🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 08
The Fairy Is Spying!
The child came running toward the place where I was hiding.
‘W-what the—!? Why is she coming here?!’
While I froze in panic, the child began rummaging through clothes with a deeply sulky expression.
“Sonia, cold! I hate cold!”
What do you want me to do about it!
It seemed she had been wandering around with her mother and came back because the castle was too cold.
Then the child grabbed a thick piece of clothing with her hands.
“Ooooh? This one?”
Unluckily for me, it was the coat I had hidden inside.
With its flashy frills and ribbons, it looked like it probably belonged to a young noble girl.
“Sonia, like this one!”
‘…Damn it.’
The child immediately whooshed the coat out and wrapped it around herself.
And just like that, I ended up sharing a body with the daughter of the merchant lord named Sonia.
“Ehehe, pretty!”
Sonia spun around in front of a large mirror, admiring herself.
Then she walked over to where the merchant lord, who had been dozing off, was sitting and plopped down onto the sofa beside him.
Humming cheerfully, she began singing some strange tune.
A short while later, the merchant lord jolted awake, as if struck by a seizure.
“N-no… not at that price…!!”
“Ah, Daddy’s awake!”
“…Huh? Sonia? Where’s your mother, why are you here?”
“Sonia came back because it was cold!”
At that moment, the merchant lord’s wife entered the room cautiously, like a secret agent in a spy film.
She glared at her husband while wiping drool from the corner of her mouth.
“What do you mean ‘what’s going on’?! One of us went out gathering information while you were just napping?!”
“…That’s not it, my lady.”
Just then—
Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the door.
It was the attendant who had visited earlier.
“The banquet is ready. We will escort our honored guests.”
“…….”
“…….”
The merchant lord and his wife stiffened.
After swallowing nervously, they exchanged glances and nodded.
Soon after, the couple and Sonia followed the attendant out of the room.
And of course, I went with them as well.
The Duke’s Castle banquet hall.
Hidden inside Sonia’s coat, I peeked out with only my eyes exposed as I surveyed the surroundings.
Around the enormous banquet table sat over a dozen retainers who seemed to hold important positions.
And then—
‘…Whoa.’
I swallowed hard as I scanned the dishes laid out before me, each one outrageously luxurious in appearance.
Compared to the meals served in Sion’s residence, this was on a completely different level in both quality and quantity.
What, so only these people got to live this well?
Just then, my stomach let out a loud growl.
Grrrroooowl—
“Hmm?”
Sonia tilted her head.
“Why, Sonia?”
“…N-nothing.”
Sonia scratched her ear, still confused.
I quickly pressed my stomach, trying to silence it, and scanned the surroundings.
I was looking for an opening to slip away in the chaos.
But—
“The Duchess has arrived.”
At the attendant’s announcement, silence and solemnity fell over the hall.
A moment later, a woman accompanied by several maids appeared.
A cold-looking beauty with long black hair and violet eyes.
The Grand Duchess Priscilla.
“……!!”
Seeing the villainess of the original story in person, I instinctively shut my mouth.
She was far more beautiful than I had imagined while reading the novel—and carried an aura so chilling it was almost terrifying.
…Okay, I admit it. I’m a little intimidated.
“Everyone, be seated.”
The Grand Duchess took her seat at the head of the table and ordered those standing to sit.
Then she raised her glass with an elegant smile like a painting.
“Jean Noel, head of the merchant guild; his wife Amanda Noel; and their daughter Sonia Noel. On behalf of the Northern Duchy of Luxier, I welcome your visit.”
“We are the ones honored by such hospitality, Your Grace.”
“We are beyond grateful for your gracious welcome, Your Grace.”
The merchant lord couple bowed deeply, their attitude drastically more submissive than before.
The Duchess smiled faintly, maintaining the dignity of authority.
“You must be weary from your long journey. I do not wish to burden you on your first day. Let us enjoy this evening, and proceed with this year’s trade negotiations slowly, over time. What do you think?”
She placed strong emphasis on “over time.”
The merchant lord couple exchanged glances and lowered their heads.
“Then, Your Grace—”
At that moment, the Duchess, as if she had been waiting for it, turned her gaze toward me—no, toward young Sonia.
“What a lovely child. Your name is Sonia, is it not?”
“…Yes, Your Grace. She is the only daughter of our Noel family.”
“I see. Such a precious and beautiful child should not fall ill from such a difficult journey. I shall take special care of her during your stay here. So that no unforeseen misfortune may occur.”
“……!”
“……!”
With a gentle smile, the Duchess spoke words that sounded like kindness—but clearly carried an undercurrent of veiled threat.
Then she slowly sipped her wine with graceful movements.
Watching this, the merchant lord trembled like an earthquake had struck his body and exchanged a look with his wife. They nodded solemnly.
After swallowing hard, the merchant lord finally spoke.
“Actually… there is something we must tell you, Your Grace.”
And then he said something quite shocking.
“On our way across the northern mountain range, our caravan was attacked by a band of thieves.”
“…Band of thieves?”
‘…Band of thieves?’
I looked at him in disbelief.
He had been snoring peacefully just earlier—what sudden bandit nonsense was this?
It was obviously a lie.
“It happened so suddenly that our escort mercenaries had no chance to respond.”
The hall fell into a chilling silence.
The merchant lord, seeing the Duchess’s face frozen like ice, broke into a cold sweat and continued.
“As a result… we regret to inform you that nearly half of the goods scheduled for delivery to the North this year were taken. We sincerely apologize.”
“What?!”
“How could such a thing…!”
“This is absurd!”
Gasps of shock and dismay spread among the northern retainers.
“However… we truly had no way of predicting such an unavoidable situation. We ourselves are deeply frustrated and distressed, but we hope you will recognize that we still managed to bring the remaining half of the goods, preserving our trust with the North.”
At that moment, someone at the edge of the table slammed their hand down and stood up.
It was a large man—no, a knight—who had been silent and indifferent throughout the entire gathering.
With red hair and a scar across his cheek, I recognized him instantly.
‘…Huh? That guy is Ulric Sermon, deputy commander of the Northern Knight Corps.’
His distinctive appearance made him impossible to mistake.
“Bandits, you say? Ridiculous. In a land with better security than the imperial capital itself? Can you prove such a claim?”
Ulric Sermon’s voice was sharp and hostile.
At his interrogation, the merchant lord couple turned pale.
But they did not back down.
“P-prove it?! Are you saying we made this up?! That’s insulting!”
“Exactly! We endured the northern mountains for the sake of our long-standing ties, and this is how we are treated?! This is outrageous, Your Grace!”
A retainer chimed in.
“Hmm! The circumstances are indeed suspicious, are they not? What kind of fools would attempt robbery in a land filled with beasts and freezing death?”
“Indeed. Perhaps they are merely trying to reduce prices and sell elsewhere for greater profit!”
The northern retainers were not fools—they quickly saw through the merchant lord’s deception.
“W-what nonsense! Do you have proof?!”
“We are merchants officially designated by the Imperial Court! To accuse us without evidence is an insult to the Empire itself—!”
“Silence.”
The Duchess’s cold voice cut through the hall.
Instantly, silence fell.
She lowered her gaze, as though thinking deeply, then turned to her attendant.
The attendant spoke solemnly.
“We have confirmed that the quantity of goods entering the Duke’s Castle this year is approximately half of last year’s.”
“…Hah.”
“…This is unbelievable.”
“Then what about this year’s—”
Whispers spread among the retainers.
After a moment of contemplation, the Duchess smiled—a beautiful but eerie smile.
“I have heard your circumstances. Then we shall proceed with only half of the originally scheduled trade volume for this year.”
“…Ah—w-well, understood?”
The merchant lord blinked in confusion at her calm acceptance, then quickly showed visible relief.
“Thank you very much, Your Grace! We will proceed with the available goods as agreed!”
“So be it.”
The Duchess replied calmly, lifting her wine glass.
The deep red wine swirled as her cold eyes reflected its surface.
The banquet came to an end.
