CH 6.17

Two young ladies bravely stepped forward in the midst of a crowd that no one tried to stop.

One is tall and thin, while the other is short and plump.

I recognized them right away.

‘Aren’t they Raziana and Cynthia?’

So they are also here. But I never expected them to turn out that way.

“Why? Did she promise you two the position of the archduchess’ ladies-in-waiting?”

“Oh my God, I guess you’re not embarrassed to be born into a noble family just to serve a slave.”

“It would be an honor to become a lady-in-waiting for a truly noble born archduchess. However, she came from a slave auction.”

The young ladies banded together and attacked Raziana and Cynthia.

Over there, there were more than eight people, including some young lords nearby who would add a word or two and join in, but there were only two on this side.

They were outnumbered from the start. However, Raziana and Cynthia did not surrender.

“Where did you hear that nonsense?”

“If it was real, the person who saw it had to have been at a slave auction. Don’t you know that slave auctions are severely punished by His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Princess? ”

Cynthia’s tenacious argument joins Raziana’s icy tone.

To be honest, I was surprised because I didn’t expect them to do something so extraordinary.

‘They’re loyal.’

They probably don’t think I’m watching.  Of course, there are people who would act like that even when you’re not around.

Even if it did have some calculation, it was still a wonderful and courageous act. And I will applaud them even more if they stepped out without any calculations and simply because they were uncomfortable hearing those words.

“What are you on about now? Are you saying that I went to a slave auction or something? ”

“I’m not sure who you are, but that’s not how you taint someone else. That’s extremely unpleasant! ”

The girls screamed and fanned their fans. A thief proudly carries a stick*. That description perfectly fits this situation.

*(It refers to a case where the wrongdoer rather shamelessly attacks the really good person or the victim.)

As I watched them fight, their voices getting louder, I put my hand inside my fluttering sleeves. In case of an assassination attempt, I have a large protective bird hidden inside my right sleeve.

But the one inside of my left sleeve was different.

‘Croaking frogs. Be prepared to sing. Come on out, ten frog musketeers.’

I walked alongside Lacius through the arguing crowd.

After passing through Raziana and Cynthia, I got nearer the young ladies who were still spewing foul language.

Because of the wide dresses, no one will be able to see my hands. I held a piece of paper between my fingers and took out the drawing.

“Kyaaaah!”

Croak, Croak, Croak.

One of the young ladies who discovered the frog screamed.

“What is this!?”

“What exactly is this monster?!”

Two young lords awkwardly tap-danced as if they’d never seen a frog before. I pulled out another piece of paper as I snorted and passed them.

“Ukikikiki!”

“What else—no, don’t take that off!”

“Kikikiki!”

“You monkey!””

The panicked voices grew louder as the monkeys appeared to know what they were doing.

I drew it just in case I needed something to irritate the young ladies, but I had no idea it would be so useful.

Two hairy monkeys hopped around the room, stealing their masks. One young lord, whose face was flushed from being teased, attempted to hit the monkey with his fist, but they aren’t the type to be hit by such a slow movement.

The monkeys stole the masks and fled through the open window.

“Who is it? Who let those things out?”

“Horrible—horrible monsters!”

They were so embarrassed that no one thought of covering their faces, so I poked Lacius with my elbow. He read my intentions and revealed their identities.

“That’s count Hansen’s daughter. Next to her were Genteri, Gloucester, Redding, Fugeriana and Latrus. All of them are vassals of the Duke of Crisiona.”

“Ah, is that so? What businesses do they have? ”

If it’s a ‘vassal,’ it means they got something from Crisionas.

“Hansen, Genteri, and Fugeriana are most likely collaborating to invest in the trading business. Gloucester is a well-known teacup manufacturer that also produces a variety of tableware. Latrus makes corsets, and Redding has a shop where artisans make parasols and gloves.”

“How about their social standing?”

“As far as I know, Hansen is the only count, and the others are all viscounts.”

“Really? Normally, if you were afraid of the social status difference, you would hold your tongue…”

You have a bad habit, Peridot. Her ability to put others in the spotlight and get away with it is so impressive that she should be awarded for it. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

“That’s surprising.”

Lacius leaned over and whispered that to me as we exited the commotion and arrived in a quiet place.

“What?”

“I thought you’d go and say a word to them.”

Oh, that’s why he just let me cause a commotion.

I laughed and threw my head back.

“Do you think that will irritate them?”

“Of course not.”

“Right, this is the most appropriate retaliation for the vassals of the Duke of Crisiona. After all, they will benefit from stepping on me. Didn’t you say that in society, nothing should be taken lightly?”

“Yes.”

“Then we must annoy them by trampling on their gains and rooting them out.”

Crisiona’s vassals. My eyes glinted coldly at them.

“I’ll let them know what happens if they dare touch Schweiden.”

Lacius is not the type of person who you could carelessly put as the topic of such dirty jokes and bad conversation.

He was clean as water. He would remain a clear spring even if a few drops of paint fall on him. Do you realize how valuable and rare such a person was? These guys have no idea.

I couldn’t forgive them for attempting to desecrate Lacius.

“Well, if they come in front of me, kneel down and hit their heads on the ground, perhaps I might exempt them from ruin?”

I spread my fan gently and covered my mouth. In fact, if they had just cursed at him, I wouldn’t have been so upset. They did, however, curse not only Lacius, but also his mother.

It was an unacceptable level of insult for me who possesses Korean blood.

Lacius may have lived with dead eyes* because there were plenty of people like them.

*(Dead eyes are eyes that have lost their light and have become cloudy; the term “dead eyes” refers to the loss of light in a person’s eye after death.)

“Hey, Lacius. Do you know how to force a company into bankruptcy? ”

“All you have to do is make the management situation worse so that they fail to pay wages.”

“Right.”

I whispered in a sweet tone.

“Then how can I make them unable to pay wages?”

There are no stocks here so it was much simpler.

“They won’t be able to pay wages if the items that have been in high demand thus far do not sell out.”

“I understand. Then the workers, especially the craftsmen, will be dissatisfied, right? Especially if they haven’t been treated properly all this time.”

“You must be planning something big.”

“Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? A scene where those who laughed and talked over there bow down.”

Oh, that line I just said is very villainous.

You are guaranteed to live a long and peaceful life if you do not annoy me, so why are they so eager to annoy me? I couldn’t figure it out at all.

“Even the queen ant in the nest must be properly stepped on when exterminating ants.”

Perhaps because it is a high-end fan, the air it blows is soft and pleasant.

I concluded my speech gently.

“That way, it will take them a long time to build an anthill again. Then, they would fail to avoid the attack of their natural enemies during this time.”