How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

“What kind of pretext is a trade inspection delegation, anyway?”

As Sir Mildred took a letter bearing the imperial seal out from his breast pocket and handed it to Tristan, he explained.

“They state that they intend to conduct a formal quality inspection of the goods we brought back from the Sarr Empire. Since there has never been a large-scale trade of this magnitude before, the stated purpose is to verify that these truly are goods from the Eastern Continent and to prevent Belforte merchants from suffering losses.”

“A quality inspection. And only now?”

Tristan quietly skimmed through the letter he had received, his brow furrowing.

“This is far too rushed to be considered a routine inspection.”

I thought the same. Above all, inspections of this sort had no precedent, and the justification felt excessively flimsy. There was no reason for the imperial palace to step in when the experts of Belforte’s merchant houses would never fall for shallow deception in the first place.

Sir Mildred hesitated briefly, then continued speaking.

“The list of inspection members is also attached, however…”

“And?”

“It includes nobles close to His Highness the Second Prince, and Prince Everett himself.”

The calm light in Tristan’s eyes wavered subtly for a moment. The air in the reception room grew heavy in an instant. Without a word, Tristan lightly tapped the edge of the letter with his fingertips. He looked deeply lost in thought.

I was just as startled. Everett, here of all places. I had expected that something might happen sooner or later, but I had never imagined he would appear so suddenly under circumstances like this.

After a moment of silence, Tristan finally spoke quietly.

“This is too deliberate and too hasty. The inspection delegation likely has another purpose.”

Tristan’s gaze slowly shifted toward me. A chill suddenly ran down my spine. Why was he looking at me? Surely he was not suspecting me now, of all times.

“I did not do anything. I truly have no idea what Everett is plotting.”

When I sprang to my feet and shouted defensively, Tristan’s expression wavered noticeably. He remained silent for a while, then covered his face with one hand and rubbed it roughly, as if washing it dry.

“That was not what I meant. If I caused a misunderstanding, I apologize.”

“Then why did you look at me like that?”

“Like that…?”

“Was that not the look of someone who thinks I am the root of all this?”

“……”

For some reason, Tristan fell completely silent. Thinking I had hit the mark only made my irritation grow.

“It does not sound entirely wrong, Grand Consort.”

At that moment, Gehardt, who had been lingering near the doorway without us noticing when he arrived, casually cut in on Tristan’s behalf. When I snapped my head around and glared at him, Gehardt flinched but stubbornly continued.

“Is it not possible that Prince Everett used this as an excuse just to meet you, Grand Consort? Unless you happen to run into each other by chance like last time, it would not be easy for the Second Prince to meet the Grand Consort of Hezekia.”

Indeed, Hezekia and the Second Prince were not on terms that would invite casual exchanges. Even if the prince extended a personal invitation, a great noble like the Grand Duke could decline for any number of reasons without it being considered rude. Likewise, there was no reason for the Grand Duke’s side to invite the Second Prince. Unless an imperial ball or major event was held, it was safe to assume that I would have no occasion to encounter Everett. Still, the explanation did not quite sit right.

I eyed Gehardt suspiciously and pressed him repeatedly.

“Why would Prince Everett want to meet me? Do you still, by any chance, suspect something between that man, Prince Everett, and me?”

“W what? Of course not. Absolutely not, Grand Consort.”

Gehardt jumped in protest, waving both hands as he firmly denied it. His manner did not seem dishonest. When I continued to stare at him in silence, he hesitated and awkwardly added.

“No, it is just that last time, you did not spare him even a glance, while Prince Everett looked terribly hung up on you. With eyes that clingy, it feels like he might pull something like this. Come to think of it, I really do not understand why those rumors ever spread in the first place.”

Those old rumors must have been about me harboring unrequited love for Everett and volunteering to become his spy. It was fortunate, and perhaps even kind, that he dismissed them as nonsense, even though they had been true at the time. Still, his assumption rested on a flawed premise.

I waved my hand dismissively and cut off Gehardt’s argument.

“Prince Everett may use me if it suits him, but he has never had any personal interest. That was true in the past, and it is the same now.”

“But, Grand Consort…”

“Enough with the pointless talk. More than that, I suspect that with so many rumors swirling around our fleet lately and the trade drawing so much attention, they are simply trying to find fault where none exists. Prince Everett himself may be coming to look into starting Eastern Continent trade.”