novelraw Chapter 104 : Chapter 104
Chapter 104 : Chapter 104
104. Difference of Opinion
“I’ve prepared a few things you might want.”
The Count laid a stack of documents on the table.
Yohan leafed through them.
Detailed records of Council members, their connections, all neatly inked onto parchment.
Also included were letters of recommendation, loan contracts, even an adoption certificate.
‘He really thought of everything.’
Count Staviana was moving on every front to pave the way for Yohan’s rise as Grand Duke.
The Council records alone would be invaluable.
Yohan knew little of the councilors—only surface knowledge.
Even the original story had been vague.
As a multi-perspective epic, it couldn’t cover everything in depth.
Compared to what he remembered, the Count’s dossier was far more comprehensive.
Reading through it, Yohan smiled in satisfaction.
“As expected, Cromwell. Your work is always to my liking.”
The Count’s face remained expressionless.
“Commit it all to memory. Especially Horenz of House Marcano. Study every word about him.”
The Marcano viscountcy was the kingdom’s greatest merchant house.
Low-born once, they had clawed their way to the top on sheer talent.
The current lord was a master schemer.
Horenz von Marcano—he all but gripped the kingdom’s economy in his palm.
Every merchant aspired to be him.
Yohan nodded.
“I know him well. He’ll be the first I visit in the capital.”
In the original tale, Horenz played a crucial role.
His ability was overwhelmingly strong even in the later arcs.
The Count frowned faintly.
“Read more carefully. You wouldn’t say that if you had.”
Yohan smirked.
“You mean Horenz reads minds. That’s your warning?”
Horenz’s power let him peer directly into another’s thoughts.
The moment he invoked it, his target’s mind flowed into him.
The ability was called Insightful Eye.
With it, Horenz held the upper hand in every deal and negotiation.
Meeting him meant exposing even the deepest secrets.
He was to be avoided at all costs.
The Count asked quietly,
“You already knew?”
“Of the council, I may know more about Horenz than you do.”
Horenz had one more secret, besides the Insightful Eye.
The Count looked puzzled.
“Strange. Few in the world know of that power.”
Yohan shrugged.
“And I am one of them.”
The Count fell into thought.
“…You even knew about Yeriel. Now this. Where do you hear such things?”
Yeriel, Insightful Eye—these were impossible to know by ordinary means.
“If you ask my source, forgive me—I can’t say.”
“Can’t say. No won’t?”
Correct.
He couldn’t explain that his source was a novel.
Yohan nodded.
“Something like that. But I’ll share a secret in return. Call it payment for your efforts.”
The Count leaned in ever so slightly.
“What is it?”
His face was flat, but surely his ears pricked.
He knew the power of information.
Yohan said evenly,
“The one with the Insightful Eye isn’t Horenz.”
The Count’s brow creased.
“Then who?”
“Serena Marcano, his daughter.”
She was the true wielder.
“…Is that certain?”
“Of course. Think back. At public events, Horenz always brought Serena.”
The Count searched his memory.
Yes—she had been ever-present at his side.
He chuckled bitterly.
“So that’s how it was. At last it makes sense. But why tell me?”
Yohan answered calmly,
“We’re in the same boat now. Sharing some information is necessary.”
The Count had always avoided Horenz, cautious of his power.
Such timidity only slowed Yohan’s path.
The Count needed to wield his authority boldly if Yohan was to rise swiftly.
The Count nodded slowly.
“I see your intent. I’ll be freer to pressure Marcano now.”
Until now, he had sent proxies to avoid Horenz’s gaze.
No more.
As long as Serena was managed, the house could be handled.
His face darkened.
Yohan frowned.
“Count—don’t touch Serena.”
He was likely already weighing assassination.
It was in Cromwell’s nature.
The Count said, almost puzzled,
“If she falls, Marcano’s power fades. Surely that benefits you?”
Marcano was staunchly royalist.
They’d never accept Miyatro autonomy.
For a future Grand Duke, they were a thorn.
Yohan said,
“Her power is too useful to waste. I’ll claim it for myself.”
The Count folded his arms.
“You mean to marry her, then?”
“That would be the surest way. Powers can’t be taken by force.”
“But weren’t you planning to wed the silver-haired sorceress?”
Ilea.
Yohan had sent her into the Count’s house as an adopted daughter.
The plan was obvious.
Give her the Staviana name, then wed her.
The aftermath was clear.
The Staviana house would fall into Yohan’s hands.
The Count had no heir otherwise.
His only child, Naria de Staviana, was queen of Artelgar.
As queen and as a woman, she couldn’t inherit.
Thus, his son-in-law would stand first in line.
That meant Yohan.
Yohan admitted,
“Yes. I still intend to wed Ilea.”
The Count grimaced.
“Two wives?”
He had loved only one woman in his life.
He clearly found the idea distasteful.
Yohan smirked.
“Three, four—even a hundred if needed.”
He didn’t care about numbers.
He’d marry a hundred if it served his ends.
The Count’s eyes cooled.
“By law, only one wife is allowed. Even I can’t alter that.”
It was a five-century tradition.
Yohan said,
“When I’m Grand Duke, laws will bend. Kingdom law won’t matter.”
The Count gave him a cold look.
“…Not untrue. But for now, you are still a kingdom noble. You must obey the law.”
Yohan nodded.
“Don’t worry. I won’t marry them both at once. First Serena. Ilea after.”
His tie to Ilea wasn’t fixed yet.
Her role would depend on circumstances.
The Count asked coolly,
“And what does that sorceress think?”
“What do you mean?”
“About you taking multiple wives. What’s her view?”
The Count had spoken with Ilea before.
He had seen her anger toward Hakain, born of fear for something precious.
She valued Yohan deeply.
It was obvious to his eyes.
Yohan frowned.
“She won’t mind. And why do you even care?”
He couldn’t read the Count’s intent.
The Count chuckled dryly.
“You’re a fool. You act all-knowing, but miss the most vital truth. Without understanding love, you cannot rule. All desire stems from it—possession, obsession, devotion, jealousy. To command others, you must master it.”
He launched into political philosophy.
Yohan was baffled.
‘…Is taking multiple wives really that offensive to him?’
For a romantic like Cromwell, perhaps.
But Yohan didn’t get it.
‘Change the subject.’
He had no interest in debating.
Just then, a knock came.
“It’s Ilea. May I come in?”
The Count said,
“Enter.”
The door opened slowly.
Yohan froze.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
In a radiant gown and light makeup, she was like a painting.
The witch was breathtaking.
She twirled playfully.
“Well, Yohan? Everyone says I look lovely.”
Clothes truly made the angel.
And she would live like this for a while.
Yohan nodded.
“…Better than I imagined.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Really? I’m glad.”
The Count watched them with a knowing smile.
He said to Yohan,
“Let me prove my philosophy.”
“What are you—”
Before Yohan could finish, the Count spoke.
“Ilea, did you know? Sir Yohan plans to take wives beyond you. Several, in fact.”
At once, her smile vanished.
The air turned cold.
Her face hardened like wax as she spoke.