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Chapter 70
Berin and Carlin froze at the same time. Julin also looked at Silia with slightly widened eyes. It was Berin who recovered first and quickly spoke.
“Lady, it will be hard to find another offer as favorable as this one.”
Then Carlin, who had also come to his senses, added,
“Please reconsider, my lady.”
“The name of Tarnia carries great influence. You may not know yet, as you’ve only recently arrived in the capital, but…”
Silia shook her head.
“No, I know well of Tarnia’s reputation. But I’m already receiving abundant support from Diaman. I don’t think I need more sponsorship than that.”
“But, my lady—”
“What exactly is so lacking?”
It was Berin who snapped.
“I don’t believe you’d make such a decision out of emotion.”
“You read me correctly. Indeed, making decisions based purely on emotion is never wise—especially in matters of life and death.”
“Then what concerns you, may I ask? I’d like to hear your reasoning.”
“My reasoning?”
Silia lifted one finger to her chin, pretending to think deeply—deliberately exaggerated.
“Everything’s great. Tarnia’s wealth, their intelligence network, their broad clientele—nothing is missing. Judging by the conditions alone, it’s an excellent offer.”
“Then there seems to be no reason to refuse it.”
“Except for one thing—your discernment.”
“…Excuse me?”
Berin Tarnia froze, unsure what she meant. Silia uncrossed her legs and continued.
“You just had to bring up Sir Sarga’s name, didn’t you? If you’d just talked about me, you might have spared yourselves the embarrassment.”
“And why do you say that? You yourself claimed it wasn’t an emotional issue.”
At that moment, Julin suddenly spoke up, his expression earnest.
“Lady Silia. You don’t have to suffer losses because of me.”
“That’s right, my lady. We understand you’re close with Sir Sarga, but please don’t let temporary feelings drive you to make a choice that harms you.”
Silia sighed.
“You keep bringing up emotions, but as I said, this isn’t an emotional decision. Tell me—what exactly did you two say to him?”
“……”
“Oh. Don’t tell me—you did say it?”
“…No.”
Of course they couldn’t admit it. If they did, they’d be acknowledging that they insulted Julin right in front of her—and even dragged his mother into it. Not to mention, admitting it would require an apology, and these two weren’t the kind to do that.
“You said earlier, didn’t you? That no matter how he learned his trade, someone like him could never match the heir of a great trading house. That’s the kind of discernment I’m talking about.”
She made sure Julin understood her words weren’t empty flattery.
“I’ve been receiving Sir Sarga’s help since before I came to the capital. From minor information to invaluable intelligence, there hasn’t been a single request of mine that he failed to fulfill.”
“……”
“Of course, he can’t compare to the heir of a large merchant guild—that much is obvious. He wasn’t given that environment. But what matters is that despite lacking such advantages, he still managed to meet all my needs. That’s what’s impressive. If he had the same resources, he’d no doubt surpass you entirely. That’s why I have high expectations.”
Silia’s lips curved upward.
“I can’t wait to see how much greater a man he’ll become after his education and training at the academy. In a way, I’m investing in him myself.”
That part was sincere—Julin truly had potential.
“So if you’re belittling someone I personally value, I can only question your judgment. And besides…”
Silia gestured toward the dress modeled after the crown princess’s gown.
“If your intelligence network is really that amazing, there’s no way you wouldn’t have heard that I’ve cut ties with Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
Berin and Carlin visibly stiffened.
“And yet you eagerly boasted about your connections with her?”
Her voice had turned cold.
“Trying to play both sides at once? Ambitious of you.”
Silia rose from her seat and walked toward the mannequin dressed in the royal-style gown.
“But if you’re going to do that—”
Her outstretched hand brushed the mannequin. Despite the gown’s heavy fabric, the figure toppled with just a light push.
Thunk.
The mannequin fell.
“At least try not to get caught. Don’t you think?”
Clatter! The metal ornaments attached to the dress hit the floor, ringing loudly.
“Or are you confident enough to balance between both sides?”
Ting. The sound of rings clinking together came from Carlin’s hand as he clenched his fist unconsciously.
“I wonder what Her Highness would think if she knew you made such a proposal to me.”
Carlin’s mouth snapped shut. Berin, meanwhile, was staring at Silia with cold, hard eyes.
“My lady, this is a misunderstanding—”
“A misunderstanding? You were just saying how close you were with Her Highness, weren’t you?”
Carlin faltered. Berin grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back as he said through gritted teeth,
“…You’ll regret this.”
“Ha!”
Silia let out a short laugh. Elin Tarnia had said the exact same thing once. Apparently, the brothers shared not just blood, but vocabulary.
“Regret, you say.”
She stepped closer to Berin. Intimidated, he instinctively took a step back before realizing what he’d done—his face flushed with humiliation. Silia’s hand moved sharply, her finger stopping just before his forehead.
“You treated me like royalty earlier, and now suddenly you look down on me?”
Her finger hovered inches from his skin.
“Changing your stance that quickly isn’t good business. Someone once told me that a trading house lives on its credit.”
She glanced sideways at Julin, who was watching with wide eyes.
“What were they again? Capital, credit, and intelligence, right?”
“……”
“You seem to be lacking in all three. Oh, and one more thing.”
She pointed at Carlin’s ring.
“You might want to wipe the blood off that thing. Are you proud of it? I wonder if you even understand what it really feels like to have blood on your hands.”
“……!”
Without waiting for a reply, Silia grabbed Julin and strode out of the VIP room. No one followed.
Once they were out, Julin whispered urgently,
“Silia, this was an incredible opportunity. If you reject them like this—”
“Then you’ll just have to grow strong enough to surpass them. And besides,”
As they exited the building and slipped into a shadowed alley, she added,
“There’s no point in taking investment from a trading house that’s about to collapse.”
“About to collapse?”
“Don’t you remember? Before we came here, you roughly sketched out the layout of this place for me.”
Julin nodded quickly. Earlier, Silia had asked him to draw the inside of the building as best as he could recall.
“I used that to do a little digging.”
“Digging? What kind of—”
Rustle.
Something emerged from the bushes where Silia had hidden herself.
“…Guardian Dragon?”
“Well, well. Normally I wouldn’t interfere in human matters like this, but the reports about those disappearing people were concerning.”
“Concerning?”
“Yes—deeply troubling dark magic concerns. That happens to fall under my jurisdiction.”
The small dragon, Yotun, fluttered down onto Silia’s shoulder and pulled something out of his mouth—a document.
“Here’s proof they’ve been buying and selling humans.”
“I’m sure it’s written in code, though.”
“Indeed. But we also have the other documents you mentioned, don’t we?”
In the next moment, Yotun shook his wings, spilling out a massive pile of papers. They contained lists of properties, noble titles, and assets that Tarnia had acquired through illegal coercion and extortion.
Julin stared in shock at Silia, who merely shrugged.
“Remember what Elin Tarnia tried to do to my father? I figured he must’ve done the same to others.”
She scratched Yotun’s head and said,
“Now the real work begins.”
Bang!
A man’s thick fist slammed down on a desk.
Overnight, rumors and exposés about the Tarnia Trading Company had spread uncontrollably through the capital. No matter how hard they tried to suppress them, new ones kept appearing as if by magic. The guild’s credibility was in ruins. Crowds had even begun to gather, demanding answers.
“You worthless fools…”
With bloodshot eyes, Andolf Tarnia glared at the three men standing before him. They shrank under his gaze, staring only at the floor.
The hulking merchant lord rose from his chair. He had never imagined they’d be struck down like this.
“Useless halfwits!”
Roaring, Andolf crumpled the note he held tightly in his hand. The sender was obvious—its message made it clear.
[If you want to save what’s left of your fortune, release everyone you’ve imprisoned.]
“That insolent little baroness!”
Grinding his teeth, Andolf shouted,
“Elin!”
“Yes, Father!”
“Prepare to leave! We’re going to see him!”
“F-Father, in a time like this—?”
“Precisely because of times like this, you idiot! After all we’ve done for him, he owes us the courtesy of—”
“How impatient.”
A lithe man wearing a mask stepped into the room. Andolf’s face went pale. The masked man spoke softly.
“Don’t worry. You won’t be completely ruined…”
He tossed a heavy sack onto the floor—coins jingled inside.
“My master has already made arrangements.”
