Chapter 49: The Merchant Group

Not long ago.

Rohan had been pondering why Isabel had told him about Elliot.

And then he realized.

‘The Marquis has made up his mind to rule as regent through young Elliot.’

The puppet’s master had simply changed from himself to Elliot.

In a way, it felt as if his fate was now flowing toward his younger brother, and Rohan found no comfort in that.

“Is fate, once decided, something that can never be erased?”

Is it only that the subject changes?

Isabel, who had once tried so hard to help him become Emperor, was now helping him as Crown Prince.

Even though he’d never once asked her for help.

And now, the fate of being a puppet emperor was passing to his little brother.

If that’s the case...

Could someone’s death, too, flow elsewhere?

Nothing was certain yet.

“At least it’s not something that’ll happen immediately, and for that I’m grateful.”

The Marquis’s scheme would be meticulously planned beneath the surface, and if they remained in the dark, he’d surely set traps impossible to avoid.

He was a thorough man.

And there was one hurdle he absolutely had to clear for his plan to work.

That was the verification of Elliot’s qualifications.

Because of this, after confirming his granddaughter Noah’s condition, the Marquis began treating young Elliot even more harshly, and Isabel must have pointed this out to Rohan.

Of course, her greater wish was likely for Rohan to stop the Marquis and save Elliot.

“The Marquis. The most powerful way to tie him down.”

What could that be?

Rohan pondered deeply until dawn, and finally reached a conclusion.

“Right. Then, at least, I’ll be cutting off one of the Marquis’s legs.”

As dawn broke.

Only then did Rohan leave his desk in the study.

---

“...So, I’m thinking of establishing a merchant group.”

“What? A merchant group? Your Highness, that’s...”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the unexpected declaration.

“Currently, most of the Marquis’s funds come from his merchant group. And through that group, he’s secretly conducting illegal business.”

At Rohan’s words, Lucretia seemed to realize something and murmured.

“If it’s illegal business, don’t tell me...”

Rohan nodded.

“Illegal auctions. He’s making a fortune through them.”

“I—is that really true? This is the first I’m hearing of the Fabian Merchant Group holding illegal auctions.”

William was genuinely bewildered.

Even while serving by the side of Count Nidro, the Marquis Fabian’s rival, he’d never had the slightest inkling of such deeds.

“Of course you wouldn’t know. The illegal auctions operate under a different name.”

“Hah.”

And the fact that Rohan knew about these things he himself was unaware of struck William as even more remarkable.

“There’s nothing His Highness doesn’t know.”

At William’s reaction, Lucretia laughed softly, as if finding it all amusing.

“Amazing, right? I was really shocked at first too. His Highness is always... beyond imagination.”

Rohan merely shrugged with a smile at Lucretia’s praise.

‘Originally, this would’ve been revealed much later.’

But by then, the Marquis would already have grown reckless, thinking nothing could stop him.

‘His power needs to be cut off early.’

This illegal auction was currently one of the Marquis’s biggest sources of funds.

And this money would one day swell like a snowball and set the Empire aflame—it was the seed of war.

Rohan spread out a map on the table. It showed the trade routes and bases of the major merchant groups.

“We’re going to cut off the Marquis Fabian’s money supply. It’ll be a crippling blow for him.”

It was the start of their counterattack.

Tap, tap.

His forefinger drummed on the map.

“Lucretia will manage the merchant group, and Zenon will handle the reports.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Alright!”

Both nodded their heads.

“Martin, select a few trustworthy knights and assign them to this mission. The most important thing is safety.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Is there anything for me to do?”

Retina raised her hand, and Rohan raised his eyebrow.

“You want to help? Are you sure?”

She had nothing to do with this matter, so he hadn’t thought of involving her.

“I’ve got nothing else to do anyway, and I’m bored. Plus, that illegal auction... There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Curious, how?”

As an Elfrian, her interest in the human’s illegal auction probably had something to do with her own people.

“I’ll tell you later. In private.”

“Alright, got it.”

If she was hesitant to speak openly, it must be one of those darker issues among the Elfrians.

That was Rohan’s guess.

“I think this will be pretty fun. If we pull it off, it’ll be a critical blow to the Marquis.”

Rohan grinned at Lucretia’s words.

“Of course.”

“But, Your Highness. Can just anyone join that auction? Even if we set up a new merchant group, wouldn’t they screen participants since it’s illegal?”

“Good point, William.”

Rohan snapped his fingers.

“To participate in the auction, there are conditions. You must be a ‘noble’ and have ‘wealth.’”

“...Nobles with wealth. That’s going to involve more people than I expected.”

William, as if realizing something, asked cautiously.

“That’s right. Taking down this auction doesn’t just hit the Marquis. It’ll place a huge burden on everyone involved with him.”

“Goodness... This will cause quite a stir.”

Zenon gaped in astonishment.

“Do we have someone to put in charge of the merchant group? I can’t think of anyone suitable.”

At William’s sharp question, Rohan smiled.

“We do. One person who’s perfect for this job.”

---

“Me? A merchant group?”

Isabel looked dumbfounded.

“And you want me to take part in an illegal auction run by Marquis Fabian? You seem to forget, I’m a princess of this country.”

“Why? You said you were bored lately. It won’t be that hard.”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

Her eyes narrowed.

Rohan and Princess Isabel.

The two met far sooner than expected.

“It’s a big deal. If a princess moves in on this, no one can say a thing.”

Shhh.

Rohan slid a document onto the table.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a list of nobles believed to be connected to the illegal auction.”

“Huh?”

Scanning through the document, Isabel’s lips curled up.

“What a sight, truly. Now I get how the Marquis is running things. And why his influence has grown so much lately.”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

At Rohan’s question, Isabel slapped the paper down.

“Fascinating, disgustingly fascinating. But are you sure about this? Stirring up this nest will unleash a storm.”

“If we leave it alone, it’ll grow so big it’ll swallow us whole.”

“Tsk.”

With a sigh, Isabel massaged her aching forehead.

“So, what do I have to do?”

“It’s simple. Pick someone you like from the list, and discreetly show interest in the auction.”

“That’s it?”

“I told you, it wouldn’t be hard.”

Rohan flashed a grin.

‘Knew this would pique your interest.’

The Marquis’s faction was always an enemy to the Empress’s side.

While the conservatives remained unchanged, the radicals were expanding by the day.

Most people thought imperial power was the greatest, but if you looked closer, the real power lay with the nobility.

No matter how firmly imperial authority founded a nation, if the lords and nobles with autonomy rose up, the country would splinter in an instant.

“For this job, you’re perfect. Outwardly, you’re the Empire’s spoiled, idle princess, after all.”

“I am idle, but spoiled? Where could you find anyone more refined than me?”

Isabel scrunched up her face, and Rohan laughed, amused.

“I’ll handle all the complicated stuff—escorts and the like. I really don’t think you’re getting the short end of the stick here.”

“Good grief.”

Isabel let out a small breath and nodded.

“Alright, fine. As a princess of the Empire, I can’t just ignore a list like this.”

Her eyes sparkled.

“But how did you get this info? The Marquis’s illegal auction, the list, and...”

“And?”

“You seem to think I do more than just idle away my days.”

“I couldn’t possibly know.”

He actually did know.

That she secretly handled some of the Empress’s dirty work.

‘Probably only the Empress herself doesn’t know.’

Still, playing dumb was best at times like this.

If she started pressing for details, it’d only get tiresome.

“I just figured you’d never let something like this slide.”

At his cheeky answer, Isabel furrowed her brow.

“Honestly, you’re so weird.”

She snapped, crossing her legs.

“But do I really have to set up a merchant group? Couldn’t I just do it as an individual?”

“That’s exactly the loophole the Marquis is exploiting. If it’s an individual transaction, you can just check the family’s records, but a separate merchant group makes it hard to track.”

“And the local commercial offices handle merchant group management, and those people are all tied up through connections, right?”

“Exactly. You catch on quick.”

If there’s no report from the local office, there’s no way the central office can find out unless they dig directly.

Because of this, the Marquis required auction participants to create their own merchant group.

“Unbelievable... How sly and brazen. Daring to hide such things from the eyes of the Imperial family.”

Now completely convinced, Isabel clenched her fists.

“Fine, so what’s the merchant group’s name?”

“Haven’t decided yet. Just something simple, maybe Golden Hawk Group, or Bountiful Harvest Group.”

“...Wow, those are the cheesiest names I’ve ever heard. Look, I’ve got goosebumps.”

“...”

Was it really that bad?

Rohan scratched his cheek.

“If you have a name you want, let me know.”

“Sure, sounds good.”

Rohan stood with a smile.

“Thanks for your help.”

“I’m the one who said to call me if you needed anything, remember.”

Her words were always blunt, but she cared for and loved the Empire more than anyone.

And she was oddly weak to the requests of those she considered hers.

‘Just like the Empress.’

As they say, good fruit grows from a good tree.

With Empress Sherilda and Isabel, Rohan truly felt that.

“I’ll send you a letter soon.”

And so.

Their search for a wealthy noble to run the merchant group was a complete success.