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Chapter 67
“I-I’ve heard it a few times too. The young lady mentioned it,”
Aref also vouched that it was true.
Only then did Leticia relax and smile brightly.
“I only have my older sister above me, so I really like Nini. She’s my little sister. She lets me be the older one. She’s so cute.”
“Nini’s always been cute,”
Nibellia replied, chewing a big bite of her cookie soaked in milk.
Leticia giggled.
“I like this confident attitude too.”
After having their snacks, the children exchanged the gifts they had prepared for each other.
“This one is a talking horse charm; it’s supposed to bring good luck.”
“Nini’s already happy, can she get even happier?”
“Of course she can be happier!”
“Wow…!”
Nibellia hugged Leticia tightly, clearly delighted with the gift.
“Thank you! I love it!”
Leticia’s gift also included one for Aref.
Surprised to receive a gift, Aref hesitated, then thanked her.
This time, Solace presented a gift to Leticia on behalf of the group:
It was a white headband adorned with a yellow gem.
As soon as Leticia saw the gift, she removed her current headband and, with Deter’s help, replaced it with the new one.
“So… how is it?”
Leticia asked excitedly.
“Pretty!”
“It suits you well,”
Nibellia and Aref complimented her in turn.
“…It’s like a flower,”
Solace said softly.
“It’s like a flower bloomed on your head, Leti. From now on, whenever I see daisies at night, I’ll think of you.”
Deter, who was tidying up the gift box, whispered in admiration.
‘Our young master sure knows how to speak.’
Leticia, clearly pleased by Solace’s sweet compliment, swayed happily.
“By the way…”
Leticia recalled something.
“On the way here, I saw the Perea Guild.”
Nibellia’s eyes sparkled.
“The Perea Guild? That’s Nini’s, right? I was so surprised when I heard!”
“Yes! It’s Nini’s!”
“Really amazing! She’s only four and she’s the guild master?”
“Hehe!”
“I’m also the older sister, so I want to show something impressive…”
“You’re always impressive, Leti.”
Nibellia liked how Leticia looked after her. It was a kindness and softness different from Solace’s.
“Thanks,”
Leticia blushed.
“By the way, did you see Aunt? A woman with short red hair.”
Solace asked.
Armifera, who had said she would accompany the guild to the castle entrance, hadn’t returned even after a week. She had simply left with the guild.
[Since I’m already going to meet them, I’ll go to Latro as well.]
A short note tied to the ribbon of the evil dragon Ather was Armifera’s farewell message.
The family reacted with, “We knew she’d do that.”
However, Nibellia was a bit sad she couldn’t say goodbye to her aunt.
But since Armifera promised to return, she patiently waited.
For reference, the evil dragon Ather was staying at the Deiamor mansion.
“I can’t ignore the request to keep an eye on the little mischief-maker. There’s also plenty to talk about with the saint. By the way, the new dress you showed me last time… does it come in purple?”
In truth, Leticia seemed reluctant to leave because she liked the clothes and accessories provided at the Deiamor mansion.
“You mean what Lady Armifera said?”
Leticia had met Armifera.
“She complimented me for not resembling my father. Father didn’t look too pleased, though.”
In reality, Leticia resembled her mother more than her father.
“And I even got to eat some dark honey lump.”
“Was it tasty?”
Nibellia asked.
“It was bitter at first, but later it was delicious.”
Leticia shared another story.
“They say this winter will be extremely cold.”
After speaking with the Perea Guild, Viscount Preto shared this with his wife.
“The west wind has been unusually calm. Lady Deiamor said that in such cases, winters are particularly harsh.”
“That’s a problem. Food and firewood for the winter…”
“We should inform the fief and prepare. Organize the warehouses…”
Information that this winter would be colder than usual spread quickly.
Many people moved busily to prepare for the harsh winter.
Lubeo was among them.
“This year, we should sell heating products early. We’ll secure stock and limit sales per person,”
Seletina instructed, and the Lubeo staff took notes.
“What about the down coats?”
“They were safely delivered two days ago. But further orders are impossible.”
“An intruder has entered the North Sea Protection Zone. The royal family will soon report the incident and investigation…”
“We’ll also need to check building safety. Considering heavy snow, the roofs…”
After the meeting, Seletina stayed alone in the conference room.
While reviewing the minutes for any other issues, someone opened the closed door.
“President.”
Her secretary had come to see her.
Seletina looked at her with curiosity, and the secretary explained that someone had come.
“He isn’t on the scheduled list.”
“Then why didn’t you refuse him?”
“He has a message. He says he can supply eternal snow duck feathers.”
Seletina’s eyes narrowed.
In the reception room, a man wandered about, glancing around.
As soon as he saw Seletina, he offered a cheeky smile and extended his hand.
“Ha ha, pleased to meet you! As rumored, very beautiful…”
“What brings you here?”
Seletina ignored his hand and sat in the main seat.
The man’s face contorted for a moment, then he smiled as if nothing happened.
“This is very important. You won’t regret listening.”
“I’ll judge that myself,”
Seletina said, giving a glance to the secretary who stood right behind her.
The man swallowed nervously when he noticed the secretary’s imposing stature.
“I don’t have much time, so let’s get to the point. Why are you here?”
“Oh, of course. Absolutely.”
The man’s voice was slightly timid.
“It’s a coat made from eternal snow duck feathers.”
He showed the coat he had brought.
“…”
Seletina examined the coat meticulously, running her fingers over every detail.
She asked after inspecting it.
“Eternal snow duck feathers are restricted in circulation.”
Currently, only the Frigus fief handled the feathers.
In such a harsh region where farming was nearly impossible, the only profitable work was making coats from these feathers.
In other words…
“Did you just bring me a counterfeit?”
Seletina was speechless.
Even more frustrating, the man seemed oblivious to his mistake.
“Lubeo doesn’t deal in counterfeits.”
“It’s all about how you say it.”
“Didn’t you just say this coat was made from eternal snow duck feathers?”
“We’ve developed technology to replicate the feathers. This coat is filled with replicated feathers.”
He looked confident, as if he had scored a decisive blow.
Meanwhile, Seletina’s expression darkened.
‘He keeps changing his story.’
He said he could supply eternal snow duck feathers, then immediately showed a coat, and now openly admitted it was a fake.
“A magician was involved in the process. Its stability is proven. Now ordinary people can wear warm coats at low prices.”
As if offering a great opportunity.
“Even one real feather makes it an eternal snow duck coat. It’s not a lie.”
“…”
“If you’re too honest in business, you won’t make money. How do you expect to run a business being so naïve…”
“…”
Seletina glanced at her secretary, who agreed silently.
This fool tried to lecture the richest, most successful company owner in the empire on business.
“Fine,”
Seletina cut him off with a smiling face.
“Then, good luck.”
Alone.
Seletina rejected the man’s offer.
The man left Lubeo and glared at the building.
‘Damn, I was just lucky, and now I’m acting all high and mighty…!’
He spat on the street but stopped when he met the sharp gaze of Lubeo’s security and ran into an alley.
Still fuming, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
“Ah, what…!”
Turning around in shock, he saw his client.
A tall man wearing a hat pulled low and a white mask covering his eyes.
“Felsone! What are you doing here…!”
“Looks like you failed to enter the store.”
The man’s face drained of color.
But Felsone didn’t blame him.
“This is actually good,”
“Eh?”
“You shouldn’t do anything nice for him anyway. How precious is the coat you’re holding?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The man accepted the words and smiled.
He then proudly wore the coat.
“Ha, it feels so warm the moment I wear it. Considering how they fuss over quality… Lubeo won’t have much trouble.”
“Is that so,”
Felsone only smiled.
