Chapter 244

“…’

Minah greeted Harnier as she arrived at the Merchant Guild of Plesia by carriage.

Without a word, Harnier stepped out of the carriage.

The coachman was surprised, almost shocked, seeing such a significant change in his mistress.

Walking briskly towards the building, Harnier’s lips curled up involuntarily.

It was because even now, she couldn’t forget the math trip that had ended.

—Of course.

“Ah.”

Harnier flinched at the recurring voice of Carsein.

Her face flushed instantly, her cheeks turning red, and she felt a rising heat. Her body twisted in discomfort.

In the carriage, she often buried her face in her hands when her face turned hot.

Thus, she felt a sense of regret.

“…It would have been better if it lasted longer.”

If only there were no troubles at all.

She had given him a gift during their time together, repaying the debt she owed him.

By extending the contract, she could continue spending time with him.

And then, more happened…

It was a perfect math trip.

It was a truly excellent journey, leaving her speechless with the feeling of seeing the sea for the first time.

But it was too short.

That was the flaw.

—Click.

As she approached Minah at the Merchant Guild of Plesa, she greeted her as usual.

“Welcome, Miss Harnier. How was your math trip—”

Then she quickly noticed.

‘Oh my?’

Usually, when Harnier arrived at the guild, she had a troubled expression.

On some days, a heavy silence weighed down on her.

On others, she bit her lip in frustration.

When she visited the Marquis House of Teresia, she would sigh.

The only times she looked somewhat better were when she sighed or expressed enthusiasm about the next task after a plan went well.

Harnier had always been this way.

Given how badly she had been treated as an illegitimate child of the Marquis House of Teresia, it was no surprise.

But today was different.

Putting her hand to her mouth slightly, her beautiful face paused momentarily before she showed a small smile.

This was quite surprising.

‘She’s making a face I never imagined, Miss.’

Seeing Harnier return to her seat, Minah gave a sly smile.

Now, she must find out what happened.

How should she start?

After a moment of thought, Minah came up with a good idea.

“Miss, did that swimsuit have any effect?”

Harnier suddenly jumped, looking around in panic.

Seeing her startled reaction, it was clear she was already on edge.

“It had an effect! The swimsuit was too much… It didn’t work as a gift at all!”

Harnier, feeling hot, fanned herself frantically, rambling about the design being too much or exposing too much skin.

‘Ah, our Miss really can’t be honest.’

Minah knew very well that Harnier wasn’t good at lying.

So this was a very positive sign.

‘It had a huge effect!’

‘That said, her reaction is definitely better than usual.’

She was blushing even more and rambling more.

This couldn’t go unchecked.

Minah threw another bait.

“Yes? I asked if it had any effect as a product?”

“Huh?”

“Since you’re in the clothing business, expanding into swimsuits would be great, right? You tried out the swimsuit as a product, so what’s wrong with that?”

“Ah, uh. If you’re talking about that… heh… as a swimsuit…”

When Harnier slipped away like a slippery eel, she seemed at a loss.

‘Yes, this is 100%.’

The gift she gave Carsein seemed to have had a huge effect.

There was no reason to hesitate anymore.

Why bother struggling when her feelings for the man she had in mind were so clear?

Minah asked directly.

“Miss Harnier, how did Lord Carsein react?”

“What, what?”

“You gave him a swimsuit as a gift, so he must have reacted somehow.”

“There was nothing special!”

Minah didn’t let Harnier’s excuse slide.

“Did you not show it to him? After taking on such a big debt? You missed the chance to give your fiancé a special gift? So you can’t even say how he reacted?”

Minah leaned in closer with each question, and Harnier reluctantly blushed and answered.

“Yes, he said it was pretty… We had a chance to be alone at the beach… That’s when I showed it to him.”

“Yes, you need to speak up, Miss!

“That’s all?”

“No, he also said it suited me well.”

“Is that all? There must have been some gesture or something!”

“…”

Encouraged by Minah, Harnier hesitated for a moment before spilling everything.

“He hugged me… He told me not to show it to others… And…”

“Oh my.

What a major event.

Minah covered her mouth.

“…”

“Anyway, he extended the contract. This is settled… right?”

Unexpectedly, her mouth opened wide.

The more she listened, the more astonishing the story became.

It was as vivid as a scene from a romance novel.

It was even more intense and sweet than she could imagine.

So now was the time.

“Miss Harnier, you have feelings for Lord Carsein.”

“What, what are you talking about?!”

“Haven’t you noticed, Miss? Every time you meet Lord Carsein, you come with a bright face.”

“Huh?”

“When you talk to us, you make faces we’ve never seen before. When Lord Carsein is mentioned during work, you light up like a flower. You smile suddenly while reviewing documents. All these changes are because of Lord Carsein.”

Harnier jumped, not knowing Minah had observed her so closely.

While holding Harnier’s hand, Minah pressed on.

“You keep thinking about him, don’t you? You keep remembering him, don’t you? You’re keeping him in your heart, aren’t you?”

“That, that is…”

“You love him, don’t you?”

“Fresh young love is beautiful.

“But you need to be more proactive. You shouldn’t just turn away like this.”

Minah decided to push further.

“If you don’t express yourself properly, someone else might take him away.”

“What?”

“Lord Carsein is clearly a wonderful man. His status and abilities are impressive. He’s young, tall, and trained, practically perfect. Don’t you see?”

“…”

“I see you’ve experienced this before.

Harnier’s face hardened, showing she had felt anxious before.

This was actually good.

“There are many women actively trying to win the man they want nowadays. This is how you can keep Lord Carsein,”

Minah huffed, and Harnier swallowed hard.

“How do I do that?”

“Now, Miss, you need to catch Lord Carsein!”

Soon, the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament will open.

It will be a perfect bridge to connect them.

—Tap.

Sighing, she closed the document.

Her head still felt numb, as if it had collided hard.

I failed to save someone in the past, and that person eventually met death.

Just like the message that someone’s fate was determined by my choices, this was also full of questions.

“No. In a way, this situation itself is a question.”

Every time she dug into the traces of the Kingdom of Wederos, this special reward message appeared.

I wonder what it means.

Is this really helping me clear the game?

These doubts arose.

“Enough. For now, let’s focus on Episode.”

The whereabouts of the prophet also remained unknown, and he hadn’t appeared since.

Exploring the traces of the Kingdom of Wederos wouldn’t yield anything new.

Instead, there was something she needed to do now.

▶<Another Plan> has chosen <Territory> as the method to obtain funds.

▶Condition 1: Possess 100,000 Pesel.

I need to earn money.

Money to repay the debt to the Duke’s House.

—Heehee.

“Young Master, we’ve arrived at the Duke’s House.”

—Ding!

▶Your late return incurs a penalty.

“Curses.”

I couldn’t even figure out what was going on.

Now, a penalty?

Frustrating, but there’s no help for it.

I’m somewhat prepared for this episode.

▶Isabella is waiting to greet you.

This penalty will be from Isabella.

Depending on the situation, it could be the most annoying or the easiest.

I’ll have to consider this when choosing options.

I got off the carriage indifferently.

[Isabella Bargrand]

[Friendship Level: 75%]

From afar, I saw the Duchess watching me.

Looking at the friendship level, it hasn’t dropped yet.

However.

“Huh. Finally back.”

The timing is awful.

If Ariana were here, things would be fixed.

“What took you so long?”

—Ding!

▶You must answer Ariana’s question.

[1. I met my fiancée.]

[2. Why is it wrong to meet people from the West?]

[3. Is there a problem with managing my territory?]

No matter which option I choose, my friendship level will drop.

Isabella waited for hours, and I can’t argue that Carsein is justified in any case.

The same goes for the three sisters.

Ariana, Claire, and Flora haven’t contacted me since they arrived, so I’ll receive a penalty here.

“Still, it’s better to deal with one than all three.”

Thinking this, I decided to choose option 1.

▶Option disappears.

“Alright, Ariana.”

“But, Mother!”

“Just maybe she played longer than expected. Don’t scold her too harshly.”

When Ariana tried to scold me, Isabella stopped her.

Another unexpected situation.

It seems the options disappeared because of this.

Let’s test it.

“I’m sorry. Something happened at my territory, so I’m a bit late.”

“Why bow your head? It’s just a little delay. Besides, territorial matters are understandable.”

Though I tested it, Isabella accepted it with a smile.

With this response… there’s no big issue.

“Since everyone is here, let’s have dinner. I’ve prepared it in advance.”

Seeing everyone gathered, Isabella naturally recited her familiar lines.

—Ding!

[1. Have dinner together.]

[2. Eat separately.]

To increase friendship, it’s better to eat together.

But I prioritize time over friendship.

“I’ll skip dinner. I ate earlier outside.”

“…Really?”

Isabella asked with a disappointed tone.

Ariana frowned slightly, and as expected, my friendship level decreased.

▶Ariana’s friendship level decreased.

[Current Level: 28%]

Well, decreased.

I can raise Ariana’s friendship level through events later.

The problem is the other two.

‘Hmm?’

[Clare Bargrand]

[Friendship Level: 80%]

[Flora Bargrand]

[Friendship Level: 70%]

Their friendship levels should have dropped with this choice.

Maybe something good happened, making this seem insignificant.

‘I don’t care. I’m not in a position to worry about that.’

Actually, I didn’t eat dinner, but if I get hungry, I can ask Camila to bring me a piece of bread.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Sure. You must be tired from playing in the sea. Get some rest.”

Entering the room, I picked up pen and paper again, pretending to work.

Why pretend to work instead of actually working? Because a guest is coming.

—Knock knock.

“Lord Carsein, there’s a visitor.”

Here we go.

Not having dinner now.

When I enter the room directly, urgent matters like this are conveyed.

‘It’s about the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament.’

Whoever comes is random.

It may become easier or harder depending on friendship, but this is purely luck.

“Let them in.”

When the door opened, Ariana was there.

The most troublesome one.

I casually put down my pen and asked.

“What brings you here?”

“Take it.”

Pretending.

“During dinner, I would have brought it up, but Mother said that after this symposium, she wants to return all authority. However, I can’t just accept that blindly.”

This was a familiar line.

“So, I want to see how much you’ve changed through the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament.”

—Ding!

▶Ariana presented a contract for the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament. Signing it automatically accepts the conditions for Episode II.

[1. Sign.]

[2. Don’t sign.]

“If you sign, you’ll participate in the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament. If you prove your qualifications and dignity here, I’ll return all the authority I’ve taken back—”

—Shushushu.

Without listening to Ariana, I grabbed the pen.