Chapter 109

House Elias receives a reply from the Emperor, and the crisis meets its conclusion.

This chapter is dedicated to Marquise! Thank you for your support!

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Episode 109. About 11 Months (1)

I wanted to laugh, but suppressed the urge, putting on my most solemn expression.

I delicately cleared my throat then began to read the Emperor's letter in my most grandiose tone.

[House Elias almost caused great harm to the Palace through their negligent management of their tribute to the Imperial Banquet. Accordingly, on behalf of the Imperial Family, Emperor Louis Amure demands an official apology from House Elias. In addition to this apology, House Elias is herein deprived of their exclusive import and distribution rights to dragon fruit.

Furthermore, House Elias should be brought to justice for endangering the life of His Majesty the Emperor. However, such a punishment would not benefit the Empire in any way. In the merciful opinion of His Majesty the Emperor, the Head of House Elias has proposed a beneficial solution that will provide sufficient restitution for their misdeeds.

His Majesty approves of House Elias's measures and accepts all of the suggested terms.

1. Elias Pharmaceuticals will delegate the patent rights for their allergy medication and the heart medicine to His Majesty the Emperor, as well as their derivatives.

2. Half of the assets of the responsible party (Jason Elias), will be transferred to the Emperor.

3. In addition, the responsible party (Jason Elias) will be exiled from the Empire for 3 years, and shall personally visit the nation of Gaion to negotiate the importation and distribution of wolfsbane.

4. The patent rights and property corresponding to sections 1 and 2 above shall be granted to the Emperor as the injured party, and shall be included among his personal assets.

5. The Elias Family Head, Lloyd Elias, and the firstborn child of the House, Jason Elias, shall be released upon completion of the investigation.

By all standards House Elias has treated this issue with the required seriousness despite being implicated by the actions of the Palace Garden Department. Is this solution not beautiful?

His Imperial Majesty is very pleased by House Elias's dedication and obedience. House Elias's suggestions shall receive careful review and swift implementation!

His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Louis Amure, Sun of the Empire.]

After I finished reciting the Emperor's letter, the hall fell into a profound silence. However, it soon rebounded with a flurry of noise and small conversations.

I handed the letter to Dylan and stood quietly in the hall.

The room gradually quieted down.

"My mission is complete. As soon as the Count is released, he will give you a full briefing on this matter. Therefore, I advise Sir Dylan, our lawyers, the heads of each department, and the branch heads – including the leaders from Elias Pharmaceuticals – to get your papers in order."

After I finished speaking, the elders of House Philippe were the first to leave, and the rest gradually left the hall one by one to return to their work.

When the hall was nearly empty, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and held Beth's forearm from where she stood next to me.

"Are you all right, Miss?"

"No, I need chocolate. I'm low on sugar."

"Oh, wait a minute! I'll get some right away!"

"Bring it to my room!" I shouted as she scurried away.

"Yes!" She turned around and flashed me an OK sign.

As I turned toward the stairs, Chloe approached me.

"I can't believe the Emperor accepted all of the terms. Well, I knew there was a chance he would, but I didn't anticipate it would go this smoothly. I'm quite surprised, Tara."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Ah. Both a compliment and a warning to myself, because frankly, I never considered you a potential rival."

"Oh."

Chloe was making it clear that she was now wary of me as a potential contender for the headship.

"To be honest, I was a little frightened about how you would choose to deal with Jason and my mother. The way you bargained with the Emperor to save the family... I wonder if I could have done that in your place? I've asked that question myself many times."

"...Do you think the punishments I chose for them were too excessive?"

"No, they weren't. I would've liked to do the same, but I probably would have looked to Mother's family for guidance. Perhaps my choice of punishment would've been lighter than yours. And your proposal to give the drug to the Emperor... It was a good idea to hand over the patent rights. The Pharmaceutical company's profits will be reduced, but the Emperor's association with the drug will increase our reputation and sales. I've learned something from you today, Tara."

Chloe held out her hand and smiled determinedly at me.

I'd just poured gasoline on my sister's competitive spirit....

For some reason, I was overcome by an ominous feeling that things would become more difficult in the future. I held out my hand and vigorously shook hers.

"Well then, time to get to work!" Chloe said coolly. Then she turned and strode out of the hall.

‘So suddenly? Wasn’t it almost dinner time?’

She was in battle mode. 

By the way, was Aria still in the study? I realized that I hadn't seen Aria at all since returning from Durben. I decided to head there as soon as I had recharged on sugar.

***

The elders of House Philippe left the mansion without even glancing at Victoria Elias.

They remained silent for a while, absorbing the motion of the carriage, until one of them spoke up.

It was Gotham Philippe, Victoria's cousin.

"... I was surprised to hear that Elias Pharmaceuticals has been working on a heart medication, and that it's already passed the second stage of clinical trials. It's quite remarkable, isn't it Uncle?"

"....."

The older man didn't answer, lost in thought. As if unconcerned by his lack of response, Gotham continued his one-sided conversation.

"There are no other patented heart medicines available in the Empire, and if this one were to come out with the Emperor's seal of approval, the demand would be enormous. Heart disease is the most common cause of death among noblemen. Who wouldn't accept an opportunity to prevent their own death? To give the rights to that away..."

"It may seem like a loss now, but over time it will provide a massive return on investment for House Elias. They will have the number 1 Pharmaceutical company in the Empire. Plus the Emperor's endorsement."

"...A clever strategy, Uncle."

"Not bad indeed. Not only has the crisis been averted, but Elias has been left with a huge advantage. What's even more surprising is that the funds from House Elias won't go into the Imperial coffers, but into the Emperor's personal treasury instead."

"Why would that be odd...? Aren't there quite a few noble families who fill the Emperor's coffers behind closed doors? Our family does it as well...."

“Our patronage is unofficial and temporary. Have you never considered that this manner of patronage might make the Emperor uncomfortable? He doesn't want to receive 'donations'. It must be very disagreeable for a man of His Majesty's station to accept such funds, and he wouldn't do it unless it was a necessity. Now he has obtained an official and ongoing source of funds which will continue to supply his treasury from a very public source. The Elias Family have created a new method of wealth generation for him, and the Emperor will never forget that."

"Ah!"

"...We need to pull her into our corner."

"What?"

"That child."

"Oh I see. But, wait. Countess Victoria gazes at her with flaming hatred in her eyes."

"Tsk tsk. She doesn't understand who she's dealing with. Choosing to fight that child... if she had any common sense she would know I would be more beneficial to be her ally. That woman's temper is truly unreasonable...."

"Knowing the Countess is prone to such things, how do you propose we do this?"

“Through another House we have strong ties with...”

"How about House Stuart? Although we don't have any marriage ties... Perhaps we could arrange a marriage."

"....."

His uncle agreed wordlessly.

Gotham slapped his knee in realization, "Ah! Yes, the second son who left to study abroad is due to return soon!"

"Hmph... Yes, that's good. Let's go pay House Stuart a visit!"

"Yes, Uncle!"

Gotham admired his uncle's unparalleled initiative. He tugged on the rope installed in the interior of the carriage and ordered the driver to head straight for House Stuart's estate.

***

The Emperor's decision at his weekly state of the nation briefing spread throughout the Capital.

As a result of the meeting, the First Prince had been exiled from the Palace, Empress Vivian was bedridden, and the Duke of Toulouse's house, which had previously been visited so frequently that the door handles were worn down, wasn't receiving a single caller.

That night, Lloyd Elias was quietly released from the Palace. The next day, there was a brief commotion at the Palace gates, but that only merited a small mention in the newspapers.

Typically it would have been widely reported, but with so much breaking news coming in, none of the newspaper companies had enough resources or time to pay attention to it.

[The Empire's most prestigious family makes a terrible mistake. A respected nobleman deceived his allies in order to deceive his enemies. Will this be remembered, or go down in history unremarked upon? 

- Nobleman's Daily, December 2, 1815.]

[The First Prince's exile. Will the light of the Empire ever be allowed to return to the Palace? How will his Majesty respond to the appeals of the public? 

- Imperial Palace Daily, December 2, 1815.]

[Did the Imperial assassin die of suicide or murder? 

- Imperial Citizen, December 2, 1815.]

[The secret ledger that was crucial in solving the Imperial Intelligence Leak case. Where is it  now?

- Imperial Daily News, December 3, 1815.]

[In-depth coverage. House Elias Takes Responsibility for Their Negligence With Their Special Import Contract. House Elias comes out on top. 

- Ocerian Weekly Economist, December 4, 1815.]

[House Elias Turns a Crisis Into an Opportunity and Becomes the Most Anticipated Merchant Company of 1816.

- Oceria Monthly, December 8, 1815.]

The Imperial Palace returned to a state of calm, as if nothing had happened, despite the uproar over the attempted assassination of the Emperor and the accusations levelled against the Duke of Toulouse and the First Prince. The news caused an uproar in the Capital for a few days, but it was short-lived. The city soon returned to normal.

Nevertheless, the citizens of the Capital occasionally remarked that House Elias had benefited the most from the assassination. However, this gossip was soon quickly overtaken by the news that the second son of Duke Stuart had returned after three years studying abroad.

***

1 week later.

The capital city of Oceria was relatively warm compared to Durben, but the weather was reminiscent of December in Korea.*

I had just entered the hall dressed in my work uniform.

Shwaaa!

My ears filled with the deafening sound of rain.

"An early winter rain... How beautiful."

I stared blankly at the pouring rain. It was as if a hole had torn open in the sky. As I gazed at it, Beth came out with my favourite blue cloak.

"Miss, your lips are blue."

"I'm a little cold."

"They've been bluish for days, do you want me to get Doctor Oliver?"

"No, I'm fine. He said it's an after-effect of the poison, and there's nothing that can be done about it."

“Still, you should take some medicine”

I needed to keep the family alive...

After seeing me shake my head, Beth closed her mouth, but her eyes were filled with pity.

The day after Father's return from Palace custody, I'd felt a brief chill and went to see Dr. Oliver.

[...Oh, no. Even if you take the antidote quickly, there are often lingering after-effects of cold poisoning. Over time, your body will get used to the chill and you won't feel it as acutely. If you force yourself to take other medicines to counteract the cold, your body will not be able to adapt and you will have to take medication for the rest of your life. If you were weaker or old I would prescribe it, but since you're still young I have confidence in your body's resilience and ability to recover.]

___

Editor’s Note - 

* To give our non-Korean readers a baseline - December is the first month of winter in Korea with an average high of 4°C and an average low of -3°C. December is typically the month where they first start to get snowfall and proper wintery weather, but rain is quite common and things don’t freeze to the same extent as they do in the Northern Hemisphere (where I grew up it gets to -30 in the winter so I found it weird it would be raining instead of snowing in December). 

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