Chapter 204: It had all been a lie

The discussion of the project continued for more than two hours before they finally settled the last details of the agreement.

As it turned out, Earl Patrick had allotted each of the two investors a 20% share, while Ravian retained the 25% they had previously agreed upon, leaving House Viola with 35% as the project’s official sponsor and the party chiefly responsible for bringing a talent like Ravian to the capital to offer his services.

Ravian checked the figures once more before leaning back in his chair. His share had remained untouched; it was Patrick who had given up a substantial portion of his own, and Ravian doubted the Earl had done so out of generosity.

Money could buy materials and hire workers, but a project of this scale would inevitably attract people who wanted to interfere, whether for profit or simply because they could. With these two involved, anyone considering that would have to weigh more than the Earl’s displeasure.

Ravian had no objection to letting a few influential names do some of the work for him.

Both Lysandra’s grandfather and Lady Charlotte contributed funds and pledged to facilitate construction and secure whatever permits the Earl would need from the imperial court. It was Lysandra’s grandfather, Alexander Veyla, who had done the most on that front, and he had even arrived with the permit to begin construction already in hand.

This surprised not only Ravian, but Charlotte and Patrick as well.

Patrick lowered his gaze to the permit again, as though a second look might make its presence less difficult to explain. Charlotte had fallen equally still, her attention shifting from the document to Alexander.

They had spent two hours discussing what each of them would contribute, while the Grand Duke had apparently completed part of his contribution before he had even taken his seat at the meeting.

"Your Grace, how did you know...?" Patrick did not know how to put his thoughts into words.

No one had known about this project except him, Shmichael, Ravian, and Larette; neither the rest of his family nor his other relatives or noble friends knew anything about it. There was no way Ravian, Larette, or Shmichael could have leaked any information, and they could not possibly have found the time to do so anyway, considering that he and Ravian had only just reached an agreement on the project the previous night. The news could not have spread this quickly.

While everyone stared in shock at the permit Alexander had brought them, Alexander himself wore a cheerful smile, his gaze directed at Ravian in particular.

A chill ran through Ravian’s entire body at the way the red-haired old man was looking at him.

He had not forgotten what he had read earlier in the library about that family’s history and the stories surrounding it, including one detail he would never forget.

It concerned the rank required of the family’s head, its highest authority, a minimum that had remained unchanged throughout the ages and had to be met before anyone could become the family’s Grand Duke.

And what was that requirement?

To become the Grand Duke, a person had to be at least Third Rank.

That meant the red-haired old man seated so dignifiedly before him was at least a Calamity, the same rank as the Nightmare that had tormented him and eight other Ninth-Rank participants in an entirely different world after first separating their souls from their bodies without any of them even realizing it.

And now Alexander Veyla sat before him, the second Calamity he had encountered in less than twenty-four hours.

Ravian resisted the urge to shift in his chair and made himself hold Alexander’s gaze. Looking away would accomplish nothing, and he was certainly not about to let the old man see how much that smile bothered him.

He had no reason to believe Alexander meant him harm, but after the Nightmare, sitting across from another being of that rank was hardly his idea of a relaxing business meeting.

’Um, System.’

[Yes, Host?]

’Are you sure I’m free of the lingering effects of the Taboo of Fate’s power?’

[Yes, Host. There is no ambiguity.]

Ravian swallowed audibly when he saw the System’s reply.

’So this is just my own luck, not some kind of jinx interfering?’

[This is entirely your own luck, Host. There is no doubt about it.]

’You’re so reassuring, System.’

[You’re welcome, Host.]

Ravian shook his head in resignation at the System’s response and returned his attention to the red-haired old man who could kill everyone in the room if he so wished.

"Ahem!"

Charlotte and Patrick both turned to look at Ravian.

"Isn’t it a good thing that Lord Alexander brought us the permit? I think we’d be better off focusing on the next stage instead of dwelling on trivial matters," Ravian said, directing his words more at Earl Patrick than at Charlotte Kali.

Alexander’s smile widened at this, and for some reason, he seemed to have no intention of letting the matter drop.

"Ahem!"

The old man cleared his throat, mimicking Ravian’s expression as he did so, a detail Ravian did not miss.

"Don’t you want to ask how I found out about that project of yours so quickly, boy?" Alexander asked with the same smile that suggested he knew everything going on around him.

Ravian heard the question, but he really did not want to answer it.

’Why is this old geezer playing these games? Isn’t it obvious we’re trying to avoid the subject here?’ Ravian really wanted to punch Lysandra’s grandfather in that infuriating face of his right now.

Still, he knew this was just more prideful nonsense surfacing in his mind because of the way the old man was toying with him, though he was grateful his pride had not gone overboard this time.

’Tsk, what’s this about me being curious about how he found out? You’ve obviously been watching me ever since Lysandra came here and met me—’ Ravian stopped mid-thought.

Lysandra had met him.

That was the key to all the questions that had been circling in his mind until now.

Why Alexander Veyla knew about him, his claim that Lysandra had told her grandfather about him...

It had all been a lie.

Ravian’s eyes widened in realization as his gaze returned to the red-haired old man seated before him, who was now watching him with a much broader smile.

’That damned old geezer...’ Ravian thought.

’He set me up.’