The Viscountess is Clever [Romance/Kingdom Building]

“Is there truly no conceivable motive for Jeckson Libert to commit such a crime?” Francesca inquired thoughtfully while Stella helped her change out of her heavy ceremonial dress and into a comfortable silk nightgown.

“He swore, unyielding loyalty to me personally... I don’t see any reason why he would suddenly turn on me, nor any reason why he would lie to my face about this,” Miller replied firmly, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

“Hmm... whatever the truth behind the matter is, the fact remains that he was caught red-handed with the bloody murder weapon right after Ivan’s squire died, all in front of a room packed full of the vassals,” Francesca noted. Taking her cane from Stella's hands, she settled in.

Offering a silent, respectful bow, Stella quietly exited the room. Miller helped Francesca move onto the soft bed, wrapping his arms around her as he added, “To make matters worse, Jeckson was also confirmed to be out of the assembly hall right before the thick smoke suddenly filled the chamber. Lord Ivan will undoubtedly argue to the courts that only an insider, someone like us who possesses full access to the castle corridors… could have easily set that device up.”

“He most certainly will try to aggressively escalate this case directly to the Capital... If Imperial investigators were to be officially summoned over an incident of this magnitude...” Francesca clicked her tongue in frustration. “We are already having an incredibly hard time dealing with the economic mutual trade policy he is lobbying for... if the Ironwood territory gets formally labeled as unsafe for visiting noble house members, our territory will be completely shunned by high society.”

“So, what exactly did Jeckson say about the presence of the dagger?” Francesca asked.

Miller hugged her tighter against the sheets, his hands casually wandering around her waist. “He firmly believes that either Sir Albert or Lord Ivan himself covertly slipped the blade straight into his uniform pocket during the chaos.”

“Hmm...” Francesca went into deep thought, her mind turning the angles.

Miller continued, “I believe that scenario is very much possible. Based on the brief conversation Jeckson said he had, it seems Lord Ivan was very clearly and deliberately probing into his specific time spent in the Capital... so what I am inclined to think is...”

Francesca shifted her weight, turning her face around to place her hands securely around him as he spoke. “Lord Ivan figured out that Jeckson Libert was operating as our mole within the Vassal Council, and he decided to help the corrupt vassals out? I don’t fully see his motive there, unless he is working out some sort of backdoor negotiation with them?”

Francesca hummed softly, leaning into his touch as she asked, “But~ how could my brother have even found out about Jeckson's status so quickly in the first place?”

Miller nodded, planting a soft, warm kiss against her neck. “It honestly wouldn’t have been very hard for him if he was thoroughly reading about all the local vassals file by file. I mean, the Libert family has shown zero economic or political activity for the entire last year. The other members of the council have simply been chalking it up to the family being financially collapsed, but to a sharp outsider looking in, the anomaly would be glaringly obvious.”

“I suppose I am just surprised he wasn’t already caught by the council before this,” Francesca sighed.

Then, something suddenly clicked in her mind, her eyes widening in clarity. “Wait... Ivan is here under our father’s direct orders. But even though he is afraid of Duke LeonCraft... he absolutely is not the submissive type to blindly do exactly as he is commanded without a personal incentive.”

She nimbly climbed atop Miller, straddling his waist as he looked up at her, intrigued. “What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked softly.

Francesca’s lips curled into a sharp, confident smirk. Leaning down to plant a deep kiss on his lips, she looked into his red eyes and added, “It means my dear brother has a hidden, secondary objective. He has something valuable to gain from this northern trip, something completely separate from just earning good will from father.”

“Have you heard the massive news coming from the castle? Lord Libert brutally killed a squire belonging to Lord Ivan LeonCraft’s entourage!” one of the visiting servants eagerly whispered to another over a mug of ale.

Nearby, a dark-haired girl who looked to be around eight years old was carefully packing away some leftover bread and meat alongside her friends. The second the words reached her ears, she stopped dead in her tracks. Leaving her work, she marched straight up to the gossiping man and demanded, “What did you just say, mister? Is that rumor actually true?!”

“My, my, little girl... children shouldn't be listening to such dark, adult things,” the servant replied dismissively, waving his hand to shoo her away.

The young girl slammed her collection basket down onto the wooden table. With an angry, fierce pout, she glared up at him. “Just tell me what you know, you blabbering balding mister!”

“Hey, now! That attitude was entirely uncalled for!” the servant snapped back with a heavy sigh. But seeing the sheer intensity in the child's eyes, he relented and continued, “Yes, it's the truth. They are saying across town that Lord Libert will most certainly face a massive, terrible punishment for what he did. He might even be dragged all the way to the Capital in heavy chains by the Imperial Investigators. Unless Lord Ivan generously decides to drop the charges entirely… which is highly unlikely since it's a direct crime against a High Noble house, it really doesn’t look good for him at all.”

The little girl’s eyes widened in sheer horror as the terrifying weight of the news sank in. Without warning, she spun entirely on her heel and bolted out of the tavern, leaving her precious food basket completely abandoned on the table behind her.

The other orphan kids, the bartender, and the tavern owner all shouted out in pure confusion after her retreating figure as she vanished into the dark, freezing night.

“Selena! Where on earth are you running to?!”