Divorcing the Duke to Buy the World

Chapter 91: Gaining Loyalty

This wasn’t ordinary oil you could buy at a neighborhood shop, and it wasn’t cheap black tar used by common thugs.

Whalefire oil was a highly restricted, military-grade weapon. It burned hot enough to melt iron, and its distribution was entirely controlled by the Imperial Ministry of Defense.

More importantly, every single barrel made in the empire was stamped with a special code to prevent smuggling.

[System Alert: Code matching available. To get the exact paperwork for this oil, Host must input real documents or extra local evidence.]

"So, the physical proof is right there," Evelina’s muttered slender fingers tapped a beat against her wooden desk, "Although Elian was stupid enough to use crown-regulated supplies to burn my property, a scan won’t hold up in front of the High Imperial Council without real paperwork. I need the actual supply logs."

She stood up, smoothing down her dark green dress, her expressions were unreadable.

...

On the other side of the capital, the grand estate of Lady Isabella was filled with an entirely different energy.

Servants hurried through the marble halls, carrying expensive dresses and silver platters.

Standing amongst them, Lila adjusted the lace apron of her maid uniform, keeping her head lowered perfectly to avoid eye contact with the older staff.

Ever since Evelina had caught her spying weeks ago and turned her into a double agent, Lila had lived in a state of suffocating terror.

At first, she was doing her spy duties just for the sake of her survival. But when the duchess tried to dismiss her to protect her, Lila had made up her mind to give her utmost loyalty to the Duchess.

After leaving a brief letter in the Duchess’s room, Lila had returned to her position.

There were chances that Isabella already knew Lila was working for the Evelina which is why she carefully led out the traps and tried to lead her into it.

Evelina saw through it and dodged it, which meant Isabella couldn’t be sure if Lila sent the message or not.

And in doing so, it put Lila in a very risky position around Isabella. Yet, Lila had no plans to back out from the danger.

Moreover, between powerful brain of Evelina and the ruthless sword of the Duke, Lila had quickly realized that staying loyal to Isabella or running away from her was a guaranteed ticket to an early grave.

"Lady Isabella is still at the morning tea party with Prince Elian," a senior maid called out, tossing a heavy ring of brass keys toward Lila, "Go to her private bedroom and polish the silver vanity. If there is a single smudge on her crystal mirrors when she gets back, it’s your head."

"Yes, right away," Lila said, making her voice tremble just enough to look like an obedient servant.

The moment she stepped into Isabella’s private bedroom and locked the heavy door behind her, the fear in Lila’s eyes instantly vanished.

In her letter to Evelina, she had begged for just a chance to serve her properly again.

She thought Evelina would discard her and not use her again yet when she got a familiar anonymous message this morning, Lila was startled and pleasantly surprised that the Duchess gave her another chance.

She didn’t have much time. The tea party at the palace would only last another hour.

She ignored the silver vanity entirely and hurried toward the dark walnut writing desk near the balcony windows. This was where Isabella kept her private letters and her secret military paperwork.

Lila reached into her apron pocket, pulling out a small bottle of special oil Evelina had given her weeks ago.

She carefully coated the keyhole of the desk’s locked drawer, sliding a thin iron pin inside. With a soft click, the heavy lock turned.

Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled the drawer open.

Inside lay a stack of official papers tied with a bright red ribbon, stamped directly with Isabella’s personal military seal, the symbol she used when she was a commander.

Lila flipped through the pages rapidly, her eyes scanning the messy lines of handwriting until she found exactly what she was looking for: The Ministry of Defense.

Her eyes widened as she read the freshly inked lines. There it was.

An emergency order for thirty barrels of Blue-Grade Whalefire Oil, approved just four days ago. The destination listed on the paper wasn’t the northern border camps.

It was a private warehouse located just three miles outside the capital’s southern docks.

And the document was signed clearly with Isabella’s personal stamp.

With shaking hands, Lila pulled a blank piece of paper and a piece of charcoal from her pocket.

She pressed the paper firmly over the original document and the military seal, rubbing the charcoal across it with furious speed until an exact copy of the signatures and the order numbers stamped through.

She neatly put the original papers back, locked the drawer, and wiped away any trace of the oil from the keyhole.

Just as she stepped back toward the silver vanity and picked up a polishing cloth, the sound of loud laughter echoed from the hallway outside.

Isabella was back.

Lila tucked the charcoal copy deep into her uniform, her heart hammering violently against her ribs as she began to polish the mirror.

...

By late afternoon, the dark storm clouds that had been hovering over the capital finally broke, pouring a heavy rain over the stone streets.

Inside Evelina’s study, the air was smelling faintly of the lavender incense that Ace had ordered to clear away the leftover smell of smoke.

Evelina sat behind her desk.

In front of her, Lila knelt on the rug before her, holding out the charcoal-rubbed paper, "Your Grace, t-thank you... Thank you..."

"By deciding to stay there as a spy, you are putting your life on the line," Evelina said softly.

"I tried to poisoned Your Grace in the past. It’s my blessing that you are letting me work for you. If I return, even if we have no lack of money due to your generosity, we might all die if Lady Isabella hunts us down...

With me working for you, I have no regrets if I die. Please, Please protect my brother if that time comes."