IHDOE Ch 104

Satina threw away the rabbit doll her father had given her.

The hypocritical words he spoke while giving her the doll left her hollow, as though someone had carved out her heart.

Yet that didn't mean she severed ties with her father, Baron Galle, completely.

Simply continuing to live as strangers as they had before was not enough to answer such deep betrayal. Ruining his schemes entirely required maintaining contact a while longer.

Above all, discovering that Baron Galle was the boss of The Dark Grasp, the very syndicate she had been searching for, sparked an intriguing idea.

I will start by using him to secure the recommendation letter from the Grand Duchess.

Although she had avoided meeting Baron Galle under the pretext of being busy, meeting him after all this time felt necessary now.

Their meeting took place at a restaurant Satina selected herself.

[B. Galle] "It has been difficult to see you lately. You must be quite busy with work?"

Baron Galle never dreamed Satina had uncovered his scheme through Viscount Seilum.

Goosebumps broke across her skin at his tender voice and feigned concern, but thinking of her next move allowed her to laugh it off.

[Satina] "A bit. I have a matter I must resolve quickly."

[B. Galle] "Could you tell me as well? Perhaps I might be of help to you."

She had already anticipated he would act this way. After all, he desired to win her favor by pretending to be a good father.

Since you attempted to use me first, I shall use you in return.

Satina hid her true intentions and let out a long sigh. She spoke as though a slight wariness toward her father remained, acting as if frustration and helplessness left her with no choice.

[Satina] "Well... Grand Duchess Duskel requested a favor of me recently, and resolving it is causing quite a headache."

[B. Galle] "Of you? What favor?"

[Satina] "You must not tell anyone. It seems the Grand Duchess borrowed money from The Dark Grasp."

[B. Galle] "Dear me. How vicious and persistent that syndicate is. Borrowing money from those fellows of all people."

So spoke the leader of that very syndicate.

[Satina] "So she requested that I retrieve her promissory note."

[B. Galle] "No wonder. I found it strange that you were near their stronghold."

[Satina] "Yes, it was because of the favor the Grand Duchess requested. Yet no matter how much I investigate, I am unsure what to do on my own. I know so little about such syndicates..."

She spoke with a troubled expression.

[Satina] "Only with the recommendation letter from the Grand Duchess can I become the Empire's Golden Star..."

[B. Galle] "Are you aiming for the position of the Empire's Golden Star? You?"

[Satina] "Yes. I have a wish I desperately desire to fulfill by becoming the Empire's Golden Star."

A strange gleam flashed in his eyes.

Hmm. Satina becoming the Empire's Golden Star and marrying the Crown Prince...

It was such a splendid idea that he wondered why he had not thought of it earlier. Did not the Crown Prince's wife feel far closer to power than the Crown Prince's fiancée?

Furthermore, if Satina became the Empire's Golden Star, she could exert immense influence in imperial social circles.

Satina let out a shallow sigh.

[Satina] "Asking Sharlan for help might displease the Grand Duchess. Sigh, what am I saying?"

[B. Galle] "Don't worry too much. I shall investigate as well."

[Satina] "No need. Please don't concern yourself, Father. What if you get injured again? I shall handle this matter myself."

[B. Galle] "Nonsense. How can I sit idle with folded hands when my daughter suffers like this?"

He took her hand and considered his options.

Handing the promissory note to Satina would be best. If she returned it, she would win the Grand Duchess' favor while elevating her own standing.

And Satina will trust and follow me even more.

When the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the future, Satina would become Empress. That would make him the Emperor's father-in-law.

She was a child vulnerable to affection anyway. Given time and a few opportunities, molding Satina into an obedient daughter who followed his every word would present little difficulty.

Although letting the Grand Duchess off the hook felt regrettable...

I don't strictly need to give her the real promissory note.

A sinister smile spread across his lips.

And a few days later, Satina secured Grand Duchess Duskel's promissory note.

---

Satina sat at her desk and inspected the promissory note.

It was a gift from Baron Galle this morning. He boasted that he had endured arduous trials to acquire it, yet she knew it was a lie.

You are the boss of that syndicate, so how could it be difficult?

Satina pretended to know nothing and played along with his act, feigning deep emotion as though a father had bestowed a priceless gift upon his daughter.

[B. Galle] "As a father, I wished to be of help to my daughter. Naturally, it was not easily obtained, and our losses were considerable... Ah, you need not concern yourself."

[Satina] "No. I didn't realize you cared for me so much. I shall repay this grace someday."

[B. Galle] "Are we not family bound by blood? Pay it no mind."

[Satina] "Father..."

Thus, the two played their parts in a touching performance.

He handed it over so easily only because it is not the real promissory note.

She had already learned from Viscount Seilum that he had visited a back-alley forgery expert. The original remained in Baron Galle's hands, making this unmistakably a meticulously crafted forgery.

Well, whether this is real or fake matters little for my plan anyway.

Satina dispatched a letter to the Grand Duchess immediately, stating she had found the promissory note.

Since the Grand Duchess had been waiting eagerly for that news, an appointment was arranged shortly.

[Dc. Duskel] "Welcome!"

She even rose from her seat to welcome Satina.

From the moment Satina entered, the Grand Duchess kept her gaze glued to the document envelope she held.

She offered Satina a seat with gracious warmth and had tea and sweet desserts served.

[Dc. Duskel] "It must have been an arduous task, yet you performed remarkably well."

[Satina] "Not at all. When I reasoned with them quietly, they seemed to realize their error swiftly."

Naturally, the Grand Duchess didn't believe those words for a second. She knew firsthand how relentless and vicious those fellows were. Yet so long as she secured the promissory note, the means Satina employed mattered not.

[Satina] "Here is the item you requested."

As she took the promissory note, her eyes filled with ecstasy.

At last!

Burning this promissory note would erase all evidence of her debt to The Dark Grasp forever. Now she had no reason to fear those thugs approaching her husband with the note.

[Dc. Duskel] "Thank you! I am deeply grateful!"

Things unfold so smoothly once again.

She smiled at Satina.

When The Dark Grasp had first approached her, fury had consumed her. Investigating the syndicate had yielded nothing, leaving her helpless.

Using the request to arrange a meeting between Satina and Baron Galle as a clue, she dug deeper and discovered that the boss of The Dark Grasp was none other than Satina's biological father.

The Grand Duchess had shared that revelation with Coraline, who devised a clever scheme.

Since Baron Galle was Satina's biological father, retrieving the promissory note through her would be simple, after which destroying both the syndicate and Satina together would resolve everything neatly.

Satina spoke, completely unaware of the Grand Duchess' inner thoughts.

[Satina] "Not at all. I am delighted Your Grace's anxieties have cleared. Speaking of which, regarding my recommendation letter..."

[Dc. Duskel] "Ah, ah! Of course I must write it!"

She hastily summoned a pen and seal. As she drafted the recommendation letter for Satina, she thought.

I feel a bit apologetic.

Even if she obtained this recommendation letter, Satina would fail to become the Empire's Golden Star. Coraline had already prepared everything, after all.

The moment the Grand Duchess sent word that she had retrieved the promissory note, Coraline would lead her family's knights to raid The Dark Grasp's stronghold. And during the raid, she would conveniently expose that Satina's biological father was the boss of the syndicate.

Her biological father was running an illegal gambling den, reaping extortionate profits, and preying on the populace as the head of a violent syndicate!

Once exposed, Satina's reputation would be dragged through the mud, making it impossible to become the Empire's Golden Star no matter how many recommendation letters she gathered.

Satina had surely suffered to acquire the promissory note, yet she would gain nothing in the end.

Yet it can't be helped. I prefer Coraline over Satina, after all.

Such was Satina's fate.

She handed the recommendation letter to Satina and spoke in a tone far colder than before.

[Dc. Duskel] "Now then, you may leave."

Yet even after receiving the recommendation letter, Satina remained seated, smiling serenely.

[Dc. Duskel] "I told you to leave. Did you not hear me?"

Only then did Satina speak, her smile lingering.

[Satina] "May I leave? Will you not regret it?"

[Dc. Duskel] "What do you mean by that?"

The Grand Duchess knitted her brow.

[Satina] "That promissory note…… did Your Grace truly write it?"

At her words, the Grand Duchess looked down hastily at the promissory note she held.

[Satina] "Does the seal of The Dark Grasp stamped on the promissory note not appear slightly different?"

[Dc. Duskel] "..."

Blinded by ecstasy upon receiving the note, she had failed to notice. Just as Satina stated, the shape of the seal stamped on the creditor's side differed slightly.

[Dc. Duskel] "You... what..."

She looked at her, the color draining from her face.

[Satina] "I heard an amusing story, Your Grace. It seems you granted a bit of help so that I might meet my father..."

[Dc. Duskel] "S-So you played such a prank on me?! Fine! I shall blame you no further, so tell me where the original is at once!"

[Satina] "Informing you presents little difficulty. Yet before that, please answer my question first."

[Dc. Duskel] "I know nothing!"

Satina offered a cold smile.

[Satina] "Why does everyone claim they know nothing whenever I ask? Please don't act like that. Because right now, I am... somewhat furious. Depending on your answer, I might become so enraged that I do something I shouldn't, should I not?"

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