The Genius and the Gullible

Once it appeared we had finally succumbed to her plea and accepted the offer, the Baroness, overwhelmed with emotion, kissed both my and Elliot’s cheeks. I slumped into the sofa as I watched the hem of her dress vanish into the distance.

“I don’t know if this was a good idea.”

“If you start regretting it now, I’m going to kill you.”

I glanced at Elliot at his cold remark. His face was as gloomy as a thundercloud. He hadn’t looked this revolted even when dealing with the Second Prince; he clearly loathed Kyle Berinnon with every fiber of his being.

Even so, the fact that he was willing to go along with this for my sake was a gesture of friendship so touching it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

“I’ll do whatever you want later as a favor.”

“A share of the Edwill family’s investment in the Eastern Railway.”

“Hey.”

Elliot let out a sly chuckle as he loosened his tie.

“Keep that in mind. I might forget a debt I owe, but I never forget a debt I’m owed.”

Recalling how long he could hold a grudge, I realized this wasn’t exactly something to laugh about.

“Good morning.”

Kyle Berinnon, who had been playing the role of a shy, timid child as long as his mother was present, immediately crossed his legs and leaned back the moment the Baroness left. It was a tragedy, really. The Empire should have had cameras. If they did, I could have snapped a picture of that obnoxious smirk as evidence.

“Don’t even think about pulling any stunts.”

Elliot drew a firm line.

He had been too flustered to respond properly during the rat incident, but Elliot Dillon was not a man to be trifled with. He was cunning enough to use his status as a child to worm his way into important meetings looking completely innocent, and smart enough to know exactly when to discard his pride and name for a greater profit. It was impossible for this brat—who had spent his life acting fake in his mother’s arms—to beat someone who, at age eleven, was already casually planning to negotiate between the Crown Prince and Annette for the throne.

“Stunts? You wound me, Elliot.”

“I’m going along with this because the Lady asked, but if you cross the line, I won’t just sit back and take it. If that light thing on top of your neck is actually a head, you’d better use it. A Berinnon cannot challenge a Dillon. Even if I were to injure you right now, I wouldn’t be held responsible.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning.”

Berinnon accepted his position more readily than I expected. The Dillon and Edwill families were renowned nobles even in the capital; they hadn’t been invited to the palace as playmates for the princes for nothing. Furthermore, Elliot was the future head of his house. Bluntly put, even if he did hurt Berinnon, he could brush it off with a flimsy excuse about a “prank gone wrong.”

“Fine. My prank went too far last time. I won’t cross the line.”

His attitude was compliant, but the atmosphere didn’t soften. His smiling face was vibrant and lovely, but to us, who knew he could snap at any second with that very face, it was only a source of anxiety. I wondered how such a personality ended up in a face like that. It was a genuine waste of good looks.

“I noticed Llewellyn wanted to tour Lovenus properly the other day. I’ll be your guide. I know the geography better than Seth.”

“Not necessary.”

“As a tourist, you’ll only see a few main streets. Lovenus is vast. How many times in your life will you visit here? Wouldn’t it be better to see as much as possible while you have the chance?”

He was far too logical for a madman. To be honest, I had been braced for him to drop the act and do something bizarre the moment the Baroness left, so his current demeanor was confusing. I felt almost embarrassed about the practice sword I had prepared, intending to knock him unconscious the moment he tried anything funny.

I quietly locked eyes with Elliot, thinking about our remaining schedule. Two weeks until Elliot had to return to the capital. This was his last long vacation before his formal succession training would bind him to his family’s estate.

I knew that once I moved in with Leo, my own freedom would be severely restricted.

Moving as quickly as possible was the right call.

“Fine.”

“What?”

Elliot glared at me irritably. His acting was superb. Even though we had discussed this, looking at his “appalled” face made me feel like I was the one in the wrong. What a shame; Elliot Dillon shouldn’t be wasting his talents rotting over paperwork in the capital.

From what I had gathered, if you strayed into the wrong alleyway outside the center of Lovenus, the paths were so complex it was hard to find your way out. Maps existed, but they were tourist-centric and didn’t show the detailed backstreets. However, Berinnon, who was confidently volunteering to lead, surely knew every place a young noble could possibly enter.

The fact that I wouldn’t have to put in the effort to figure out the “safe” boundaries of the city was quite appealing.

“Don’t trust him. He’s the type to take ten if you give him one. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”

Berinnon laughed loudly, as if he found Elliot’s annoyance hilarious. I waited quietly for him to stop. In a situation like this, seizing the upper hand was essential. Since Elliot had already issued a warning, Berinnon wouldn’t act like a complete loose cannon.

As expected, Berinnon—who had likely been laughing just to provoke us—quieted down and gestured for me to continue.

“In exchange, we’re writing a contract. For the six days the Baroness is away, the basic rule is that we follow your lead, but if you cross the lines we set, we stop immediately, regardless of the time left. As long as you’re careful, that won’t happen. But if we do have to stop, I will prove that you intentionally harmed us, even if I have to use a ‘Contract of Truth.’”

The “Contract of Truth”—something Erkel clearly pulled from the “oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” in American courtrooms—was exactly as it sounded. It bound the soul with magic; the moment one uttered a blatant lie, a lie of omission, or a misleading lie, they would die. Because of this, it was extremely rare in practice. It was a term usually reserved for those falsely accused of capital crimes, and typically, just declaring a willingness to undergo the contract was enough to sway public opinion.

“For your information, if what Elliot gave was a warning, what I’m giving is a threat.”

Berinnon, who had been listening in silence and forgetting his habit of smirking, covered his mouth and slammed his head onto the table. After shaking with laughter for a good while, he looked up with a face flushed from lack of breath and gasped, “Ah, this is the best.” He had that same dazed expression he wore when I mentioned I was learning from Spellman. I suppose I should add “pervert” to his list of titles alongside “psycho,” “madman,” and “demon.”

“I really like you, Llewellyn.”

“That’s a shame. Because I really don’t like you.”

Berinnon was sharper than I thought.

Knowing that breaking the contract wouldn’t benefit him, he stuck to the restrictions Elliot and I had set. He would scratch at our nerves as much as possible within those boundaries, but the moment he sensed we were at our limit, he would miraculously back off.

He wasn’t acting timid anymore, but I actually preferred this. If Elliot heard me, he’d ask, ‘Have you finally lost it from too much stress?’ but for me, his “adult-like” act had been far more uncomfortable.

Besides, he followed through on his promises faithfully. As he had boasted, Berinnon knew Lovenus inside and out.

Elliot muttered a low curse as we entered an alley lined with decrepit shops. My feelings weren’t much different. Here we go again.

12. Nox

“This is driving me crazy.”

Elliot, who had been grumbling with irritation for a while, finally voiced his honest thoughts. It was lucky that the culprit driving him mad was too distracted to hear. Kyle Berinnon was a genius at finding things to fixate on. Normally, I would have scolded Elliot for being indiscreet, but if he hadn’t said it, I would have been the one shouting that I was going crazy.

That brat, who had intentionally thrown all his sense out the window, was truly making our heads spin.

“This is an item from Razden. It’s a priceless treasure, but I managed to obtain it by thinking of it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The merchant, facing the ultimate “sucker” of his life, lowered his voice. His acting—glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear—was top-tier. He could have quit being a merchant and become a hugely successful actor.

And the sucker caught in his trap swallowed hard.

“What exactly is it?”

“Ahem, well… I don’t know if a young master like you would know, but there was a famous family in Razden called the Licht family.”

“Licht? You mean the cursed Lichts?”

“Yes. And the previous owner of this very necklace was Anisha Licht, the last heir of that house.”

He was quite skilled at spinning the tale of the Lichts—a family that enjoyed supreme wealth only to suffer through two generations of mental illness due to a curse, eventually going extinct without a single survivor.

If this hadn’t been a back alley in the Lovenus shopping district, and if the condition of the necklace had looked even remotely plausible, I might have been sucked in too. But to claim a crude imitation with unevenly set gems was a treasure of a noble house? If I were Anisha Licht, I’d kick open my coffin and tear that merchant’s hair out.

Kyle Berinnon—the fool who was not only falling for every trick but actively seeking out ways to be scammed—spoke with a face completely entranced.

“Then I’ll take it. I’m buying.”