When I Quit Being A Wicked Mother-in-law, Everyone Became Obsessed With Me

One of the knights spoke up in a disgusted tone.

“This place is a complete mess.”

That sentence summed up the gambling den perfectly.

The entire first floor of the building had been converted into a massive space filled with every kind of gambling setup imaginable.

On tables nearby, expensive drinks and exotic foods were laid out in abundance.

But the most unpleasant sight was the people filling the gambling hall.

“Hahaha!”

A man, thoroughly drunk, waved his glass around, bursting into laughter.

“Hey, watch it! You spilled the drink all over me!”

Another man, furious with a red face, was scolding him after getting splashed.

“Is that even possible?”

“This is rigged, isn’t it?!”

“Give me back my money!!”

A few noblewomen, apparently having lost a lot, yelled accusations at the dealers.

Everyone had abandoned any pretense, exposing their true faces without a care.

‘This is… excessive,’ thought Alexei, frowning as he looked around.

Moments later.

‘Ah.’

His eyes widened slightly.

He had found the person he was looking for.

It was the Duke of Sachsen.

Apparently, he was playing cards.

The duke glanced nervously at the cards in his hand and urged the others at his table.

“Come on, play your cards already!”

“Oh, looks like you’ve got a good hand, Duke of Sachsen?”

One of the men at the table made a sly comment, and the duke burst into boisterous laughter.

“Haha, just wait and see, everyone!”

That ridiculous man was Riche’s only brother.

How embarrassing for his sister.

Alexei barely suppressed a sigh and strode forward.

“Huh?”

A long shadow fell over the table cluttered with scattered cards.

The Duke of Sachsen looked up, bewildered.

“What in the world…?”

He blinked slowly, seemingly still unable to grasp the situation.

“Duke of Sachsen.”

“…Gasp!”

The duke recoiled in shock.

“D-Duke of Valois!”

He scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to back away from Alexei.

Thud!

He tripped and fell flat on the floor.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped his lips.

Frowning, Alexei reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

The duke, gasping as his throat tightened, started coughing and choking.

“Ugh, let… go…!”

“Duke of Sachsen, and everyone here, as you all know,” Alexei straightened his posture, glancing around.

Faces marked by shock, fear, and horror looked up at him, paralyzed.

Meeting their stares directly, Alexei spoke calmly.

“Gambling is illegal under imperial law.”

“No, wait…”

“How did the Duke of Valois find this place…?”

Someone muttered in a strangled voice.

Alexei, however, remained unperturbed.

“As such, from this moment, I am reporting everyone present here to the Imperial Security Bureau.”

And at that moment—

Crash!

The sound of shattering glass rang out.

A wine glass had slipped from someone’s hand and smashed on the floor.

And the owner of that broken glass was…

“……”

“……”

The first prince, Reynold.

His face was flushed, likely from having drunk a considerable amount, and was filled with shock.

“Well…”

For the first time, a look of surprise crossed Alexei’s usually indifferent eyes.

“I didn’t expect to find even His Highness the First Prince here.”

“D-Duke! I was just…!”

Reynold stammered, trying to explain himself.

But he didn’t even get a chance to finish before someone let out a panicked scream.

“R-Run!”

The gambling hall erupted into chaos.

“Aah!”

“Move, get out of the way!”

People rushed toward the door, trying desperately to escape the situation.

However—

Crash!!

A sharp shattering noise, like something massive breaking, made everyone freeze.

One of the knights had approached the window and thrown a chair through it, breaking the glass.

A cold silence settled over the room.

“……”

“……”

Dozens of terrified eyes darted between Alexei and the knight.

Alexei shrugged nonchalantly.

“I trust you didn’t think I would storm this gambling hall with only a few knights.”

At his words, knights began to pour in.

In a calm voice, Alexei gave his command.

“Seize everyone. Don’t let a single person escape.”

***

Gambling was, of course, illegal under imperial law.

This meant that the current incident had become a massive scandal throughout the empire.

With the exposure of high-ranking nobles’ misconduct, the media raised a storm.

However, Alexei was more intrigued by something found in the gambling den than by the gambling itself.

And that ‘something’ was…

“…Counterfeit currency, found here of all places.”

Counterfeit currency.

Alexei stared down at the shining gold coins on his desk.

They were some of the coins confiscated from the gambling hall.

They were identical to the ones first discovered in Valois.

To think that both the First Prince and the Duke of Sachsen were using counterfeit currency.

With the investigation into counterfeit currency thus far, along with the countless documents and evidence obtained from the gambling den, Alexei deduced a common factor in the places where this counterfeit currency had been used.

The counterfeit currency was always used in support of the Empress and the First Prince.

For example, funds had been used to support noble families who backed the First Prince.

Beneficiaries included the Anderson Marquessate, the Empress’s family, as well as the Duke of Sachsen’s household.

Additionally, there have been numerous recent articles casting the First Prince in a favorable light.

They spoke of him as approachable, down-to-earth, trying their best to portray Reynold in a positive manner.

This incident, however, was too large to ignore, making it difficult for anyone to openly defend the First Prince.

The issue, however, is that there’s only circumstantial evidence here.

There was no concrete evidence that the Empress and the First Prince were directly involved in the distribution of counterfeit currency.

The fact that the counterfeit currency had been used in ways that benefited them could not be accepted as solid proof.

Moreover, they still didn’t fully understand how the counterfeit currency was being circulated.

…which is odd in itself.

Valois was currently conducting a full-scale investigation into the counterfeit currency distribution network.

The fact that the network remained undiscovered meant it was well-concealed.

But…

How is that even possible?

No other house, but Valois itself, was leading the investigation, and they hadn’t uncovered a single clue.

Does that even make sense?

Alexei narrowed his eyes, reaching out a finger to tap the counterfeit gold coin. The clinking sound as they struck each other seemed almost to mock him.

Just then,

Knock, knock.

A light knock interrupted his thoughts, and Alexei looked up.

“Come in.”

The person who entered was none other than the emperor’s chamberlain.

The chamberlain bowed his head and announced, “His Majesty has summoned you.”

“I understand.”

Alexei rose swiftly.

It was time to report everything he had uncovered to the emperor.

***

“Counterfeit currency was found in the gambling den.”

Though his tone was calm, the shockwave from his statement was immense.

The emperor glared at Alexei, his eyes wide.

“What did you just say?”

“I’m informing Your Majesty that counterfeit currency was discovered in the gambling den.”

“No, no… what on earth…?”

The emperor couldn’t hide his stunned expression.

And with good reason; counterfeit currency was a serious matter that could destabilize the very foundation of the empire’s economy.

“And there is one more thing I must report to Your Majesty.”

“What—another issue besides the counterfeit currency?”

As the emperor’s tension mounted, Alexei spoke, his tone steady.

“The people who directly used the counterfeit currency were Duke Sachsen and…”

After a brief pause, he concluded firmly,

“…His Highness, the First Prince.”