At the bottom of the folder was a bank statement and an access key that I hadn't touched. By the way, it was so swollen because it was not paper but parchment. I demonstratively placed the open folder in front of me, revealing a sheet of the bank statement with the balance of fifty-one thousand, twenty-three galleons, ten shekels, and two knaths written in bold, large numbers, and looked at Lucy.
The expression on my face was aided by meditation. The woman raised an innocent eyebrow, smiled politely, and took a sip of tea from an expensive cup she still held.
— Is something wrong?
— I have a few questions after familiarizing myself with the materials concerning the case of the death of my last relatives. — Paul shuddered at my words, looked again at the figure, at his mother, at his father, who was sitting with an absent gaze, and frowned openly, but remained silent.
— Oh, I am all ears, please, Monsieur, ask me!
— Mr. Dunois, I don't understand why what is rightfully mine has been taken from me. According to your own laws, these things, if they were indeed illegal, should have fallen into my hands first, then been examined and confirmed by experts, and only then should I have received an official request for their destruction.
— Oh, — the woman smiled kindly. — Our staff thought it was excessive to spend time and money investigating dangerous artifacts found in the dark cult, so everything was destroyed. Yes, — the woman sighed heavily. — I see a certain haste in the actions of our young employees, but all of them have already been punished accordingly.
— I'm glad that you, Dunois-san, are so sensitive to the mistakes of lower-ranking officers. And I am especially pleased that your people and you yourself are so concerned with justice and the fight against the manifestations of dark magic, which reminds me very much of the Chairman of the International Conference of Magicians, Albus Dumbledore. — I made this speech in a respectful tone, holding my face, and the woman answered me in the same way, until the last part, and then she did not hold back, apparently she "liked" my comparison very much. — Well, I think I must go, I don't want to interrupt your struggle against the forces of evil and delay you with my trivial business. — I stood up and bowed, but for those familiar with Japanese traditions, it was something like a nod to the assistant janitor in front of witnesses.
— Mr. Hoshino, you forgot "settlement" — the woman sang in an almost affectionate voice.
I gave her a "perplexed" look, followed where she pointed with her spoon, pretended I'd just seen it, and even raised my eyebrows in surprise. I looked up at the smiling woman.
— Excuse me, Dunois-san, but what are you talking about?
— Well, what about this?! — The woman mimed... something. — A bank statement and the key to the locker with the contract payment. All according to the letter of the law. We're not entitled to anything that doesn't belong to us.
— Oh, that's what you mean. — I'll pretend I just realized what you're talking about. — Keep it, I have enough money to buy a new pair of gloves. — I was going to shut up, but I couldn't help myself. — You better put that money into your fight for the greater good, or buy a new rug for your mastermind.
I know it's snide and very rude, but fuck them, with handouts like this! To accept this little thing is to sign your name as a sucker. Honestly, I could barely keep my gun out of my hand. It's been a long time since I've been insulted like this, the last time I was spoken to like this was by the elders of Miyazaki, and where are they now? But, damn it, it hurts, a lot.
I thought I'd made friends, but it turns out I've been fucked. What a bunch of bastards, huh? I wonder if Paul was faking it or not. But I don't care what he thinks, but he's not the head of the family, and his mother will put his head where she wants it, because everything is for the family, everything is for the family.
That's a good lesson, eh, that's a good lesson! Well, we can also do something, as they say, but let's not be in a hurry, oh no. On the other hand, why put off something we can do today? But it's just a little jab, I'll answer the creepy smart French otherwise....
***
POV Paul Dunois
— Mom, that was mean. — The heir expresses his thoughts directly. — Not only did you twist your words, effectively misappropriating someone else's, but it was humiliating. Do you think he'll cooperate with us after this? Or that you will now be able to persuade Sora to marry Ternier?
— Paul, my son," the woman sighed dramatically. — You're still very young, and you should have seen from Sora's example what excessive directness leads to. Yes, he hired a good lawyer, yes, the contracts and oaths were made correctly, but unfortunately he didn't think about the fact that it could be turned into a favorable angle. The contracts were fulfilled the moment the boy started to read the documents. — Paul frowned, obviously not understanding, because the contract was much broader and had more clauses. Lucy sighed again and turned to her husband.
— That's what I'm saying. Paul, darling, there is a lot of classified information in these papers, and their political value is very high, especially since each sheet has a government stamp on it. Yes, Sora can't use it himself, but he could have sold it to the warring clans, and for a lot of money, but he didn't do it, he even refused. This was also noted in the contract. So we fulfilled our obligations. And we've graciously forgiven the insults. — For a minute, the boy looked at his mother glumly, and then a look of astonishment came over his face.
— So this report was a distraction.... — Paul exhaled, his eyebrows raised. — You deliberately emphasized this imaginary insult so that the boy would forget about the papers in his emotions..... — a few more seconds of realization. — Scandalous papers... — whispered the boy.
— You see, — said Ludovic, shifting his gaze from his son to his wife. — Our boy is a quick learner. — Lucy smiled and sipped from her cup. — After all this excitement, people need to calm down, too much shock is not good either, everything needs to be moderated. And if this information had been released, there would have been a new scandal, even bigger.
— So that's what this is all about. — the boy whispered with his lips. — But now that Sora won't even talk to us, how are you going to carry out your plans?
— It's nothing complicated. — The woman shrugged. — The boy is extremely gullible and emotional, he's easily influenced, and we have plenty of leverage. One or two 'chance' meetings with witnesses, a few conversations, and everything will be forgotten, and besides, he has favorable contracts with us, so ...
The woman was interrupted by a strange sound, a rustling with a subtle crackle. The wizards looked at each other, and only Paul stared at a certain point. His parents followed his gaze and froze as well. Above the massive fireplace hung a large portrait of the entire family. Beautifully done, expensive. It faded before his eyes now, the colors fading, wide cracks stretching across the canvas.
A minute later, the silver frame was all that remained of the portrait, and the canvas itself was a dirty pile of sand and decay by the fireplace.
All three could not take their eyes off it, for the defenses of their mansion did not allow curses to pass, especially since the frame was covered with protective runes. Shock. But even more shocking was the news that all of Hoshino's brush paintings in the house had also turned to decay. None of the protections had saved them.