"So why are you doubting your judgment now?

"

Yvonne felt the urge to applaud her uncle who had done an excellent job at trapping the Marquess in his own words.

Since Marquess Kiron had confessed before everyone that CLOVER's contract was profitable and fair in his opinion.

Thanks to this, he had signed it back then so why was he questioning it now and doubting both his judgment and also CLOVER's innocence?

Marquess Kiron choked on his words when he saw that what Viscount Valente said was the truth.

CLOVER had done nothing to trick him into signing the contract.

He had made that decision so wasn't his earlier doubt equivalent to suspecting his own judgment.

"But what about the information Earl Blaise has revealed?

" Marchioness Yona, the one who had been watching the show in silence until now, finally spoke up.

She had seen how this lowly Viscount, in just a few minutes, had transformed the doubtful thoughts in the Duke and Marquess's mind into conviction on their judgments in the past.

Everybody's attention shifted from the Viscount and settled on the woman who had put forward a fair question.

With a smile, Viscount Marcus Valente nodded as he was just getting to that as well.

"As for what the Earl had said about CLOVER using the same methods as his family's business…

" He drawled out his words for dramatic effect.

Yvonne shook her head while Marquess Samed was enjoying the debacle that had begun thanks to his efforts.

"Can Earl Blaise show us the proof about the claims he has made?

" He tossed out this question in an aloof tone.

His demeanor was so relaxed that it made the others believe that he wasn't too bothered about what the Earl could bring forward as proof.

This was exactly what Marcus was feeling as he knew that Earl Blaise had no way to prove his claims as they were falsified right from the start.

Neither was there anything unlawful about CLOVER nor was its manufacturing process similar to the Earl's.

Thus, he glanced at him, waiting to see how the other man would reply now that the ball was in his court.

Earl Blaise coughed when he saw everyone's eager gaze fixed on him.

They had prepared themselves for a bland tea party where everyone was on their best behavior but by some stroke of luck, they were granted such a brilliant show to witness.

Marchioness Yona was one of those who did not care who the winner was as long as she got the chance to watch this amusing show.

Marquess Samed was partially in that category but wished for his pupil's business to not be tarnished.

With all eyes now on him, Earl Tobit Blaise furrowed his brows as he glared at his opponent today.

"That procedure is our family secret so how can I just reveal it before everyone!?

" He glowered with his voice raised above what was deemed acceptable.

Marcus raised his brows after hearing those loud and self-righteous words.

It was funny for him to see the Earl boast about something that wasn't even his.

Taking a single step ahead, he leaned forward once he was closer to the Earl.

"Do you really think that no one knows about the crimes you have committed for that recipe, Tobit Blaise?

" He whispered right into the Earl's ear, sending countless shivers down his spine.

However, Marcus took a step away and stood upright, not bothering about the man who had frozen still after hearing those words.

The recipe to create soap whose rights he had bought was undeniably stolen property.

Instead of bringing it to the notice of the law authorities that he had been scammed by someone, he chose to force the other victims of this scam to remain silent.

Suppressing the Hagen family, from whom the original recipe was stolen, he forced them into a corner with no one to stand up for them.

Earl Blaise stared at the Viscount with widened eyes as a trace of shock flashed across his eyes.

He had thought that the Viscount was unaware of what he had done to the Hagen family but he was proven wrong right now.

He did not know why but the Viscount had only turned a blind eye to his misdeeds in the past despite knowing everything.

This realization was as though he had been struck by lightning.

However, Marcus did not bother about the internal struggle that was taking place in Earl Blaise's mind.

'Uncle is so devious!' Yvonne's voice echoed in his mind instead.

This almost made him chuckle but he held it in while shooting her a sly gaze, indicating that she was right.

Just earlier, when he had whispered those words into the Earl's ears, his voice was low enough to not be heard by those around them.

However, if a curious soul with enough aura in their body wished to eavesdrop on them, then it could be done with ease.

Just like Yvonne who had used her aura to slyly listen to what her uncle had whispered, many others had done the same.

Aura was a basic amenity that those who had awakened their dormant powers or those who formed bonds with etchers possessed.

Therefore, every single male adult in this area and a few young children who had awakened their powers had heard the Viscount loud and clear.

He acted like he was doing the Earl a favor by being so secretive about what he had to say but in reality, he was just hoping to invoke that curiosity inherent in everyone's hearts.

Thus by his actions and words, he succeeded in planting suspicion in every fief lord's heart about the procedure that Earl Blaise's family business used to manufacture soap and everything related to it.

Viscount Marcus Valente had not spoken too much nor had he revealed anything vital by those words but he had planted a tiny seed of doubt in their minds.

If they were curious enough then they could find the rest by their own strength and efforts.

He had given them a head start and they could work hard if they wished to figure out the meaning behind his words.

This was exactly what many of them had planned to do soon after they left this Palace today.

Duke Brodie had been under the impression that he knew everything there was to know about Earl Blaise's business but now that belief was shaken.

Viscount Valente's whisper accompanied by the stiff reaction of Earl Blaise had been enough for him to assume that there was more at play than what he had earlier known.

Therefore, he decided to initiate a thorough investigation about what the Viscount had whispered today.

While many of them were making such plans, Marcus decided to land the final blow that he had prepared.

Taking his eyes off the frozen man, he turned towards the four who had contracts with CLOVER.

Earl Rutherford St. Claire, Marquess Sullivan Samed, Duke Obinn Tanner, and finally Marquess Jace Kiron all fixed their eyes on the man, to see what was next.

"It is understandable that you still lack faith in CLOVER given that it is a new business with a mysterious owner.

" He nodded while agreeing with their doubtful nature.

'Who doubts CLOVER?' Rutherford sneered at his brother-in-law as his face contorted in displeasure.

Similarly, Marquess Samed shook his head in denial of the words his pupil's maternal uncle was uttering.

Viscount Valente had aimed those words at the Duke and other Marquess but had to involve them as well to not make the others suspicious by excluding them.

However, Marquess Samed and Rutherford were not appreciative of this kind gesture of his.

Ignoring their sullen faces, he fixed his eyes on the other two men in the group.

"Even if you were doubting CLOVER… How could you doubt our King's decisions?

" He finally revealed the one statement he had wished to bring out right in the beginning.

Having drawn out their conversation enough, Marcus decided that this was the perfect opportunity to remind everyone about the one who made the final decisions in their Kingdom.

At the mention of the King's name, everyone was startled.

How could they forget that the final say in the approval of any business was in the hands of their Ruler?

Without the Royal Seal of the King, no business could function in Rosenhyde.

To obtain this seal, the right documents were required, and only after passing through numerous departments of the involved authorities would those documents land on the King's table.

Once the King was satisfied with the documents and the business as a whole, he would stamp his seal onto the documents, thus legalizing it henceforth.

Therefore, Earl Blaise's earlier words which claimed that CLOVER was using the same procedure that he had sole rights on could be explained by two plausible scenarios.

First was that CLOVER had done things in secret and functioned illegally which was proof of the lackadaisical operation of the law authorities serving the King.

Another explanation was that the King had not done his job and approved of CLOVER's procedure which was identical with the one used by the Blaise family, leading to this unfavorable outcome.

No matter which explanation they chose, it implied that they were doubting the King who had not put in adequate effort to prevent such a situation from occurring.

"Is that what people think of me?

" An amused voice rose from the back but the pressure that surrounded everyone was heavy enough to cause their faces to grow pale.