The conclusion was singular.
Estelle would not live long.
The mandrake medicine had shown no effect whatsoever.
Claude had defined Estelle as having a peculiar constitution.
I suspected as much, but to think the medicine truly had no effect…
The report suggested trying to alter the mandrake formula in hopes of some result.
Though even then, there was no guarantee of a complete cure.
"Tower Master?"
As Lennox's silence dragged on, Estelle called to him again.
Ah—that's right. I'm supposed to be the Tower Master right now.
Remembering his disguise, Lennox finally spoke.
"At most, you have nine months left. A perfect terminal diagnosis."
"…As I thought."
Estelle did not look surprised.
"Can you cure me, Tower Master?"
"Perhaps."
The report had added that her condition was so dire that no one but the Tower Master himself could treat it.
The handwriting bore that peculiar blend of arrogance unique to him.
And yet, it likely wasn't just empty boasting.
"I can't claim one hundred percent certainty… but I also can't say it's impossible. In terms of numbers, the probability is never truly zero."
"..."
"But one thing I can say with certainty: if you take the medicine I create, the chances of a full recovery will rise significantly."
"Good. Then let's form a partnership."
"Partnership?"
Lennox frowned.
"Read this."
Estelle handed him a contract, and he skimmed it quickly.
Clause (Party B, Claude Barnes) shall provide a shell company for Party A (Estelle Winterren).
Said company shall be operated strictly with Party A's assets alone.
"Tax evasion, money laundering… every sort of illicit business, I see."
Through Claude, Estelle intended to establish a company that would exist only on paper.
And not within the Empire, but in the Raven Archipelago.
The Raven Archipelago was an island territory—one that had no corporate tax, a loophole she meant to exploit.
"The Tower Master would take no loss whatsoever. The company's name will be registered under someone completely unrelated to the Tower."
"..."
"You are the Tower Master. I believe you're more than capable of handling at least this much."
"I don't do things like that."
Even before Estelle finished speaking, Lennox flipped the contract over and set it down on the table.
"Why not?"
According to the contract, Estelle had promised to give him a cut of the laundered money.
And if the company's existence were ever exposed, they could simply deny everything.
"I'm telling you, there's no way you'd ever take a loss."
"Perhaps so. But it's still illegal. The Tower earns its money cleanly."
"..."
"Let's just pretend I never heard this proposal."
Lennox moved to rise, clean and decisive, without a trace of hesitation.
"Ten billion gold in penalties."
"…What?"
"If you think you can handle that, then leave as you wish. I won't stop you—I can always find another partner."
Ten billion gold.
Even from the Tower Master's standpoint, that was no small sum.
"I'll repeat myself: the Tower earns money cleanly. There will never be a situation where we'd have to pay such fines."
"Do you really think you're the only one blinded by money? Just because someone belongs to the Tower doesn't mean they all share your ideals."
There was a traitor inside.
Because of that person, the Tower would soon suffer a loss of ten billion gold.
For Claude, the words struck like a bolt from the blue.
"Work hard to uncover who it is. Even so, you won't escape the penalty."
"Why not?"
"Because the moment you walk out that door, I'll be submitting an anonymous petition to the Imperial Court."
"…A threat, then."
"You've already read the contract. I need at least some form of safeguard for myself."
Estelle smiled with unshakable composure.
"If you walk out now, I'll never make the same offer again. So—what will you do?"
In the end, there was only one choice.
"Fine. We'll partner. But add a clause: if the ten-billion penalty turns out to be false information, the contract is void."
"That much is only natural."
"But…"
At this point, one question lingered.
"All this money is already yours. Why go through the trouble of something like this?"
Lennox thought he knew the answer.
Estelle must be creating a secret fund for Bellonsa.
According to his informants, without Estelle, Bellonsa was in financial crisis day after day.
She must have realized better than anyone that the mandrake medicine had no effect.
Their marriage contract stated that if she failed to survive a single year, all her wealth would pass to Lennox.
From her perspective, it was only natural to feel the urgency.
If she dies, Bellonsa won't inherit a single coin. So she's resorting to tricks like this to prepare in advance…
"For me."
"..."
"I want money that belongs to neither the Duchess of Winterren nor the daughter of Bellonsa—but to me alone."
Lennox couldn't understand.
Before he could press further, Estelle placed a single gold coin on the table.
"Make the cure for me, in secret."
Lennox took the coin without hesitation, but this time, he asked on his own accord:
"Does 'in secret' include your husband as well?"
"Yes. And if the Duke takes an interest in my test results, tell him everything is fine—that the mandrake medicine worked."
"If it's Duke Winterren, he would have helped you develop a new medicine the moment you told him the truth. Why hide it from him?"
After all, Lennox himself had given her the one and only mandrake potion.
And he could give her another, if needed.
"I don't want the people around me to worry. If they knew that even the so-called cure-all mandrake failed…"
Estelle bit down hard on her lower lip.
In that instant, Lennox's eyes met hers—moist, golden irises shimmering.
"They would worry."
"..."
"I don't want to become a burden on his heart."
It was Estelle's pure, unguarded truth—
the very thing Lennox had so desperately wanted to know.
Lennox left the mansion half dazed.
What snapped him out of it was Claude's palm smacking into him.
"The gold."
"… …"
"The gold my partner gave you! You'd better hand it over!"
Claude stretched out his hand, demanding payment.
Already, he was referring to Estelle as "my partner."
Muttering under his breath, he counted each coin one by one, making sure Lennox hadn't pocketed any for himself.
"She's brilliant. To think of such a clever way to dodge taxes and exploit loopholes. Me, I only ever thought about raking in as much money as possible."
While Claude rambled on with praises for Estelle, Lennox pulled a small magic device from the shell of his ear.
It was a tiny insect-shaped tool that had served as Claude's eyes and ears, feeding Lennox the lines he had to deliver as the Tower Master.
"You just rip it off like that?"
The tool did have its drawbacks.
Its use time was limited, it overheated quickly, and it burned the user's ear as though searing it.
But Lennox, with physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans thanks to being a Winterren, seemed utterly unaffected.
Even his ear—untouched, unreddened—looked perfectly normal.
The Tower Master was stunned, but Lennox, still wearing a conflicted expression, spoke first.
"So… am I really entering into a partnership with Estelle?"
"That was the contract, wasn't it?"
To cover for him in case his disguise failed and his identity was doubted, Claude had even provided him with the official seal that only the Tower Master could possess.
Thanks to that thoroughness, the contract had been successfully sealed without issue.
"But it's a little troublesome," Claude added. "One of the contract terms was that my partner's health condition must remain unknown to me. And you've already violated it."
That meant they had already broken the agreement.
The next time Estelle faced him directly, she might instantly realize he wasn't the same man.
"If that's a problem, I'll just keep acting as the Tower Master."
"What?!"
"I only need to step in when you're meeting her face-to-face. How many times would you, personally, have to meet my wife, anyway?"
"Well, that's true, but…"
Was he suddenly growing a conscience?
"What a hassle."
…Of course not.
Lennox, wearing a 'just as I expected' look, tossed Claude a single gold coin.
"Not a hassle at all!"
Catching the flying coin neatly, Claude grinned from ear to ear and shouted.
This, too, was a deal sealed.
"But something's strange."
"What is?"
"That ring."
The ring Estelle had wanted to know the origin of.
"I think I might have made it."
"…What?"
"But why don't I remember? I always remember every invention I've ever created."
"And how can you be so sure?"
"Each magic tool carries a unique aura. And this one—it feels exactly like mine."
So he wasn't just obsessed with money.
He was simply mad.
As Claude mulled it over at length, Lennox spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Maybe it just wasn't important enough for you to remember."
"…Maybe."
Claude scratched his head with a foolish expression.
"Yeah, that could be it."
Having collected his payment, he suddenly looked back—
toward the ducal mansion where Estelle remained.
"…She might have figured it out."
After Estelle's deal with the Tower Master—
One day, as the princess's birthday banquet drew near—
Bang!
"Damn it!"
Count Bellonsa, seething with rage, slammed his desk with his fist.
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