Rae and I were at the palace, in an office provided to us for the investigation. Along the wall and blackboard were scattered a number of documents, which I stared at while reflecting on recent news. Rumors regarding Thane’s parentage were spreading, as well as rumors of an impending Mt. Sassal eruption. Our investigation into corruption among the nobility was proceeding well, despite all that…or at least it had been.
We’d found more than twenty nobles complicit in crimes by this point, and we finally made our way up the chain until we were implicating middle- and high-ranking nobles. But the higher we went, the craftier the culprits became at hiding their involvement. We’d found solid evidence on just about everyone, save two critical people: Salas and my father. Marquess Clément Achard, on the other hand, was plentifully incriminated, with proof to boot.
To think it would be this scandalous… I stroked Ralaire’s head as I organized my thoughts. There were about ten nobles involved in Clément’s trafficking ring. Among them were people of House Barlier, Pepi’s family. We already had enough evidence to implicate most of them—we just needed some solid proof of Clément’s involvement so we could have them all rounded up in one fell swoop.
“What’s the plan, Miss Claire? Personally, I feel like we have enough circumstantial evidence to corner him as is,” Rae said from next to me.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not enough. If we don’t guarantee Marquess Achard is arrested as well, he’ll just shift the blame and rebuild.”
“B-but it’ll be difficult to find any more evidence than we already have,” Lilly said. She was right. We’d already scoured the financial records Rod provided, the testimonies and letters received from our plea bargain negotiations, financial statements, and a plethora of other evidence. There wasn’t much left to be found. If we were to progress, we needed to take a risk.
“Let’s visit House Barlier,” I suggested.
“H-huh?”
“That’s Lady Pepi’s household, right?” Rae chimed in. “Their territory is where the trafficking took place.”
“O-oh, right. Th-then we’re going to arrest Baron Barlier?” Lilly asked.
“No, not yet,” I answered.
“Why not?” Rae asked.
“Baron Barlier is too close to Marquess Achard. If we arrest Baron Barlier, Marquess Achard will just pin everything on him and get away scot-free.”
“H-how troubling…”
Clément was thorough. There was no doubt he’d already laid the groundwork he needed to shift the blame.
“Then why bother visiting House Barlier?” Rae asked.
“We may not be able to arrest him, but we can arrange for the Baron to cooperate in secret by negotiating a plea deal like Rae did before.”
“I-I see!”
Baron Patrice Barlier was close to Clément, so he was likely to have useful information for us—especially since his territory was the one being used for the human trafficking. If we offered him a reduced sentence in exchange for evidence on Clément, we might find the last piece we needed to bring this all to a close.
“But…are you sure about this, Miss Claire?” Rae asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“House Barlier is the house of your friend, Lady Pepi.”
“…And what does that have to do with anything?”
“Even if House Barlier’s punishment can be reduced with a plea bargain, human trafficking is a serious crime. There will be no avoiding them losing their title, at the very least.”
In other words, she was asking if I could remain committed to justice even if it meant losing a dear friend.
“You don’t think I already understand that?”
“…So you’re prepared for whatever may come?”
“I am. It’s true that Pepi may come to hate me…but she is a noble of the house of Bauer too. She will accept her fate. I have faith in the strength of her character.”
She might resent me, of course. But even so, I had to do what I had to do. If I faltered here, how could I ever hope to convict my own father?
“I-I don’t understand…” Lilly began. “H-how can you be so righteous, even if it means ruining your own friend?”
I was confused by her question. Was being righteous not the obvious choice?
Rae clarified, “I think what Miss Lilly is trying to ask is how you can be so strict…especially when your position would allow you to be lenient if you so wished.”
“Showing favoritism would make us no different from the very corrupt nobles we pursue,” I answered. “If I am to believe myself righteous, then I must be impartial.”
“…E-even if that means you’ll have to convict your own father?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering, “…Even then.”
At this point in our investigation, it was almost certain that Salas and my father were corrupt. Lilly seemed to be on the fence regarding whether or not she should proceed, though. Did she have what it took to arrest her own father?
“Cardinal Lilly, if this is too much, you’re free to step away from the investigation,” I said. She averted her gaze. I continued, “You’ve already done more than enough. Nobody will blame you if you want to leave the rest to Rae and me.”
I could see hesitation on her face. For a moment, I thought she might actually pull out. But then she shook her head, as though to banish her own doubts, and firmly said, “N-no, it’s okay. I want to see this through to the end.”
“Are you sure? You’re not a noble. You have no obligation to—”
“I-I am a woman of the cloth,” she interrupted. “My faith teaches one to live righteously and morally. J-just as nobles are bound by their code of honor, men and women of faith must live in a way that upholds their faith’s teachings. B-besides, I may not be a noble, but my father is. H-he had a duty to act justly. A-and as he has failed to do that, the duty now falls upon me to stop him.”
“Cardinal Lilly…”
Ralaire nuzzled up against Lilly’s hand to soothe her. Lilly’s stiff expression eased. “Th-the Spirit God sees all. Finding evidence of my own father’s crimes is a trial God has given me, and I intend to see it through, for all wrongdoing must be judged.”
There was no hesitation in her now. Lilly was by no means a strong-willed woman, but she was honest and just. She might be my rival in love where Rae was concerned, but I could respect her.
“Very well. Then let us work together until the end,” I said. “Rae, compile the evidence we have for me. Once you’re done, we’ll head for the Barlier estate.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. I would rather not have done this, if possible. But I was a noble, and this was my duty. Pepi…I won’t ask you to forgive me. But please understand, this is something I must do.
I reflected on my mother’s words: Be a noble who can make ideals into reality. Oh, how painful it was to put her words into practice.