“Even now, it’s not too late. How about going back and giving her a slap on the cheek?”

Antes’ voice came through the small door connected to the horse stable.

It wasn’t a bad suggestion, but for some reason, Luna didn’t feel inclined to do so.

“It’s okay. I think she understands well enough.”

Although she worked hard to prepare the speech, she seemed to realize it through something other.

In any case, she knew for certain that she no longer had any responsibility in this matter.

Not pleased with Luna’s response, Antes clicked his tongue quietly.

“You are too soft, young lady Luna. I was also prepared to kill at least three people when you said you would unleash your anger.”

“…”

Luna, feeling a little scared when Antes mentioned killing someone, momentarily lost her words.

Of course, initially, she was prepared to unleash her anger. She expected Seira to fiercely argue back, just like she had done in the reception room with the Baron’s parlor, when Luna threw the checks and expressed her anger.

But throwing the check became embarrassing, as Seira was already a mess, and without uttering a single word of retort, she burst into tears.

If Luna had continued to vent her anger and slapped her cheek, she would have surely earned a reputation as a wicked villainess.

There might have even been rumors that she had gone mad in her pursuit of Fersen.

Furthermore, it was a known fact that she needed a formidable opponent in order to truly enjoy the fight. Too weak of an opponent would rob her of any sense of victory.

Luna couldn’t be cruel to someone weaker than herself.

“Well, it’s not that I’m disappointed. It was a decision befitting a lady. And I truly realized that I need you, Lady Luna.”

“…Why did you come to that conclusion?”

“Because I have to be there by your side to finish things when you hesitate at crucial moments.”

Along with his response, there was a softness in his emerald eyes. It carried the meaning that he would take care of any obstacles.

Yes, that was how it was. She had forgotten because he treated her so well, but he was undoubtedly the best villain in this novel.

He’s also a psychopath with anger control issues. He might be laughing now, but who knows when he’ll go crazy and start running wild.

Antes was that kind of person. He would suddenly get angry during a conversation, break things, and even hit Fersen.

So Luna should have been afraid, but for some reason, Antes spoke with a tone that seemed to worry about her, and a small laugh escaped Luna’s lips. This time, it actually helped.

“Just your words alone are enough to be thankful for,” Luna replied, and Antes nodded once before turning his gaze forward.

There were no more empty words. It was as if he had played a small prank to ease her mood.

After leaving Seira’s mansion, Luna headed to the carriage rental station where she had briefly stopped in the morning. She went there to purchase a carriage as the station also sold carriages as a shop. 

‘If you’re going to live well, buy the best thing to live with.’

She had made up her mind, but since she had only used old and worn-out carriages before, sitting in one that was comfortable and looked nice felt good.

As Luna touched and inspected the pure white carriage that she had only seen in the Duke’s residence, Antes asked with a serious expression.

“Do you like it? Hmm… The exterior of the carriage is a bit cheap-looking.”

“Is this considered cheap? It looks so beautiful.”

“It looks beautiful because it’s been painted to appear that way. Look, this corner finish is poorly done.”

As Luna followed Antes’ finger, she noticed that the edges were sloppily painted.

Oh no, if she hadn’t noticed and passed by, it would have been a big problem.

Even if it rains, the paint would peel off, Luna thought, widening her eyes.

“And what about this?”

“Try knocking on this too. It makes too much noise. That’s why I doubt its durability.”

When Luna lightly tapped on the carriage’s exterior, as Antes had suggested, it made a loud hollow sound.

‘Oh, so this is cheap… I thought it looked nice, so I had my eye on it.’

Perhaps because he was the eldest son of a Marquis and also the head of the Merchant Guild, his eyes were discerning.

With genuine trust, Luna looked at all the carriages that she had noticed with admiration and turned to Antes.

“Oh, I apologize for momentarily leaving due to other matters. What kind of carriage are you looking for? There are plenty of carriages available at great prices, so please let me know!”

While Luna and Antes were discussing the carriage, the owner, who was previously absent, appeared and greeted them with a friendly face.

Then, pointing to the carriage that Luna and Antes were looking at, the owner began enthusiastically listing its advantages.

“You have a discerning eye! That carriage is the same one someone saw and admired early this morning. It has excellent durability and a reasonable price. There’s no better carriage!”

“Oh, really? Then sell it to that person,” Antes responded coldly.

Luna, who had lost trust in the owner due to Antes’ previous explanation that no bargaining would be allowed, looked at the owner with eyes that betrayed her shattered trust.

“Oh, I see. You didn’t like it… Then how about this carriage? It’s a beautiful carriage painted with high-quality dye that will never peel off or get damaged!”

It was the same carriage with poorly painted edges that Luna had seen before.

Antes crossed his arms and displayed his discomfort. Luna silently pointed at the edges of the carriage with her finger, expressing her disapproval.

Finally realizing that the guest wasn’t some clueless person who had come to see the carriages, the owner didn’t seem embarrassed at all and started laughing, saying that they would show Luna a good carriage.

“If you had mentioned it earlier, I would have shown it to you! Haha! You have a discerning eye!”

A swindler, Luna thought.

The appearance seemed believable, but nobles wouldn’t come to buy carriages themselves, so it seemed like a scheme to sell shabby carriages, thinking that he was a wealthy commoner.

Luna felt an urge to give him a firm blow to his mocking mouth, but this was the largest carriage shop in the capital. Unless she imported a carriage or placed a separate order, there was no other choice if she wanted to buy a good carriage immediately.

“If you show me another piece of junk this time, I won’t stay quiet.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

The merchant was indeed a merchant.

The owner, not intimidated by Antes’ icy gaze, smiled and guided them to a warehouse that had been converted to showcase high-quality carriages.

“How about this? It’s a carriage made from premium wood imported from the Krong region. I’m sure it will meet your expectations.”

The owner introduced the pristine white carriage with a malicious smile.

This time, Antes, as if he wasn’t lying, touched and tapped the exterior of the carriage, and then nodded lightly.

“It’s decent, I suppose.”

“Decent…”

The owner let out a slightly shocked and awkward laugh. Luna followed Antes’ lead and tried touching the carriage’s exterior, but she couldn’t feel anything.

“Ahem, the interior is also top-notch. Please have a seat and try it.”

The owner opened the carriage door and gestured inside, pointing to Luna’s expressionless face. It seemed to be a blow to his pride.

In response, Luna did as he said and sat on the seat of the carriage.

“…Huh?”

Then, the feeling of the leather enveloping her body was completely different from the chairs she had sat on before. It was so plush that she felt like she could sleep in it.

“I’ll take this one.”

There was nothing more to see. The exterior was assured by Antes, and the interior suited her taste.

It may not be as extravagant as the carriages Antes or Fersen rode, but it was still a suitable carriage for a Baron.

Luna immediately decided to buy it and got off the carriage, followed by Antes, who inspected the interior.

Unlike Luna, who was satisfied with everything, Antes meticulously examined the seats, floor, ceiling, windows, and more, discussing the merits and pricing of the carriage.

“I think 50 gold should be enough.”

“…Excuse me!?”

The owner objected to Antes’ statement with a facial expression as if he had received a death sentence.

“This carriage itself costs over 200 gold even at its base cost! Don’t talk nonsense!”

“200 gold? Don’t bullshit. That price is for custom orders.”

“Oh, please don’t say that. You seem to be young and unaware. The base cost of this carriage alone is over 200 gold, and when you add labor costs, storage fees, transportation fees, and more, it’s at least 300 gold!”

“Is that so? Shall we verify each and every detail to see if you’re telling the truth?”

Antes, with the momentum to verify with his fist, Luna intervened between the two.

“Don’t cheat.”

Of course, it didn’t mean she was taking the owner’s side. She just wanted to prevent Antes from hitting someone and spoke on her behalf.

“No, why are you even bothering the pretty lady?”

“I don’t want to hear compliments from you, so don’t say such things. And don’t cheat either.”

“When did I cheat! My goodness!”

The owner struck his chest with his fist as if his anger exploded.

He was truly shameless. He couldn’t even recognize his opponent who cheated him right in front of him.

“Don’t you remember me?”

“Yes?”

When Luna pointed at herself and asked, the owner stared at her, his mouth agape, as if asking what nonsense she was talking about.

“A while ago, I rented a carriage from the stable and went to Vincent Territory. Remember?”

“…?”

“At that time, I even asked if you could accompany us. I paid double the price and asked you to hurry.”

As Luna explained, the owner finally recognized who she was and looked her up and down with wide eyes.

“Ah! You’re the Lady of that Barony from before? Your appearance has changed so much that I didn’t recognize you! It seems like you had a good time in Vincent Territory! Hahaha, I’m so glad to see you like this.”

As he tried to shake hands with joy, Antes lightly slapped his hand away.

Even so, Antes had formidable strength, so the owner quickly grabbed his reddened hand and widened his eyes.

“Perhaps you seem to have looked down on me and my family very much. When I went to the place you mentioned, it turned out that it was a member of the guild that didn’t accompany me.”

“How can that be true!? Where in the world would you find a low-status person who wouldn’t accompany you! You asked to find them quickly and I went through so much trouble to find them. Why are you suddenly saying this!”

He expressed his frustration as if asking for evidence. It seemed he had been venting in this manner all along.

In response, Antes casually broke the support of the carriage that he had been leaning on and answered.

“Here it is. Antes Merchant Guild. Our Merchant Guild doesn’t accompany others, so I was curious why she came along. There were some circumstances, so I personally accepted her as the Merchant Guild owner.”

Putting the content aside, the owner, who was subjected to Antes’ fearsome power, seemed to contemplate. Antes didn’t seem to be pleased with that, as he broke another support frame and spoke.

“To be honest, I’m quite curious about a lot of things. How did the owner know that we would depart from that place at that time? And how did you accept money and send her to us, knowing that the Merchant Guild wouldn’t accompany her?”

“W-Well, it was a mistake…”

“Don’t tell me you intentionally placed someone to deceive us? How dare you try to make use of Antes Merchant Guild?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

“Ah, I’m not asking for an immediate answer. With some persuasion, you’ll give a proper answer. Let’s start with that.”

With Antes’ threatening words, the owner, who had been defiant just a moment ago, suddenly sealed his mouth.

He thought he could dismiss the people by sending them to Antes Merchant Guild without any consideration, and instead, he had the audacity to deceive and make nonsensical claims. But here they were, personally coming to find him.

The owner’s face turned as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

“Well then, should we evaluate the carriage price by examining everything?”

Luna intervened with a smile, thinking that if he continued to threaten, things might escalate even further.

Upon hearing that, the owner nodded as if it would be better and led them to a guest room, shaking like a broken doll.

The swindler was that person, it seemed.

They felt like a couple of swindlers themselves, with Antes’ threats and Luna’s laughter as a pair.