The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 502: The Burden of Not Knowing (II)

Primrose blinked in surprise. "I left them at the sugar factory for another reason as well," he continued calmly. "The Count of Veloria is dead. Until we have a clear plan, we must protect ourselves. We cannot allow King Averon to turn Father or me into scapegoats for his death."

"Oh... that makes sense," Primrose said at last, finally stopping herself from feeling guilty. "But if you sealed the sugar factory with magic... won’t the servants at the Count’s residence grow suspicious?" she asked. "They may come to investigate."

"I’ve also placed the people in the Count’s residence under confinement," Edmund said. "His wife, his children... all of them, but I did not harm them."

He emphasized those last words because he did not want his wife to see him as a monster.

To be honest, Primrose did not care much about the Count’s family. Even if there was a chance they knew nothing about the cruelty the Count had inflicted on the children he imprisoned beneath his factory, she was certain they were not completely unaware.

After all, the children needed food and spare clothing.

There must have been moments when they grew suspicious that something was wrong at the sugar factory. More than that, several servants and the Count’s guards knew the disgusting truth.

Unfortunately, most of the time, the wives and children of cruel noblemen chose to keep their mouths shut and pretend to be blind and deaf. They did so because the money flowing into the Count’s pockets seemed more appealing than the dirty acts he committed.

Besides, Primrose had also heard gossip from some of the manor’s servants about the Countess. They said the Countess of Veloria was no saint either. Former servants who once worked at the Count’s residence claimed that the Countess was a sadist behind closed doors.

She wore a beautiful, gentle smile in public, yet enjoyed whipping her maids in private. Sometimes, when she was in a bad mood, the Countess would deliberately look for excuses, simply to take out her frustration on someone weaker.

And the Count’s two sons? They were just as bad as their father. There were rumors—far too detailed for Primrose to believe they were mere rumors—that they had harassed many women, whether maids or commoners.

Reports about them had piled up, yet the Count of Veloria never did anything to discipline his sons.

In truth, such behavior was nothing new to Primrose. She had lived among nobles long enough to know that many still viewed their workers as slaves, or as beings no more valuable than their pets.

There were so many nobles who behaved as disgustingly as trash that Lazarus had learned to separate their personalities from the business he conducted with them.

That way, he could continue working with them, but when it came to their revolting lifestyles, Lazarus would immediately distance himself because there were lines even wealth could not justify crossing.

So no... Primrose would not lose sleep if Edmund chose to punish the Count’s family harshly.

"But sooner or later, people will grow suspicious," Primrose said. "Their customers will also become suspicious when their sugar deliveries are delayed and the Count gives no explanation."

Lazarus gave a small nod. "I’ve already taken care of that."

"I instructed my guards to send letters to the Count’s customers," he explained calmly. "We told them there’s a rat infestation at the sugar factory. Until the problem is solved, the factory will remain closed."

Primrose was speechless at how quickly her father had acted. "That’s... actually brilliant," she said. But then another thought came into her mind. "That may calm the regular customers, but what about those in his illegal dealings?"

She added, "We don’t know who they are. They could come to the factory at any time."

"I know," Edmund answered calmly. "That’s why we need Garrick to talk. He must tell us something or anything that can tie Averon to this case."

"And about the sugar factory, I actually have an idea," he continued. "Do you remember what I did in Moonshadow to make people hate the Marquess?"

Primrose nodded right away. "You asked the newspaper writers to expose the Marquess of Moonshadow’s crime." She thought for a few seconds before saying, "So you want to do the same thing to the Count."

Before Edmund could reply, Lazarus spoke instead. "I know several newspaper writers who would gladly publish unpleasant stories about the Count," he said. "After all, stories like that always sell well."

Lazarus then explained his reasoning. "The rat infestation story was not told without purpose," he said. "It gives us something to build on."

Primrose didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

"First," Lazarus continued, "Edmund and I can say we came to Veloria County because the sugar we bought from the Count made my daughter sick."

That had been their original excuse, the very reason they confronted the Count in the first place.

"But now," Lazarus said, "the same story protects us."

From there, he could claim that he ordered his guards to inspect the sugar factory. And during that inspection, they discovered something hidden underground.

After that, the rest would be simple. "We tell the truth," he finished. "The Count of Veloria took his own life because he did not want to face trial."

Which was, in fact, exactly what had happened.

"In the end," Lazarus said quietly, "we are not lying. We are only... arranging the truth so people understand what truly matters."

Edmund gave a faint nod. They were not creating a false story. The only thing that they did was sharpening the truth, just enough to protect their names and clear away suspicion.

Primrose smiled when she heard the explanation. "And what about King Averon?"

Edmund replied, "I believe that someone as narcissistic as him always keeps trophies in his house. And I believe Garrick must know about it, or at the very least, he may have accidentally overheard Averon’s conversations with others."

"Besides that, we can also go to the palace and report to Averon that someone impersonating him came here," he added.