Everything Was Going Well

"Please use this room. If you need anything at all, just command us and we will respond immediately."

"Thank you."

A beautiful maid showed us to the guest room.

The interior was lavishly decorated, and every piece of furniture was of the highest quality.

I could tell Crown Prince Kelves had welcomed us as proper guests.

Special treatment at that.

"We have also prepared rooms for your companions."

"Oh, but…"

"Go ahead and let them show you. Take some time to relax."

The imperial castle was the safest place in the Empire. Nothing was going to happen.

Azu looked slightly reluctant but nodded.

"Understood. Please call for me right away if anything happens."

"You worry too much. It would be hard to find a safer place than here."

"Indeed. Knights are stationed around the guest rooms for protection, so please rest assured."

The maid spoke with a confident expression.

"I could just stay in a storage room somewhere…"

"Don't say that. Come on, this way."

Alexia pulled along the reluctant Orleans.

Finn put both hands behind her head and looked around.

After murmuring "hmm," she followed the maid.

I should think of this as a good opportunity to rest from the journey and accept their hospitality until the coronation.

Elza casually tried to enter the room with me, but Azu spotted her and grabbed her hand, dragging her away.

What was she even doing?

I entered the room and sat on the sofa.

It was soft, and my backside sank right in. This was a good sofa.

On the tea table were sweets and fruits, and when I popped a sweet into my mouth, the buttery flavor and subtle sweetness spread through my mouth.

"This is delicious."

After saying that, I remembered I was alone in the room.

Other than when sleeping, someone had always been beside me lately, even during work, so I had spoken out of habit and scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

It felt like it had been a while since I had time completely alone during the day.

When I stretched my back, my spine cracked.

I had told Azu and the others to relax, but having them beside me had become routine.

As a merchant and as a person, I could no longer imagine days without them.

The days that followed were exactly what you'd call being waited on hand and foot.

They showed us around various places so we wouldn't get bored, and I gradually became more familiar with the imperial castle.

Finn and Alexia were training against soldiers and knights at the training grounds.

It seemed to be good stimulation for both sides, and they were working up a sweat.

Azu and Orleans were reading books in the library attached to the castle.

Azu, who could barely write her own name before, was now reading books on her own with Orleans's help.

I was impressed by how much she had grown.

I felt a responsibility as the one who took her in, and it was gratifying to see the education I had provided pay off.

Elza was doing something like counseling for the maids and servants.

As expected of a priestess. She was apparently quite popular, and lines had formed to the point that the head maid had to issue a warning.

Her palm readings were said to be frighteningly accurate.

After touring most of the imperial castle, I had them arrange opportunities to speak with Imperial merchants.

Normally, I wouldn't have been in a position to speak with merchants who served the emperor, but now I had the status of Kingdom envoy and Crown Prince Kelves's guest.

The main topic was the fragrances and soaps I was supplying to Duchess Lecreune.

She had mentioned they were popular in high society, but it seemed they were an even bigger trend among noble ladies than I had thought, and the Imperial merchants were very interested.

At first I had thought about opening a branch in the Empire, but according to them, management becomes difficult when countries are separated.

Large merchant houses with many branches have the know-how to operate across national borders without issues, but at Yohane's current scale, if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to handle it and it would become a burden.

At worst, it could put pressure on his main business, they said.

Rather than that, it would be much safer and more stable to partner with an Imperial merchant house, even if it meant less direct profit.

The words of these seasoned merchants were very appealing to me.

Of course, it would also mean significant profit for them, but it would also properly benefit me.

I decided to go along with their proposal in order to learn from them.

They would provide capital for shops and craftsmen, and I would receive royalties.

A concern was that the recipes might be copied and similar products sold, but that was fine.

In fact, I would rather they do that for the general market.

For noble customers, we had already successfully established a brand, so similar products couldn't easily be sold to nobles.

The popularity was specifically for Yohane's products, which had Duchess Lecreune's endorsement.

Imitations wouldn't mean anything.

The Imperial merchants seemed to understand this, and it looked like we could establish a proper division of the market.

If I had more power, I could have developed my own commercial territory and secured greater profits, but…

There was also the advantage of not having to compete with existing merchants.

Focusing on my main business while earning steady profits from the Empire wasn't a bad deal.

We shook hands and agreed to sign a contract after a formal estimate.

If this went well, I would no longer need to load mountains of fragrances and soaps onto a cart to deliver to the duchess.

For maintaining our connection, periodically visiting with new products as gifts would be sufficient.

Then, one day as the coronation approached.

I was invited by Crown Prince Kelves, and after eating a splendid dinner together, I should have fallen asleep a bit early, wrapped in satisfaction.

I was awakened by the howl of a beast I hadn't heard before.

The room was dim, and I checked the clock, wondering if it was still night.

The clock had stopped at six o'clock.

The second hand wasn't moving.

When I opened the curtains, it was pitch black like night.

"What is that?"

The problem was that the faint light illuminating the surroundings was red.

The moon, the source of that light, appeared crimson.

There were no clouds, and it was an eerily unnatural sight.

I hurried out of the room.

There should have been a maid or servant keeping night watch.

But there was only an empty chair, and no one was there.