Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon hearing the inexplicable anger contained in the tone of the female merchant, Norwin shook his head and said in a sincere manner, “Miss Yaj, I’m not cursing the future fate of Kattaman but the Yassen Kingdom is indeed far stronger than your home country in terms of military strength and cohesiveness of the country. For this reason, Kattaman people need to become an ally with Fran. The way you assumed how the Fran Kingdom would treat the Kattaman City State if she had won the century-old war is completely meaningless. The reality is that we’ve now lost and we’re being exploited as a defeated person by Yassen. Your situation is almost the same with ours as well. Since all of us share the same enemy, it’s just a matter of fact that we’re a natural ally.”
Norwin’s words were polite. Yaj’s body turned stiff and after she jumped off the carriage, she looked back at the young man dressed in a hunting jacket and suddenly smiled wryly, “Mr. Norwin, I’m only a merchant who has fallen into some difficulties, while the coat of arms on your cuffs shows that you’re born in the Dupan Family who has lost their territory in the early days of the century-old war. Don’t you think that it’s too ridiculous for two identities like us to talk about the fortune of two big countries?”
“Miss Yaj, Sage Arinad has one said before that, ‘an ordinary person can shake the entire mainland too if there’s a fulcrum’. Besides, you’re not an ordinary merchant, but the most talented and influential leader in the young generation of the Sea Haines City. Even though I’m only a descendant of a lost aristocrat, behind me stood the most beloved son of Fran’s Sun King, His Royal Highness Prince Edo de Parildo.” A glimmer flashed across Norwin’s eyes as he said, with ambition blatant in his tone. Then, he turned his gaze to a simple horse carriage, that was painted with a stupid-looking quail standing on the black iron castle, that was slowly moving to them from the distance.
The black iron castle carriage approached the mansion and slowly stopped behind Yaj’s elegant carriage. Before the servants could open the door, a blonde-haired young man full of vigor who was also dressed in a black leather hunting jacket, same as Norwin’s, leaped down from the carriage.
“Miss Yaj, your carriage is really fast. It seems that your four beautiful beasts are indeed pure blood.” That person who got out of the carriage looked at the female merchant not far away and said with a hearty laugh.
“You flatter me, Your Highness,” Yaj elegantly crossed her legs and bent her knees as she replied. “Compared to the world-famous pure-blood unicorn dragon-horse in the pen in Maple Palace, they could only be said as crippled donkeys in the field.”
“You called me Your Highness? Oh, Norwin…” Upon hearing the way the female merchant addressed himself, the blonde man looked at Norwin in astonishment and the latter had no choice but to explain with a wry smile, “Edo, Miss Yaj recognized the black iron castle coat of arms on your carriage and guessed your identity.”
“Ha! That’s why I said I should randomly fabricate an aristocrat coat of arms since I plan to travel in disguise in Kattaman…” Upon hearing so, Edo frowned and grumbled before being interjected by a young beautiful charming girl wearing a big skirt who was walking down from the carriage gracefully. “Dear big brother, stop making silly comments. It’s not like we have any intention to deceive others, we just don’t wish to attract any attention. However, even so, we should apologize to Mr. Camano and Miss Yaj…”
As the girl was speaking, she walked up gracefully to the city defense officer wearing a battle attire and curtseyed, “Mr. Camano, big brother and I didn’t have the intention to deliberately conceal our identity. It’s just that it’s really inconvenient for me to disclose our special status when we travel so I hope you can understand.”
When Camano saw the princess apologizing in such a sincere manner, his face that was originally cold turned gentle right away. With a wry smile, he said, “Miss Seliya, I understand your hardship but fooling us in such a way… Ah forget it, a man should be magnanimous. Besides, the two of you didn’t completely hide the truth of your identity anyway. It was me who didn’t catch the clue.”
“Then are we still friends in the future?” the girl asked softly.
“Of course, we are still friends.” Camano whose anger had unknowingly dissipated nodded.
A happy smile spread across Seliya’s beautiful and delicate face. “Since we are still friends, can you help me to persuade Miss Yaj not to mind our disguise that we had no choice but to put on?”
In the face of such an angelic beauty’s pleading, it was not only Camano who could not refuse, but even Yaj who was of the same sex and was in a terrible state could also only gladly accept the apology. At once, the originally stale awkward situation became unprecedentedly harmonious right away.
Then, after some talk, Yaj made a correct assessment of the situation and seemed to have reached an agreement with the guests from Fran as she began to invite them to stay at Golden Flower Terrier Manor as well.
However, even though Edo had a noble identity, it was added on to the fact that he was especially favored by the Sun King. According to the aristocratic inheritance law recognized by the Green Leaf Mainland, if he could not become Fran’s King, then the territory that he could get in his entire life would be two to three manors that were about the same level with the Golden Flower Terrier Manor and a vain palace title of ‘count’. Besides, he had not received these ‘gifts’ yet so he could only rely on his annuity to survive.
As an ancient kingdom in the Green Leaf Mainland, even though the royal family annuity was pretty sumptuous and was enough for the noble princes and princesses to live a very decent life, it was still nothing short of a drop in the bucket to solve the debt dilemma of the big business establishments in the Kattaman City State’s second capital.
Therefore, after swallowing a piece of painted pie and becoming the most preferred candidate for partnership for Dignity King of the Fran Kingdom in expanding their influence in the Kattaman City State, the female merchant did not get any practical benefit a useful chess piece should get but instead, she still needed to work hard for the survival of her own business.
Time passed slowly in the atmosphere that was getting more festive at Sea Haines City. Contrary to the city’s growing cheerful atmosphere, the smile on the face of Yaj, who failed to get any loan and kept encountering dead ends, was getting scarce as the day went by.
Finally, after receiving a letter from a hawk on New Year’s Eve, the female merchant’s final forced fake smile was completely shattered too.
In the small simple yet elegant dining hall in the Golden Flower Terrier Manor, when Norwin saw that the female merchant sitting on the master’s seat on the dining table covered with white velvet sheet had a blank expression on while smothering a hidden paper near a candlestick to burn it with a trembling body, he asked in a whisper, “Yaj, what’s wrong?”
“Father wrote to me. He finally got the promise that the family will fully support the Golden Velvet Flower Trading to tide over the difficulties but the price is that our family will lose everything.” Now that things had finally come to the worst stage, Yaj calmed down instead after taking a deep breath and replied in a low voice.
“What do you mean will lose everything?” Roman who was sitting next to the female merchant was stunned and asked in a whisper. As the chief culprit in this disaster, this young man who looked impressive but lacked worth no longer envied his sister and had the means to provoke her authority. Instead, he seemed to be submissive and servile now when he spoke.
“‘Everything’ means, after New Year, the Golden Flower Terrier Manor, the shares of the Golden Velvet Flower Trading, the savings in the City Bank, the mineral resources in Dupone and Frenza, as well as the commercial sailing route to the Scorpion Island and everything else will all be taken away by the family. You, me, father, and mother will have no choice but to be homeless and live on the street.” The female merchant stared into her brother’s eyes and said dryly.
“No, no, this is not true!” Such a miserable ending was far beyond the worst-case scenario that Roman had first expected, of which he thought that his family would only lose the Golden Velvet Flower Trading. At once, he could not help but cry out in panic, “But the savings in the City Bank and the mineral resources in Dupone and Frenza are our own assets! The family has no right to deprive us of those! T-They have no right to do this…”
“But the family has the right to send you, who stole Father’s seal to invest in Fran’s war bond and caused such a great loss to the Golden Velvet Flower Trading, to the gallows.” The female merchant stared coldly at her own brother and said one word at a time.
“Yaj, is there no other way?” Through these few days of contact, Norwin had fully understood the business talent and perseverance of the female merchant and knew that it would be very difficult to find another partner who was more suitable than her so he asked with a frown.
“Of course, if Sun King could send that famous ‘black messenger’ to contact Mishen Family, I believe the family head who represents the direct strength of the patriarch will definitely make concessions…” Yaj fell into a moment of silence. Even though she did not have too much hope, she still turned her attention to Edo.
“I’ll try my best but the time is too tight now, Yaj. I don’t think it’s possible for Father to randomly send out a secret messenger to a ‘golden family’ before fully realizing your value. I’m sorry I have no power to help you any more than this,” Edo pondered for a moment and sighed.
“I’m already grateful enough for your willingness to try, Your Highness.” The female merchant smiled gratefully at the Prince of Fran and lowered her head for a long time in silence. When she raised her head once again, there was already a decisive expression on her face.
Illuminated by the bright candlelight, she looked at the only black-haired young man; the only person who kept eating and drinking at the dining table, and said, “Sir Lisheng, I really don’t wish to make such a request that goes against my conscience and fairness but if you can write to my family and tell them that the trade rights with the Scorpion Island’s natives belong to me rather than the Golden Velvet Flower Trading…”
“Miss Yaj, since it is against your conscience and fairness, why would you still come up with such a suggestion?” Zhang Lisheng placed a piece of tender raptor into his mouth and interrupted the female merchant, “If I did what you want, even though the odds are not big, your family might harm me to punish your family of four and keep the trading route with Wizard Li. Of course, I won’t mind such little things but I’m not a fool, nor do I owe you anything…”
“I know that it’s me who keeps owing you, Sir Lisheng.” Sir Lisheng looked at her brother who seemed to have lost his soul and clenched her fists before saying in a pale face, “But didn’t you promise me before that as long as I can always remember your goodwill and give you a certain return, you’d always help me to solve whatever difficulty that I face? I’ll go to your bedroom tonight to give you the maximum return I can give, so are you willing to help me in that case?”
