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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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What Baron Raviole did to me is textbook office politics.
It’s no different from a high-ranking executive trying to suppress a rising star.
“What did I do to deserve this?”
Chloe, walking beside me, chimed in.
“You did nothing wrong, young master. The Baron is being unreasonable.”
She looked at me with sympathy.
“You take care of even the lowliest servants. And you haven’t done anything bad, unlike other nobles…”
It’s not that I’m virtuous.
I just haven’t had the need to do anything bad yet.
Besides, in office politics, you don’t need a reason to be targeted.
It’s about eliminating rivals before they climb higher, a necessary step for your own advancement.
“Bad people don’t need a reason to hurt others.”
Chloe lowered her head slightly.
I noticed her clenched jaw.
“And don’t worry too much. I’ve already won this fight.”
The Spider’s Tears managed to dig up a lot of information.
The Baron won’t get away with this.
‘If you hurt an innocent person, be prepared to shed tears of blood.’
Chloe said in a slightly melancholic voice,
“I wish I could be of help to you.”
“Just being by my side is enough.”
“That’s not enough.”
Actually, Chloe is a big reason why I can maintain my sanity despite being targeted like this.
It’s hard to describe, but…
It’s like having a cute and loyal pet, like a cat or a dog.
Even when I’m stressed, just stroking Chloe calms me down.
As I was about to refute her, the coachman said,
“We’ve arrived at Baron Raviole’s mansion.”
I want to tell Chloe that she doesn’t need to feel burdened, but…
I need to handle this first.
How dare he take my bribe and betray me?
I won’t let him get away with this.
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Surprisingly, Baron Raviole didn’t seem bothered by my sudden visit.
He even treated me rather well.
“This tea is quite fragrant.”
“My butler brews excellent tea.”
His shoulders were puffed up, and he wore a wide smile.
With his chin slightly raised, he was subtly conveying this message:
‘What can you do? You should be bowing to me.’
Arrogant and foolish.
“I’d love to enjoy your company, but I have official duties tomorrow. State your business.”
Raviole smiled smugly.
Enjoy your delusion while it lasts.
It will be the last happiness you experience in your life.
“I’ve discovered the real reason you rejected my trading company application.”
The smug look on the Baron’s face vanished.
He probably thought I came to apologize for visiting so late, but…
I’m here to threaten him.
“You received quite a generous gift from the Paci Trading Company, didn’t you? 250 gold coins at once.”
I often earn thousands of gold coins, so 250 might seem insignificant, but…
250 gold coins is a year’s worth of living expenses for 750 commoners in the empire.
It’s not a small sum even for nobles.
“A total of 1,000 gold coins. That exceeds the annual net income of a small Baron family. Isn’t that a bribe, not a gift, when you receive that much from a single trading company?”
The Baron family I mentioned is a poor one, barely maintaining their title.
And that’s after excluding the expenses paid to their vassals.
Still, it’s too much for a mere Baron to receive as a “gift.”
“So what?”
His voice was calm, but his body betrayed him.
Why is he trembling, it’s not even cold in here?
“I hear your second daughter is quite renowned for her beauty in social circles. And I heard she fell in love with the young master of the Valiare Baron family. And that she’s experiencing morning sickness.”
The heir of a Baron family usually marries someone of similar standing.
But if the heir causes trouble, especially if it involves a noblewoman and “pregnancy”…?
‘If she were a commoner, he could just pay her off and take her as a mistress.’
But if she’s a low-ranking noble, even a Baron has to take responsibility, either by taking her as a concubine if he’s married, or as his wife if he isn’t.
Otherwise, he’d be ostracized by other nobles and his political career would be ruined.
So, he has to arrange a hasty marriage before the pregnancy is revealed.
It’s a disaster for the Valiare Baron family, but a windfall for Raviole.
“And you’re accepting gifts to prepare a dowry, I presume?”
Raviole slammed his fist on the desk and stood up.
“So what?! Do you think there are any clean nobles in the empire?”
Such people are either already dead or soon will be.
I agree with him on that.
That’s why Admiral Yi Sun-sin is so remarkable. He refused bribes and promotions offered by his superiors, including his direct superior, the Minister of Military Affairs, Yulgok Yi I, insisting on being promoted based on merit alone.
Even Joseon during that time was no different from the Toscana Empire.
He survived in the bureaucracy based solely on his abilities, without paying a single bribe, becoming a walking natural disaster.
Conversely, it means that in both our empire and Joseon, you can’t be clean without possessing Admiral Yi’s level of competence.
“Do you think that’s all the information I have?”
I then revealed some of the documents I had obtained.
“The Paci Trading Company originally supported Duke Visconti. So, you must have accepted their gifts without hesitation.”
I handed him the most crucial document.
Raviole’s eyes widened.
“Impossible. This can’t be happening.”
He clutched his head and wailed.
“Noooo! This can’t be!”
He must have never anticipated this.
But what can he do? This is reality.
“David Paci, head of the Paci Trading Company, one of the top 20 trading companies, switched factions to make his heir a knight with a fief.”
A nominal knighthood can be bought for a few hundred gold coins, depending on the market.
Though a few hundred gold coins isn’t pocket change.
And such purchased knighthoods are only valid for a single generation.
‘They’re called pseudo-nobles, right?’
But even a knight with a tiny fief, even just a single serf household, is a noble.
It’s a tempting offer for wealthy individuals with status anxiety.
“Therefore, David Paci is a spy planted by Duke Sforza. And you accepted 1,000 gold coins from him and granted him all sorts of favors. Even using an obsolete law that’s over 500 years old.”
Raviole must feel incredibly wronged.
Suppressing rising stars within one’s faction is a noble’s duty.
And his elegant political maneuvering resulted in aiding a rival faction?
I’d be furious too.
The Baron knelt before me.
“From now on, I’ll live and die by your word. Please, spare my family. You know I would never betray His Grace.”
Switching factions is risky for low-ranking nobles like us without powerful backing.
And if you’re caught spying, you’re finished in the empire.
Your entire family would be wiped out.
So, even this ambitious man wouldn’t have even considered such a thing.
“Did you think I’d spare you just because you’re begging for your life? And what do I have to gain from that?”
If I continue to expand my business and achieve success, I can aim for a Barony, like the founder of the Medici family.
I might even climb higher.
Why would I rely on a Baron family that lives off a pension?
“I’ll show you some mercy.”
Honestly, I don’t want to.
I want to report him to the Imperial Court for abusing his authority and accepting bribes to obstruct another noble.
The Imperial Family, who favors me, and the Sforza faction would seize this opportunity to destroy him and his family.
‘But that would also harm Duke Visconti.’
And I would become a whistleblower.
And whistleblowers, even righteous ones, often meet tragic ends.
I’m not driven by justice, and I don’t need to risk my life for revenge.
So, this matter needs to be resolved within Duke Visconti’s faction, with minimal involvement from outsiders.
“His Grace will learn of this in a couple of days. And he’ll send you a final letter.”
The final letter will probably contain polite words of gratitude for his service.
And upon receiving it, he has to commit suicide.
Why? Because it’s mercy, sparing his family in exchange for his life.
‘It’s better to die alone and let your children and vassals live.’
“I hope you make a wise choice.”
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