TWMM 14

chapter 14

“The head of the Elbanon Merchant Guild said it himself. He clearly stated that the wheat sold to Runein was 100% Hessen wheat.”

As I said that, I let my voice tremble slightly.

As if I had doubts but wasn’t completely sure. Or as if I were frightened by the other party raising their voice.

If they were underestimating me because of my age and gender, wasn’t it only fair to use that to my advantage? People naturally sympathize with the weak.

Thanks to that, people began to listen to me more closely.

“But during our last meeting, the ledger you gave me… Ah, thank you, Shubel. I was a bit startled.”

I deliberately staggered a little, and Shubel quickly supported me.

My act of a shocked noblewoman leaning on her husband was flawless.

“I showed it to an expert. As I mentioned, I haven’t been in charge of this for long since inheriting it from my mother, so I really wanted to do well.”

This time, I acted like a motivated daughter-in-law, while Shubel wrapped an arm around my waist.

‘…He doesn’t have to go this far, does he?’

For a moment, I was flustered by the hand firmly around my waist, but I couldn’t show it in this situation, so I endured it.

Still feeling a bit bothered, I subtly shifted to avoid his hand—but his hand naturally followed.

‘What is this man doing?’

I pinched his arm without making it obvious. The body I was leaning against trembled slightly.

He’s laughing? At a time like this?

“But the expert said the pricing didn’t match. I wondered if there was a mistake in the listed price, so I made an inquiry to confirm—and somehow that seems to have been received as a report.”

Regardless of the silent war between Shubel and me, my performance continued.

And somewhere along the way, my “inquiry” had already turned into a “report.”

“We all heard it, didn’t we? The Elbanon guild only sells Hessen wheat.”

“That’s right.”

“They were bragging about it earlier too.”

Voices of agreement rose from the crowd.

At last, I succeeded in pinching Shubel’s hand hard enough to make him let go.

Feeling oddly triumphant, I declared:

“The ledger clearly states 100% Hessen wheat. But the expert said this: ‘No merchant guild in the southern region has ever sold that much Hessen wheat.’”

In that instant, people’s gazes turned toward Tyironts.

Both Tyironts and I spoke at the same time.

“That’s right. That expert is Tyironts Albio.”

“Hessen wheat, not Hecail wheat. If it were a transaction of that scale, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember it.”

“But now you’re saying even giving me that ledger was a lie… I’m very confused.”

The climax was approaching.

I posed a single question to the crowd, whose suspicions had been steadily building.

“Or… is there another ledger, and perhaps I received the wrong one?”

The heated atmosphere instantly fell silent, as if cold water had been poured over it.

Tension stretched tightly among the people.

A double ledger.

In the Financial Office, it was considered a grave crime—second only to tax evasion.

Usually, double ledgers were created to hide assets or evade taxes, so they were often treated as equivalent offenses.

As soon as the possibility of a double ledger was raised, even Hailey Michelle—who was about to resign—had a sharp change in expression.

It was a word that made even someone leaving their job take things seriously.

‘This is why I put on such a performance.’

In truth, I preferred simply crushing my opponent outright. But if handled poorly, it could look like a large merchant guild bullying a smaller one, so I had to proceed carefully.

And, well… there was a bit of personal sentiment mixed in too.

‘Mother blamed herself too much back then.’

I had already secured cooperation from insiders within the Elbanon guild, so I could have taken them down through internal whistleblowing. The reason I went this far was…

I wanted him to destroy himself—and pay for the emotional suffering he caused the Grand Duke’s family.

Also, the reason I invited an audience here was to leave a warning for the other guild leaders.

Even after I leave the Grand Duchy, whenever they deal with Runein, I want them to remember this scene.

‘Well, I suppose this is enough to repay their kindness.’

Ever since I coughed up blood, Bella had been worried and kept bringing me food and medicine, saying they were good for my health.

I knew how much effort it took to care about someone else’s well-being.

That’s why I felt sorry. I wasn’t actually sick.

But I couldn’t explain the real reason either, so I carried a bit of guilt.

“Please answer, Guild Master of Elbanon. Is this ledger truly fake? Are you saying that instead of this ledger—clearly stating 100% Hessen wheat, just as you said—there exists another one?”

“Th-that is…”

The guild master of Elbanon was trapped by his own words, unable to move forward or back.

If he claimed the ledger was fake, it would expose that he had sold something other than Hessen wheat.

That would be a breach of contract with Runein, meaning enormous penalties—not to mention his guild’s credibility would collapse.

There was no way the Financial Office would believe someone whose credibility had already fallen to the ground.

They would investigate thoroughly, and since they were experts at uncovering hidden assets, the rest didn’t even need to be said.

On the other hand, if he admitted that the ledger I presented was real, that was also a problem.

He might escape the immediate crisis, but once the ledger reached the Financial Office, any audit would quickly reveal pricing discrepancies.

And that would be the end.

The result wouldn’t change.

“…No. The ledger is real.”

And so, the guild master chose temporary escape.

I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

‘A coward to the very end.’

If he had chosen the first option, he could have at least tried to fight me over whether the ledger was forged.

Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered—the ledger had been perfectly replicated by a master copyist using one Kaisus duplicated.

“It would be best if you come with me to the Financial Office so we can discuss this at length, Guild Master of Elbanon.”

“What? W-wait! Financial officer, please give me some time—!”

“I told you, do not address me that way.”

I clicked my tongue inwardly as I watched the financial officer—eyes like a bird of prey that had already caught its target—drag the sweating guild master away.

In a few days, there would probably be a tiny article buried in the newspaper:

[So-and-so Merchant Guild seized by the Financial Office for double ledgers and hidden assets…]

“You’re still scary, Miss Seton.”

As the Elbanon guild master was dragged away, the atmosphere quickly turned chaotic. People glanced at me—the one who had invited them here.

I looked at the person who stepped in front of me and said:

“I’m married, you know?”

“I know. But once a young lady, always a young lady.”

With a sly grin, Tyironts then turned to Shubel behind me.

“Nice to meet you, Young Duke of Runein. You can call me Tyironts of Albio. Personally speaking… I suppose I’m something like Risha’s uncle—not by blood. I’ve known Elysia since she was this small.”

I was already dumbfounded by the unnecessary additions to his introduction, but what he said next was even worse.

“Our Risha used to say she’d marry me when she was little. And now she’s grown up like this… time really flies.”

“W-what are you saying, you drunk old man?!”

Flustered, I looked back and forth between Tyironts and Shubel.

Before I knew it, my face had turned bright red. It had been a long time since I’d been this embarrassed.

“Hahaha. You’re still cute, Risha. Anyway, please take care of her. She may look strong on the outside, but she’s actually quite soft inside.”

“Will you be quiet?!”

I bickered with Tyironts.

Even at his age, he still had the immaturity of a rebellious teenager.

As I brushed away his hand that was ruffling my hair, I became increasingly aware of the presence behind me.

For some reason, I was conscious of Shubel’s reaction.

‘Is this… embarrassment?’

I wasn’t sure of the exact reason, but it felt similar—like having a dark past exposed.

I nervously bit my lip. I didn’t even know how couples were supposed to react in situations like this.

‘Wait, why should I even care?’

We’re just a contract marriage anyway…

At that moment—

“My lady.”

Shubel called me.

I flinched slightly without realizing it, and then a gentle hand wrapped around my waist.

Like being caught in a trap, I couldn’t avoid him this time.

Shubel leaned in and whispered softly:

“Was that your type?”

“…What?”