“You should have said that earlier! Why do you make a fool out of people again?”

Skillfully blocking her punch, Antes replied with a gentle smile that he couldn’t hide:

“I think I said it many times. There was an issue, but it’s resolved now.” 

“You never answered precisely!”

“I did say it was a secret. I brought you here to show you directly since I thought it’s okay to say now. You really are too much. You don’t trust me, so you have to hit me?” 

Although it was said in a playful tone, a feeling of disappointment at not being trusted was evident.

Luna, who was glaring at him for a while, soon let out a deep sigh and restrained her violence. Since Antes had been saying all along that the troubling issue had been resolved, it was indeed true. 

“Anyway, it’s a relief. I was very worried about what would happen if a pessimistic young lord made a wrong choice. Look at this, I rushed out so fast I only put on a coat over my pajamas.” 

It’s scary thinking someone might see, Luna joked. 

Antes chuckled because all the clothes, whether it was indoor clothes, going out clothes, or pajamas that he had seen one day, were pretty. The fact that she hurriedly came to find him without even changing clothes was somewhat pleasing.

With sunlight on his back, as he smiled genuinely, Luna, feeling a bit weird, coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. 

“So, you were busy contracting and gathering these products until now?” 

“Yes. I’m not sure about the suppliers nearby, but the ones in the southern region took quite some time. Fortunately, everyone readily agreed to the contract, so I could finish it quickly. To normalize the distribution, we still need to gather more products though.” 

It was really fortunate that the other guilds didn’t pay attention to them since they were commoners. 

“But is it possible to win the market with a replacement product?” 

Luna asked again with a serious businessman’s mind.

She understood that there were substitutes, but it was doubtful whether they could outperform the existing products currently distributed in the market, especially when the opponent was the Duke’s family.

To this, Antes smiled meaningfully and replied:

“Don’t worry. The quality of the substitutes is better. Plus, I think we will soon hear some noises.” 

“Noises?” 

What else is there?

Now that it’s the day, and Luna only found out now, she demanded a detailed explanation. Not wanting to lose Luna’s trust by withholding more information, Antes slowly began to explain the words he had heard when the contracts were canceled and his own assumptions. 

* * * 

A while later, a servant from the Duke’s family visited Baron Kotn’s residence. It had been a month since the contract was completed and the products were distributed, and he came to deliver the settlement money.

They had contracted at a higher rate than before, so the profits must have increased.

The Baron, filled with anticipation, couldn’t contain his smile as he checked the contents. 

“…What is this?!” 

Instead of an increase, a cheque with an amount not even half of the previous one caught the count’s eye. Why?! He hurriedly checked the statement.

Then, very unexpectedly, distributors took a tremendous amount of commission. After having a huge cut in commissions, barely the amount to cover the loss fell to the Baron’s share. 

“What the hell happened?!” 

The startled Baron rushed towards the Duke’s residence. There must be a mistake, there was no way this amount could be there.

Luckily, Fersen was in the mansion, so the Baron met him right away and had a conversation. 

“That’s right, these are the firms added for safer and faster distribution.” 

“Pardon…?!”

However, it wasn’t the expected answer that ‘there was a mistake.’ Fersen explained very confidently that the amount was the Baron’s share. 

“But we’ve maintained the trade even without a distributor until now…!” 

Mentioning that they had traded well even without a distributor, the Baron noticed Fersen’s eyes turned menacing in a flash. 

“Are you comparing our guild with such a shabby and insignificant one?” 

“No, that’s not what I meant…!” 

“If trading with Antares Merchant Guild was better, cancel the contract and go back. As long as you pay enough for the penalty, I’ll cancel the contract anytime.” 

“…!” 

The Baron opened his mouth in disbelief at the absurd reply. How could he pay the penalty, an amount that required selling off all territories and gathering every asset he had!

“Wasn’t there a mention of the distributor in the contract clearly?”

This wasn’t a matter that could be left alone, so the Baron brought up the contract. He wouldn’t have signed it if such a clause was present.

To this, Fersen affirmed without a blink.

“Yes. There wasn’t. There was no clause about the distributor. But what does it matter? Didn’t you delegate all rights concerning distribution to me? That’s why I found the optimal method in my own way.”

Specifically, by involving a few more distributors who charged exorbitant commissions, reducing the Baron’s profit.

“Ah…!”

Only then did the Baron realize his situation. He had betrayed a perfectly good business partner with a foolish judgement and was deceived by clever wordplay into a scam.

How can fellow nobles do something like this!

When he dealt with Antes, such a thing never happened.

He couldn’t have imagined that the heir of a Duke’s family would do such a thing.

“If your business is finished, please leave now. I have a pile of work and can’t afford to spend any more time.”

The Baron was still in shock, but Fersen coldly asked him to leave.

If he didn’t leave, Fersen’s cold face suggested he might call a knight. In the end, the Baron, who got nothing, left Fersen’s office.

‘What should I do…!’

He couldn’t move away from near the office and sat down hesitatingly.

If he stayed silent, Fersen would only benefit for nothing, but no solution came to mind.

While pondering for a moment, someone approached Fersen’s office in quite a hurry. It was a person well known to Baron Kotn.

“Viscount Gamay?”

With a bundle of documents in one hand, Viscount Gamay’s face was pale as a sheet. At this, the Baron realized that he too had been deceived by Fersen.

“Did you come to meet young lord Rordrian by any chance? Because of the settlement statement?!”

The Baron urgently asked, grabbing the Viscount’s arm. Are you a victim like me?

Surprised, Viscount Gamay quickly nodded.

“How did you know?! Don’t tell me, you too?!”

The Baron explained what he heard from Fersen. Including the fact that he deliberately deceived them.

“So, what should we do?!”

Viscount Gamay asked, his face turning pale. It was a useless question, of course.

That didn’t mean no ideas came to mind. A person who might help them popped into the baron’s mind.

“How about going to young lord Vincent again?”

“Vi, Vincent, you say?”

Unfortunately, seeing Viscount Gamay’s reaction, it seemed he too had neglected Antes, just like the Baron.

But since no one else who could help came to mind, they had no choice. They had to beg for help, no matter what it took.

“Yes! Haven’t we maintained a good relationship for several years? If we go back to young lord, he can operate the company, too. He certainly won’t refuse us blatantly.”

The last time they saw Antes, he was desperate to prevent the contract termination. Since they monopolized most of the market, they couldn’t be dismissed easily.

Viscount Gamay seemed to recall this too, agreeing with the Baron.

“…Understood. Then we should leave right away. The more time passes, the more disadvantageous it is for us.”

Since the opinion converged, there was no more time for hesitation. The two men hurriedly headed towards Antares Merchant Guild.

* * *

Unfortunately, unlike Fersen, Antes wasn’t a person they could meet easily. The two men, who had been waiting for Antes since lunch, could meet him only when the sun was about to set.

“What brings you here?”

At the sudden appearance of unwelcome visitors, Antes’s question was quite cold. Moreover, he didn’t even look at their faces, continuing to organize his documents.

Because it was an expected reaction, the Baron smiled and opened his mouth.

“Um… I came to ask for a favor.”

“A favor? I wonder if there’s anything to be obliged between us.”

However, Antes’s reaction was still cold. It was to the extent that if one were to personify ice, it would be exactly like this.

They couldn’t just turn back like this. The Baron, suppressing his growing discomfort, tried again to cater to Antes’s temperament.

“Hahaha, haven’t our relations been quite deep. We have worked together for several years.”

“Ye-yes, thanks to the young lord, we were able to secure a position in the market, and thanks to us, Antares Merchant Guild was able to expand its scale. Although not very long, we had a close relationship of helping each other, didn’t we?”

Antes’s reaction wasn’t very good, so somehow, to lighten the mood, the Viscount stepped forward to support.

Upon this, Antes put down the documents he was organizing with a clatter. It was almost like he threw them.

With a smirk as if this was absurd, he stared at the two men with a very stern look.

“That’s right, why did you abandon such a deep relationship in a moment? Didn’t I tell you clearly that you would regret it?”