Chapter 21

As I felt the urge to lean on him, I glanced at Anna, who had come with me to Altear’s office. She smiled wryly, misunderstanding my gaze, and stepped back.

"Please, talk freely. I’ll leave you two alone."

‘But you don’t have to...!’

However, Anna didn’t catch my silent plea and quietly closed the door, leaving the office. The office, now quiet, was filled with an awkward atmosphere. It was hard to look Altear in the eye, so I let my gaze wander, and the first thing that caught my attention was the pile of documents on the desk.

‘Now that I think about it...’

Altear has been quite busy lately, looking quite tired. He would fall asleep as soon as he returned to the bedroom every day.

‘His face looks a bit haggard, too, maybe it’s just my imagination.’

"Are you... pushing yourself too hard?"

Altear, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with my concerned gaze, rubbed his face and cleared his throat lightly.

"It’s just that I don’t like reading documents. It would have been easier if they had asked me to fight a monster."

"Take it easy. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know. I’m confident in reading documents."

"I can’t delegate the duties of a lord. It’s my responsibility."

Altear rejected my offer outright and leaned back in his chair.

"I think I’ve worried enough about you. Now, tell me your story."

"My story?"

"If you came to see me first, it must be important."

"It’s not urgent. I just wanted to get your permission... for something."

"Permission?"

Altear’s eyebrow twitched, as if he was annoyed by the word.

"There’s a meeting of the eastern nobles coming up. I need to make several preparations. I need to have my clothes tailored... and it will require a considerable amount of money, so I thought I should get your permission in advance. There’s also the issue of the castle’s repairs."

As I rambled on, watching Altear’s expression, his face became increasingly complicated.

"You don’t need my permission for that. Managing the castle is your responsibility, and you don’t need to ask me for permission for every little thing. Besides, you don’t need to worry about funds anymore."

Altear sighed and pointed to the document he had been looking at, tapping it with his finger. It seemed to be a contract with several clauses, and the ink was still drying, indicating it had just been signed. The most noticeable word was ‘Mystone Supply Contract.’

"Did you sign a contract with a merchant guild?"

I looked up with a smile, and Altear nodded with a slight smile.

"I signed an exclusive mystone supply contract with the Silver Fox Merchant Guild. They offered 500 million gold as a signing bonus for the exclusive rights."

"Wow..."

The Silver Fox Merchant Guild was one of the largest in the empire, second only to the Black Panther Merchant Guild. With its extensive distribution network across the empire, it was a great partner. Moreover, 500 million gold was a huge sum, enough to cover several years of the wealthy Baron von Baine’s budget.

"The competition with the Black Panther Merchant Guild went down to the wire. Thanks to that, the terms kept getting better... and it became advantageous for us."

If the Silver Fox Merchant Guild was second, the Black Panther Merchant Guild was the undisputed first. The two guilds, which had been in competition for a long time, had a major showdown over the Eilsworth mystone mine. The Black Panther Merchant Guild likely wanted to maintain its dominant position through the exclusive rights, while the Silver Fox Merchant Guild wanted to gain a foothold to turn the tables. Given that the Silver Fox Merchant Guild was in a more desperate position, they likely emerged as the winner.

"The profit distribution is 80% for us and 20% for the Silver Fox Merchant Guild, which is a very good deal. Normally, it’s 60-40, and at best, 70-30."

"Really great news!"

I started this to gain Altear’s approval, but if the people of Eilsworth, who have taken care of me, can live peacefully in this prosperous land, there’s nothing better. However, Altear didn’t seem entirely happy. He looked at me with a complicated expression, as if he was deep in thought. Curious, I stopped my joy and looked at him. He got up from his seat and approached me. Feeling a bit intimidated by his imposing shadow, I flinched, and he reached out to pat my head reassuringly.

"It’s all thanks to you."

I blinked at his sudden praise, and Altear chuckled, ruffling my hair a bit roughly.

"What’s going on in this little head of yours?"

"Ah, it’s messy...!"

At my protest, Altear stopped his hand. He now looked at me with a serious face, the smile gone.

"Thank you. This is a sincere thank you from the Lord of Eilsworth."

"..."

It was an unexpected thank you. Receiving a thank you from a villain... no one would have imagined that.

‘No wonder the Altear I met in real life...’

is so different from the villain in the novel. It’s surprising and unexpected, and as I stared at Altear’s face, he groaned and pulled his hand away, stepping back.

"Every time you look at me like that, I feel... ticklish. I don’t know what to do..."

"Um... then don’t look at me?"

"That’s not what I mean...!"

Altear, about to shout, flinched and clamped his mouth shut. He looked like he had a lot to say, but in the end, he let out a deep sigh.

"When do you plan to have your clothes tailored?"

"Considering the production time, the sooner the better."

"I’ll tell Pavel to call a tailor within a week."

"Yes!"

With a clear answer, I felt relieved. I smiled at Altear, and his face changed again, looking ‘ticklish’ and uncomfortable. I didn’t want to make Altear uncomfortable, so I turned my head, but suddenly, there was a commotion outside the window. It was a familiar situation.

"Viscount! Viscount Eilsworth! Please, meet with me!"

‘Oh? It’s Viscount Galad?’

It wasn’t just the situation that felt familiar; the visitor was the same as before. Why did he suddenly come after running away the last time? I tilted my head in confusion, but Altear was smiling calmly, as if he had an idea.

"Since the Viscount wants to meet, I, a mere Viscount, should humbly greet him, right?"

‘Humbly...’

Where’s the humility in that evil smile...? But I didn’t have the courage to say that out loud. Nodding in agreement, Altear chuckled and nodded.

"Shall we go then?"

* * *

When we went outside the castle with Altear, Viscount Galad was pacing anxiously at the entrance, and Eilsworth’s knights were firmly guarding the entrance to prevent him from entering. He looked completely different from the last time he appeared at Eilsworth Castle, shouting loudly. His once-glossy skin now looked dry, and his cheeks were sunken, making him look haggard.

"Viscount!"

As soon as Viscount Galad saw Altear, he brightened up and approached him. Altear, standing stiffly, bowed slightly in greeting.

"It’s been a while, Viscount. What brings you to this humble fief?"

"Humble? Who could call Eilsworth humble?"

"It seems you’ve forgotten. You said the same thing five years ago, a few days ago, and even in the letter you sent me."

"Th-that...!"

The Viscount wiped his sweat and looked around nervously. Altear’s accusation seemed to be true.

"If you were hurt by my past words, I apologize! My judgment was narrow. Please, forgive me and... let’s move on."

"No, how could the judgment of a Viscount be narrow? You are a Viscount, after all. Everything you say is right."

"Th-then... please... help us."

Was there something I didn’t know? Viscount Galad kept a low profile and watched Altear carefully.

"Please, help our fief. If this continues, the monsters will destroy our orchards and ruin this year’s harvest! We promised to supply fruit to the royal family... if we break the promise, His Majesty will be furious!"

I remembered that the specialty of Galad’s fief was grapes, known for their large size and sweetness, which the emperor enjoyed. Most of Galad’s fief’s wealth came from the sale of these grapes.

‘But monsters appeared in the orchards where these grapes are grown?’

That’s why he asked Eilsworth for help. However, due to the recent incident, Altear had refused the request.

"Galad’s fief is in a difficult situation, but I was badly injured while slaying a dragon recently, so I can’t take on monster-related requests for a while. Try hiring a mercenary group."

"I’ve already tried! But there’s no one skilled enough to handle griffins!"

Griffins are monsters with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head and wings. They fly in the sky, making them difficult to handle with ordinary skills.

"Of all things, griffins! Our orchards are far from their habitat, and this has never happened before... why...?"

Viscount Galad staggered, looking dazed.

"My only hope is the Viscount. You’re strong enough to slay a dragon. You and Eilsworth’s knights can easily handle griffins. Please, accept my request!"

"Hmm..."

Altear stroked his chin thoughtfully and looked at me. Surprised by the sudden attention, I blinked, and he tilted his head and asked.

"Nadia. What do you think?"

"Me?"

"Should I accept Galad’s request? I’ll do whatever you say. Although I’m not fully recovered, I might change my mind if it’s a request from my precious wife."

"Um... well... I..."

I hesitated, unsure how to answer, and looked at Altear and Viscount Galad. I didn’t understand why he was asking me about such an important matter. I wondered if he had a specific answer in mind, but Altear was just watching Viscount Galad with an unreadable expression.

"Viscountess!"

At that moment, Viscount Galad, who had been nervously watching us, knelt in front of me and grabbed my skirt.

"Please, convince the Viscount! If he doesn’t help, our fief is doomed!"

"Please, get up, Viscount."

"Forget my past rudeness! I’ll apologize properly!"

I tried to help him up, but he fell flat on the ground and bowed deeply. The onlookers, who had gathered around the castle, gasped in surprise. Normally, there wouldn’t be this many spectators, but many merchants were staying in Eilsworth due to the mystone mine issue.

‘And these are people who travel all over the empire.’

The news of a viscountess kneeling and begging would quickly spread throughout the empire through their gossip. The story would likely be exaggerated, making the viscount’s humiliation even more pronounced.

"Hmph. That’s what you get for messing with someone."

Altear smirked and gestured to the knights guarding the entrance. Blan, who had been waiting, stepped forward and bowed to Altear. Altear whispered something in his ear, inaudible to the viscount.

"You should have come to your senses by now. Stop meddling with the orchard."

"Yes, my lord."