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Episode 76. Will It Be Profitable?
“Check the latch one more time. This is an important item! If something happens, I could lose my head!”
The item was a sample of a magic stone and a weapon that used it.
To show future potential, they also brought design plans.
It was a long pipe with complex wires and glass tubes attached. They called it the Magitech Rifle.
‘That’s a weapon?’
The researchers said it was powerful, but no one had ever seen it in action.
Would it even work?
“Oh my, brother? Fancy meeting you here.”
A familiar voice entered Stefan’s ears.
It wasn’t unexpected.
Since all merchants were attending the exhibition, it was obvious the Pascal family would come.
Even so, Stefan always found Tilda’s presence uncomfortable.
He did not like dealing with her.
“Did you come alone?”
“No, of course not. I came with my fiancé. See? Over there, Henri!”
A man walked over with a bright smile.
A fat man in his mid-30s.
Henri Dandolo.
The heir to one of the largest trading companies in the empire.
“Tilda, my love. Here’s the cocktail you wanted.”
The chubby man grinned and handed her a glass.
Tilda, a beautiful, slender woman with black hair, stared at it.
She pouted and looked at him with teary eyes.
“This is Cherry Bomb, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah?”
“But I wanted Blue Sapphire…”
She swayed her shoulders and blinked her eyes.
Henri chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
“Oh, my mistake. I’ll get a new one!”
“Thank you. You really are the best.”
“Brother-in-law! We can talk later!”
“Uh, sure…”
Tilda smiled sweetly.
Henri looked happy and rushed off to get another cocktail.
Stefan frowned.
“Why are you making your fiancé run errands instead of your servants?”
“Why do you think? I can’t stand the sight of him.”
Tilda smirked.
She always acted polite in front of others, but not with Stefan.
That meant she saw him as weak.
“Does he know your true nature?”
“Of course not. A man who hasn’t even undressed me wouldn’t have such insight.”
“If I tell him about this conversation, I bet he’ll love it.”
“If you have the guts, go ahead.”
This was how she always acted.
She liked to manipulate people as if she controlled everything.
She had always been this way.
When she didn’t like someone, she trapped them, ruined them, or hurt them deeply.
At first, it was childish tricks, but as she grew older, she became more cunning.
Stefan feared her.
Even though he had seen the monster behind her smiling face, he still couldn’t fully understand how dangerous she was.
“Is this the item you’re supporting from the Far East?”
She covered her mouth with a fan and looked up at the magitech rifle.
“Yes.”
“It’s cute. You brought something like this?”
She pretended to examine it closely, then quickly lost interest.
“It looks more like an art piece to me.”
She was asking if it was even useful.
“Of course, it’s useful.”
“How does it work?”
“Well, you pull this part and then do this and that… and it just works.”
As Stefan’s words became more uncertain, Tilda’s smile grew wider.
“You’ve never seen it in action, have you?”
“…”
“Well, it’s just an exhibition. You can display unfinished items, and no one will know. Oh, wait.”
She tilted her head and tapped her chin with a finger.
“Isn’t there a demonstration?”
She already knew.
She had information about the magic stones, so of course, she knew about the main presentation.
“You’ve never tested it before. What if it explodes during the event? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
“…It would.”
“It looks nice as a display, but… hmm. I wonder if it will make money? Father was right. The East seems useless.”
A crescent-moon smile spread across her lips.
That expression.
It was the same one she always used to humiliate him in the Pascal family.
“Don’t worry, little sister.”
But today was different.
Stefan felt more confident than usual.
“While you’re clinging to some man’s legs, I’m holding onto my patron’s shoulders.”
A crude insult.
But it worked perfectly.
Tilda’s sharp glare turned to him.
Her hands trembled with anger.
Stefan shouldn’t have been able to talk back to her.
But now, he had powerful support.
‘Still, she’s scary as hell.’
Thinking about the past, when she used to slap him whenever she wanted, made cold sweat run down his back.
“Will you move aside?”
A voice came from behind her.
Her twisted expression instantly smoothed out as she turned.
A tall man with grey hair and blue eyes.
He wore a black uniform with red accents.
Though young, his aura was overwhelming.
‘This man is Ferda Valdrova.’
A ruthless killer who had slain Thessalos Walcher.
His cold face looked complicated, but it was enough to capture Tilda’s attention.
She smiled sweetly and greeted him politely.
“Hello, Regent Valdrova. I am Tilda Pascal—”
“I don’t care who you are. Move.”
“…Excuse me?”
Ferda cut her off.
His words were harsh, but she couldn’t even get angry.
The moment she met his icy blue eyes, her blood froze.
“I said, get out of my sight.”
