“What’s happening here?”

It was Fersen. He asked Luna with a very ominous look.

Out of the blue, what on earth is this about? Luna tried hard to free her caught wrist and replied:

“What does it matter? Will you let go?!”

“Lady Luna!”

As if it was intentional, Royer had been held by the knight who was accompanying Fersen for a long time. Unfortunately, there were no guards in the corridor to help.

“Do you want to be summoned to court again?!”

Despite her efforts to push him away, Fersen didn’t budge, and Luna flared up in anger. Fersen sneered as if he couldn’t understand.

“Court, that’s not funny. I just called you for a conversation, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides, tricks won’t work anymore, why should I stand in court?”

What nonsense is this! Frustrated with the crazy talk after a long time, Luna was infuriated.

It hadn’t been a minute since they started talking and already he was getting on her nerves, he really was an incredible jerk.

There was no point in trying to talk sense into this guy who was impossible to communicate with.

An eye for an eye, Luna, taking a stance, kicked hard at Fersen’s vital parts.

“…!”

But unfortunately, the startled Fersen swiftly dodged and retreated.

It would have been good if he was kicked hard(?). Luna, rubbing her red swollen wrist, opened her mouth.

“You release Royer too. Otherwise, I’ll scream and gather people here.”

Recently, Luna’s standing had grown significantly, so it wouldn’t be good for Fersen if people gathered.

Especially since Fersen was the one at fault, the knight who was keeping a lookout released Royer.

“Lady Luna! Lady Luna, are you alright?!”

Royer, rushing to Luna, stood in front of her as if to protect her from Fersen.

“It’s alright. Let’s go. No need to waste time here.”

Luna pulled Royer by the arm. Blocking the madman wouldn’t stop him. Avoidance was the better strategy.

As they hurried to leave, Fersen spoke to Luna faster.

“Break up with Antes.”

“…What?”

Suddenly, Luna asked back as she couldn’t understand what he was talking about. Again, Fersen opened his mouth saying to break up with Antes.

“I said break up with him. He’s soon to fail, and only hardships await, why on earth aren’t you breaking up with him?”

Was he serious? If there was a level of absurdity, this statement was definitely of the highest level, one that would remain in history.

Although it was better not to argue, Luna couldn’t stop retorting, finding it absurd.

“What does that have to do with you?”

Why on earth was he interfering whether she broke up with Antes or not? No, actually, since the relationship was strained anyway, it would be normal to welcome a relationship with a guy who’s going downhill.

“That’s…”

At Luna’s question, Fersen closed his mouth for a moment. He too, couldn’t understand why he wanted Luna and Antes to break up.

But one thing was certain. Every time he saw or heard Luna getting along with Antes, it twisted his insides.

So, they should break up. Ever since the two started dating, everything got messed up, so if they broke up, this discomfort would surely go away.

“Because it makes me feel bad.”

“Madman.”

It was wrong to expect a rational answer. There was no value in continuing the conversation. No, he wasn’t worth arguing with in the first place, so it was wise to leave.

Unable to hide her disappointed feelings, Luna turned her back without a second thought. Royer, seemingly having the same thought, silently followed the hurrying Luna.

“Luna! Don’t take my words lightly! Soon, he will fall completely, it’s better to break up! I’ll make it happen!”

Fersen’s voice echoed in the corridor as Luna disappeared around the corner, stomping her feet in what seemed like true annoyance. Fersen stared at the scene for a moment.

But today, he felt less angry than expected, perhaps because she was alone without Antes.

Indeed, a malicious guy didn’t suit Luna. It was better if no one was beside her except him.

‘I need to hurry and snatch all the business partners from Antes’ guild. For him, Luna’s mine would be the biggest partner, so I need to find a way to cut ties between them somehow.’

In the process, if there’s a problem with the mine itself, it wouldn’t be bad for Luna to go back to her humble life as before. At that time, Luna, without any vain thoughts, always welcomed him warmly while living quietly in the mansion.

“Young master Fersen, it’s time to move.”

The knight urged Fersen, who was lost in thought. It’s not untrue, the time to meet with the person in charge was approaching.

Fersen, who was momentarily looking for traces of Luna who has already disappeared, soon turned around.

Thinking that if Antes collapses completely soon, she wouldn’t be able to stay by that bastard’s side anymore.

* * *

A little later, Baron Kotn and Viscount Gamay visited Antes again. The very flushed faces indicated that they have finally come to inquire about the awaited news.

“The date has been set. They said they had made a deal with the Imperial Palace. They asked for a steady supply of large quantities of goods.”

The Imperial Palace… Antes laughed at a bigger client than expected.

He aimed to ruin their reputation with the clients so they wouldn’t be able to set foot in this field again, but now, it seemed like they might have to leave the Empire itself.

And if this issue gets resolved well, the men before him also had to live as if they were dead mice. Including the other nobles who pledged revenge on Fersen.

‘I am falling for their scheme.’

It was inevitable. He explained the risks thoroughly, but they volunteered to do anything as long as they could just cancel the contract.

“Then act as advised last time. I’m telling you again, you have to come up with excuses when questioned.”

“Yes, yes! I understand! But there’s one concern…”

Baron Kotn, who gladly agreed, showed a bit of anxiety.

“What happens to the Imperial Palace if the goods are not supplied by the due date?”

Only then it seemed like they realized what they were getting themselves into. It was a foolish question, way too late, after involving several others.

“That doesn’t seem like something for you to worry about,” Antes responded coldly.

Although they were sharing advice for a reason now, just three months ago, they had betrayed Antes. They couldn’t expect nice words.

“Isn’t it enough for you to just cancel the contract? Don’t worry about other things and just be faithful to your own tasks. If you worry about useless things, you might mess up everything.”

The conversation ended there. The main points were all covered, so there was no need for more chatter.

The Baron and the Viscount, feeling a bit of closeness thinking that Antes was helping them, left with awkward faces.

‘Once everything is sorted out, I’ll take a little rest.’

Antes thought as he sunk deep into the sofa. From the time of contract cancellation till now, he hadn’t rested, let alone slept for more than three hours.

He was born very sturdy and never particularly wanted to rest, but for some reason, he missed rest a lot lately.

‘Maybe it’s not the rest, but the person I could meet while resting.’

Someone who makes him cheerful just by being together. He wanted to dine and drink wine leisurely with the person who cared for even the birthdays he never paid attention to.

To do so, he needed to hurry and wrap up the work. Since the work has grown larger than expected, without proper preparations, there wouldn’t be any rest.

Antes, getting up, hurriedly looked for someone.

* * *

“…What? You’re saying the preparations are not yet done?!”

With only two days left till the due date, Fersen raised his voice at the news that the goods were still being organized.

When could they prepare when the goods were stacked thickly in the warehouse, why couldn’t he see even the shadow of the goods yet?

Baron Kotn responded with a smile, telling him not to worry.

“It’s fine. We just have to load the goods. There are still two days left. Everything will be done by tomorrow, so please relax.”

“It can’t be. I will send people to help with the organization and transportation.”

The words put forth by Fersen were the worst case for the Baron. However, it wasn’t unexpected, so the Baron laughingly agreed.

“Then can I ask you to come early tomorrow morning? Actually, I was a little anxious about loading and moving, but since you are helping, I feel reassured.”

He would have been uneasy if refused, but mentioning a specific time and saying ‘tomorrow’ eased him a bit. Fersen, nodding, brushed off his seat and stood up.

“Then I will leave now. I will send people early tomorrow morning. Please ensure there’s no delay. If the supply is late, I may lose some trust, but you might lose everything.”

Leaving behind a threat that wasn’t a threat, Fersen hurriedly left the Baron’s mansion.

Not only Baron Kotn but other nobles too hadn’t finished preparing the goods as the supply day was nearing, so there were many places he needed to visit.

Watching Fersen’s carriage disappearing at a brisk pace, the Baron went to find his wife and children.

“Get ready quickly, we have to leave the Empire before sunset.”

At the sudden news of leaving the Empire, the Baron’s children tilted their heads and disappeared into their rooms with the servants, and the Baroness, sensing something going wrong, couldn’t hide her anxious expression.