Chapter 210 Excuses Won't Make You Laugh
"By the way, I got a message saying you want us to come to the main store. Is it really bad if I don't go?"
"We need to quickly prepare the documents for the Sophia Merchant Guild to buy wheat."
"Is it urgent?"
"Because we delivered a lot of alcohol and other products to the Grandchester family, it seems the Commerce Guild is keeping an eye on us. They won't come onto the property because of the golems, but we're being watched."
"Hmm."
Hearing the clopping of horse hooves, the 3 of them headed toward the Jeffrey residence.
"We've already eliminated other businesses and employees connected to the merchant guild and the Commerce Guild, but actually, we just hired a man who is close to the Guild Manager."
"Was that on purpose?"
"Yes. Because we eliminated too many people too obviously, it seems we ended up raising suspicion."
Most of the employees of the Sophia Merchant Guild were hired through referrals from the Commerce Guild. Thanks to Sedrick, they have chosen people who aren't connected to other businesses or merchant guilds.
At first, they only hired completely clean individuals, but Sedrick reported that this was raising suspicion from the Commerce Guild, or rather, from the Guild Manager, Kojimo.
"Is it because we're too secretive?"
"They're wary of a mysterious merchant guild."
"That's true; Sophia is pretty mysterious."
"That's why I decided to have you work on tasks that aren't too classified. I wanted to show Sir Robert and the main office that we signed a contract to buy a large amount of wheat."
"I see. You want to make them report it on purpose, right?"
"Yes."
Robert thought for a moment. This year's wheat harvest was good, just like predicted. He was unsure how much to sell to the Sophia Merchant Guild after setting aside the usual amount for stocks.
"Is there a room suitable for a secret meeting at the Sophia Merchant Guild?"
"Of course. It's about discussing the amount to sell, right?"
"Just like you, Sara."
"We worked together to clean up after the embezzlement, remember?"
Sara smiled brightly at Robert.
"However, it seems it's not just the Guild Manager who wants to know Sophia's true identity. There's a rumor that she's staying at the Jeffrey residence... so..."
"Damn it, do they think I'm Jeff's mistress?"
"Sir Jeffrey is single, so at least call her a girlfriend!"
"Either way, I don't like it!"
Despite being on horseback, Robert shouted loudly. His horse perked its ears up, looking annoyed. The Grandchester family's horses are trained as warhorses, so they don't get startled easily by loud noises. Still, loud is loud.
'Sara, your dad is so loud.'
Durandal complained to Sara.
"Father, the horses are saying not to yell because it bothers them."
"Oh, sorry about that."
Robert lightly patted his horse's neck.
"There's a rumor about the captain, and I might be a part of the reason."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was in the knight's order, the captain treated me like a close aide. So now that I am assigned to protect Lady Sophia..."
"Oh, I guess people will think of her as special enough to be guarded by a trusted aide."
Daniel looked apologetic, while Robert spoke without hiding his displeasure.
"I don't like it at all. You were super cool just now. When you smoothly drew your sword, I couldn't help but feel a little flutter."
Sara still had her favorite, Jeffrey.
"Hey, why can't it be me since I came first?"
"Father is a different case, right?"
Though he didn't say it, Daniel also felt a bit disappointed. But he himself thought Jeffrey was a cool guy, so he had already given up on that.
"That means Sir Scott has a bright future ahead."
Daniel joked, trying to hide his loneliness, but Sara turned around and denied his opinion.
"Daniel just doesn't understand. Sir Jeffrey isn't just good-looking. It's not just his appearance; it's his confidence backed by experience and skill, his caring heart for others, and a bit of sadness since he still loves his late wife. Everything about him is amazing. Sir Jeffrey is wonderful when he's polite at work, but the real Sir Jeffrey, when he lets loose, is the best!"
Seeing Sara talk so passionately, Daniel thought, 'I can't let Sir Scott or Sir Blaze hear this.' But then he noticed Robert looking down, completely defeated.
"Well, I don't think we can keep using Jeff's house for the swap between Sophia and Sara forever. We need to buy or build a new place for Sophia soon."
"Maybe we can build a house near Maiden's Tower and connect it with a secret passage..."
"Ah, that might be a good idea. It could also be used for an escape if needed."
"Since Maiden's Tower is at the edge of Grandchester Castle's land, let's buy some adjacent land. The forest in between might make it easier to build."
At Jeffrey's house, Scott and Blaze were waiting for Sara with worried expressions.
"You took a while. Did something happen?"
Scott, who had recently grown taller, helped Sara down from her horse, while Blaze took the reins of Durandal.
"Just a little. I got into some trouble with Roisen's Crown Prince."
Sara explained what happened during lunch and her earlier clash with the knights.
"If that's the case, should you stay here as Sophia for a while? If you need to go to the merchant guild, you can leave from here."
"Hmm. There are things I need to do as Sara... but spending the rest of my time here or at the Sophia Merchant Guild might not be a bad idea."
Children can't participate in the hunting competition itself. Given that it's a sport where you shoot arrows from horseback, it's a reasonable consideration, and it's a rule for hunting competitions in any territory, not just Grandchester.
Women can participate, but unless they are really confident in their skills, they usually don't join. Rebecca, who has been participating in the Grandchester Hunting Tournament since she was 18, is known for always catching impressive game. Of course, she will join again this time.
The Young Marquis family can handle the social aspects without any issues. After all, they do this every year, so they can solve a few minor troubles themselves. The promotional materials are already sorted out, so it will be easier for them to deal with anything that comes up if Sara waits at the Sophia Merchant Guild instead of staying at the main residence.
"What does Father think?"
"Well, during the tournament, we are going to be quite busy, so we will definitely have less time with Sara. Actually, I was thinking of asking Daniel to guard you during the tournament."
Daniel straightened his posture.
"Indeed, leaving Milady Sara alone is very dangerous. I will protect her."
Robert thought to himself, 'The real danger is the enemy's hair,' but he held back from interrupting Daniel's sense of duty.
'What we need is someone who can take down the enemy quickly so that Sara doesn't go too far.'
Daniel doesn't know, but Sara once took down over 100 rioters by herself and, as a warning, used magic to cut off the arms and legs of their leader. After healing the limbs back to normal, she smiled and asked, 'Do you want to continue?,' showcasing her fierce personality.
If the enemy is someone who can be dealt with easily, then it won't matter if Sara goes too far. However, if the opponent is a member of the nobility, things become more complicated.
"To avoid unnecessary trouble, it might be better to take refuge here. If it's Sara, Jeff probably won't mind. Especially since I want Sara to avoid running into the Crown Prince."
Scott and Blaze looked at each other and smiled.
"My father will be fine. He always says he wants to make her his daughter-in-law."
"I'm not giving Sara to either of you, okay?"
Robert cut off Scott's comment sharply.
"Father, don't play with Scott and the others."
"No, I'm kind of serious about this."
"Okay, okay. Save that talk for a few years later. For now, let's head to the Sophia Merchant Guild."
Sara brushed off Robert's comment and transformed into Sophia.
Mike appeared to transform Sara and, seeing Robert's expression, sighed, but he seemed worried about Sara after watching Gerhart, the Crown Prince.
"Is Sara okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit disappointed. I thought royalty would care more about the country."
Mike settled down, resting his paws on Sara's shoulders in her Sophia form.
"So that's how it is?"
"I think coming all the way to Grandchester was for the country, so I believe he has some sense of duty as the Crown Prince. But I'm really tired of him shoving his demands around. His arrogant attitude, acting like he's being kind to a common girl, is so annoying. I wonder if Mother felt this way ten years ago."
Robert escorted Sara, who was in her Sophia form, as she came out from behind the screen.
"Ugh. Revi's Roisen had way more power than now, and Prince Adolf was way more forceful."
"So today's Gerhart Crown Prince is better, right?"
"It's kinda weird to compare, but yeah."
However, after hearing about how someone tried to forcibly take Sara away, Scott and Blaze were furious.
"This isn't the time to say 'better!' What if they really take her to Roisen!?"
"Yeah. Sara is way too carefree."
Sara chuckled at the brothers.
"You guys are starting to act alike. You really are brothers."
"Sara, don't change the subject!"
"Just destroy a country with such a jerk!"
When Blaze made the comment about destroying a country, Sara felt a sting in her heart.
'Roisen... no, Odel is my homeland.'
"Honestly, I thought it would be easy to silence them. But I really don't want countries fighting because of that."
"Are you talking about if a war starts?"
"Yeah."
"If it came to it, it would probably be easy for you to destroy the other country, Sara."
Blaze made a troubling statement out of anger. He didn't realize that his grandparents and royal relatives had been destroyed by Roisen's royalty. In a way, the royal family of Roisen was Blaze's enemy.
"That's true. It probably could be done easily. But that means hurting someone."
"It's allowed if it's to protect yourself or your family, right?"
Scott responded to this. For Scott, who aimed to be a knight, taking up arms to protect himself and his loved ones was a justified action.
"Maybe I can come up with a lot of excuses. Perhaps there will even be people who praise me like a hero. But after hurting so many people in Roisen, I don't think I can live my life laughing like I did before."
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