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“I can tell you about that.”

A clear voice rang out. All the ladies turned their heads toward the new voice.

“Ah!”

“L, lady Iriya…”

Iriya was standing there with a cool water-colored dress that revealed her cleavage. The faces of the other ladies turned pale. Lindsay was also taken back to see the new girl. Iriya had taken large strides towards them and now stood beside the table.

“Whatever the case, would you not agree that the person involved in the story knows best?”

From up close, Iriya was confident and beautiful.

Unlike the mainland ladies who tended to be pale and weak, she possessed a different type of charm with her healthy, brown skin. Her clear, black eyes were overflowing with intelligence.

Moreover, the shape of her voluminous body was reminiscent of one a pottery vase from the east. It was easy to understand why the mere sight of her captivated countless men.

“This is the first time I am formally greeting you, Baroness Conrad. My name is Iriya Mandy.”

“Ah, yes. You are right. Nice to meet you, Lady Mandy.”

Iriya Mandy greeted Lindsay with the customary greeting of the mainland. She folded one knee gracefully and gave a slight bow. Lindsay nodded in response.

Iriya sat down on an empty chair opposite of Lindsay before greeting the other ladies with a gaze of her eyes. Then, she continued while looking towards Lindsay once more.

“Are you curious as to why my father and I refused my marriage to the eldest son of the Arangis Duchy?”

Lindsay was a little surprised at Iriya’s straightforward attitude. However, Lindsay was no longer the shy, innocent girl of the past. She was aware of her position as the baroness of the Pendragon Duchy, and she strived to behave in ways fitting her title. She could not afford to bring shame to the Pendragon’s name.

As such, Lindsay nodded with a gentle smile.

“Yes, we got carried away while chatting about this and that. I apologize if it was rude.”

“…..”

Iriya’s eyes filled with curiosity at the calm, dignified response. She was somewhat surprised that Lindsay was not naïve and pure just like her appearance.

“Don’t mention it. The old saying is that even the emperor would be made fun of when women gather together. The truth is, we even make a snack out of Governor Cedric when we gather together with the ladies. Don’t we, ladies?”

“Lady Iriya, you are really…”

“Hoho! Isn’t that what it is all about?”

Although they were slightly jealous of her beauty, they did not hate Iriya. She was cool and direct. The noble ladies of El Pasa quickly agreed with giggles.

After all, their families could have been at risk if the daughter of Karl Mandy was left out or ignored here in El Pasa. Of course, Gold King Karl Mandy was not a man who would retaliate for personal matters, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

“Anyhow, let me tell you about what happened between my family and His Grace Arigo Arangis. It might be quite a long story, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

“As you all know, His Grace Arigo Arangis tried to take me in as a concubine…”

Lindsay gave an affirmative nod, and Iriya began to speak in a clear voice.

***

As Iriya mentioned, the matter of Arigo Arangis wanting to take her in as a concubine was a famous story. Even though the Arangis Duchy claimed to be the monarch of the south, ultimately, money was required to support power and strength. Money moved the world.

Arangis possessed large farmlands on its capital, Crete Island, and several small and large mines in the nearby islands, but they were insufficient to provide for a large population and territory of a duchy. Furthermore, the Arangis Duchy needed to continuously provide the southern lords with something in order to maintain their influence. ‘Something’ usually ended up being soldiers, money, and equipment.

However, there were no mines in the world that could be excavated forever, nor could there be an abundant harvest of crops and fish every year.

To add to the issue, Crete Island was hit by a major storm every few years, and every time, the farming and fishing industries were disrupted, which led to food shortages.

The subordinate lords to the Arangis Duchy were also not free from the devastation of the storms, as they resided in the islands off the coast of Crete Island or in the nearby seas.

Thus, for many generations, the Arangis family maintained close ties with southern lords that resided in places out of the storm’s reach.

However, Arigo Arangis decided that he wanted to take things a step further as the soon-to-be duke.

He moved his interests to commerce.

Crete Island was self-sufficient, and it had no need to engage in external commercial activities from long ago. Back then, the population was not as large as now, and there were plenty of fish and seafood to be had from the nearby seas.

As time passed, however, the population grew exponentially. With the increasing population, the duchy’s population outweighed the amount of food that could be harvested from the farmlands and the nearby seas. Food insecurities exploded as the number one problem.

They had to pay high prices to buy grain from the southern lords in order to solve the problem. It was beneficial for the southern lords to be able to sell at a high price, and for the Arangis Duchy, even though it was a bit expensive, they could strengthen the relationship with the southern lords while procuring enough food. Besides, gold and ore were useful when refined and utilized, but useless in a warehouse. It was better to make use of them.

However, the supply and demand of food was severely disrupted when the South faced a series of conflicts and wars.

This was also the reason that the Arangis Duchy actively intervened in the southern war. With the advent of the powerful Arangis family, the southern war was halted in its steps.

The Arangis family became actively involved in territorial disputes involving their blood allies or those who sent them large amounts of grain but did not pay attention to the other regions. As such, the small lords became dissatisfied with the Arangis Duchy, although they could not openly express it.

Then, an organized army of monsters had emerged from the Great Forest of Assia last year. The monsters initially only attacked areas near the great forest, but after some time, they began to cause destruction and damage to most of the southern areas of the South.

Petitions and appeals to the Arangis family followed. The areas near the Great Forest had not much use, but the remaining southern parts of the land were a granary zone. If it was left alone, it could cause problems in the supply of food once more.

The Arangis Duchy proceeded to provide some military support for the families that were under their influence. But it was not nearly enough.

Nevertheless, the Arangis Duchy was unable to immediately form a large coalition to fight against the monster army. A series of events had occurred in the mainland related to the attempted assassination on Crown Prince Shio from a few years back.

In such a precarious situation, if a large army consisting of multiple forces gathered in the south, it could be seen as a provocation to the royal family. Moreover, the Arangis Duchy could be seen as admitting their involvement in the assassination attempt, regardless of whether it was true or not.

That was when Arigo Arangis was hit with a revelation.

He had to lead the family from a different perspective in order to solve the problem once and for all. Until now, the tedious problems regarding food were always prone to accidents and instability. Something needed to be done in order to maintain the Arangis Duchy’s influence in the south.

His solution was commerce, and the fastest way to grow the family’s business was by having someone work for the Arangis Duchy, someone who already built a golden mountain in El Pasa with real estate and trade.

Karl Mandy was the obvious pick. He was the Gold King of El Pasa, and he possessed significant wealth and influence in the mainland as well.

Just in luck, Karl Mandy had a daughter called the Flower of El Pasa, and she was at a ripe age for marriage with no fiancé.

***

“…But my father outright refused the request of the Arangis Duchy.”

“And why was that?”

Lindsay asked. She felt intrigued by the story. Iriya replied with a smile. She had captivated the ladies with her fascinating story.

“My father did not need the backing of the Arangis Duchy. On the other hand, it was so obvious that they were trying to use our family through me.”

“Ah…”

“Even though he came to be called the “Gold King” of El Pasa, my father and my family’s wealth is not concentrated in El Pasa. This place is where my late mother came from, and I was born here. That is why we are still living in this place.”

“I see. So there is no reason for Lord Mandy to be afraid of the Arangis Duchy, is there?”

Iriya became a little taken back at Lindsay’s question. The other ladies also displayed a look of shock.

Regardless of the circumstance, to ask Iriya to openly disregard the Arangis Duchy…

However, Iriya and the ladies quickly understood and acknowledged it. The lady in front of them was the baroness of the Pendragon Duchy. It would have been strange if she cared about how the Arangis Duchy might take this.

“Yes, that is exactly right, Baroness Conrad. Additionally, my father was worried about the possibility regarding what happened with His Highness Shio.”

“…..”

Iriya took it even further with her words, and the other ladies quickly shut up. Iriya had referred to the possibility of the Arangis Duchy’s involvement in the assassination attempt of Crown Prince Shio, who was still in critical condition.

“I guess that has to be true. If you become an eyesore to the Arangis Duchy, you may lose a little in the south. But if you do so with the royal family, everything in the mainland could be lost.”

A sudden refreshing voice interjected in the conversation, and everyone turned to the source.

“And that would mean that the Mandy family would have to do business only at foreign ports in the southern and inland seas, which would be equivalent to going under the Arangis Duchy.”

A pure, fair girl walked towards them with a bright smile. With the exception of Lindsay, everyone else got up and politely bowed together.

“We greet Lady Pendragon.”

“Yes, everyone, please sit comfortably.”

Despite Irene’s relaxed smile, the women had nervous expressions on their faces as they sat back down. She was the eldest daughter of the Pendragon Duchy and the niece of the present emperor. Her status could label her as the top-most predators even in the ladies’ social circles of the empire’s capital.

They could not help but be nervous.

Only one person, Lindsay, greeted her with a welcoming voice.

“My lady, are you feeling better?”

“Yes, the herb tea you brewed for me in the morning and evening has done wonders.”

Irene had caught a cold after arriving in El Pasa, perhaps due to the change in climate and the long voyage on the seas. She replied with a smile.

Lindsay spoke with a relieved look.

“Oh, thank goodness. I hope the little lady gets better soon as well…”

Iriya stepped up at Irene’s concerned words.

“One of the guests in our mansion is well-versed in medicine. If it is okay with the lady and the baroness, I can talk to my father about it.”

‘Hmm?’

Irene’s eyes glistened momentarily.

Truly, Iriya was the one to be most wary of among the female foxes in the south. She was masterful at knowing when to strike and to retreat.

However, she could not decline the offer when her only sister was suffering from a cold. Irene nodded her head coolly, even though she felt an irking irritation.

“Then I will request you to do so. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Not at all, my lady. You are a guest of honor of El Pasa and His Excellency Cedric, it is the least I could do.”

She spoke with the utmost humility and consideration.

Iriya spoke humble words with a soft smile like a spring breeze. Her words did not mention herself or the Mandy family at all.

‘Oh my my! Look at this?’

However, Iriya’s modesty only flamed Irene Pendragon’s alertness even further. She was ready to do anything to defend the relationship between her brother and Lindsay.