To the Duchy
Several days later...
"Haaaahm..."
Letting out a yawn filled with fatigue, Rudell turned his head towards the window.
The scenery outside, now so familiar he could recall it with his eyes closed, flashed by.
In the distance, the silhouette of Lagrandria came into view.
Passing through the city gates and traversing the streets, the carriage carrying Rudell arrived at the Lagrind Dukedom's mansion...
"Rudell!!"
"Leje?"
Stepping out of the carriage, Rudell saw Leje waving at him and wore a puzzled expression.
Beside her, Alma stood with a short sigh.
"Why are you here?"
"Why else? I was waiting for you."
"For me?"
At her answer, Rudell felt a momentary dizziness and glanced at Alma.
Simultaneously, Alma shook her head as if to say, "Don't ask me..."
"Anyway..."
Grasping the situation, Rudell let out an awkward chuckle.
"What's with that reaction? I even came all the way to greet you."
"Ugh... Sorry."
Should I be happy about this or not...?
Feeling a complex emotion he couldn't quite describe, Rudell spoke to Leje, who seemed to be sulking.
As if his apology had appeased her, Leje's expression softened.
"So, are you going to see the Duke now?"
"Father won't be back until tomorrow. He was suddenly summoned to the Royal Capital."
"I see..."
Rudell nodded at Leje's words and looked at her.
"What should we do now?"
"Hmm... Since it's been a while, how about we chat somewhere quiet?"
"That sounds good."
With the Duke absent, all they had was time.
"Alma, could you please bring some snacks and drinks?"
"Certainly, Miss."
At her words, Alma withdrew, and Leje, taking Rudell's hand, said,
"Come on! This way!"
* * *
The Dukedom's garden.
"I'm going to deal with those guys right now!!"
Leje, who had been listening to Rudell's story, shouted with her face flushed red.
She hadn't expected the merchants introduced by the Duke to act in such a way.
"Leave them be. It's nothing."
Rudell responded to her reaction in a calm voice, taking a sip from his teacup.
"Nothing?! This is about the Dukedom's prestige! If this gets out, what will the other noble families think of us?!"
Still seemingly furious, Leje shouted at Rudell.
Indeed, if the story of what happened spread to the noble families who were unaware of the relationship between Leje and Rudell, it was clear that unpleasant rumors would circulate.
"You're a problem too! Why did you just stand there and take it?!"
"No, I wasn't planning on just taking it. And I've already thought of countermeasures."
"Really? Then tell me."
"Well... Where should I start..."
In response to Leje's sharp question, Rudell recounted the events that had transpired.
He started with his journey across the Blade Ring Mountains to the Plains of Eternal Winter, then spoke of the events there, the battle with the Thundermane, the dealings with the Nord tribe, and finally, how he planned to gain the upper hand in negotiations with the merchants.
"Well, that's roughly what happened."
"Oh my... Is that really true?"
Looking at Rudell, who had finished his story, Leje wore a speechless expression.
It was only natural, as the stories he told were all hard to believe.
"I keep telling you, why would I lie to you?"
With a low chuckle, Rudell popped a cookie from the plate into his mouth.
And at that moment...
"That's so unfair!!"
"Why are you..."
What was this young lady upset about now?
Rudell sighed briefly at her reaction as she slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"You should have called me if something like that was happening! I missed out on all the fun!"
"Do you even realize you're a princess of the Dukedom?"
"Who cares?"
"No, you can't say that."
This was the epitome of a pleasure-seeking tomboy.
Thinking so, Rudell wore a troubled expression.
"Call me next time something like that happens!"
"Yes, yes. I'll consider it."
Rudell responded with a playful smile. As Rudell and Leje were enjoying their refreshments,
"Miss."
"Frishe? What is it?"
A woman with blue hair and characteristically narrowed eyes.
Frishe, the deputy head maid of the Dukedom, approached them and bowed.
Leje, surprised by her sudden appearance, questioned her with a puzzled look...
"The merchant from before has returned."
"Again? Sigh..."
"What's wrong?"
Rudell, watching Leje sigh as if she had a headache, asked in a curious voice.
"It's nothing. Just a bit of a headache."
"A headache?"
"It seems a small merchant has been cheated out of a deposit by a large trading company. But the large company is claiming it's the small merchant's fault for not reading the contract properly, so they're not taking responsibility."
"Hmm..."
In short, it was a situation similar to a fraudulent contract.
Rudell, who had grasped the situation to some extent, let out a low groan.
"Tell them we're investigating the matter and to please wait."
"Understood."
"Hold on a moment."
Rudell stopped Frishe, who was about to turn away, and spoke to Leje.
"Leje, would it be alright if I met with that person?"
"Huh? Meeting them is fine, but why all of a sudden?"
"Just a hunch."
At the same time, a faint smile appeared on Rudell's lips.
* * *
A short while later, a man stood before Rudell and Leje, accompanied by Frishe.
"I-It's a g-g-great honor to meet the Princess and the Young Master!!"
Perhaps overwhelmed by the situation, he bowed deeply with a timid voice.
It was a natural reaction, considering that the people before him were none other than the Princess of the Dukedom and the Young Master of a Count family.
For the owner of a small trading company, they were figures far too high-ranking to face directly.
"Please, there's no need to be so nervous. It wasn't my idea to meet you, but his."
"Y-Yes? You mean this gentleman?"
The man raised his head with a bewildered look at Leje's calm words and stared at Rudell.
"Greetings. I am Rudellheit Weinstein, Young Master of the Weinstein Count family."
"It's an honor to meet you, Young Master of the Count family! I-I am Bering, who runs a small trading company!!"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bering. So, could you tell me what happened?"
"W-Well, it's like this..."
Bering's subsequent story wasn't particularly remarkable.
A naive merchant who valued trust was tricked by a large trading company and suffered significant losses.
Suspicious circumstances were discovered in the process, but without concrete evidence, he was on the verge of having his company absorbed.
It was the so-called 'tyranny of large corporations' that could be heard anywhere.
His current situation could be summarized in that one phrase.
"I can't find any particular problems in the contract itself."
"But if this continues, my company will go bankrupt! Please, just help me..."
Rudell, who had scanned the contract, said so, and Bering looked at Leje with a desperate voice.
In the current situation, his only lifeline was Leje, but...
"Let me tell you upfront, our Dukedom cannot offer assistance until we find concrete evidence."
Leje gave a blunt answer to Bering, who was looking at her with a glimmer of hope, and Bering lowered his head as if the sky had fallen.
Just then.
"Mr. Bering, I have a few questions for you. Would that be alright?"
"Yes? Ah, yes... Go ahead."
Bering nodded at Rudell's question...
"Do you still believe that trade is about trust?"
"Of course! That's a belief passed down from my grandfather!"
"Oh..."
Rudell let out a low exclamation at his immediate and unwavering answer.
His character passed the test.
"I have one more question. If you could procure the items listed here right now, how many could you get?"
Rudell took out a fountain pen from his pocket, wrote something on the back of the contract, and handed it to Bering.
Bering looked it over for a moment and then let out a low groan.
"Hmm... Some items monopolized by large trading companies might be difficult to obtain, but I think I can purchase as many of the other items as funds allow."
"Good."
Rudell smiled with satisfaction at his answer and looked at him.
And...
"Mr. Bering, would you like to work with our family?"
Rudell said with a friendly smile to Bering, who was staring at him with a bewildered expression.
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