9 Chapter 9 ~ Carla Alexandria - CharacterPOV#1

Carla Alexandria - was a daughter of a very famous noble house that had served the Kingdom of Artemis since the day of its foundation.

She was a very smart person who also has talents for knives, swords, and magic; she was revered as a genius person since she was little. In her teens, she studied in a very famous Knights School where she was able to improve not just her already very high knowledge, but also her combat abilities.

After she graduated, she was immediately able to serve the knights because of her immense talent. But after just a year of experience in the knights, her parents had already decided a partner for her, and they requested an immediate marriage. Of course, Carla wasn't able to accept it and decided to run away from her house.

Using her talent for business and with the help of the few coins she was left with, she was able to make a name for herself in the Merchant Association. And at the age of 24, under the name \"Carlo Alexandria\", she was able to become one of the richest and most known individuals in the Kingdom.

And now, Carla Alexandria sat on her sofa in the living room of her own mansion. She was sipping her tea and eating her strawberry-flavored cake that was placed on top of her favorite glass table.

[ How did it turned out, Carla-sama? ] asked her butler, Gerald.

Since the day Carla was born, Gerald was already a servant of their house. He took care of her since she was just a little kid in the place of her parents; for Carla, her relationship with Gerald was not that of a master and servant, but that of a parent and child.

[ Un, the business turned out fine. I was able to make a connection with what might be a very great client in the future while also eliminating another corrupt noble. That money Noble Baldo had receive will not be of any use for him... He would only use those coins to pay for his depts. I'm sure he would be kicked out and his Baron position would be taken from him. You do know that the Royal family hates people who betrayed their expectations, right? ]

[ Still as cruel as ever Carla-sama... ]

That was right. Carla Alexandria was a very \"Cruel\" person. Carla hated the corrupt since she was just a kid, and so she had kicked out many of them from their positions and took them to the lowest place possible. This was one of the reasons why she became a very famous person in the higher hierarchy of society.

[ It's business, Gerald. If a client doesn't have any money left anymore, might as well kick them out and replace them with another, right? ]

What she said was a bluff, the truth was, the business was not the reason why she had kicked out those nobles, only because she had hated them.

[ If you say so, Carla-sama... ] Gerald replied with a bow.

[ Anyway, what do you think of that guy, Carla-sama...? ]

Hearing those words had made the positive expression on Carla's face disappear.

( That guy, huh...? Vlad-san... )

Spinning the small empty cup on her hand, she answered:

[ Well... At first, I thought he was seducing me... It was very hard to stare at his eyes... ]

[ Wha...? I know he has a very handsome face, but I did not expect even you would say something like that Carla-sama... ]

Hearing those words from his master, Gerald's expression turned baffled.

[ Un... Even I was surprised... It might not be an exaggeration to say that he was the most good-looking man in the Kingdom. ]

[ Carla-sama... This was the first time you had complimented a man. I must say. ]

[ O-Oh...? Is that so... We-Well, there's no lying that he was very good-looking, I will not be even surprised if someone says he's more gorgeous than Prince Kaigo himself. ]

[ Hmm... I did not yet to meet with Prince Kaigo, but if you're comparing this man with royalty, you really must have been taken by him, aren't you Carla-sama? The truth is Carla-sama... You're already 24, you need to look for a partner... Every day I pray to the Goddesses that they will give you a man, and now, there's Vlad-kun, whose looks resemble that of an angel. Don't say that this is just a coincidence, Carla-sama! ] Gerald shouted with great enthusiasm on his face.

[ S-Stop kidding around, Gerald! You know that the face of a person does not attract me. There's no chance that I would take a liking to that man. ] with a blush on her face, Carla shouted.

[ If the face does not work on you, Carla-sama, then how about his personality? You know I let him in to meet you not only because he looks rich, but also because I did not feel any sense of malice coming from him... ]

[ I know... But his personality...? Actually, there's not much to say about his personality... He was like a commoner meeting an Aristocrat for the first time... ]

( In short, he was very weird. )

[ But... There's something about him that perplexes me... Staring at his eyes, I felt two emotions swell inside me... ]

[ Oh~? And what are those, Carla-sama? ]

With a pause, Carla answered:

[ Mainly, Charm... and Fear... ] Carla muttered with a very serious expression on her face.

[ Shiro... was unlike any other people I have met so far. Why was he so timid? Maybe he's just really good at hiding his true personality... I don't know but whenever I stare at his eyes, I feel excitement... but also fear... ]

[ ... That was a very vague and hard to understand answer, Carla-sama... ]

[ Anyway, not minding what his true personality is, he might turn out to be a great client for the future. ]

The gold coins Shiro had sold her can be very expensive if she melts it and turns it into carvings and gold bars. If she could get any more items like that from Shiro, she would immediately grab that opportunity without a second thought.

[ Haah... On with the business again, Carla-sama? Isn't it about time that you look for a partner? ]

[ I'll think about that in the future, Gerald. Right now, that doesn't matter a little. ]

( A partner is unnecessary... It would only get in the way of my business... )

Of course, Carla prioritizes her trading business than any kind of relationship. She wouldn't let a single person ruin all of her hard work.

[ Carla-sama, you wouldn't know when you might get called a hag, you know? ]

[ Well... I think men could be also attracted by money too, aren't they? ]

( If I want, I could buy hundreds of men to serve me. )

[ Haah... You wouldn't want your partner to be only attracted by your money, right? Carla-sama... ] with a long sigh, Gerald muttered.

[ Well... Anyway, I'll think about that for the future. Let's change the topic. ] Carla-said to brush off Gerald.

[ Gerald, can you grab me some slave merchants? I would like to introduce them to Shiro-san. I would like to deepen our relationship as Client and seller. ]

( If I can, I would like to monopolize Shiro-san as I possibly can... )