and red hair appearing here and there.
He had the impression of being as elusive as a weasel.
'It's great I connected with this guy'
Because I'll need it for what I do with the Tillards and the Pavels from now on.
* * *
Gerard pressed the tip of his tongue to his mouth, where he felt some pain.
He made many adjustments before the mission to numb the pain, and yet he almost died.
“Oh, I didn't expect that this powerless miss had her abilities awakened.”
It was tremendous information.
It was perhaps the most valuable piece of information in the empire currently.
“Listen, miss. Even if you release me, do you think Arkaev will side with this camp?”
“I helped you, and if you don’t show a proper attitude and you betray me? Do it. If you want to live this way.”
Her attitude suggested that she was not surprised.
“I already know all your hideouts. And I know five places you will go in order once you are released from here.”
“Oh...”
“I just told you how you stole Cedric Ben's identity too.”
True, that woman was amazingly smart.
Her way of getting on one's nerves was fun...
Lillian dropped a few white papers at his feet at that moment.
"What is this?"
“Drafts of artifacts”
Gerard tried to furrow one of his eyebrows but stopped because of the pain.
But once he saw the diagrams, his eyes widened subconsciously.
The Arcaev Guild was dealing a lot with artifacts being an information guild. Small artefact makers would sell their drafts to make money.
'But I've never seen this level of skill before. No, wait a minute'
Gerard forgot that he was a captive and became excited: "This..isn't this Iris Taillard's style? New work? Treating force-passing settings with a nature-inspired style is her advantage, isn't it?"
“…….”
"Did you take this out of the Tillard family? If these are unpublished drafts of Iris Tillard, that's crazy. This time the design is more beautiful, look at this streamlined treatment of curves-"
“Thank you so much for recognizing my style right away.”
“Yes?”
“This is the first time in my life that I have received praise while I am in a prison cell.”
Yes?
Gerard looked at Lillian in amazement.
“I will tell you the terms of my deals. Go to Iris and sell these drafts to her.”