Samuel seemed to think this was Eugène’s house, but in fact, the real owner of the house, Victor Adelphe, was waiting outside the door. Eugène was on a secret mission from the Emperor and was here to arrange a meeting between Victor Adelphe and Samuel.
“I apologize. I called you here directly because I have an important proposal that cannot be conveyed by a letter.”
“It seems like quite an important proposal. What is going on? Is it related to the union?”
“To be precise, it should be said that it is a business proposal related to the union. But I am not the one directly concerned with the proposal. I am simply the middleman who will connect you with the proposer.”
Samuel didn’t know what was going on and widened his eyes at the subtle hint from Eugène. He realized that something unusual was happening with the hint Eugène had given him, calmed his eyes down, and looked like he was lost in thought.
“May I introduce you to the person?”
“Of course. It is a person Your Excellency is personally introducing me to, so how could I refuse? But I still cannot catch on. Could you give me a clue as to what kind of proposal it may be?”
“I apologize, but I do not have the authority to do that. If you have any questions, I think it would be better for you to ask the other person directly.”
Eugène calmly refused Samuel’s request. Samuel looked at Eugène with dazed eyes, then nodded his head after a while.
In fact, the Emperor left this task entirely to Eugène but placed no restrictions on it. However, Eugène knew that Samuel’s loyalty to him could lead him to make the wrong decision.
The Emperor’s proposal was a double-edged sword that, as he had experienced, could be a great opportunity, but conversely, it could also lead to a horrific catastrophe. Therefore, Eugène was determined to minimize his interference in the making of this decision.
“Come in.”
As Eugène spoke outside, Victor, who was waiting for them, entered the room. The Emperor’s secret aide, who, at first glance, only seemed like a good merchant, approached Samuel Perrault with a friendly smile and greeted him.
“Hello, President Samuel Perrault. My name is Victor Adelphe.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Adelphe… I am asking this just in case, but could you perhaps be the same Adelphe of the Adelphe Chamber that has been on the rise lately?”
“That is correct. We do not have a footing in the west, but you noticed it surprisingly well. I was amazed by your extensive stock of information.”
“No, it is not to such an extent. Does it make sense that a person who runs an organization does not know about the growing Adelphe Chamber? Our union is closely related to several merchants by nature. Even if the west is ignorant of inland affairs, one cannot live with one’s ears closed.”
In response, Victor, who sat opposite Samuel across the table, smiled. Samuel, the union leader, also looked at him calmly, hiding his worries. Victor took out the rare Barbera wine made even before the Second Landrienne Revolution took place, poured the wine into the fancy glass he had prepared beforehand, and politely handed it to the two of them.
“Before we start our conversation, would you like to have a drink first? This is a wine that my father had kept since before I was even born.”
“Yt, ubbvcfrr. Pa wera lcvffv yf j ubbv klcf. Pr la jii gluta ab boofg remt j qgfmlber klcf ab j qfgrbc ilxf wf?”
“Ugfmlber wffalcur wera yf jmmbwqjclfv ys qgfmlber klcf. Po la lr atf rjwf bmmjrlbc jr la lr cbk, la lr cb kjraf bo ubbv klcf, rb qifjrf vb cba tfrlajaf ab tjnf rbwf.”
Victor’s answer was thoughtful, but Samuel was not a person who refused to drink good wine just because he was in an awkward position. He tilted the beautiful wine glass and savored the long-aged entrancing aroma, then took a sip of the wine carefully as if he was afraid to spill it.
As soon as the wine touched his tongue, the rich flavor spread through his mouth. The soft texture and sweet scent were as mellow as if something velvety had been poured into his mouth.
After taking a sip as a test, Samuel admired the wine repeatedly as if he had forgotten the existence of the people in front of him and emptied the glass by himself.
“My my. This is really good. When I first learned that there was alcohol in the world that was more expensive than a person’s life, it felt so unjust, but I understand its worth better when I drink such a thing myself. Humans are quite sly.”
There were hidden messages in Samuel’s otherwise harmless words that could not be ignored. It was like watching a fight between a serpent and a raccoon. Eugène shook his head inwardly as he witnessed the crafty men poking each other back and forth regardless of the third party.
The two secretly exchanged such signals from the beginning and looked at each other with indecipherable gentle eyes. Eugène was also sitting at the same table, but the two knew instinctively that the other was their opponent. Victor spoke first, with a smile that was kind to everyone on the outside.
“The reason I wanted to see you through the Vice Admiral was that I have a plausible business proposal for the ‘Son of the Sea’ Union.”
“I have heard about the general situation from His Excellency. One important thing is not the credibility of the person presenting, but the overall content of the business you are proposing. So, Mr. Adelphe, what are you going to propose to our union?”
“This is an unprecedented condition. The Son of the Sea will be given sixteen ships in five years. If the union agrees to the one proposal I will be proposing, then sixteen decommissioned warships will become the union’s property.”
Victor disturbed Samuel’s composure by revealing the best card he had from the beginning. Union leader Samuel’s eyes widened at the unconventional proposal that sounded too good to be true. He looked at Eugène to see if this was true, but Eugène remained silent as he watched Victor handle the matter.
“Frankly speaking, it is such a huge proposal that I am unable to believe it readily. Is it true?”
Union leader Samuel showed a doubtful expression. Needless to say, Victor’s condition was too unrealistic, and it was difficult for a person familiar with the military situation to easily accept it.
“Would a merchant lie about the condition of a proposal?”
“What could a merchant not do to profit? Above all else, the condition you raised is absurd. A warship is the property of our great Emperor, and it is not something that even the Marquis of La Baille, Admiral of The Fleet, can easily decide to sell. It is a strict military custom to use all useful warships and, if there are ships that need to be decommissioned, dismantle them and use them as timber for repairs rather than handing them over to civilians. First of all, even the decommissioning of warships is not that common. Do you know how many it takes for a warship to even be decommissioned, if ever?”
Samuel, who was once in the military, knew exactly how the Navy handled decommissioned warships. A calm smile crept across Victor’s face as he refuted his proposal, weighing the circumstances one by one.
“I know what you are thinking. But you do not have to worry. Did I not say five years? Within the promised five years, more than 30% of the current Imperial Navy’s warships will be decommissioned. And the naval force will be doubled compared to what it is today.”
“It sounds like a dream. Does that make sense?”
“It makes sense. It is something that His Majesty has decided personally, and it will surely come true. He never forgets what he says once.”
“… What did you say?”
“Otherwise, what gift would a merchant like myself have to offer decommissioned warships as a condition? It was His Majesty Ebroin V himself who entrusted me with this deal. I am merely His Majesty’s representative.”
Victor’s second bombshell put an end to Samuel’s words. Samuel, with a face as surprised as if his eyes were about to pop out of the sockets, didn’t say anything, turned pale, and looked at Eugène as if asking for help. Victor, who leisurely threw the bait at the union leader, looked back at Eugène as if what he said was indeed true.
No doubt about you but even your subordinate maneuvers people quite scrupulously. He tried not to meddle in the negotiations between the two as much as possible, but when he saw the unexpected development of the situation, he smiled bitterly. Contrary to his expectation that he would maintain as much security as possible, Victor was completely using the standard tactics. Eugène nodded reluctantly, confirming Victor’s words.
“That is true. Mr. Adelphe is a representative appointed by His Majesty himself.”
“No, then this is… I mean, this matter…”
This was the first time since Eugène had got to know him that he had seen Samuel so flustered. Even for a man who had lived his whole life as a brave soldier and a man of the sea who was not afraid of death, it seemed that it was difficult to regain confidence in the face of the colossal intimidation of the Emperor.
Viktor actively stepped forward as if he was aiming for that moment, and began to explain the Emperor’s grand scheme step by step. Not only Eugène, who already knew the contents but also Samuel, who was about to learn the truth, listened to his calm explanation seriously.
Due to the contract with Victor as his proxy, Kayediv had already been commissioned to launch the warships. If a contract was also signed with the Son of the Sea Union, the main agent who will receive the warships will be the Son of the Sea Union on the outside. Then, the Son of the Sea Union, who took over the ships, will return to the port and secretly turn over the ships to the waiting Navy.
However, the takeover does not have to be done immediately. Activities in the inland sea were permitted in order to create recognition both domestically and internationally that the Sons of the Sea Guild took over Kayediv’s ships, and turning over the warships to the Navy was only possible after taking over the next ships from Kayediv.
Victor told Samuel almost every part of the plan as it was. The only thing he hid was the Emperor’s objective behind increasing the naval force. Victor did not tell Samuel that the Emperor was directly targeting the Confederation of Five Nations. Instead, he explained that the reason why the national project of naval reinforcement was being carried out in such a secret way was ‘to prevent checks and interference by other nobility factions’.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Samuel readily accepted his excuse. He was not completely ill-informed of the situation in the capital, so he was well aware of how the current relationship between the Emperor and the nobles was going.
“Understandable. Having successfully conquered the inland, it is now time to turn to the sea.”
The former soldier, who, on an average day, was very dissatisfied with the situation of the Navy, which was usually treated poorly compared to the Army, nodded as if he was convinced. He seemed to have no doubts about the entire matter since it wasn’t anyone else, but Eugène himself who professed that it was true.
“As you can already guess since you have heard this much, this plan requires perfect security. That is why the Son of the Sea Union, run by former soldiers, rather than the average civilian sailors’ union was chosen. You must not discuss what you have just heard with anyone. I understand that it is a matter big enough to want to seek advice from others, but the decision on this matter should be made entirely in your sole discretion.”
“… However, it is not an easy decision. While it is good to be loyal to the empire, the lives of countless union members and their families depend on my decision. As the rewards of success are high, the risks are also high, are they not? I do not think it is a matter for one person to make a choice right away.”
“I understand. Since I am short on time, there is not much I can allow, but I can give you a few days’ time. Think carefully and decide. If you do not have the confidence to do it, it is not a bad idea to refuse. His Majesty will trust prudent judgment more than reckless bravado.”
Negotiations between the two men, which were expected to be difficult due to Victor’s straightforward approach, ended unexpectedly smoothly. Victor delivered his proposal in a quick and concise format, and Samuel reviewed it with caution.
“And these are drafts of the contract that would be written externally if you approve of the proposal. Please take it and review it carefully before making a decision. I will continue to wait here for your decision.”
Victor took out a few sheets of the contract written in neat handwriting from a drawer and an envelope to contain them and handed them to Samuel. After picking up the parchments with his thick fingers and reading the contract once, Samuel folded the parchments one by one and carefully put them in the envelope. Then, he licked the seal flap of the envelope to temporarily seal it.
The nobility mainly used stamp seals, but when they didn’t have stamp seals, there were a lot of cases where they put them together in this way as a temporary measure. Eugène, watching the scene without thinking much of it, felt something like lightning flashing through his head and bit his lip.
Fuck damn it!
Eugène checked the facts in his head once more, and barely swallowed the profanity that almost burst out. As he sprung up from his seat, the two men, startled by the unexpected action, looked back at him with confused expressions. Eugène hurriedly put the hat on his head, which he had taken off, and paid no attention to the gaze of the two men.
“I apologize for doing this out of blue. I have an urgent business to attend to, so I have to leave first.”
“Pardon? What is this about all of a sudden?”
Samuel was surprised by Eugène’s out-of-character behavior and asked with surprised eyes. Victor, who was facing him, also looked at Eugène strangely as if he was unfamiliar with this appearance of his. Eugène, in a rush, hurriedly left the scene without giving them a proper explanation.
At first, he was just walking fast, but his pace gradually increased over time and he was almost running at the end.
“Get back to the court. As fast as you can!”
Eugène gave a brief order to the coachman who had been brought from the court and entered the carriage. If he were able to enter and exit the palace on horseback, he would readily release the horse from the carriage, but according to the imperial law, only a few members of the guardsmen and authorized messengers could ride horses inside the court. He hurriedly sat down and closed the carriage door. He sat on the seat and the carriage hurried off.
He recalled the scene in Louise’s room he had seen a while ago in the fast-moving carriage. She was sitting in front of a mountain of invitations for Countess Patrí. At the time, the method as to how Louise was being poisoned was right in front of his eyes, but nevertheless, he did not notice it.
When Eugène saw Samuel licking the envelope with his tongue, he suddenly realized what he was missing.
Of course, Louise was a noblewoman by nature, so she wouldn’t lick the envelope with her tongue as Samuel did. Moreover, she was writing a reply on behalf of Countess Patrí, so she didn’t have the authority to seal the envelope.
Although it was customarily permitted to ghostwrite replies, it was only a right granted to Countess Patrí to stamp the seals. All that was entrusted to Louise was to put the finished letters in envelopes. Therefore, the envelopes were not the direct way to poison Louise.
But it was unmistakably true that the duty the Countess had entrusted to her was killing her indirectly. Louise had an old habit of sucking quill pens, and the fact that she had such a habit would have been known to anyone who had watched her write for even a second.
It was this habit that Eugène thought was the medium of her poisoning. Arsenic was colorless and odorless, so she could not guess what she was ingesting while sucking on it. If someone had rubbed arsenic on her quill pen, Louise, who unconsciously put the quill pen in her mouth while writing, would most likely inhale the poison without knowing what she was doing.
Samuel seemed to think this was Eugène’s house, but in fact, the real owner of the house, Victor Adelphe, was waiting outside the door. Eugène was on a secret mission from the Emperor and was here to arrange a meeting between Victor Adelphe and Samuel.
“I apologize. I called you here directly because I have an important proposal that cannot be conveyed by a letter.”
“It seems like quite an important proposal. What is going on? Is it related to the union?”
“To be precise, it should be said that it is a business proposal related to the union. But I am not the one directly concerned with the proposal. I am simply the middleman who will connect you with the proposer.”
Samuel didn’t know what was going on and widened his eyes at the subtle hint from Eugène. He realized that something unusual was happening with the hint Eugène had given him, calmed his eyes down, and looked like he was lost in thought.
“May I introduce you to the person?”
“Of course. It is a person Your Excellency is personally introducing me to, so how could I refuse? But I still cannot catch on. Could you give me a clue as to what kind of proposal it may be?”
“I apologize, but I do not have the authority to do that. If you have any questions, I think it would be better for you to ask the other person directly.”
Eugène calmly refused Samuel’s request. Samuel looked at Eugène with dazed eyes, then nodded his head after a while.
In fact, the Emperor left this task entirely to Eugène but placed no restrictions on it. However, Eugène knew that Samuel’s loyalty to him could lead him to make the wrong decision.
The Emperor’s proposal was a double-edged sword that, as he had experienced, could be a great opportunity, but conversely, it could also lead to a horrific catastrophe. Therefore, Eugène was determined to minimize his interference in the making of this decision.
“Come in.”
As Eugène spoke outside, Victor, who was waiting for them, entered the room. The Emperor’s secret aide, who, at first glance, only seemed like a good merchant, approached Samuel Perrault with a friendly smile and greeted him.
“Hello, President Samuel Perrault. My name is Victor Adelphe.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Adelphe… I am asking this just in case, but could you perhaps be the same Adelphe of the Adelphe Chamber that has been on the rise lately?”
“That is correct. We do not have a footing in the west, but you noticed it surprisingly well. I was amazed by your extensive stock of information.”
“No, it is not to such an extent. Does it make sense that a person who runs an organization does not know about the growing Adelphe Chamber? Our union is closely related to several merchants by nature. Even if the west is ignorant of inland affairs, one cannot live with one’s ears closed.”
In response, Victor, who sat opposite Samuel across the table, smiled. Samuel, the union leader, also looked at him calmly, hiding his worries. Victor took out the rare Barbera wine made even before the Second Landrienne Revolution took place, poured the wine into the fancy glass he had prepared beforehand, and politely handed it to the two of them.
“Before we start our conversation, would you like to have a drink first? This is a wine that my father had kept since before I was even born.”
“Yt, ubbvcfrr. Pa wera lcvffv yf j ubbv klcf. Pr la jii gluta ab boofg remt j qgfmlber klcf ab j qfgrbc ilxf wf?”
“Ugfmlber wffalcur wera yf jmmbwqjclfv ys qgfmlber klcf. Po la lr atf rjwf bmmjrlbc jr la lr cbk, la lr cb kjraf bo ubbv klcf, rb qifjrf vb cba tfrlajaf ab tjnf rbwf.”
Victor’s answer was thoughtful, but Samuel was not a person who refused to drink good wine just because he was in an awkward position. He tilted the beautiful wine glass and savored the long-aged entrancing aroma, then took a sip of the wine carefully as if he was afraid to spill it.
As soon as the wine touched his tongue, the rich flavor spread through his mouth. The soft texture and sweet scent were as mellow as if something velvety had been poured into his mouth.
After taking a sip as a test, Samuel admired the wine repeatedly as if he had forgotten the existence of the people in front of him and emptied the glass by himself.
“My my. This is really good. When I first learned that there was alcohol in the world that was more expensive than a person’s life, it felt so unjust, but I understand its worth better when I drink such a thing myself. Humans are quite sly.”
There were hidden messages in Samuel’s otherwise harmless words that could not be ignored. It was like watching a fight between a serpent and a raccoon. Eugène shook his head inwardly as he witnessed the crafty men poking each other back and forth regardless of the third party.
The two secretly exchanged such signals from the beginning and looked at each other with indecipherable gentle eyes. Eugène was also sitting at the same table, but the two knew instinctively that the other was their opponent. Victor spoke first, with a smile that was kind to everyone on the outside.
“The reason I wanted to see you through the Vice Admiral was that I have a plausible business proposal for the ‘Son of the Sea’ Union.”
“I have heard about the general situation from His Excellency. One important thing is not the credibility of the person presenting, but the overall content of the business you are proposing. So, Mr. Adelphe, what are you going to propose to our union?”
“This is an unprecedented condition. The Son of the Sea will be given sixteen ships in five years. If the union agrees to the one proposal I will be proposing, then sixteen decommissioned warships will become the union’s property.”
Victor disturbed Samuel’s composure by revealing the best card he had from the beginning. Union leader Samuel’s eyes widened at the unconventional proposal that sounded too good to be true. He looked at Eugène to see if this was true, but Eugène remained silent as he watched Victor handle the matter.
“Frankly speaking, it is such a huge proposal that I am unable to believe it readily. Is it true?”
Union leader Samuel showed a doubtful expression. Needless to say, Victor’s condition was too unrealistic, and it was difficult for a person familiar with the military situation to easily accept it.
“Would a merchant lie about the condition of a proposal?”
“What could a merchant not do to profit? Above all else, the condition you raised is absurd. A warship is the property of our great Emperor, and it is not something that even the Marquis of La Baille, Admiral of The Fleet, can easily decide to sell. It is a strict military custom to use all useful warships and, if there are ships that need to be decommissioned, dismantle them and use them as timber for repairs rather than handing them over to civilians. First of all, even the decommissioning of warships is not that common. Do you know how many it takes for a warship to even be decommissioned, if ever?”
Samuel, who was once in the military, knew exactly how the Navy handled decommissioned warships. A calm smile crept across Victor’s face as he refuted his proposal, weighing the circumstances one by one.
“I know what you are thinking. But you do not have to worry. Did I not say five years? Within the promised five years, more than 30% of the current Imperial Navy’s warships will be decommissioned. And the naval force will be doubled compared to what it is today.”
“It sounds like a dream. Does that make sense?”
“It makes sense. It is something that His Majesty has decided personally, and it will surely come true. He never forgets what he says once.”
“… What did you say?”
“Otherwise, what gift would a merchant like myself have to offer decommissioned warships as a condition? It was His Majesty Ebroin V himself who entrusted me with this deal. I am merely His Majesty’s representative.”
Victor’s second bombshell put an end to Samuel’s words. Samuel, with a face as surprised as if his eyes were about to pop out of the sockets, didn’t say anything, turned pale, and looked at Eugène as if asking for help. Victor, who leisurely threw the bait at the union leader, looked back at Eugène as if what he said was indeed true.
No doubt about you but even your subordinate maneuvers people quite scrupulously. He tried not to meddle in the negotiations between the two as much as possible, but when he saw the unexpected development of the situation, he smiled bitterly. Contrary to his expectation that he would maintain as much security as possible, Victor was completely using the standard tactics. Eugène nodded reluctantly, confirming Victor’s words.
“That is true. Mr. Adelphe is a representative appointed by His Majesty himself.”
“No, then this is… I mean, this matter…”
This was the first time since Eugène had got to know him that he had seen Samuel so flustered. Even for a man who had lived his whole life as a brave soldier and a man of the sea who was not afraid of death, it seemed that it was difficult to regain confidence in the face of the colossal intimidation of the Emperor.
Viktor actively stepped forward as if he was aiming for that moment, and began to explain the Emperor’s grand scheme step by step. Not only Eugène, who already knew the contents but also Samuel, who was about to learn the truth, listened to his calm explanation seriously.
Due to the contract with Victor as his proxy, Kayediv had already been commissioned to launch the warships. If a contract was also signed with the Son of the Sea Union, the main agent who will receive the warships will be the Son of the Sea Union on the outside. Then, the Son of the Sea Union, who took over the ships, will return to the port and secretly turn over the ships to the waiting Navy.
However, the takeover does not have to be done immediately. Activities in the inland sea were permitted in order to create recognition both domestically and internationally that the Sons of the Sea Guild took over Kayediv’s ships, and turning over the warships to the Navy was only possible after taking over the next ships from Kayediv.
Victor told Samuel almost every part of the plan as it was. The only thing he hid was the Emperor’s objective behind increasing the naval force. Victor did not tell Samuel that the Emperor was directly targeting the Confederation of Five Nations. Instead, he explained that the reason why the national project of naval reinforcement was being carried out in such a secret way was ‘to prevent checks and interference by other nobility factions’.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Samuel readily accepted his excuse. He was not completely ill-informed of the situation in the capital, so he was well aware of how the current relationship between the Emperor and the nobles was going.
“Understandable. Having successfully conquered the inland, it is now time to turn to the sea.”
The former soldier, who, on an average day, was very dissatisfied with the situation of the Navy, which was usually treated poorly compared to the Army, nodded as if he was convinced. He seemed to have no doubts about the entire matter since it wasn’t anyone else, but Eugène himself who professed that it was true.
“As you can already guess since you have heard this much, this plan requires perfect security. That is why the Son of the Sea Union, run by former soldiers, rather than the average civilian sailors’ union was chosen. You must not discuss what you have just heard with anyone. I understand that it is a matter big enough to want to seek advice from others, but the decision on this matter should be made entirely in your sole discretion.”
“… However, it is not an easy decision. While it is good to be loyal to the empire, the lives of countless union members and their families depend on my decision. As the rewards of success are high, the risks are also high, are they not? I do not think it is a matter for one person to make a choice right away.”
“I understand. Since I am short on time, there is not much I can allow, but I can give you a few days’ time. Think carefully and decide. If you do not have the confidence to do it, it is not a bad idea to refuse. His Majesty will trust prudent judgment more than reckless bravado.”
Negotiations between the two men, which were expected to be difficult due to Victor’s straightforward approach, ended unexpectedly smoothly. Victor delivered his proposal in a quick and concise format, and Samuel reviewed it with caution.
“And these are drafts of the contract that would be written externally if you approve of the proposal. Please take it and review it carefully before making a decision. I will continue to wait here for your decision.”
Victor took out a few sheets of the contract written in neat handwriting from a drawer and an envelope to contain them and handed them to Samuel. After picking up the parchments with his thick fingers and reading the contract once, Samuel folded the parchments one by one and carefully put them in the envelope. Then, he licked the seal flap of the envelope to temporarily seal it.
The nobility mainly used stamp seals, but when they didn’t have stamp seals, there were a lot of cases where they put them together in this way as a temporary measure. Eugène, watching the scene without thinking much of it, felt something like lightning flashing through his head and bit his lip.
Fuck damn it!
Eugène checked the facts in his head once more, and barely swallowed the profanity that almost burst out. As he sprung up from his seat, the two men, startled by the unexpected action, looked back at him with confused expressions. Eugène hurriedly put the hat on his head, which he had taken off, and paid no attention to the gaze of the two men.
“I apologize for doing this out of blue. I have an urgent business to attend to, so I have to leave first.”
“Pardon? What is this about all of a sudden?”
Samuel was surprised by Eugène’s out-of-character behavior and asked with surprised eyes. Victor, who was facing him, also looked at Eugène strangely as if he was unfamiliar with this appearance of his. Eugène, in a rush, hurriedly left the scene without giving them a proper explanation.
At first, he was just walking fast, but his pace gradually increased over time and he was almost running at the end.
“Get back to the court. As fast as you can!”
Eugène gave a brief order to the coachman who had been brought from the court and entered the carriage. If he were able to enter and exit the palace on horseback, he would readily release the horse from the carriage, but according to the imperial law, only a few members of the guardsmen and authorized messengers could ride horses inside the court. He hurriedly sat down and closed the carriage door. He sat on the seat and the carriage hurried off.
He recalled the scene in Louise’s room he had seen a while ago in the fast-moving carriage. She was sitting in front of a mountain of invitations for Countess Patrí. At the time, the method as to how Louise was being poisoned was right in front of his eyes, but nevertheless, he did not notice it.
When Eugène saw Samuel licking the envelope with his tongue, he suddenly realized what he was missing.
Of course, Louise was a noblewoman by nature, so she wouldn’t lick the envelope with her tongue as Samuel did. Moreover, she was writing a reply on behalf of Countess Patrí, so she didn’t have the authority to seal the envelope.
Although it was customarily permitted to ghostwrite replies, it was only a right granted to Countess Patrí to stamp the seals. All that was entrusted to Louise was to put the finished letters in envelopes. Therefore, the envelopes were not the direct way to poison Louise.
But it was unmistakably true that the duty the Countess had entrusted to her was killing her indirectly. Louise had an old habit of sucking quill pens, and the fact that she had such a habit would have been known to anyone who had watched her write for even a second.
It was this habit that Eugène thought was the medium of her poisoning. Arsenic was colorless and odorless, so she could not guess what she was ingesting while sucking on it. If someone had rubbed arsenic on her quill pen, Louise, who unconsciously put the quill pen in her mouth while writing, would most likely inhale the poison without knowing what she was doing.
