Tangled By Fate

Chapter 457: THE DUKE’S PLAN TO RECOVER

“I knew you would say that. We could easily use these slaves to tear off Duke De la Pole’s mask. But they soon will be known as mysteriously dead in the sea storm. So, what’s your next move?”

Upon hearing Ovior’s question, Veronica stayed silent for a while.

Then, she told him the truth, “I actually didn’t think I’d come this far. This was Arthur’s idea. I don’t know what to do next. Manipulative ideas aren’t my thing, you know.

“I wish I could get Arthur’s help but he is busy with the investigation. And it just doesn’t seem right to rely on him every single time.

“It was me who was willing to be a proper Mistress. A proper Mistress relies on her own strength, not seeking help from her husband.

“First, let’s just take care of the slaves. Sebastian and I will handle this job. You can do your work in the meaning. While helping the slaves, I’ll come up with an idea.”

“Sounds good to me.” After that, Ovior didn’t say anything.

.....

The next day, the news of Duke De la Pole’s ships being destroyed in the storm reached the whole kingdom.

“Did you hear the news? Dule De la Pole just went to meet the Mistress of the Magic Tower and that night his ships were all gone under the ocean.”

“I heard that he insulted the Mistress of the Magic Tower and was kicked out.”

“It must be karma after everything he has done.”

“Goddess punishes the bad people even if it’s late.”

“Maybe it’s the Mistress who did it.”

“What will happen to him now?”

The nobles were whispering about Duke De la Pole everywhere.

As for Duke De la Pole, he shut himself in his study room in his mansion.

“Albert, I want you to go through the amount I earned last time. We will use that money in order to invest more,” the Duke instructed.

Albert was wiping his face. He stated, “But Duke, that amount of money was already spent on the ball the Duchess organized last week.”

“What do you mean? How much money costs to organize an evening ball? Are you joking with me?!” Duke De la Pole lashed out.

Albert trembled. He had never seen the Duke be this angry before.

“I-I’m telling you the truth. The Duchess always holds the most expensive ball since Her Majesty the Queen always attends the parties.”

Duke De la Pole frowned. He knew the reason for the lavish lifestyle of his family.

They never lacked money and so they never cared how much they spent.

However, this time, it was different. Duke De la Pole lost so much in this accident.

The ships were carrying millions of gold coins worth of goods. Everything was gone.

Therefore, the report about the lavish expenses made his mood worse.

“I don’t want to hear about this. Tell the Duchess that there won’t be any balls from now on. I need the money to buy more ships and hire more crews. Damn those slaves are gone. Need to buy more of them.”

“Duke, then shall I go to the slave trader’s center to buy more slaves?” Albert inquired after great difficulty.

Dule De la pole raised an eyebrow.

“Buy slaves? Heh, do you think we have enough money to buy a hundred of them? Better collect some from the streets. Send some men to educate them. Prepare them within a month.

“As for money, we have to find another way. Increase the tax on the rich lands by 50%. Raise a 30% tax on the poor lands. Whether people live or die, it’s their business.

“There will be no parties, no extra expenses, no extra hiring. To get more goods, we need to send raw materials to the factories. Otherwise, we won’t have anything to export next month.”

Albert listened to the instructions diligently. “Duke, what about we ask some friends of yours to invest in the shipment?”

“You want my friends to invest?” Duke De la Pole pondered for some time. “We can do that. I will write them letters as soon as possible.”

Albert’s eyes lit up. He was always happy to help his master.

Before he left, he mentioned, “Duke, everyone is saying that it’s because you insulted the Mistress of the Magic Tower that this accident occurred. Do you think...”

He was too afraid to finish the sentence.

Duke De la Pole heard his theory and sneered.

“That woman? What can she do? We just talked yesterday and she attacked us on the same day? How could she prepare in a short moment?”

Albert couldn’t be at ease just because Duke De la Pole looked down on Veronica.

He said, “Duke, she is the Mistress of the Magic Tower. With magic...”

With magic, anything could happen in the blink of an eye, much less within a day.

However, Duke De la Pole didn’t believe that. He shook his head.

“I heard that the son of a bitch, Arthur, is out of town. Without his support or approval, how can she use magicians as she pleases?

“Moreover, I heard that she was an ordinary girl from an ordinary family. I also met her. She doesn’t have an ounce of mana in her body. She can’t use magic. It’s not in her blood.”

He glanced over at his assistant’s face and added, “This storm happened out of blue. You sent men to figure out how the accident happened, didn’t you?

“Once the result is out, you will know that stupid woman has nothing to do with this. Now focus on the tasks I gave you.”

“Yes... Duke...” Albert said no more.

After Albert left, Duke De la Pole stared at the door. His mind was unfocused.

He thought about how Veronica looked at him when she promised that she would deal with him for the insults.

‘Could she be... nah, she is just a na?ve woman to warm Arthur’s bed. She is nothing special.’

He brushed off all suspicions he had about Veronica.

A week later, another devastating news came to him.