Chapter 387 Your Majesty The King And The Grandchester Family
The room they were guided to by the servants was the same reception room as before. It was a room used by the king to invite friends privately, and by the window stood the king, relaxed, looking out at the scenery. Marquis Grandchester and Edward entered and knelt down without saying a word, waiting for the king to speak.
"William, it seems your concerns were correct. Roisen might be in serious trouble."
The king spoke quietly while still looking out the window. The Grandchester family, still kneeling, raised their heads.
"What do you mean?"
"I've known for a few years that Roisen has been facing food shortages, but I haven't reported the exact numbers to the Crown Prince. It seems the nobles are taking advantage of the situation. If we help carelessly, we might end up in trouble ourselves."
They had already heard this information from Sara, but it seemed the royal family of Avalon had come to the same conclusion.
"It seems the merchants are also aware of Roisen's situation. They have already started hoarding wheat. Prices are rising slowly, but I'm worried that the Grandchester territory hasn't released any wheat to the market yet."
"About that..."
While Marquis Grandchester was speaking, the king turned around and interrupted him with a grin.
"I know. You sold everything to the Sophia Merchant Guild, didn't you? It's not like you, but are you being influenced by your mistress?"
"That is absolutely not the case."
"Haha, just kidding."
Seeing Marquis Grandchester with a worried expression, the king looked amused. He moved only his fingertips to make the Grandchester family stand up, then sat down on a nearby sofa.
"Hmm, the Grandchester people are tall. You might get a sore neck, so sit down."
As the two quietly sat down, the king spoke.
"However, the rumors about Sophia are quite something. The female merchant who suddenly appeared in the Grandchester territory is said to have the beauty of a goddess, yet conducts business as wicked as a devil."
"I am honored."
"Isn't it her who should be honored? She is not from Grandchester, are you?"
"That's a difficult question to answer."
"Oh. You are quite rude to keep secrets from me."
"I apologize."
"Well, it's fine. I heard the situation from Andrew. It seems she is a relative on her mother's side. I've been told she is from the Coastal Union."
"You knew that much?"
"It was a bit too noisy to ignore. Andrew and the academy were in an uproar. If she is the daughter of someone who eloped and lost their noble status, I understand it's hard to claim she is a proper Grandchester relative. However, it seems her noble status was restored after her death."
Marquis Grandchester looked down and nodded at the king's words.
"I was foolish. If I had forgiven them sooner, those 2 would still be alive."
"I have also lost a child. It is too sad and lonely when they leave before their parents."
"My son was killed by bandits, leaving his wife and young daughter in a difficult situation. I was proud and didn�t want to accept the truth until I got a letter from his wife, who felt she was dying. When I arrived, it was too late; she had already passed away. My granddaughter, who hadn�t eaten for days, was holding onto her mother. It was a cold day, and there was no wood left for the fire."
"I see... that must have been tough."
The king spoke words of comfort to Marquis Grandchester and leaned back against the sofa, gazing up at the ceiling.
"But that granddaughter seems to be quite remarkable. Just like that relative, the female merchant."
In reality, they are the same person, but it's true that both can be classified as surprising individuals. Even the fairies call them 'graduated from being human' or 'Dragon,' which shows how extraordinary they are.
"That's right. My granddaughter is clearly strange."
"I heard she managed to suppress Andrew's magic rampage."
"Indeed."
Since it couldn't be hidden any longer, he had no choice but to admit it honestly.
"Does she have multiple attributes?"
"She has manifested the 4 attributes of fire, water, wind, and earth."
"Her magic control is also excellent. She calmed down Andrew, who was having a magic rampage, and was invited to the Crown Prince Roisen's chamber?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince Gerhart's request was 'Sing me a song before bed.' To soothe Prince Andrew, my granddaughter was humming a lullaby. After all, she is only 8 years old."
"She's about to turn 9. And next year, she should become Viscount Astley's daughter."
"Yes."
It seems the royal family has also looked into Sara. Naturally, they must have investigated Sophia as well.
"Lady Sara's deceased mother, Adelia, was the former royal Adelia Elaine Florentia of Florence, right?"
"I see you already knew."
"So, she is a direct descendant of the Florence royal family. Even though she lives as a commoner, if she is a former royal, there shouldn't have been a need to oppose her marriage, right?"
"I didn't know. My son's wife hid the fact that she was from the former royal family of Florence."
"Ah, that confusing rule of the Florence royal family. Because of that, the blood relations of the former royals of Florence are hard to understand. The noble class of Florence still loudly asserts their existence, but the royal family of Florence is strangely quiet, which is quite eerie. By the way, I heard Sophia looks just like Adelia. It doesn't mean her mother is still alive, does it?"
From here, it's a story they decided on beforehand. Marquis Grandchester carefully continues the conversation.
"Unfortunately, Sophia and Adelia are different people. Adelia wrote a letter entrusting both me and Sophia with Sara. She must have felt uneasy since I had been ignoring it until now. I arrived first to take Sara to the Grandchester family, but Sophia also came to the Grandchester territory to chase after Sara."
"I see. So, Sophia came to Grandchester to take Sara."
"Of course. However, by the time Sophia came to pick her up, Sara had already become very attached to my foolish son and the governess, so she decided to stay in Grandchester. Sophia gave up on taking her back, but she was still worried about her niece, so she decided to settle down in Grandchester as well."
"I see. So that's what happened. But was it really necessary to run a merchant guild?"
"Originally, Sophia was skilled at managing a merchant guild in another country, but it seems she always wanted to run her own one day. When I heard that, I helped her set up the merchant guild for Sara's sake. I even lent her some money, but she paid it all back in no time and brought great profits to Grandchester."
However, the king continued to speak, looking at Marquis Grandchester as if he were interrogating him.
"If Adelia relies on her relatives, they must be older, but I've heard from those who saw Sophia that she looks like a girl who isn't even 20. Yet, strangely, when it comes to business, she turns into a very cunning merchant. It's just like Rebecca."
"You're absolutely right. Because Sophia has formed a bond with fairies, her physical age and actual age are quite different. In fact, even we don't know Sophia's real age."
"I thought so. Well, if that weren't the case, she wouldn't be able to handle aged liquor."
The king was convinced on his own, so Marquis Grandchester silently lowered his gaze. He couldn't exactly say it was aged by fairies, and he also felt uneasy about telling too many lies.
"But that alcohol is made in the Grandchester territory, right?"
"Indeed."
"But it has gone through a long aging process... The Sophia Merchant Guild has exclusive rights to it, but Sophia said she came to Grandchester to pick up Sara. If that's the case, Sophia herself must have just arrived in Grandchester..."
Finally, the king asked a crucial question. He rested his chin on his hand as if thinking, but his sharp gaze pierced through Marquis Grandchester.
"Your Majesty, the Sophia Merchant Guild claims it is 'new alcohol,' but Elma brandy was originally made by a single Elma farm for personal use. Because of that, the remaining stock is very limited, making it a highly rare product."
"Oh, interesting."
"That farm is quite famous in Grandchester, and the Elma that is offered to the royal family every year is also grown there. The owner of the farm is a woman, known for making delicious Elma liquor. She has fans even outside of Grandchester."
"Oh."
"At first, Sophia seemed to want to sell regular Elma liquor in bottles, but when she visited the Elma farm, she learned about Elma brandy and cider, and ended up signing an exclusive sales contract."
The king slightly tilted his head and asked Marquis Grandchester with a hint of worry.
"Hmm. So, you're saying that the Elma farm, which has had a long relationship with the Grandchester family, talked about their liquor not to you, but to Sophia, who came from abroad?"
"The farm owner is not from Grandchester. She was originally the daughter of a knight living in the royal capital, but after her father passed away, she moved to Grandchester and started running the Elma farm. It seems she and Sophia, who just arrived from another country, have similar backgrounds and became close."
"I see."
"When Sophia tasted the cider and Elma brandy that the farm owner casually served, she convinced the owner that these drinks should be known widely."
"That makes sense. The taste was shocking."
At that, Marquis Grandchester let out a small sigh.
"Actually, there was another coincidence."
"What do you mean?"
"Originally, Sophia already knew how to make Elma brandy and cider."
"Oh, really!"
"Because of that, she was planning to ask the farm if they could make Elma brandy and cider, but..."
"So, the farm owner was already making them, right?"
"Indeed."
"That's quite an amazing coincidence."
Well, it certainly is an amazing coincidence. After all, it's a made-up story.
"Sophia said, 'In Grandchester, we have Elma, so it's Elma brandy, but in other regions, they just make different drinks.' There are probably brandies that don't use Elma as an ingredient. In fact, she's scheduled to meet Count Harrington in the royal capital."
"Harrington means wine, right? Hmm, but Count Harrington is your nephew, isn't he? If you show too much favoritism, people might criticize you."
"Today, we should be visiting Duke Arbal's residence. Although, I will be accompanying my grandchildren."
"An overly talented grandchild and a rich, cunning relative. It seems like a heavy burden for Victoria."
"She is the wise Duchess. It's probably Sophia who is in trouble."
It seems the king's ears are longer than expected.
"Hmm... at this point, it would be frustrating to keep Sophia and Lady Sara exclusive to the nobles. Maybe I should invite them too."
'I expected this would happen, but I didn't think he would show such obvious interest.'
While placing a hand on his slightly aching stomach, Marquis Grandchester responded with a smile. Suddenly, the king shifted his gaze to Edward and spoke.
"Young Marquis Grandchester, you should join us as well. Let's take our time and listen with the Queen and the Crown Prince couple. After all, Sophia is probably involved with your appearance, right?"
"Your Majesty, I am honored by your keen insight."
It seems the king has also noticed the youthful appearance of Edward and plans to extract secrets in front of the queens. Of course, Sophia and Sara will have to go as well.
"There's a saying in foreign countries: 'Good things should be done quickly.' Following that, I guess I should hurry. Someone send a message to the Duke Arbal family. I will invite the women of the Grandchester family to dinner tonight. Ah, of course, the Duke Arbal family should be invited too. The children can come along as well."
"Your Majesty! Isn't that a bit too hasty? Sara is still only 8 years old!"
Marquis Grandchester hurriedly tried to advise the king, but the king didn't seem to care at all.
"Don't worry, I'm just inviting them to a private dinner. Relax, I will also call my grandchildren so the kids can interact with each other."
'This is bad, I didn't have time to discuss this beforehand. Today, Sara is supposed to be a golem, but will that be okay...?'
Marquis Grandchester felt a slight unease, but he had no choice but to follow the king's orders.
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