Chapter 99

“Sir Alan. My maternal uncles have started to make their moves.”

As soon as I received the notification from Victoria, I briskly departed from The State, along with the group I had prepared in advance.

Our destination was a tobacco snuff factory located in the outskirts of The State.

This factory manufactured and supplied tobacco preferred by military officers.

It was said that within the Imperial Army, chewing tobacco and snuff were more commonly consumed than pipes or cigarettes. For enlisted soldiers, it was chewing tobacco, and for officers, it was snuff.

I hadn’t come here intending to suddenly enter the tobacco market. I was here because this was the location where evidence of the Wolphall Family’s corruption was stored.

“Sir Alan. Why on earth have you come here all of a sudden…!”

As soon as he met my gaze, a middle-aged man reacted with visible surprise.

This gentleman was Sir Fraser, the owner of this place.

A retired General of the Army and a member of Victoria’s faction, Fraser was an entrepreneur who lived comfortably by conveniently supplying luxury goods to the military.

“Here is where they’ve been holding ground.”

“Eh?”

Fraser was also the person who had been helping the Wolphall Family distribute the morphine they had embezzled.

Apparently, when the Wolphall Family threw the stolen morphine to him, the factory’s management would either convert it into cash or distribute it as gifts.

Though not profit-minded in the embezzlement process, their handling method was indeed appropriate, and it had significantly aided in managing such a large faction.

“Where are the morphine supplies kept? And the ledgers?”

“Uh.”

“I already know everything. I also heard that not everything has been cleared out yet.”

Sir Fraser merely stammered.

Had he been caught in the act of destroying evidence under the Wolphalls’ orders?

That didn’t seem to be the case. The factory was unusually quiet. The employees had stopped their work and were blankly staring at the place, and Fraser himself was even holding a glass of alcohol. If he had received any kind of directive, he wouldn’t be so at ease.

‘The maternal uncles of Victoria didn’t share information.’

Even though they were attempting to destroy evidence, they hadn’t mentioned it to their subordinates.

Perhaps the Wolphall Family judged that “these days, no one can be trusted outside of close family,” and even concealed it from their closest aides.

They’d probably send a squad soon or come directly to clean everything up—ensuring that no evidence was left by the time the Imperial Court started investigating.

In any case, it played into my hands.

“Sir Fraser, Commander Hayden Wolphall of the 5th Infantry Brigade has sold you out.”

I was able to lie to expedite the process.

“Huh?”

“According to him, you’re the mastermind behind the morphine leaks. He says you’ve been siphoning quantities since the early days of military supply contracts. He’s only recently become aware of it himself.”

“….”

“To confirm the truth, I’m here. Whether you’re the real culprit or merely acting as Hayden Wolphall and Ian Wolphall’s puppet, I aim to verify that. Staying silent won’t be a wise decision.”

Fraser stood stunned, his lips moving soundlessly at this sudden calamity.

After a prolonged silence, he finally managed to speak.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it or not as you wish. But regardless of whether what I’ve said is true, your position doesn’t change. You’ll either be purged as a Wolphall Family pawn, or you’ll be implicated in the Wolphall Family’s transgressions and die alone.”

“…”

“Cooperating with me is the better option.”

Only then did Fraser reluctantly follow my instructions, his face still frozen in disbelief.

He must have lived comfortably by currying favor with the Wolphall Family until now, trusting that the faction backing the First Imperial Princess could handle any issues. Now, here I was, leading my group in to interrogate him.

But this man’s mood wasn’t my concern.

Neither was the mood of those from the Wolphall Family who were probably rushing around elsewhere important.

Soon, a situation where mood wouldn’t matter at all would arrive.

‘Now the evidence is in my hands.’

We had acquired fifty grams of morphine that hadn’t been disposed of yet, along with detailed ledgers recording how much had been siphoned and to whom.

Naturally, I wasn’t the sole individual to have confirmed this evidence.

“…Is everything true?”

A person was staring at me, completely dumbfounded.

The Chief Steward of the Emperor.

A minister overseeing all palace attendants and one of the Emperor’s closest aides. He was brought here with the help of the Imperial Princesses.

It was as good as the Emperor witnessing it in person.

“If His Majesty finds out, if he finds out… Oh dear. His Majesty is already so stressed these days.”

The Chief Steward appeared shocked by the revelation of the Wolphall Family’s true nature.

It was understandable. The Wolphall Family was Victoria’s maternal relatives. Victoria’s maternal uncles were the Emperor’s brothers-in-law, and her maternal grandfather was his father-in-law. Although being the Emperor’s in-laws didn’t exempt them from grave sins, it certainly added burden.

Still, he seemed to recognize the irreversibility of the situation.

Thus, there was only one thing left to do.

We had to capture whoever would soon come to destroy the evidence.

***

Ultimately, the only thing we can trust is bloodlines.

As Hayden Wolphall, the next head of the Wolphall Family, muttered to himself while managing his tension.

“It has to be eradicated today.”

The workforce he mobilized for evidence destruction consisted solely of family members.

And not just anyone—only the ones he trusted most.

His son, a third-year student in the Military Academy and newly promoted to the rank of Captain, his daughter, and one nephew.

He had assigned a different task to his brother Ian: reining in the family members who had benefited from morphine (or morphine-derived activity funds).

Hayden himself intended to personally destroy the evidence alongside his family.

“Father, why not just let the underlings handle it?”

“Right now, no one can be trusted. Hasn’t Timothy already betrayed the family by being swayed by Alan Medoff?”

“Timothy, that bastard.”

“Don’t curse in front of me. …The only ones we can trust are those here with us. We might soon receive orders from His Majesty, acting on the accusations from the Second Princess. We should be prepared. It would be better if we handle this directly.”

“His Majesty could dismiss the accusations as baseless slander….”

“Stop trying to guess His Majesty’s mind.”

After issuing this command, Hayden Wolphall headed toward the tobacco factory.

Not in an ornate carriage bearing the family crest, but in an inconspicuous carriage that dropped them near the factory. Then they walked the rest of the way.

‘Is all this… necessary?’

The indignity of having to walk around personally.

But this wasn’t the time to consider appearances.

After all, the Wolphall Family was facing its greatest crisis since its foundation.

The lunatic Second Princess Siena was targeting the Wolphall Family, and Alan Medoff, who had no particular grudges against them, was orchestrating political maneuvers from beneath the surface.

‘I’ll repay this sooner or later, absolutely.’

If they could just get through this crisis, there would be ample opportunity for revenge.

After all, the Heir Apparent title belonged to his niece, Victoria.

If the Emperor was still in his right mind, there was no way he would give the throne to the Second Princess Siena. Nor would he pass it to the third Princess who spent her time tending gardens at the monastery and making lace. That left only Victoria. The precious niece who the Wolphall Family had practically raised.

Certainly, the entire Wolphall Family would have to lie low for a while.

But once Victoria ascended to the position of Heir Apparent, recovery would be swift.

Then, his plans for quiet vengeance would commence.

The target, naturally, was Alan Medoff.

An unscrupulous man who wielded every trick in the book to seat his own sovereign, Siena, on the throne. He was also that person who, despite previously just being a thug who killed indiscriminately, suddenly flaunted his pharmaceutical talent and amassed a fortune.

The Wolphall Family’s current predicament was also Alan Medoff’s fault.

To prevent such incidents from repeating in the future, he definitely needed to eliminate that man.

But not now.

He had to thoroughly erase all evidence and maintain strict silence within the shortest possible time. What the family currently faced needed to be dealt with like a fleeting fever—better if it ended like a common cold. Completely cleared out, without a trace.

“Let’s move.”

Finally, they arrived at the tobacco factory.

In the Wolphall Family, they referred to this place as either a “holding ground” or a “transit camp.” The embezzled morphine had been channeled through here for either monetization or distribution as gifts.

Sir Fraser, the owner of this place, was an extremely reliable confidant. And also a cousin-in-law to Hayden Wolphall.

But he hadn’t announced his visit in advance, planning to arrive unannounced, sweep everything clean, and then give Sir Fraser a stern warning.

It was time to begin the real cleanup.

They intended to arrive unannounced, swiftly finish, and then exit quickly.

“Sir?”

The owner, Sir Fraser, greeted Hayden Wolphall as if expecting him.

Except something about him seemed off. A pale face, slightly trembling hands, and an inability to maintain eye contact were all telling signs.

As Hayden Wolphall considered questioning what was amiss,

That opportunity didn’t come.

Due to the emergence of figures from behind Sir Fraser.

At the forefront stood a face Hayden knew well.

“Did you feel uneasy about leaving this to someone else and decide to come yourself? Given the circumstances, you couldn’t trust anyone, could you? …Did it cross your mind that even Sir Fraser, the owner of this place, might already have yielded?”

Neatly dressed in a uniform, his gray hair meticulously groomed, an expressionless face tinged with fatigue.

Alan Medoff, President of Medoff Pharmaceuticals.

“Alan Medoff?”

Confusion gradually filled Hayden Wolphall’s face.

Had Timothy, that loose-lipped individual, told him about this location? It was possible.

But why would Alan come here? His sovereign, Siena, was supposed to directly accuse the Emperor. Why would Alan step forward first, potentially tarnishing the matter to resemble political strife instead of crime detection?

A suspicion suddenly struck Hayden Wolphall.

“Perhaps, the Imperial Court?”

Alan Medoff only nodded in response to this question. Only then did Hayden notice that behind Alan stood the Chief Steward of the Emperor, his expression one of decay.

Meaning the Imperial Court was already aware of everything. And perhaps…

“This mission was granted by Victoria herself.”

Without even being asked, Alan Medoff slowly approached, revealing the statement.

The faces of the Wolphall family twisted in tragic distortion.

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