Chapter 49
****
Zilke's words startled Margo.
"You're going to follow Countess Dernburg's suggestion? My lady, that is not a good idea at all."
It was only two days before the Wisteria Annex Salon that she had met Princess Loella's maid of honor, Countess Caroline of Dernburg, and she had suggested that they should spread rumors about Lady Laila using her artists to attract mistress contracts.
Zilke immediately refused, not only because she saw a high likelihood that the Wisteria Annex Salon would fail, but also because it was a way to place the risk solely on herself.
“If it’s revealed that I’m the source of the rumor, my foundation that I’ve built up over the years will collapse at once. I decline.”
"It would make no difference if you did nothing, it would only be slower, but it would still crumble. Lady Zilke, your reputation for fashion and beauty is well past its expiration date."
“You’re being straightforward, Countess Dernburg.”
"But if you succeed in this endeavor, your position will last for a while, and with the care of the Princess, it will last even longer. Don't forget who your benefactor is."
It was a clear threat, and she was surprised that Caroline knew that much, but Zilke was undeterred, confident in her track record so far.
"Even though I have the patronage of the Duke of Schwaben, there is no reason why I should take orders from the Princess, our roles are clearly different."
The implication was that Princess Loella was little more than an accessory to the Schwaben, but Caroline could not deny it. Ezekiel would be furious if Zilke found out that Princess Loella had suppressed someone who belonged to a black market organization in the name of Schwaben.
In the end, Caroline returned home with no income. And Zilke had ignored the offer.
But the wisteria annex had been more than a success. Her insecurities, once nipped in the bud, stuck to the back of her neck.
She mulled it over a bit more, but once she was inclined to do it, she couldn't bring herself to change her mind.
Zilke looked at Margot with serious eyes and said.
"There is nothing to be gained by risking nothing, and if the time comes for me to quit, it will not be by losing to a woman backed by Duke Klaus."
"If that's how you see it, my lady... I can only do my best."
"Spread the word that Lady Laila has received a business card with Luna's name and the amount of her bid. We'd better make it a story that came from a janitor in and out of the Marel troupe. You'll do well, won't you?"
"Yes. It shouldn't be hard."
Margot had a knack for spreading rumors. She had done many things for Zilke in the past.
"Then I'll reward you accordingly. This is a down payment. Spend it sparingly. If the word spreads well, I'll make up for it and pay you twice as much."
Zilke took a pouch of gold coins from the vault and handed them to Margot.
"Don't worry."
Margo took the pouch, her eyes shining.
***
It was dusk.
Paul Bauer counted out the day's earnings, put them in the safe, and slammed the door. He stepped out into the noisy outer office and shouted into the cigarette smoke.
"Why don't you people do your jobs!"
"Oh, what's the matter, brother? We're done for the day."
"We've done the collections, we've done the day's work, we've cleaned up the area."
"Who went to the Keller Theater?"
"Carl and Felix went."
"There were only two of them?"
"Two is plenty, yeah. We just need to get the shit-thrower out."
Paul frowned.
The biggest part of his small business now was cracking stalls in the marketplace and keeping order-though the market vendors would disagree-but he'd started out as a theater guard.
His main duties were to keep the lines moving when there was a rush of customers and to make sure the lead actors got home safely after a late night performance. It was a job that many people looked down on because it didn't pay much, but it was a job that Paul's business was touting as a signature aspect of his business in both places, so it was the least he could do.
"You, you, you, three more."
"Ah, my brother!"
When he pointed out the three, the youngest, who was playing cards, made a disgruntled noise. If he had a bad hand, he would run away, but apparently he was holding a good one. His opponents were delighted.
"Go, go, go."
Paul glared. The other two guys, who had been chatting and drinking at the pool table, stood up as if they had no choice. The other guy on the ground chuckled.
"No big deal. There's a lot of pretty girls at the Keller Theater."
"What if they’re pretty? I can't even touch them."
Even as he spoke, their gazes turned to Paul, just in case.
"No girls from the theater are going to be touched.”
Paul prided himself on being a businessman worthy of his money, so he spoke sternly. Eventually, the three men were reprimanded and stumbled out.
One of the card-playing gang, who had been saved from being robbed, shuffled a new deck of cards and said.
"By the way, I heard that the singers of the Marel troupe are performing at Schwarz's tavern these days."
"Really? That's a big theater company, and they're bringing their singers to the tavern?"
"Well, Schwarz's is a big place. They deserve a gig. I heard the Marel troupe has added a lot of new members and is moving them around. No guards."
"Don't you dare mess with a famous theater company. There's a lot of noble connections in that place."
Paul said sternly, thinking about the lack of guards. Of course, he didn’t think they would take his words to heart, but he still had to at least pretend to hold the reins.
However, he wondered if there was any way to talk to the Marel Troupe. A place like the Lich Theater hired its own security guards, so it was impossible to touch them, but if the Marel Troupe was sending members to taverns, then the lower-ranking members who showed up there might need guards.
Income was important, but he also had to take care of his reputation. If he could sign a contract with the Marel Troupe, it would be pretty…
BANG!
That's when there was a loud bang from below. As Paul and his troupe jumped to their feet, the door to the office was smashed in.
BANG!
"Oh, big brother...."
A faint moan followed. It was the same guys Paul had sent to the Keller Theater earlier.
"Who the fuck are they!"
"Becker's men?!"
In unison, the gang members pulled knives out of their pockets or ran to the corner of the office to grab the clubs.
Stepping through the shattered door was, incredibly, a well-dressed nobleman. In one hand, he clutched the youngest gang member, mangled and beaten.
There was only one of him, but the sense of power he carried completely overwhelmed the room. Despite being outnumbered seven to one, the gang members cowered and backed away, not daring to approach.
The nobleman lightly tossed the youngest to the ground as if he were throwing away trash. From the direction of the stairs, someone shouted in a panic.
"You can't go first. We'll...!"
Just as the nobleman's head turned in that direction, Paul charged.
He was the founder who had built everything with his bare hands. Though he was older, more frail, and had a belly unlike when he'd started, he had the guts and courage to make a fool of those below him, and his organization was doomed.
The timing was not bad, but it could not overcome the fundamental difference in strength. The nobleman's hand snapped at the club that Paul swung with all his might.
The nobleman's black eyes sucked in Paul like an abyss. Before he had time to think, the man snatched him up by the neck and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying backward.
"Ahhh!"
"Oh, brother!"
Paul groaned in pain. Panicked gang members called out to him. One of the braver ones shouted and swung his pocket knife.
"Ah, ah!"
Thud.
The nobleman didn't even try to dodge it, just smacked him in the hand with the club he'd taken from Paul. The fallen pocket knife rolled across the floor.
The terrified gang member tried to run, but the door was blocked by the man, and behind him was the boss's office. The only way out was to jump out the window.
They rolled their eyes, thinking it might be better. The nobleman spoke in a low voice.
"Don't think you can escape by jumping. The man who remembers your faces has been laid to rest in the marketplace of Lepervan."
Everyone's faces turned pale.
"Master Theodore, you really shouldn't be doing this alone, please open the door."
At that moment, a groan was heard outside the door, and soon Jan Sommer squeezed in through the broken gap.
***
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