# Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Jeremy was burning with motivation for the first time in a long time.
“How many years has it been since Master was curious about something?”
Jeremy always stayed by Raphael's side like a shadow.
It was safe to assume that almost all of their schedules overlapped.
However, Jeremy did not accompany him on today's schedule.
Instead, he was excited to investigate Henverton Gillian.
He was ecstatic that Raphael had actually shown interest in something.
“Come to think of it, it seems like he’s changed a lot recently.”
Raphael was not a particularly motivated person and apparently had no desires.
He was never curious about anything and lived his life in a boring way.
He acted as if he was living just because he was already alive.
To Jeremy, it seemed infinitely tragic.
Even though there was a big age difference between the two, Jeremy had seen how Raphael grew up neglected.
The duchess created Raphael as the perfect successor and worked him hard.
At some point, his father, Duke Leo, became depressed and drank alcohol.
Duke Leo was a violent drunk and was particularly rude to Raphael.
Jeremy's memories of a ten year old Raphael were still vivid in his mind.
“That damn black hair!
Those red eyes!
Get out of my way!
— The vision of Raphael's empty eyes, holding his father's birthday present tightly in his thin hands, still appeared in Jeremy's dreams.
He was Raphael's aide and escort knight at the time, so he saw the duke's evil firsthand.
Those eyes that looked at Raphael as if he were a curse, that mouth spitting out cruel words, those hands that threw objects at his son.
Nothing about this was normal.
The Duke treated Raphael as if he were not his son, no, as an enemy.
Anger grew like a raging flame.
How could he do this to his son, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, who prepared a gift with his own money for his father's birthday!
Feeling sorry for Raphael, Jeremy wanted to come forward and say something.
He was not afraid of punishment.
But Raphael blocked Jeremy and spoke calmly.
“I'm sorry, dad.
Raphael wasn't sad.
His expression seemed to say he had expected it.
There was no resignation on his face, but rather confirmation.
He threw the bright blue topaz bud he had prepared as a gift into the flower bed.
This button was chosen because it resembled the color of his father's eyes.
“Are you well?
When Jeremy asked the question, Raphael responded in a dry voice that didn't sound like it belonged to a child.
“My father seems to hate the Kedreys terribly.
After that, Raphael stopped going out of his way to see his father.
Jeremy didn't know why it was so painful.
His only thought was that he wanted to somehow comfort the young heir.
He grabbed Raphael's hand tightly, rambling about how eating something delicious was supposed to cheer him up.
However, Raphael's forehead quickly turned white, and his insides seemed to twitch.
That was the beginning.
From that day onwards, Raphael often felt bad and upset for unknown reasons.
All the doctors said Raphael was fine.
“He is healthy.
“It looks like he needs to sleep a little more…
They panicked as they struggled to figure out what was causing the young master's problems.
The duchess didn't just let things slide.
As more abnormal symptoms continued to emerge, doctors and staff continued to be fired and hired.
Raphael became less and less talkative.
One day, when the atmosphere in the duchy became uncontrollably serious, Raphael, with a normal face, said:
“I'm fine now.
I think I've suddenly become a little sensitive.
After that, Raphael no longer vomited and seemed fine.
Everyone, tired of being on thin ice, quickly believed his words.
But Jeremy often saw Raphael's face turn pale.
“Maybe Master is…”
“Sidekick Jeremy.
Jeremy, who was immersed in old memories for a moment, raised his head.
“…oh.
How did the investigation end?
“This is the result of the investigation into the recent activities of Henverton Gillian and his acquaintances.
With a serious expression, a servant passed the papers to Jeremy.
When Jeremy first heard about Henverton Gillian, he didn't like him much.and.
The Gillians were a wealthy family, so he expected to find some dirt on their past.
He didn't anticipate much else.
Jeremy's face turned cold after checking the papers.
“Gather reports from other investigators and prepare documents immediately.
We must report to the young master.
Jeremy headed to Raphael's room as soon as he arrived at the village.
“Here is the initial report of what you requested.
Raphael placed his usual ruby cufflinks on his shirt and accepted the document.
“Everyone leave the room.
Raphael took a look at the report.
Henverton Gillian had been in the capital for around five years.
He had been active in the social world and ended his engagement some time ago – nothing special.
He hung out with lowly nobles and bourgeoisie, and they created a secret gentlemen's club together.
But the gentlemen's club was the problem.
“It is the most active place for drug trafficking in the capital…
In the empire, the distribution of drugs was prohibited by law.
The punishment for violating the law was considerably high.
Jeremy nodded.
“We looked at foreign channels where large quantities of drugs could be smuggled, but none had anything to do with the gentlemen's club.
And if it didn't come from outside, it was obvious what was happening.
“In this case, it means they are producing drugs somewhere in the empire.
“I have already instructed others to trace its source.
The problem didn't just end with drugs.
Human trafficking, illegal gambling and an underground arena were all linked to the club.
Even the murders seemed frequent.
Although the Kedrey Duchy's investigation was excellent, it didn't make sense for them to find so much dirt in such a short time.
This meant that his actions were so numerous that they could not be hidden.
The empire did not bother to suppress this type of incident.
In practice, it was difficult to play in a gentlemen's club created by a nobleman.
Cayena's reaction worried Raphael.
And looking at things we discover all kinds of tangled skeletons.
Raphael placed the report on the table.
Jeremy's expression didn't look very good either.
However, Gillian's viscountcy was a vassal of the Kedreys, and the wealth accumulated through her warhorse business was significant.
The nature of this business made it difficult to act hastily, since one of the central factors in the duchy's military strength was its mounted soldiers.
Jeremy pointed out another peculiarity.
“Recently, he has shown a strong obsession with His Highness.
With those words, Raphael tilted his head.
His cold eyes became darker than usual.
Jeremy continued: — We also obtained evidence that he is in contact with the two candidates for the throne, as he is trying to marry into the imperial family.
Rezef and Heinrich were undoubtedly both interested in Gillian's warhorse business.
The thing was like a very appetizing pie.
“What would you like to do?
That day, in the imperial library, Raphael noticed the insidious desire in Henverton's eyes.
It was a sticky, dirty obsession with the princess.
Raphael fell ill and felt repulsed.
At that time, he thought he wanted to get rid of him immediately.
It may have been the first time he felt such an impulse.
Raphael came up with the quickest and most effective way to resolve the situation.
“Wouldn't it be better to remove the rubbish early on?
If it is a human that cannot be redeemed, it would be better to throw it away quickly.
This way, they won't cause future problems.
Jeremy paused at the word “remove” and then, with an uncomfortable feeling, asked:
“Excuse me?
What should we remove?
“Henverton Gillian.
— Raphael spoke calmly, as if asking if there was more than one piece of trash to take care of.
His indifferent eyes turned to Jeremy.
“Get rid of him.
“Teacher.
Jeremy's head throbbed a little.
“Of course the man is atrocious, but we cannot have a nobleman of this level.
Raphael frowned slightly at Jeremy's sincere dissuasion.
“…we can just kill him secretly.
“If Viscount Gillian's heir dies suddenly, everyone will be suspicious.
Plus, the family is the Kedreys…
Raphael waved his hand.
“I was just implying that.
“That’s a lie.”
Anyone can see that these words were not just said randomly.
However, Jeremy's master quicklynte pretended not to know and remained blank.
It was strangely hateful.
Jeremy felt like he had lost a few years of his life in this short period.
Still, he was relieved that he didn't have to carry out that order.
“He’s always a little cold, but this seems a little different than usual…”
Was it because the problem was related to the princess?
He looked at Raphael with a peculiar expression.
“Keep watching Henverton.
“Yes, master.