“What… what did I just hear?”
I stared at Cedric, questioning my own ears. I expected him to be at least a little embarrassed by my shocked expression, but Cedric just looked down at me with his usual relaxed demeanor.
“Is something wrong?”
He even asked me that.
‘Why is he so committed to this display-window couple act, even here? Nobody… recognizes us here.’
Seeing Cedric’s method acting, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.
‘It’s too much. I felt it in front of Adrian, but this is just… too much!’
The merchant, who was unaware of the situation, burst into a hearty laugh.
“Haha! Of course, of course! To a husband, his wife is always the prettiest in the world!”
“No! Mister, we’re not like that at all.”
Embarrassed by the situation, I waved my hands frantically. However, the merchant gave me a playful, knowing look.
“I know, I know everything!”
“What do you know, mister?”
“Aigoo! What else? That you two are a very loving couple!”
The merchant looked back and forth between Cedric and me with a satisfied expression and then shouted again in a hearty voice.
“Ahem! The husband is a fool for his wife, that’s what! Don’t you think others had a time like that?”
A fool for his… what?
I looked up at Cedric, doubting my ears.
‘Did you hear that? He called you a fool for your wife.’
But Cedric just shrugged his shoulders with a brazen expression, as if to say, ‘What’s the big deal?’ I couldn’t handle his zealousness. It was combined with his unique confidence, which was a result of him never having to care what others thought in his life.
‘This time, the embarrassment is all mine.’
I couldn’t decide whether to praise Cedric for his faithful performance as a display-window couple or to tell him to tone it down.
My concern just kept getting deeper.
The distance from where the carriage stopped to the Goods Exchange wasn’t very far. As we walked a little further, looking at the market, we came to a small hill, and then the huge grounds of the Goods Exchange appeared.
“The building is quite large, isn’t it?”
“It is. I didn’t know it was such a well-built building!”
The central building with a tall clock tower was the operations office. On either side of it were two trading hall buildings, for a total of four trading halls. The trading halls opened at a fixed time every day, and a different item was traded in each hall.
When we arrived, the trading was in full swing. We headed to the Athena Hall on the right side of the building. The moment we stepped into the huge hall, the intense heat of the market’s investment fever washed over us.
The host on the stage was raising the atmosphere by creating competition, and investors, with excited expressions, held up their participation signs and shouted loudly.
“Over here! Look over here! 410 loots!”
“Yes! 410 loots! What about you, sir?”
“450 loots!”
“Over here, 470 loots!”
Perhaps because of the heat in the trading hall, everyone looked frustrated and roughly undid the top buttons of their shirts. As I had expected, the futures trading of this era was in the form of a shouted auction.
“What do you think, now that you’ve seen it in person? I’m worried it might be too rough a market for you to invest in.”
Cedric asked me, as I was looking around with a curious expression.
“Not at all? On the contrary, seeing everyone so enthusiastic makes me think it will be more fun!”
When I answered with great excitement, Cedric let out a faint chuckle.
“It seems my efforts to build the futures exchange were not in vain.”
“…You built the futures exchange?”
“That’s right. I was the one who proposed introducing the Demon Realm Goods Exchange system to the Emperor and built the buildings and operating systems in each region.”
“…”
“It was a good business to do at the same time. I was also able to create jobs at the operations office for mixed-race demons.”
“Oh?”
“There aren’t many places yet that provide jobs for mixed-race demons who have come out into the human world.”
When I gave him a thumbs up, Cedric didn’t seem to be in a bad mood and a corner of his mouth went up slightly.
“Then, as your friend and a potential investor in this market, may I make a suggestion?”
“…A suggestion?”
I pointed to the investors who were sending their servants on errands to get them drinks.
“Look over there. They’re all sending their servants to get them drinks.”
“I see.”
“The heat in the trading hall is intense, so they must be thirsty. They’ll be looking for drinks all the time.”
“…”
“I think it would be good to have a stall that sells drinks inside the trading hall.”
“A drink stall, you say…”
Cedric’s eyebrows went up slightly.
“It would satisfy the investors’ needs and, at the same time, increase the income of the operations office and the jobs for the mixed-race demons.”
“…That’s a pretty good idea.”
“Isn’t it?”
Cedric nodded slowly with a bewildered expression. He was silent for a moment, then he looked flustered and touched the back of his neck.
“I never… imagined that I would be able to talk about business with you.”
I smiled faintly.
“I didn’t think it would be this way, but you’re a slow one, Your Grace. How much longer until you get used to being surprised by me?”
“Haha, I wonder…”
Cedric let out a light but pleasant laugh and looked at me with a gentle gaze.
“I honestly have no idea when I’ll be able to stop being surprised by this new you.”
When the carriage entered the Twins Castle gate again, it was already late afternoon. Cedric was still standing next to me until the front gate of the House of Darkness opened.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
I pointed to the House of Light with my chin and asked, and Cedric glanced inside the front gate and said, “I was going to take you to the Grand Duchess’s quarters, but you always used to be so sad about that.”
I chuckled at his words.
“That was then.”
“…”
“I told you. I’ve changed now.”
His slightly lowered blue gaze lingered on me. His eyes looked like he wanted to say something, but he said nothing.
“Anyway, thank you for today. Go carefully, Cedric.”
Cedric, who had been deep in thought for a moment, slowly nodded.
“…You too.”
I responded with a smile and walked into the mansion alone. As I went up the central staircase, I was filled with anticipation, recalling the futures exchange I had seen today.
‘The trading floor was more interesting than I thought. The investment fever is also intense.’
In my previous life, too, when a new investment opportunity arose, countless investors would flock to it like bees. It seems that people are all the same wherever they live. The Northern Central Market is undergoing a strong wave of economic change with the emergence of a new investment opportunity called ‘Demon Realm goods.’
‘All I have to do is ride this wave well using the knowledge from the original story.’
The trading value of ‘that item’ I was keeping an eye on was still hitting rock bottom. However, I knew that the value of that item would skyrocket in the future.
‘With that money, even if Duke Volde takes all my alimony, it won’t even be a small blow.’
Not just that. With the money I earned myself, I could buy the mansion by the sea that I had always wanted. Plus, I have a list of items that will be a huge success in the future, so… I will definitely live a luxurious life.
Of course, that would only be possible if I were alive and not dead.
‘I think it would be better to use the money I’m going to earn to remove the death flags first…’
I was deep in thought as I was climbing the last flight of stairs. In the distance, I saw Bianca standing at the entrance to the Grand Duchess’s quarters.
My Bianca came to see me! I felt emotional and waved my hand.
“Oh, Bian…!”
But my movement stopped. This was right after I saw Bianca walking with several maids with a look of anxiety on her face.
‘Why are they all acting like that?’
As I got closer, I saw the maids’ faces, which were filled with deep fear.
“Oh, what do we do… Didn’t Lady Dimitri say she wouldn’t be back for a few days?”
“I know! Why did she have to come when Her Highness was away…”
“You idiot! What would have been different if Her Highness was here?”
“Well, you’re right. The situation would have gotten even worse… Anyway, what are we going to do about our poor Mina!”
Bianca’s face became even more frightened after hearing the maids’ conversation. The child’s eyes then found me and slowly widened.
“Her Highness…!”
Bianca ran to me as if she had found a savior. I, who had no idea what was going on, hugged Bianca and looked at the maids. When our eyes met, the maids’ faces turned pale.
“H-Her Highness! We’re sorry, we were here just to…”
“We’ll go back to our places right away! We are truly sorry, Your Highness!”
Even as they took a step back, the maids kept glancing at the Grand Duchess’s quarters. Something must have happened. I hardened my face and parted my lips.
“Stop right there. I need to know what’s going on.”
At my firm command, the maids’ shoulders trembled as they stopped in their tracks. However, I didn’t have time to pay attention to them. It was because of Bianca, who was constantly trembling in my arms.
“Bianca. What’s wrong? What on earth happened?”
“H-Her Highness, I wanted to help, but I was so scared… I must be a coward. I, I…”
I hugged Bianca, who was babbling incoherently, even tighter and patted her small back.
“Our Bianca is never a coward.”
“Her Highness…”
“I don’t know what happened, but everything will be alright now that I’m here. I promise.”
Bianca, who had been on the verge of tears, nodded and held on tight to my arm. I hugged the small child and gestured to a maid.
“You, over there. Tell me what happened.”
“W-Well…”
“Now.”
The maids exchanged glances and finally spoke.
“Lady Camilla came a little while ago, and…”
The villainess Camilla has already returned? I thought she wouldn’t be back for a few more days. My brows slowly furrowed at her earlier-than-expected appearance.
“And?”
She came, but what happened? At my question, the maids’ faces began to turn paler.
“W-Well, Lady Camilla is now… is now doing something to Mina…”
Camilla Dimitri.
The star of the Northern social circles and the mistress of the Dimitri noble family.
Camilla’s background was enough to capture the heart of Rebecca, who had to re-debut in the Northern social circles after leaving the South. However, the reason Rebecca kept Camilla by her side for a long time was not just because of her background. They shared a ‘secret hobby.’
Just like the situation now.
“Put your hand on the table again.”
Camilla stood with her back straight and commanded Mina elegantly. Her curly black hair was shiny, and her golden dress, which was the same color as her eyes, sparkled gorgeously. Camilla looked down at her beautiful hand, adorned with a ruby ring, with a bored expression.
“L-Lady. Please stop…”
Mina was kneeling in front of a table, sobbing.
“I said, put your hand on the table again.”
Camilla smiled elegantly and lightly shook the teapot in her hand. Steam was still coming out of the hot teapot. A shiver ran through Mina’s chin, which was pale with fear.
Seeing that, the corners of Camilla’s mouth curled up even more smoothly.
“There’s… still this much tea left for you, isn’t there?”
