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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Gifts and Harsh Winters
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“I-I’ve heard it so many times too. The young lady said it herself.”
Arep chimed in, insisting it was true.
Only then did Letitia relax with a sigh of relief and flash a bright smile.
“I only have my big sister above me, so I really like Nini. She’s like a little sister. You made it so I could be a big sister. She’s so cute.”
“Nini’s always been cute.”
Nibelria, munching on a big bite of cookie soaked in milk, replied with her mouth full.
Letitia burst into giggles.
“I love this confident attitude of yours too.”
After finishing their snacks, the children exchanged the gifts they had prepared for each other.
“This is a horsehair charm. They say it brings good luck.”
“But Nini’s already happy. Can she get even happier?”
“Of course she can get even happier!”
“Waaah…!”
Nibelria, delighted with the gift, threw her arms around Letitia in a tight hug.
“Thank you! I love it!”
Letitia’s gift was meant for Arep as well.
Arep, who hadn’t expected to receive anything, hesitated before murmuring his thanks.
This time, Solles Dayamor stepped forward as representative and handed Letitia her gift.
It was a white headband adorned with yellow gems.
The moment she saw it, Letitia took off the headband she was wearing and, with Dether’s help, replaced it with the new one.
“H-how does it look?”
Letitia asked in a voice brimming with anticipation.
“Pretty!”
“It suits you perfectly.”
Nibelria and Arep praised her in turn.
“...Like a flower.”
Then Solles spoke in a slightly quieter voice.
“It’s like flowers blooming in your hair, Leti. From now on, whenever I see daisies at night, I’ll think of you.”
Dether, who had been clearing away the gift boxes, let out a stifled gasp of admiration.
‘Our young master sure knows how to talk sweet.’
Letitia was clearly thrilled by Solles’s tender compliment, swaying her body side to side in delight.
“Oh, right.”
Letitia suddenly remembered something.
“On my way here, I saw the Perea Merchant Group.”
Nibelria’s eyes sparkled.
“The Perea Merchant Group is yours, right, Nini? I was so shocked when I heard.”
“Yeah! It’s mine!”
“That’s amazing! You’re only four, and already running a merchant group.”
“Hehe!”
“I’m your big sister too, so I want to show you something cool…”
“Leti’s always cool.”
Nibelria adored how Letitia always took such good care of her. It was a different kind of kindness and gentleness from Solles’s.
“Thank you.”
Letitia blushed.
“Did you happen to see my aunt? She has red hair and short hair.”
Solles asked.
Armifera, who had said she’d see the merchant group off to the capital’s gates, still hadn’t returned even after a week. She had simply left with them.
[Since I’m already going to greet them, I’ll tag along all the way to Latro.]
That single line on a short note tied to the ribbon of the Evil Dragon Ater’s egg was Armifera’s farewell.
The family had reacted as if they’d expected as much.
Still, Nibelria felt a little sad that she hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye to her aunt.
But since she’d promised to come back, Nibelria held back her tears and waited patiently.
For the record, the Evil Dragon Ater was still staying at the Dayamor estate.
“I can’t ignore a request to watch over the ripening egg. Plus, I have plenty to discuss with the Saintess. By the way, about that new dress you showed me last time—is there a purple one too?”
In truth, it seemed like she was sticking around because she loved the clothes and accessories they dressed her in at the Dayamor estate.
“You mean Lady Armifera?”
Letitia had met her.
“She complimented me, saying I don’t look like my dad at all. My father didn’t look too pleased, though.”
In fact, Letitia took after her mother more than her father.
“And she gave me some weird sticky black honey thing to eat.”
“Was it good?”
Nibelria asked.
“Bitter at first, but yummy later on.”
Letitia brought up another story.
“They say this winter’s going to be super cold.”
Viscount Preto, who had just finished talking business with the Perea Merchant Group, had this conversation with his wife.
“The westerly winds have been unusually calm, apparently. Lady Dayamor said that whenever that happens, winter gets really tough.”
“That’s bad news. Food and firewood for the whole winter…”
“We should warn our territory too and prepare. Check the storehouses and…”
The news that this winter would bring harsher cold than usual spread quickly.
To prepare for the brutal winter, many people busied themselves.
Lubeo was one of them.
“We need to start selling heating products early this year. Secure stock and limit purchases to one per person.”
As Seletrina issued orders, Lubeo employees jotted them down.
“What about the duck-down coats?”
“Delivery confirmed two days ago. But they say no more additional orders beyond that.”
“There are intruders in the North Sea protected zone right now. The imperial family will soon release reports on the damage and investigation…”
“We’ll need to add building safety inspections too. Roofs, in case of heavy snow…”
After the meeting ended, Seletrina stayed behind alone in the conference room.
As she reviewed the meeting minutes to check for any overlooked issues, someone opened the closed conference room door.
“President.”
Her secretary had come for Seletrina.
Seletrina looked up questioningly, and the secretary informed her of a visitor.
“They’re not on the schedule.”
“Then why didn’t you turn them away?”
“They said they could supply the perennial snow duck feathers.”
“……”
Seletrina’s eyes narrowed.
In the reception room, a man was pacing around, peering here and there.
The moment he saw Seletrina, he extended his hand with a sleazy grin.
“Haha, nice to meet you! Just as rumored, a total beauty…”
“What brings you here unannounced?”
Seletrina ignored his hand and took the seat of honor.
The man’s face twisted visibly for a moment. But he quickly recovered and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
“It’s something really important. You won’t regret hearing me out.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Seletrina glanced at the secretary who had accompanied her.
The secretary stood right behind her.
The man gulped at the sight of the burly man and swallowed hard.
“I’ve got a tight schedule, so get to the point. Why are you here?”
“R-right, of course.”
The man spoke in a deflated tone.
“Clothes made from perennial snow duck feathers.”
He showed her the coat he’d brought.
“……”
Seletrina examined the coat, inspecting every detail with careful hands.
Then she asked,
“Perennial snow duck feathers are restricted in circulation.”
Currently, only Frigus territory handled perennial snow duck feathers.
In that harsh land where even farming was impossible, the main source of income for the people was coats made from these feathers.
In other words,
“Are you bringing me counterfeits right now?”
Seletrina was so incredulous she couldn’t even laugh.
Not only had he brought fakes, but he acted like he didn’t even know it was wrong. It was pathetic.
“Lubeo doesn’t deal in counterfeits.”
“Words are tricky. It’s not quite the same.”
“Didn’t you just tell me these were made from perennial snow duck feathers?”
“We’ve developed tech to replicate perennial snow duck feathers. This coat is stuffed with the replicated ones.”
The man smirked, as if he’d landed a decisive blow.
Meanwhile, Seletrina’s expression grew darker.
‘His story keeps changing.’
He’d said he could supply the feathers.
Then suddenly showed a perennial snow duck feather coat.
Now openly admitting it was fake.
“It’s mage-approved tech. Basically proven safe. Now even common folk can buy warm coats cheap.”
As if he were offering her a golden opportunity.
“If even one real perennial snow duck feather is in it, it’s a perennial snow duck coat. Not lying.”
“……”
“You won’t make money being too honest. How can you do business being this naive…”
“……”
Seletrina shot a glance at her secretary.
The secretary, who had been watching her, shared the same thought.
This lunatic was lecturing the owner of the empire’s richest, most successful conglomerate on business.
“I see.”
Seletrina cut him off with a smile.
“Then go do well on your own.”
She rejected the man’s proposal outright.
The man who left Lubeo glared at the building.
‘Fucking hell, just got lucky and acting all high and mighty…!’
Unable to contain his anger, he nearly spat on the ground in front of the building but cowered at the glaring eyes of Lubeo’s security guards and fled into a back alley.
Still fuming and grumbling, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
“Wh-what…!”
As he whipped around yelling, the man’s eyes went wide.
His client was there.
A sturdy man with a hat pulled low over his face and a white mask covering his eyes.
It was Pelsone.
“Lord Pelsone! What brings you here…!”
“Looks like you failed to get stocked.”
All color drained from the man’s face.
But Pelsone didn’t blame him.
“Actually, this works out better.”
“Pardon?”
“No point doing that company any favors. How precious is the coat you’re holding?”
“Y-you’re right!”
The man bobbed his head eagerly and grinned.
Then, as if to show off, he draped the coat over his shoulders.
“Ahh, it’s warm the moment I put it on. A coat this cozy, and they nitpick about quality? Lubeo’s days are numbered.”
“Is that so.”
Pelsone just smiled.
