By Zephyria I had no intention of asking why he hadn’t told me such things. Ivan tried to tell me most of what I was curious about. If I didn’t understand, he explained it ten, a hundred times until I did. He simply didn’t bring up stories he knew I wasn’t curious about.
Among Yulan’s fishing boats, those without magic defense artifacts did not return. The merchant ships that departed from Sierren and headed for Yulan were no different. If more Sierren ships had disappeared, the story would have been different, but recently Yeldidus had been maneuvering to monopolize trade using the Saras River, so the news had not reached Sierren.
However, I hadn’t thought it might be related to Yulan’s Divine objects.
It was natural. Divine objects were… things of gods, mere legends. Something I had never seen, would never see, something detached from this world. A sacred token passed down through the bloodlines of royalty and nobility. It was something that only appeared in romantic old tales. It couldn’t be something real.
Yet, Your Highness, Mikael, and even Ivan all acted as if Divine objects were real. If it was Your Highness or Mikael, I could understand, but I had no idea how much my own husband knew. Did he lie to me about being a Baron? Or was he one of the informants for the Nobility Yearbook? …That seemed possible…
As I swallowed such absurd thoughts, Your Highness said something terrifying.
“So, what shall we give Baron Bicov as his share?”
Ivan said something even more terrifying.
“Perhaps the trade monopoly?”
“That’s not something I can promise.”
This crazy bastard was just throwing things out there. Fortunately, the noble and wise Your Highness immediately refused, but even if he had allowed it, it wouldn’t have been possible.
Currently, the Eldos Merchant Guild did not have the capacity to monopolize trade with a single country. We didn’t have any special contracts with Yulan either. We had only agreed to preemptively secure some decent-looking goods and purchase them in small quantities, about a hundred items each, when leaving Yulan.
To transport so many goods, how much money would that take? A merchant guild is a profession that makes money by pouring money into it, but even if we gathered all the money we had for immediate survival and poured it in, we couldn’t do it.
Ivan continued to be shamelessly persistent.
“I was just asking. How about a 50% reduction in overseas trade tax?”
I almost screamed.
Did that even make sense? It wasn’t even specifying a country, but asking for a 50% reduction in overseas trade tax indiscriminately was no different than lying down and demanding to be let in everywhere, as if we could just pay the entrance fee and travel through any of the five kingdoms from now on.
What the hell, Ivan, are you friends with Your Highness too? Is that why you’re throwing things out like this? Or do you want to go to the guillotine for insulting royalty this evening? Damn it, is this crazy bastard going to make me a widow?
But Your Highness remained benevolent and gracious.
“20.”
“…30?”
“Yes. Let’s say around 30%.”
He said I didn’t need to say a word, and he was right.
Whether it was 50% or 30%, it was equally nonsensical. This meant we’d have to break through the land routes instead of the sea routes to Yulan. No, not just Yulan, but we could also travel to Floyd more easily, being closer to the capital.
The possibilities that could be achieved with this casual promise raced through my mind. Since overseas trade tax was being reduced openly in the name of royalty, would the inspection period for trade goods also be shortened? My heart pounded wildly.
Ivan, who had diligently prepared a simplified contract, then asked questions that were quite familiar. Would you like to meet a local who knows the relevant legends, or would you like to see the Golden Island? These were not much different from the questions he had asked tourists from Sierren multiple times when luring them out to sea.
And Your Highness gave the same answer as a typical tourist.
“Then, both. Please guide us.”
…
I don’t know how I said goodbye or how I left.
I was so drained that I didn’t even have the energy to grab Ivan and shake him. I just walked where Ivan led me, entered a very nice room guided by a servant, and sat on a sofa that looked incredibly expensive. Fearing it might collapse, I perched on the edge, almost falling onto my backside, but Ivan looked at me so pitifully that I finally sat down properly.
“Are you alright?”
“…No, I’m… I’m not alright.”
“I told you not to fall for him.”
“It’s not like that…! No, no… Are those people even human?”
“Hoo, if they’re not human, then what?”
“Like fairies, or, well, golems, you know. Like…”
“Have you ever seen a golem?”
“…No.”
“They are both human. Though one of them is only halfway to becoming human.”
“…What?”
Which one of them? But Ivan didn’t answer further. He merely rolled his eyes from left to right without turning his head, and I understood that there might be eavesdroppers around, so I also closed my mouth. Living with a noble husband makes life so unpredictable and exciting.
…Why are we in the same carriage as Your Highness?
I was still reeling from the shock earlier. Even when I was sitting on the sofa earlier, there was a wide, expensive stone table between them and us, but now, if I moved even a little, our knees would touch. They are both really tall… I am too… Fearing I might hear a complaint, I sat rigidly upright, pressing my back against the seat so hard that my tailbone felt like it was digging into the carriage cushion.
Then Mikael looked at me intently.
“Baroness Bicov.”
“Yes? Yes… Yes?”
“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“No! No, I’m not.”
It felt like I was showered with Divine Grace. Why are you scrutinizing people like this? I felt like even if I were split into three parts—head, torso, and legs—and sprawled on the carriage floor, I’d just think, “Wow, how amazing,” and die with my mouth shut. Save me, Ivan. Fumbling, I nudged Ivan’s elbow with mine.
Then Ivan blocked my face with his arm. Wow, shit. He really looked like a knight.
“Why are you staring at another man’s wife like that?”
“…What?”
“She’s mine.”
…Knight, cancel that, you insane bastard!
I never thought he would speak like that, even to a fairy. His usual “mine” jokes only worked on common women, not on Mikael, who wouldn’t even glance at me, someone as insignificant as a passing pebble.
I felt like I was going to either go crazy or cry, so I looked up at the carriage ceiling. A bright light shone from up there.
…Does that kind of joke work? Really? No, do they laugh at this?
“I already spoke to them on the way here.”
“How?”
“I told them not to fall for the two handsome men sitting here.”
“Didn’t you mention Your Highness was here?”
“Hmm… I wasn’t sure myself. I didn’t expect my wife to be so surprised.”
“Is that so.”
Ivan and Mikael spoke very familiarly. Of course, to me, who talks to my friends using all sorts of vulgar terms, their tone was quite polite, but from their casual jokes and natural gestures, it was clear they were very familiar with each other.
…Wait, what. Know your place, Eric Bikov. Damn it, how can you be jealous of a fairy…?
My stomach churned. Ivan’s academy days, spent socializing with such beautiful, handsome, and noble people, suddenly filled me with resentment. It wouldn’t just be him, would it? He must have laughed and bantered with Your Highness, and other friends from the Nobility Yearbook flashed before my eyes.
Just then, Your Highness’s knee, which was in front of me, bumped against mine.
“It’s alright. I’m not that scary a person.”
“…Th-That’s not it. No, it’s not. You weren’t scary at all.”
“The truly scary person is someone like Baron Bicov. Someone who’d steal your nose before you could blink.”
“Me? How much help have I been to Your Highness?”
It was then.
A shiver ran down my spine as if I had encountered a wild beast on the street. The fairy’s cool expression, which had been exuding a floral scent just moments before, tightened my throat. What. What? What is this? Why is it so scary? What did you just do?
Ivan’s hand enveloped the back of mine. He stroked it tenderly, then intertwined his fingers with mine, as if gently caressing them. I realized a moment later that I had been holding my breath. Even as I cautiously inhaled, the air in the carriage felt stuffy and hot. Ivan was still smiling. As if nothing had happened, as if it were nothing.
“Let’s go to sleep now. We’ll have a lot to talk about when we get there.”
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
I wouldn’t have been this scared if I’d been told to sleep in a tiger’s den. Wiping my sweaty palms on my knees, I huddled further into myself. Seeing me still disoriented, Ivan nuzzled his cheek against my shoulder, acting cute.
…It was utterly absurd.
Did he think acting cute like that would make me feel better? …Right. My tension eased.
Because Ivan acted as if nothing had happened, holding my hand and nuzzling me, I felt a little better. Isn’t the man who is treated with respect and even uses honorifics by those terrifying fairies and Your Highness on my side? My man, who can block their view without a second thought, shamelessly demand tax cuts, and still smile sweetly…
…He was always capable, but somehow, I felt more like I wanted to obey him.
After a moment’s hesitation, I also leaned slightly towards Ivan. Ivan chuckled and made room for me to lean my head on his shoulder. He tickled the palm of my hand and then held it tightly again, so I took a deep breath and tried to sleep.
As soon as we arrived at Nova’s house, Ivan teased me again.
I, who had the audacity to be escorted off the carriage before Your Highness, felt like I should just kneel. Mikael and Your Highness forgave Ivan’s rudeness so casually, but I couldn’t forgive myself. Clinging to the last sliver of my composure, I somehow managed to move my trembling legs and entered Nova’s house.
Nova greeted the new guests skillfully, but her three children froze as soon as they saw Mikael and Your Highness. The children, who would normally cling to me and Ivan, begging to be held or carried, stood awkwardly and barely managed to greet them.
They were smart children who knew that their mother had to earn money to buy delicious side dishes and one more toy. Their best effort was to quickly retreat to their rooms so as not to disturb the guests.
I wanted to go to my room too. Finn beckoned me to come in as I looked at him wistfully. I couldn’t go. I shook my head and sat rigidly.
Nova, who served us tea after seating us, told us the story of the Blue Turtle, which she had told me more than ten times. A turtle so large it could eat the sea, a mermaid who wanted to make friends with the turtle, humans who were kidnapped and forced to offer gold and jewels to survive, the First Goddess who lied to put the turtle to sleep…
It’s cute that adults are listening to such stories so seriously.
…It couldn’t be me who thought that.