Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Leholas Marquess.

Whatever it was in the past, now it was a family with much more money and stronger than Valfruga.

If ranked by power, a strong one within the top five fingers even in the Empire!

Unlike Frug or the Fox Merchant Union that I had dealt with so far, he was a man worthy of being called a big shot.

“Hoo

-ha

-hoo

-ha.”

I took a deep breath after a long time.

From dealing with small fry like Frug, suddenly thinking of dealing with such a big shot, I couldn't calm down at all.

“Madam, here's tea with a calming effect.”

Bella quickly brought warm tea sensing the mood.

“Umm.”

I stretched my hand and lifted the teacup.

The teacup trembled as if it had met a typhoon.

“Older sister, are you okay?”

Lus came and held my hand.

The moment I saw the red pupils worrying about me, the trembling stopped and resolution was set.

I have to do it.

Right now, the only person who can protect Lus is me.

Lus has gained flesh on his cheeks these days, and his ribs don't protrude as thin as before.

He has started reading and writing the continental common language, and runs about ten laps in the training ground lightly.

If I collapse here, Lus collapses together.

I have to protect him.

“Lus. Come here. Hug older sister once.”

When I stretched my arms, Lus hugged into my arms.

He has grown a bit taller, but still a size that fits snugly in my arms.

I felt the warm body temperature in my arms and tightly hugged Lus.

I felt Lus's heart beating.

“If older sister is having a hard time, you can just hand it over. This level of matter... I'm okay, older sister.”

“What okay is okay!”

If Lus had thrown a fit saying how dare a Marquess ignore a Duke, I could have ignored it too.

And do you know how much hair I lost worrying about that debt?!

If I just hand it over this time, even after 10 years, before sleeping, it was obvious that the thought ‘I should have received that money!’ would come.

“Lus. Don't say such things and cheer for older sister to do well. Or do you think older sister will lose?”

“Umm. No!”

“Then it seems older sister will win everything and come back?”

“Yeah! Older sister is the strongest in the world!”

“Good! Receiving Lus's cheer, strength comes! Older sister will handle everything and come back!”

“Yeah!”

I headed to the office receiving Lus's cheer.

If I can't pretend not to know, the answer is only to move forward.

I sat on the office chair and pressed the button of the communication orb.

The communication orb was a magic item that allows contact even with people at a distance.

But it could only be used in specific places, and installing it cost an enormous amount of money.

Moreover, even using a 1 million mark magic stone, it only connects for 10 minutes, truly a money-eating ghost.

Fortunately, the one installed when the ducal house was prosperous in the past still worked well.

It's a bit old model, but as long as it works well, it's fine.

Thanks to talking in advance by letter, not long after, the face of the Leholas Marquess appeared.

He was a white-haired old gentleman with a sense of weight overflowing from his whole body.

“Nice to meet you for the first time, Marquess. I am Felia Valfruga.”

“I am Talin Leholas.”

When I first showed respect, he also showed respect and greeted.

“I heard the story that the new Duke Valfruga got married, but I didn't know we would greet like this.”

He opened his mouth smiling with a good-person face.

While roughly guessing what matter I contacted for, there's no separate cunning snake.

“Because the Duke hasn't become an adult yet, we couldn't hold the wedding.”

“Is that so? Please be sure to invite me later at the wedding. Hahaha.”

We smiled facing each other.

The atmosphere is really good...

“So what matter did you contact our Leholas for?”

“Since the Marquess must also be busy, let's go straight to the main point. I don't know if you heard, but not long ago, we caught a merchant union that tried to scam Valfruga.”

“Hmm? But I don't know why you contacted our Leholas. Isn't that a matter that Valfruga and the merchants should resolve?”

Pretending not to know is really top-level.

If someone who doesn't know saw it, it was to the point of thinking that I really touched an innocent person.

“I contacted for that resolution. According to the merchants, they were only used, and the ringleader of this matter is the Leholas Marquess, they said. So Valfruga demands 2 billion marks of compensation from the Leholas Marquess house according to the national law.”

Don't be scared.

Must not be scared.

A fight is momentum!

I ignored the heart beating again and put on a leisurely smile.

“Those merchants said that? That I told them to scam? Then does Valfruga believe those words?”

“Yes. There's evidence and witnesses, is there a reason not to believe?”

“There's evidence you say?”

“Surely Valfruga wouldn't have brought up the words to the Marquess without evidence.”

“With Valfruga's situation, wouldn't that be sufficiently possible.”

No, that old man.

Is he indirectly criticizing now saying our family has no money?

Fire ignited inside, but I still put on a leisurely smile.

The service industry experience of having to smile~ I love you customer~ even in front of difficult customers in the previous life is used like this.

“If Leholas has no intention of compensating, we will process according to the national law. I believe the Marquess also knows well the disposition for scam criminals.”

Even at my provocation, the Leholas Marquess put on a leisurely smile instead of getting angry.

I thought he would naturally get angry as a prideful noble.

Is a child's provocation ridiculous.

Indeed like an old man who rolled for dozens of years in the political arena.

“That matter, can Valfruga handle it?”

It was advice not to do useless things and quietly bury it.

“Valfruga only follows the national law set by His Majesty the Emperor. Everything is a matter that His Majesty will decide, not Valfruga.”

Yes, I don't know and we'll write a complaint and do it according to the law.

I lifted the complaint stamped with the family's seal to show the Marquess.

When I turned one page of the complaint, the testimonies written directly by the merchants of the Fox Merchant Union were visible.

They wrote in detail how vicious the Leholas Marquess is, how much effort he put to trap Valfruga, and finally that they were threatened by the Marquess so they had no choice.

Lewan and his subordinate refused testimony until the end, but thanks to the remaining eight of the Fox Merchant Union putting their heads together to survive, an excellent novel was born.

Probably right now in the Leholas Marquess's head, the calculator is running hard.

As he said, it's a matter Valfruga can't handle.

But if it's the Emperor?

Too strong nobles are bound to receive the Emperor's checks.

Fortunately, these days there was a minor quarrel between the Emperor and the Leholas Marquess, so if I say it, the Emperor will start pressing the Leholas Marquess excitedly.

“His Majesty won't be able to protect Valfruga though.”

That's also correct words.

There's no way the Leholas Marquess will collapse over this level of matter.

Unable to vent anger on the Emperor, the Leholas Marquess will vent that anger on us.

At that time, I couldn't be sure that the Emperor would protect our family.

“So isn't that why I'm talking here now?”

I tapped my lips with my index finger.

“Because it's information that the Marquess will value more expensively than His Majesty.”

It means that if he just pays an appropriate compensation, we are willing to close our mouths.

Whether to end by giving money, or hand the card to the Emperor.

The Leholas Marquess was intelligent.

He laughed largely and said.

“Haha. Good. Good. If it's a matter that can be resolved with money, resolving with money is the best. How much do you want.”

“3 billion marks!”

I answered smiling brightly.

“According to the national law, the compensation would be 2 billion marks?”

“1 billion marks is the confidentiality fee. Anyway 2 billion marks is something we can earn even if we write a complaint, so you have to value it more than that.”

For the first time, the Marquess's poker face broke.

I smiled brightly and asked back.

“What will you do? Marquess?”* * *On the face of the Leholas Marquess who cut the communication, a cold light gathered.

“A smart girl. Properly got hit.”

“I'm sorry, Marquess.”

His subordinate knelt and begged for the mistake, but there was no change in expression.

“That kid, where did she come from?”

“I heard that a butler named Treon working in the ducal house brought her from the orphanage.”

“She knows her place well, and even in a disadvantageous situation, she knows how to use the cards intelligently. She obtained everything that could be obtained. Smart unlike a child. If she was my child, I would have used her greatly.”

As a Marquess, it was the highest praise.

The plan failed, but the Marquess seemed somewhat pleased somewhere.

The subordinate said watching the Marquess's mood.

“Anyway it's a collapsed ducal family. You can ignore it. If it bothers you, shall I send an assassin even now?”

“No, it's fine. Now there's no need to pick a fight over a trivial matter. Rather than becoming troublesome dealing with the Emperor, paying 3 billion marks is better. That cunning snake might say he'll investigate the family's assets using this matter as an excuse.”

The Marquess said recalling the cunning snake-like Emperor.

“But if that ducal house revives...”

“If it was possible to save that ducal house with just 3 billion marks, it would have revived long ago. Anyway it's just one stroke of luck. The Valfruga ducal house is not a place that can revive to that extent.”

The Marquess said firmly.

“More than that.”

The Marquess's cold gaze turned to the subordinate.

The subordinate swallowed his breath and lowered his head.

The disposition of him who failed the work is not over yet.

The scam plan using the Fox Merchant Union was his responsibility.

“Take responsibility for that money yourself.”

“Yes!”

Fortunately.

He saved his life.

The subordinate's back became wet with cold sweat.

“How did the matter of laying hands on the economic department go?”

“It's proceeding smoothly. If there's nothing particular, it seems the Grand Prince will seize it.”

“Um.”

When the Marquess gestured to withdraw, the subordinate watched the Marquess's mood and stepped back.

“By the way.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Don't forget the handling of the person who was entrusted with this matter. This time you won't disappoint me, right?”

The Marquess's eyes like a blade stared at the subordinate.

“Don't worry. I'll handle it cleanly without aftereffects.”

The Fox Merchant Union disappeared from the world with this, but anyway it didn't matter.

Such trivial humans were as many as stars in the Marquess house.* * *“The Leholas Marquess house sent 3 billion marks to Valfruga?”

Treon Ibaropa couldn't believe the words he heard and asked the servant again.

He was the man who went to the orphanage and married Felia and Lus.

As soon as Felia stamped the seal on the marriage registration form, he headed to the capital to report to the Emperor, and Felia was sent to the Valfruga ducal house.

The news he heard after receiving the certificate recognizing Lus officially as the Duke Valfruga was surprising.

“Has the Leholas Marquess finally gone senile? How on earth did it happen?”

When Treon asked the servant again, the servant answered hesitantly.

“Well. They say they received some compensation... The details, I don't know well either.”

“Received compensation? Who commanded that? Frug? Or His Highness Duke Lucius?”

“No. According to rumors, it's the Duchess...”

“What?”

That woman seated as a puppet?

Something was strange.

He was going to stay a few more days and watch the capital's situation, but it seemed he had to go.

Treon looked at the north where the Valfruga ducal territory is and ordered.

“Return to the castle as quickly as possible.”