Ch.268268. What, Were You Kidnapped or Something?

“It ended safely.”

As Elina Parseche let out a sigh of relief, I too leaned back against my chair.

“Indeed. It was tough.”

“I had no idea hair loss treatment would be so popular. Especially, while women showed little interest, it was explosive among men.”

“But in the end, didn’t business-minded women also express interest in purchasing?”

“That’s true. But now that we have the list, how should we sell it? We’ll need to decide on quantities too.”

I straightened up from my chair at Elina’s question.

“Probably, the more perceptive ones will visit the Parseche family to secure some exclusivity. Sell moderately while leaking information. Say that a large quantity of hair loss treatment will be coming in soon.”

“Ah… so we’re completely transferring the sales rights to them?”

“Yes, if that happens, attention won’t be focused solely on us but will be dispersed.”

“But is there really a need to disperse it?”

“You might not feel it yet, Lady Elina Parseche, but this hair loss treatment is an extraordinary product. They’ll desperately try to find out its source.”

Elina flinched in surprise and continued.

“What happens if someone from our meeting suddenly changes their attitude?”

“We’ll prepare for that by using contracts imbued with magical power.”

“Ah… then there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Yes, and anyway, even if they discover the ingredients, it won’t do them any good.”

“Why not?”

Why indeed. The key ingredient is the magical herb that grows in Pandera territory—how would they ever figure that out?

I smiled briefly, closing one eye momentarily before opening it again.

“Because the ingredients aren’t easily obtainable.”

“That’s a relief. By the way, when the nobles truly understand the efficacy of the hair loss treatment, they’ll go crazy.”

“Yes, they’ll be desperate to get on your good side, Lady Elina Parseche. You can accept bribes as long as it doesn’t cause trouble.”

“S-should I really be taking those?”

“Come on, you should keep that much at least. You must have worked hard organizing this meeting.”

Elina Parseche nodded with a flushed face.

“…Thank you.”

“Not at all. From what I saw today, all the nobles who gathered seem to be from quite powerful families. You must have worked hard to bring them together.”

I raised my glass on the table to celebrate our successful first meeting.

“Let’s get rich!”

At that, Elina Parseche chuckled and raised her glass high along with mine.

“Aren’t you already rich, Lord Selden Alphonse?”

“I’m still far from being rich.”

After downing my drink in one go and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, Elina Parseche put down her glass and spoke.

“By the way, isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“What’s uncomfortable?”

“That, the transformation leather on your face.”

“It was uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it after wearing it for a while.”

“Ah! It’s really amazing. It’s so perfect that even your family would be fooled.”

“I’ve never had a reason to deceive my family, so I haven’t tried it on them, but maybe I should try it for fun sometime?”

As I laughed playfully, Elina Parseche covered her mouth and burst into laughter again.

“Lord Selden Alphonse, you’re really quite amusing when I observe you.”

“Am I?”

“That’s why I was curious. Reagan Strom seemed genuinely intimidated by you.”

Well, that’s natural since I beat him up at our first meeting.

Still, it was fortunate.

If Reagan Strom had failed to correct his behavior today and acted similarly to our first encounter, I would have had to show an unpleasant side of myself in front of Elina Parseche.

“Haha, that can’t be. I think he’s just mistaking me for someone else.”

“I also said before that when Lord Selden Alphonse came wearing transformation leather, you looked familiar to me.”

“As I mentioned before, I was quite flustered then, so I don’t remember well.”

“…Hmm, you really don’t remember.”

Did I almost fall for Elina Parseche’s leading question by speaking thoughtlessly?

Cold sweat began to trickle down my forehead.

I quickly changed the subject.

“There aren’t many people here, are there?”

“I don’t visit Lumestia territory often either, but the food here is excellent, so I stop by whenever I come.”

“No wonder the food was quite excellent. I didn’t know such a small tavern would have such delicious food.”

“Oh my, do you like food too, Lord Selden Alphonse?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like food?”

“I thought you didn’t eat much since you’re so thin, Lord Selden Alphonse.”

Sigh…

It’s frustrating that I can’t take off my shirt and show my muscles.

I rolled up my sleeve and flexed my forearm hard.

“Can you see this?”

“Oh, you do have muscles!”

Despite the childish boast, I felt satisfied.

With a proud expression, I stroked the bridge of my nose and continued.

“I’m always misunderstood like this.”

Elina Parseche, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands.

“Ah, that’s right! You were talking a lot with Isabel earlier…?”

“Lady Isabel Montero?”

“Yes, I happened to see you earlier, and you were having a serious conversation with Isabel Montero.”

When did our pointless conversation turn serious?

Well, I suppose it might have looked that way to others.

Both of us did have serious expressions, if nothing else.

I smiled gently and scratched my head.

“I met her for the first time today, and she asked me various questions, so we ended up talking quite a bit. You must be close with Lady Isabel?”

“Well, my father is friends with Isabel’s father, so we have some acquaintance.”

“Oh, really? That’s unexpected.”

At that, Elina Parseche hesitated and then gave a faint smile.

“What’s unexpected about it?”

“After talking with her a few times, I didn’t think she would be close with you, Lady Elina Parseche.”

“Ah… really? Isabel is pretty, isn’t she? And her family’s wealth is enormous!”

She is pretty, but there’s something… off about her, like a loose screw somewhere?

I wanted to be honest, but since Elina said they were acquainted, I decided to hold my tongue.

“Yes, you and Lady Isabel Montero seemed to be the most popular at the meeting.”

“Oh my, not me.”

“Too much modesty is also a sin.”

Elina Parseche bowed her head with a reddened face.

“But it’s been a while since I’ve seen Isabel smiling and talking with someone.”

“…Pardon?”

“Isabel’s father hasn’t been well lately, so whenever I saw her, she didn’t look very happy.”

“Ah, I happened to hear about that too.”

“I… I see.”

“But she seemed very sensitive when men approached her. Is there a special reason for that?”

Elina Parseche’s expression stiffened slightly before she gave a bitter smile.

“Isabel is beautiful now, but she’s been exceptionally beautiful since childhood, which has caused her many difficult situations.”

“Ah… so that’s why she’s sensitive. No wonder there was a sudden chill when men approached her.”

“Was she like that with you too, Lord Selden Alphonse?”

“No. Perhaps because I didn’t approach her first, she wasn’t cold to me. Still, she was sensitive enough that casual conversation seemed difficult…”

Elina Parseche opened her mouth slightly, then closed it firmly, her pupils darting back and forth.

“Something happened.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s not so serious that I can’t talk about it, but it’s personal…”

“What, was she kidnapped or something?”

At those words, Elina Parseche turned pale.

With wide eyes, she continued.

“Was she really kidnapped?”

“N-no, she almost was kidnapped.”

“How did that happen?”

Then, Elina Parseche squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep sigh.

“It was a little over a year ago. The Montero territory was in chaos because of it.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Please don’t ever mention this to Isabel. It must be a painful past she wants to forget.”

“Well, I probably won’t meet her again anyway…”

“You might meet her again at our meetings.”

“Hmm, alright. Even if I happen to meet her, I’ll keep my mouth firmly shut.”

As I said that, I pressed my lips together, and Elina Parseche clenched her fist and hit her own head a few times.

“I shouldn’t have brought up Isabel in the first place…”

“Don’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t told me, I might have thought she was actually kidnapped, not just almost kidnapped.”

“…Sigh.”

After hearing the story, I could somewhat understand why she was so sensitive.

Elina Parseche hit her head a couple more times and then stood up.

“Lord Selden Alphonse, I’ll be going now. I have to visit Lumestia territory.”

“Understood.”

After exchanging farewells, I sat back down in my chair, feeling dejected.

I wondered if I had been too sensitive in my reaction to Isabel.

I felt somewhat apologetic.

So much so that I wanted to drink more even after Elina Parseche had left the tavern.

“Levan?”

As I raised my hand to order one last drink, I quickly turned my head at the sound of someone calling me.

And there she was.

“Levan, fancy seeing you here.”

Isabel Montero.

She was standing in front of me, smiling brightly.