Reincarnated as a Villainous Aristocrat in an Otome Game, So I Bought the Main Heroine with Money - Chapter 58: Sharing Information with Emma

Chapter 58: Sharing Information with Emma

《Cerios’ Side》

As the sun set, I sat across from Emma in a dimly lit inn tucked away in a corner of Egrid territory.

The warm glow of the fireplace flickered between us, casting shadows on the wooden walls.

Emma, as usual, wore her ever-present smirk, though there was a lazy air about her as she crossed her legs.

“Yo, Lord Cerios. Once again, I’ve got the answers to your impossible requests.”

Her tone was light, but her gaze was sharp.

Among the dark guild’s informants, Emma was one of the best.

Her ability to gather intel was second to none.

“I appreciate your work.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be adding this to your bill later. Anyway, you wanted information on Duke Everett, right? Specifically, his recent movements and the motives behind them.”

She tossed a stack of documents onto the table.

“The Duke is quite the slippery one. We’ve already lost a few men investigating him. Even Kiru ended up badly wounded.”

“That bad?”

“Yeah. No idea why he’s so on edge, but it looks like even the royal family sent their own spies to check on him.”

“The royal family?”

So even the king was watching Duke Everett.

That could only mean one thing—he was becoming too powerful.

A noble house with enough wealth, military strength, and influence to rival the royal family itself…

It was no surprise that so many people were keeping a close eye on him.

“That’s exactly why I need solid information. I need to know both his public actions and what he’s planning behind the scenes.”

“Yeah, I figured. That’s why I brought you this.”

Emma casually flipped through the documents she had gathered, her tone even as she began to explain.

“Duke Everett isn’t just driven by a thirst for power. His way of thinking is different from most nobles.”

“What do you mean?”

“To put it simply—he doesn’t intend to rely on the kingdom alone. If necessary, he’s willing to align himself with foreign nations.”

I stared at the report in front of me.

“Forming ties with other countries… That’s treason.”

“Maybe to the kingdom. But to him? It’s just strategy. The royal family is nothing more than a tool. If they’re useful, he’ll use them. If they aren’t, he’ll discard them.”

Her words made me catch my breath.

Was Duke Everett truly willing to betray the kingdom just to protect his own power and land?

“I don’t know exactly how he plans to do it yet. But according to my sources, his close aides have been secretly meeting with foreign merchants and diplomats. And frankly, Everett’s territory already has the resources to survive as an independent state if it came down to it.”

“Foreign merchants and diplomats…”

I never imagined he was planning on this scale.

A duke fully prepared to turn the royal family into his enemy.

And yet, that same royal family had ordered the disinheritance of his daughter.

There was no doubt—something deeper was at play here.

“Exactly. He might already be receiving financial backing from them, or maybe he’s just setting up an escape route. Either way, it’s a real headache.”

I absorbed every detail from the documents Emma had brought, committing the information to memory.

♢

By the time I finished reading, Emma closed her notebook, her expression unusually serious.

“By the way, Lord Cerios… you remember my little brother, Kiru?”

The moment she said his name, my heartbeat skipped.

Kiru.

In the original otome game, he was an assassin meant to be one of Liese’s love interests.

A member of the dark guild, skilled in espionage—but even more adept at killing.

“Yeah, I know him. What about him?”

“He’s missing.”

“…Missing?”

Emma nodded.

I wasn’t sure why she was telling me this.

“Why are you bringing this to me?”

“That’s the thing. Our best informant—one of the most skilled in my guild—vanished without a trace. No clues, no leads. But… we do know the last person he met before disappearing.”

A sharp pain shot through my head.

It felt like something was trying to surface—something I had forgotten.

“Who was it?”

“That maid of yours—Liese.”

The moment Emma said her name, an unsettling feeling ran through my chest.

Liese was involved in Kiru’s disappearance?

“They met?”

Behind my back?

“More like… Kiru got badly injured while investigating Duke Everett’s estate. And guess who saved him? That maid of yours.”

So they had already crossed paths—without me even knowing?

I already had enough on my plate worrying about Clarice, but now Kiru’s disappearance forced me to consider another possibility—my own downfall.

In the original storyline, if Liese ended up with Kiru… then Kiru would kill Cerios.

“And the last place Kiru was seen… was right here, in Everett’s territory.”

“Here?”

“Yeah.”

(If Kiru was tangled up with Duke Everett… then this was no coincidence.)

I stood up and gazed out the window.

Behind me, Emma spoke with a hint of concern.

“You’re thinking about something, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. If I want to stop Duke Everett, I need more information. And I can’t ignore Kiru’s disappearance either.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a real mess on your hands. But if anyone can handle it, it’s you. My gut says so.”

“…Obviously.”

I clenched my fist. If I wanted to break through this situation, I needed to make my move.

There was no turning back now.

(Duke Everett’s ambitions… Kiru’s disappearance… Neither of these are problems I can afford to ignore. I’ll put an end to all of this—no matter what.)

Emma gave a small smirk, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Well, I’ll do the job I was paid for. You just make sure you do yours, Lord Cerios.”

“…Yeah. I’m counting on you, Emma.”

With Emma on my side, I had access to even more valuable information.

That also meant I needed to act fast.

The longer I waited, the greater the risk.

It was time to end this game.