“I got recognition. It was actually at the instigation of Duke Gerard. “A mysterious man approached Baron Bernard about a week before he approached the Duchess, and mentioned the job for the first time,” Jack reported, raising his unscarred eyebrow.
This was the first report Ethan had received since he assigned Jack to track down Liam.
Ethan was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
“What did this guy look like?”
“Brown hair, brown eyes, mustache and beard. He looked about thirty years old. His appearance is very ordinary. When asked if he could recognize him again, he admitted his lack of confidence. Facial hair alone can significantly change a person’s appearance.”
“How did he know that Gerard was behind this?”
“Baron Bernard is not a complete fool. He refused such a dangerous mission without guarantees of his safety. So, the guy showed him Gerard's logo. Gerard must have believed that as long as no incriminating documents or materials were handed over to him, it would be safe. Even if the mission succeeded, it is likely that he planned to eliminate Bernard.
“And who is the man who tried to kill Bernard?”
“His name is Pierre, he is twenty-five years old, and he was born and raised in that village. He admitted that a suspicious man in a cloak had offered him a large sum to do the job. Considering that he spent his days drunk, pushing someone off a bridge seemed easy.”
“Is that all?”
"Yes. He doesn't seem to be lying. "It was not a job that required a professional, and Gerrard's team would not take any unnecessary risks."
“……”
“What are you going to do?”
“Let him go but keep him under surveillance.”
Gerard probably wouldn't bother silencing Pierre.
If he knew that Ethan was the one who saved Liam Bernard, he wouldn't risk leaving a trace.
“Make sure Bernard gets the escape plan we promised him. He might come in handy later.”
“And Gerard?”
“Bernard’s confession alone is not enough to confront Gerard. Publishing this will also reveal the existence of the notebook, and without conclusive evidence, Gerard will not bat an eyelid. Most likely, our loss will be greater than our gain.”
Jack frowned and said, “It’s frustrating to know that they made a move and we can’t do anything.”
"Repelling his attempt without any loss on our part is a win for us. We have secured a useful qualification card for the future."
“You are remarkably calm.”
“I'm just being practical.”
Since the opponent was Gerrard, caution was necessary.
The process goes beyond emotional revenge.
When his father was assassinated, Mathis hinted at Gerard's possible involvement.
Although they found no physical evidence, Mathis believed that without this support, his uncle would not have dared to kill his brother.
Despite his father's death, the Emperor's trust in Dumont remained firm, perhaps even strengthened out of guilt. Emperor Henry declared his support for Ethan, then sixteen years old, as Duke of Domot.
Thanks to the Emperor's support and Mathis' guidance, Ethan matured quickly and was able to efficiently fill his father's shoes.
They didn't expect that.
They thought Dumont would collapse after killing my father.
Noticing Ethan's growing influence, Gerard begins to move again.
Over the past decade, there had been several incidents in which Gerard was suspected of being involved, but this was the first time they had received a direct confession from one of his subordinates.
So, it was necessary not to rush. They had to collect enough cards to defeat Gerard badly.
The information they obtained this time would be the first of many similar cards.
“By the way, everything went exactly as the Duchess predicted,” Jack said suddenly.
“If Duke Gerard was the one meant, he would certainly try to deal with Baron Bernard to silence him without leaving any unclear leads. So, release the Baron and have someone track him down. We may need to prepare for the long battle. It would be difficult to trace Gerard through the killer. He is known for his extreme accuracy. However, it may be possible to obtain a confession from Baron Bernard, depending on how we deal with him.”
Ethan had a strange feeling that Camille's prophecy would come true.
After “The History of the War of Eärendel,” Ethan begins to see it in a new light.
He no longer had any doubt that the Camille he had known for the past five years was just a façade.
If she could finish reading all twelve volumes of the History of the War of Erendelle in just two weeks, her level of knowledge would far exceed that of an ordinary noble.
“But to do this...”
As if reading his thoughts, Jack asked him: "You once mentioned the possibility that the Duchess was Gerard's spy. Do you still believe that?"
“Just because Camille reported Bernard does not mean she is innocent. "We also have to take into account the possibility that she is a spy for Gerard."
This is what Ethan said about a month ago during a meeting to decide on the release of Liam Bernard.
Camille knew information she wasn't supposed to know, and she expected results she wasn't supposed to expect. Ethan was not so naive as to believe that this was only due to her intelligence and insight.
It was even more convincing that this was all part of a grand plan that Ethan didn't fully understand yet.
“That the Duchess was trained by Gerard from the beginning, and that her marriage to you was only to spy on Dumont and steal the notebook...”
Jack slowly repeated Ethan's words from that day.
“Do you think this is possible?”
“Honestly, it's hard to say. The Duchess's background doesn't raise any suspicions, does it?”
Camille's family, the Chevelot family, was a respectable, if not wealthy, noble family. Like Ethan, Camille lost her parents at a young age, and was raised by her much older brother.
Count Olivier Chevelot loved his sister dearly. He was neither intelligent nor competent, but rather humble and unambitious. So Ethan chose Camille as his wife.
He believed that Olivier, thanks to Dumont's authority, would not exceed his limits. The Chevelot family was not so inferior to Dumont as to cause trouble.
Beyond that, there may have been a feeling of kinship between them as orphans.
“It's hard to imagine that Count Chevelot would use his beloved sister as a spy, don't you think?”
“No one knows. Maybe this was just a front too.”
“Do you really think so? The Count is not clever enough for such a plan, and you know it.”
“It may have been replaced at some point.”
“The Count took the Duchess with him wherever he went. She was a regular presence in society from a young age. If she had been replaced, no one would have noticed.”
"But if Camille was a spy for Gerard, that would explain a lot. Her behavior as a superficial, foolish woman throughout her marriage, her knowledge of the notebook and its location, everything."
“Was Baron Bernard just a disposable pawn?”
“Exactly. It would have been great if he had succeeded in stealing the notebook, but if he had failed, cutting it would not have been a problem. In the meantime, Camille can stay at Dumont, continuing her mission.”
Jack rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
Over the past ten years, three spies have been exposed in Dumont. One of them was the daughter of the head chef, who had served the duchy since the previous generation.
Despite intense interrogation by the knights, she committed suicide without revealing anything. The identity and influence of her employer, the daughter of a cook, remained shrouded in mystery.
Jack was well aware of this.
I realize that Ethan's theory, as strange as it may seem, is not entirely impossible. Gerard was undoubtedly capable of carrying out such plans.