CHAPTER 30: A CUNNING PLAN

When I presented such an incredible offer to what were once ordinary people, they were naturally shocked. Until recently, Enoch had barely been able to make ends meet to feed himself and his only daughter. And today... Thanks to my help, he had become a member of high society.

Enoch and Angela still didn’t realize what was happening to their family. And, of course, they were very grateful to me. At such moments, I accepted their gratitude with a barely noticeable skeptical smile. In fact, I would have gladly confessed to them how things really stood.

Heh, in reality, it wasn’t me who was their patron, but William Dickens. It was he who provided the funds for the restoration of the old Bastier estate, the hiring of servants, and other things. In essence, I was just a middleman between the two.

In the end, it was Duke Dickens who forced me to pull off this whole scam... Who knew he would be so concerned about the welfare of the crown princess? However, in order not to arouse suspicion and unnecessary attention, he could not participate in this matter himself.

At that time, the Duchy of Dickens was at its peak. They were called the emperor’s right hand. Such a person simply could not associate with commoners without a good reason. And since we agreed to keep Angela’s origins a secret, the duke’s intervention could only ruin everything. That’s why he decided to help us from the shadows.

Thus, the first Chapter of the story quest "Girl in Trouble" was completed. Only now it seemed that I was the one in trouble...

Since all the story quests had an inevitable effect on the game, there was nothing I could do right now, even if I wanted to. Even if I told Enoch that the deal was off and they could go back, the game wouldn’t accept it. Now all I could do was wait for the next one to start and guess what other surprises the game had in store for me.

At least this time, I got a reward. After the quest completion notification, a system window appeared in front of me:

Reward: [10 reputation points].

Ten points. I really endured all this just for a few measly reputation points. I wonder if my reward would have been different if I had made a different choice? It’s quite possible that Duke Dickens would have rewarded me more generously... However, there was no point in thinking about that now.

Either way, after all this hassle, I felt squeezed like a lemon. Angela and Enoch were preparing to move to their new estate. And since I was in control of the process, I took a direct part in it.

In addition, the imperial banquet was approaching. Fortunately, at least here, it was easier for me. Of the additional tasks, I only had to prepare for the event, which would not take much effort or time.

Perhaps, in this whole situation, Serpens was the only one to whom I could openly "pour out" my soul. For some reason, I decided to burden him with my problems, rather than Edison.

After all the work, in the evening, I came to the armory and almost collapsed into a chair. The man had already thoughtfully treated me to a cup of his signature fruit tea.

I complained to him about everything.

"So you’re saying the kidnapped princess is still alive?!"

The look of surprise on his face was probably comparable to that of the butler when he first heard the news.

"Yeah," I said reluctantly.

"But how is that possible? I clearly remember that on that night..."

Serpens began to recount the events of that time to me. As Harris Weinstein’s right-hand man, he had been directly involved in the princess’s abduction alongside him.

"...That night, during the fight, we lost our vigilance for just a couple of seconds, and the girl was already gone. We decided then that she had been eaten by wild wolves."

"Well, as you can see, she wasn’t eaten."

Serpens was truly shocked. But I managed to beat him to it:

"Don’t even think about it. I’m not going to kill her, stage a coup, or anything like that."

"......"

Invisible disappointment froze on the man’s face.

"So instead, you decided to help her? The daughter of your father’s enemy?" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Help?" I asked.

"What else would you call it?" Serpens shouted in rage. "His Highness wanted to end the imperial dynasty once and for all. And you...!"

I cleared my throat.

From the outside, it really did look like he said. Except...

"What makes you think I’m helping her?"

"Huh?"

"Angela is still the heir to the throne," I took a sip of tea. "If we want to use her in the future, it’s better to gain her trust right now."

In the end, to hide my true motives, I had to come up with this nonsense. In reality, I just couldn’t let the heroine get into the palace ahead of time. And the damn duke forced me...

And by the way, not only for that.

System notification:

[5 reputation points in the Order of the Shadow].

Serpens looked at me with admiration. The confusion that had been on his face just a couple of seconds ago had vanished. He was completely absorbed by this idea.

"I knew it! You really are your father’s daughter!"

"What?" I was surprised.

"You came up with such a cunning plan to make the imperial family your puppet! Even His Highness didn’t think of this step."

"Kha..." I almost choked on my tea. "Really?"

"Please be assured! If you need anything, I will always be on your side."

Since the man had already made up his mind, I didn’t try to dissuade him. After all, I was the first to say it. No wonder they say that the best way to manipulate a parent is through their child. It’s much more effective than simply kidnapping the girl and becoming an enemy in the eyes of the entire empire. At least, that’s how it looked to Serpens.

I didn’t know if it was a compliment when people compared me to my father. Oh, how hard it is to pretend to be a villain...

"Since you’ve entered the game, I promise I won’t disappoint you."

Serpens suddenly said this to me.

"What are you talking about?"

"The imperial banquet," he smiled. "I guarantee you’ll have fun. It will truly be the event of the century."