Chapter 10

I have experienced the future.

The noble young lady began to tell a story that seemed like a fairy tale. Suddenly, she was led to a private room in the duke's mansion to discuss the costumes for the next ball, and what was told there was—Rishel's future until she was condemned and died.

Prince's actions in the future were so out of the ordinary that Marc was at a loss for how to react, even if it were a made-up story. He knew very well that the girl in front of him was not the type to lie; she was intelligent like her mother, and a pure girl without any pretense.

Still, it was hard to believe Rishel's story. No matter how many sycophants surrounded the prince, it was strange that no influential noble would stop his tyranny. If the prince were so foolish, there must be someone manipulating him from behind, and it was impossible to allow such reckless actions that could bring down the country. The nobles who supported the prince should control all important matters, and it was unthinkable to entrust a valuable job like finance to a girl outside their faction, let alone an 18-year-old girl.

Even the nobles who supported the prince could not control him. Perhaps it was because he thought like a merchant, but it felt strange that even with a holy maiden by his side, the prince's tyranny would be allowed. Even if the king was ill, it was unnatural for such tyranny to be permitted while he was still alive.

However.

When Rishel mentioned that her mother had given a medicine to Marc's mother, he became convinced that the story was true. Marc was originally the child of his father and a prostitute. His father, who had no children, and his stepmother, who could not raise a child, had taken him in almost forcibly when he was born, and it was said that his stepmother had given birth to him. However, when Marc found out, he searched for his mother and learned that she had been working in a brothel for a long time and was terminally ill. The merchant guild was controlled by his father and stepmother, and Marc, at that time, could not afford the expensive potion needed to save his mother. It was Rishel's mother who helped him.

Only Marc and Rishel's mother knew about this. Given the nature of Marc's birth, it was unlikely that Rishel's mother would have told anyone else. She was not that kind of person.

Rishel's mother, Rachelle, smiled in his mind.

It must be time to repay the favor she did for me back then.

Marc told Rishel this and, while going through the documents, listened to her words.

He could tell that she was carefully choosing her words to gain his interest. Indeed, if Rishel, a mere noble young lady, wanted to do something against the country, she would need a pawn to act as her hands and feet. She had chosen him as her pawn. She was now defenseless, with no support at all. It was likely that she had not yet told her father the truth. If she had, her father would have approached Marc directly.

Still... the documents she provided were as detailed as one would expect from someone entrusted with financial work, containing all the necessary information. It was truly admirable that an 18-year-old girl could remember so much, select the necessary and unnecessary information, and summarize it. If the documents were real, it would not be a fairy tale to acquire great wealth.

However, the order in which she revealed her cards was problematic. She probably wrote everything down to show 100% trust, but as a negotiator, she should have released the information gradually. With this much information, there were countless ways to profit. She should have hidden some information and presented more intriguing details to make the other party interested in learning more from her. By revealing everything, there was no reason to team up with her. If she had been a bit more careless with the documents, it might have made it easier to bring the other party into her rhythm, but she was too honest and too competent, perhaps not understanding what an 18-year-old should be like.

Her age before the time travel was 18. She seemed to have held a significant position in the country, but from Marc's perspective, she was still a child. She tried to walk as an equal adult, but she would be easily defeated by merchants with hostile intentions. There were too many gaps in her words. Handing over such evidence in writing also showed that she was not experienced in negotiations.

She will need more guidance later.

Marc sighed lightly to himself.