episode_0068

As they neared the banquet hall, the sounds of music grew louder. Musicians held their instruments, stirring the people’s excitement. Guests strolled through the grand hall, exchanging pleasantries. They spoke in hushed tones as if sharing secrets, their faces hidden behind fans, making their expressions unreadable. It was like a silent masquerade.

It was evident that the nobles had paid extra attention to their appearance for this ‘Autumn Banquet’. Dazzling ornaments hung from their clothes, gold chains coiled around their necks and arms, and rings on every finger sparkled with each lift of a wine glass. Everyone was dressed so lavishly that it was hard to tell who was more distinguished.

The nobles knew each other well. “Whose family are you from?” “It’s been too long.” “Your daughter has grown into quite the young lady.” “Haha, you’ve become quite dashing yourself.” Such conversations drifted through the air. It would be stranger if the nobles of Deseo didn’t know each other, having formed factions for so long.

“Hello.” A couple greeted us.

“Hello. Good evening.”

“You seem new here. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from?”

“We are from Marlanu.”

“Marlanu…? Ah, I see! You’ve come a very long way.”

Mr. Aban’s words were true. He had said that if difficult questions arose, you could just make something up, and the nobles, eager to show off their knowledge, would eventually accept it as truth. The couple nodded as if they had truly heard of the nonexistent, fictional region of ‘Marlanu’.

My job was simply to make it a little more plausible. Just add a little spice.

“Yes. As you know, it’s famous for its grapes and roses. Even the glass of wine you’re holding now came from our region.”

“Oh my. This precious wine is from Marlanu? I thought I heard it was from Birchon.”

“Birchon’s grapes are famous, but their roots, in fact, originate from Marlanu.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. How could I forget? Your pride in your homeland is truly remarkable!”

“Thank you for the kind words, but it’s nothing compared to this glorious city of Deseo.”

The nobles of Deseo held a certain pride in dominating this grand city. After praising my fake hometown, if I then elevated Deseo as the best, the couple’s lips would curve upward in satisfaction.

“Haha. You are an amusing person. I am Gal Luphen, and this is Trizia. And you are…?”

“I am Fosao Modaless. This is Tia.”

The Luphen couple looked at Mr. Fosao. By now, it would have been polite for him to say a word, but his continued silence and passive listening seemed to raise their eyebrows.

“…It was a pleasant conversation, Madam Modaless.”

“It was a delightful encounter for me as well, Mr. Luphen.”

The conversations went like this. As we strolled through the banquet hall, one or two people would approach us. Even if there wasn’t much to talk about, it was noble etiquette to somehow engage in conversation. However, conversations didn’t last long. Most people enjoyed talking with me, but they seemed deeply uncomfortable with Mr. Fosao standing silently beside me. Honestly… even I would find it a little scary if a man who was unpleasant to look at just stood there expressionlessly.

After making our rounds, we sat down at a table to attend the evening banquet. Mr. Fosao spoke, his face haggard.

“I-I’m sorry… Because of me… It’s not, not going well, is it?”

“No. You’re doing great.”

“I-I interfered… I’m sorry.”

Mr. Fosao was much more withdrawn than before.

“Sir, I told you not to do that. You should be more confident. You’re doing well already, so act even more arrogant.”

“……Arrogant?”

I whispered a new strategy into his ear. “If people seem to ignore you, try a loud cough. It’ll be effective.”

“A-Alright….”

The sound of music announcing the start of the banquet echoed. Servants rushed out, beginning to serve delicious food at each table. Dishes heavily laden with numerous spices… They were exquisite, far superior to anything we had ever eaten.

Mr. Fosao’s eyes widened at the sight of the food. Unfortunately, most of it consisted of steak or bread that required a knife to cut.

“……”

We had agreed that if he couldn’t handle a knife, he shouldn’t touch anything at all. Mr. Fosao sadly gazed at the food. He looked so pitiful that I cut a few pieces of steak and placed them on his plate.

The Luphen couple, seated opposite us, chuckled amusingly.

“Hoho—Madam Modaless, you’re doting on him. To personally cut the meat for your husband. We were too shy to do such things even when we were newlyweds.”

“Ahahaha……”

“But Mr. Modaless looks unwell today. Is there anything that displeases him?”

I quickly answered on his behalf.

“Oh—He says the food doesn’t suit him.”

“Oh my.” Madam Luphen tilted her head. “We invited the finest chef in Deseo. That’s an unexpected assessment, isn’t it?”

“He’s simply accustomed to my cooking.”

“You cook yourself? Good heavens… You must go to great lengths, Madam.”

Just speaking whatever came to mind, I had somehow become a ‘rare woman who diligently supported her husband.’ One by one, other nobles appeared around us. They initially came to greet the Luphen couple but showed interest after hearing our conversation.

“Hahaha! Modaless, you say…? Excuse me, but I’ve never heard that name before. What brings you to Deseo?”

“We’ve come to conduct ‘business’.”

“Business?”

They looked at each other with blank expressions, then burst into laughter.

“Surely you haven’t mistaken this place for ‘The Feast,’ where boastful rich people gather, have you? Are you saying you want to earn money like *those* people?”

Their tone was mocking. To them, ‘business’ seemed to be perceived merely as a lowly means to earn money. Especially now that they were on the verge of losing their positions to commoner merchants, it certainly wouldn’t be a pleasant topic.

“What? They came to do business?” “How uninteresting. As expected of country bumpkins…” Other nobles turned their backs in dismissive disdain. A cold, indifferent atmosphere settled over us.

At that moment.

“Ahem–!!!”

For a moment, I thought thunder had struck the banquet hall. Everyone was startled by the tremendous cough, and a woman holding a wine glass lost her grip, shattering it with a clang. It was as if a sleeping beast had awakened. The heavy reverberation froze everyone.

The source of the sound was… Mr. Fosao. His face was contorted into a fierce, scowling expression. To these nobles, who had only ever seen beautiful, refined people, Mr. Fosao’s savage face must have been pure terror. Furthermore, he was a man who hadn’t uttered a single word until now, so his unexpected reaction delivered a fresh shock to everyone.

Good. This was a good opportunity to change the atmosphere. I immediately pretended to apologize to Mr. Fosao.

“Oh my. Was something bothering you? I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“……”

Mr. Fosao adjusted his posture. The chair creaked under his massive body as if it would break. His gaze, conveying displeasure with the banquet hall, his raised chin, and his arms resting on the armrests—it was the perfect posture of an ‘arrogant noble’. And with his young wife constantly apologizing as if she had offended his feelings, people held their breath, unable to even guess how ferocious this man might be.

Now, with everyone’s attention focused. I slowly opened my mouth.

“I ask for everyone’s understanding. We haven’t merely traveled this far to Deseo to earn a few coins. My husband has graciously made this journey to revive the weakened Modaless family, and to bring a new wave of change for all of you great people in Deseo.”

Mr. Fosao glared at the nobles with wide eyes. Matching his demeanor, I improvised my words.

“……However, he says he is displeased that you seem to disregard our intentions.”

“Oh, no. Not at all, Duke Modaless. That was not our intention. We apologize for the misunderstanding.” The man who had told us to go to ‘The Feast’ hastily apologized. Others nodded as well.

“But business, you say? I’d like to hear more details about what kind of business it is.”

They seemed to be genuinely interested now. I slowly began to explain, as we had prepared.

“Actually, as of a few days ago, we have acquired half of the steel market shares in Deseo.”

It was a slight exaggeration, but it was true nonetheless. Perhaps it was the first truth confessed since arriving at this banquet.

There were many ironmonger guilds in Deseo. This was due to its proximity to Rottenban, which encompassed a massive mine. It was said that in the past, iron from this mountainous region was sold extensively through maritime trade. However, the iron market had recently fallen into a severe recession. As conditions worsened, more and more guilds began to close their businesses. Seizing this opportunity, Mr. Fosao personally toured the market and signed contracts at dirt-cheap prices. In this way, he was able to secure roughly half—or so it was estimated—of the market.

As people stroked their chins, lost in thought.

“Hahahaha!”

Suddenly, a man burst into loud laughter and approached us.

“You mean to conduct business with iron? Is it Madam Modaless you speak of?”

“Yes.”

“Madam, it seems you are unaware of why the value of ‘iron’ has fallen in Deseo recently.” He spoke with an arrogant demeanor.

“Most of the iron entering Deseo comes from the Rottenban mines. It has been a very reliable mine that has supported Deseo for a long time, but what profit could there be in digging it further now, when iron ore brought from overseas is cheaper?” The man’s lapel was embroidered with a golden eagle crest. The Piolo family. Grandma had told me to be especially careful of Rudy, the second son of that family. He had a prickly, critical personality that even other nobles found difficult to deal with. So, this was him.

“Hmph hmph. I thought you were boasting about signing a contract with some foreign company and starting a business, but you’ve come to this banquet having only secured shares of small guilds affected by Rottenban’s circumstances. You must have struggled on your long journey, but it seems this doesn’t suit the ‘caliber’ of this place, Madam.”

Rudy shrugged his shoulders and spun around. Then, as if to make sure everyone heard him, he began to speak in a loud voice.

“I have heard of countless places, but never once have I heard the name ‘Marlanu’. Even if it exists, for me not to know of it… it must be a very distant, small place, one whose influence I can only doubt, wouldn’t you agree?”

People murmured.

“Hmm… indeed.”

“I’ve never heard of it either.”

He grinned and raised his hand towards me again.

“Furthermore, while Madam Modaless’s beauty is unparalleled, the pitiful necklace around her neck brings to mind the impoverished life of a commoner in some small village.”

I touched my neck. He was talking about the ruby necklace Ritsu had given me. Most nobles’ necklaces were made of gold chains. The embedded jewels were noticeably large. In contrast, my necklace was made of a leather cord, and the gem was no larger than a fingernail. In their eyes, it couldn’t help but look shabby.

Rudy sneered at me.

“And what exactly is the lineage of ‘Modaless’ to begin with? Surely you haven’t shamelessly bought some unknown rural noble’s family tree, like *those* lowly, common people, and tacked yourselves onto the side?”

“Pfft.”

“Hahaha.”

Sounds of laughter echoed from various directions. Though their faces were hidden by fans, their eyes held clear derision.