A few days later…
Hwaaaam…
Rudell let out a yawn filled with fatigue as he turned his head toward the window.
The scenery passing by outside was so familiar that even with his eyes closed, he could vividly recall it, and in the distance, the figure of Lagrandria came into view.
After passing through the entrance of the city and dashing through the streets, the carriage Rudell was in arrived at Duke Lagrind’s mansion…
“Rudell!!”
“Leje?”
As Rudell stepped out of the carriage, he saw Leje waving her hand and gave her a puzzled look.
Standing next to her was Alma, letting out a short sigh.
“Why are you here?”
“Why, you ask? I was waiting for you.”
“For me?”
At her reply, Rudell felt a dizzying sensation for a moment and looked at Alma.
At the same time, Alma shook her head as if to say not to ask her…
“Anyway…”
Understanding the situation, Rudell allowed a strained chuckle to escape.
“What’s with that reaction? You came all the way out to greet me.”
“Ugh… Sorry.”
Should he be happy about this or not…
Feeling a complex emotion he couldn’t quite describe, Rudell spoke to Leje, who seemed sulky.
Her expression softened, as if relieved by his apology.
“So, are we heading to the Duke right away?”
“My father will probably come tomorrow; he got a sudden call from the Royal Road.”
“I see…”
Nodding at Leje’s words, Rudell looked at her.
“What should we do now?”
“Hmm… It’s been a while, so why don’t we talk somewhere quiet?”
“That sounds good.”
Since the Duke was not present, time was all they had.
“Alma, could you please get some snacks and drinks?”
“Yes, Miss.”
With her response, Alma stepped away, and Leje took Rudell’s hand, saying:
“Come on! This way!”
*
In the Duke’s garden.
“I can’t believe this…!!”
Listening to Rudell, Leje’s face turned bright red as she shouted angrily.
She had never imagined that the trading guilds the Duke introduced would behave this way.
“Just let it go; it’s not a big deal.”
In response to her outburst, Rudell sipped from his tea cup calmly.
“It’s not a big deal?! This is a matter of the Duke’s reputation! If this gets out, what will other noble families think of us?!”
Still fuming, Leje shouted at Rudell.
It was obvious that if news of this incident spread to noble families unaware of Rudell and Leje’s relationship, it would lead to not-so-good rumors.
“You’re a problem too! Are you just going to let it happen?!”
“No, I’m not planning to let it happen, and I already have countermeasures in mind.”
“Really? Then tell me about them.”
“Hmm… So where should I begin…”
As Leje snapped at him, Rudell shared the stories of everything that happened.
From crossing the Bladehook Mountain Range to the eternal winter plains, the battle with Thunder Fang, dealings with the Nord tribe, and the strategies on how to gain the upper hand in negotiations with the trading guilds…
“Well, that’s roughly the gist of it.”
“Oh my… Is that really true?”
Staring at Rudell after he finished, Leje was left speechless.
And it was no wonder, as everything he recounted was hard to believe.
“I always say, why would I lie to you?”
With a low chuckle, Rudell tossed a cookie from the plate into his mouth.
And at that moment…
“That’s unfair!!”
“What now…?”
What could this girl possibly be dissatisfied with now?
Leje slammed her hand on the table and stood up, and Rudell let out a short sigh.
“If that happened, you should have called me! I missed out on something fun!”
“Do you even realize you’re the Duchess of the Duke’s House?”
“Who cares?”
“You shouldn’t say that.”
At this rate, she was definitely a pleasure-seeking tomboy.
Thinking that, Rudell made a troubled expression.
“If something like that happens next time, definitely let me know!”
“Yes~ I’ll consider it.”
With a playful smile, Rudell answered, and just then, when he and Leje were enjoying their snacks…
“Miss.”
“Frishe? What’s going on?”
The blue-haired woman with squinty eyes, Frishe, the head maid of the Duke’s family, approached and bowed her head.
Leje, surprised by her sudden appearance, asked curiously…
“That trading guild has sent someone here again.”
“Again? Sigh…”
“What’s going on?”
Rudell asked, raising an eyebrow, gazing at Leje who seemed to be having a headache.
“It’s nothing serious. Just a bit of a troublesome issue.”
“A troublesome issue?”
“A small trading guild seems to have been scammed out of their deposit by a large trading guild, but the larger guild is claiming it’s their fault for not reading the contract properly.”
“Hmm…”
In short, it seemed to be a case of a fraudulent contract.
Having grasped the situation, Rudell let out a low groan.
“Tell them we’re looking into it from our side and to wait.”
“Understood.”
“Wait a moment.”
Stopping Frishe in her tracks, Rudell spoke to Leje.
“Leje, if it’s alright, could I meet that person?”
“Huh? Meeting is fine, but why all of a sudden?”
“There’s a reason.”
As he said that, a slight smile appeared on Rudell’s lips.
*
A while later, a man accompanied by Frishe stood before Rudell and Leje.
“I-It’s an honor to meet the Duchess and the Count! I-I-I’m b-b-b-beyond honored!!”
Clearly nervous at the sight before him, he bowed deeply with a trembling voice.
It was only natural; after all, before him stood the Duke’s daughter and the Count’s heir.
Such figures were too lofty for the owner of a small trading guild to meet.
“You really don’t need to be that nervous. The one who wanted to meet you isn’t me, it’s her.”
“Y-Yes? You mean this lady?”
At Leje’s calm words, the man looked up with a bewildered expression, staring at Rudell.
“Hello. I’m Rudellheit Weinstein, the Count’s heir.”
“I-I’m honored to meet the Count! I’m Bering, running a small trading guild!!”
“Nice to meet you, Bering. So, can you tell us what happened?”
“W-Well, it’s like this…”
Bering’s story was nothing spectacular.
He was a naive merchant who valued credit but got caught in the scam of a larger trading guild, sustaining massive losses.
During that process, suspicious circumstances were discovered, but he couldn’t find solid evidence and was at risk of being absorbed by the larger guild.
In short, it was a common tale of large corporate oppression.
The situation he was in could be summarized in a single phrase.
“I can’t find any major issues in the contract either.”
“But if this goes on, our guild will go bankrupt! Please, just once more, help us…”
After glancing over the contract, Rudell said that, and Bering, with a desperate voice, turned his gaze toward Leje.
In the current situation, his only lifeline was Leje, but…
“Let me be clear, until we find solid evidence, we cannot assist you in our duchy.”
Leje responded firmly to Bering, who looked at her with hopeful eyes as if clinging to a last hope, causing his face to fall despondently.
At that moment…
“Bering, I have a few questions. Is that alright?”
“Y-Yes? O-Of course, please ask.”
With a nod to Rudell’s question…
“Do you still think trading is all about trust?”
“Of course! That’s been my family’s belief since my grandfather’s time!”
“Oh…”
His instant and confident answer drew a low exclamation from Rudell.
So far, so good in terms of character.
“One last thing, if there’s a chance to get the items written here right away, how much could you get?”
Taking out a fountain pen from his pocket, Rudell wrote something on the back of the contract and handed it to Bering, who examined it for a moment before letting out a low groan.
“Umm… Some items that the large guilds have exclusive rights to may be hard to get, but for others, I could buy as many as my funds allow…”
“Sounds good.”
Rudell looked at him with a satisfied smile at his response.
And then…
“Bering, how about working with our family?”
Rudell said to Bering, who looked at him with a bewildered expression.
