Chapter 133
How can I tell him to stop sending it?
I swallowed a deep sigh.
So we looked around the gifts one by one and talked.
When Perez explained the gifts he sent during his trip, I sometimes asked questions.
"Perez, you’ve been everywhere, haven’t you?"
"Yes. I traveled during vacation."
"So you didn’t come back to the Capital?"
Perez hesitated for a moment to answer my question.
"That was my promise to the Empress. I got paid to go to the academy, and I’m not coming back to the Capital until I graduate."
"Ah, as expected."
It costs a lot of money to make a top.
I was wondering where he got the money.
"That’s why I traveled. I’ve seen a lot and learned a lot. I’ve only been near the Palace since I was born. There was a lot I didn’t know."
Perez said a little bitterly.
Until I met him, Perez’s world was all about the falling Palace surrounding by woods.
After meeting me, he moved to Poirak Palace and things got better.
Even so, the Capital and Lombardy were all within Perez’s radius of action.
So there must have been a thirst to see, hear, and experience outside more.
I tapped Perez on the shoulder and said.
"Good job. You’re pretty good now. You even extort money from the empress."
Perez smiled after me and said.
"I’ve been to Lombardy a few times. I couldn’t go see Tia. It’s dangerous."
"Danger...ous?"
"Sometimes I’ve been attacked or something."
"The Empress tried to kill you."
Perez nodded.
He looked too calm.
"You...!"
I shouted halfway out of frustration.
"You’ve been like that since you were a kid! Fear, Perez, fear you’ll die, fear you’ll get hurt, be angry for yourself."
I was upset to think of a small Perez who said not to help him because he was addicted to poison and was dangerous with a bloodless face.
I was upset when I remembered the little Perez, who had been poisoned told me not to help him because it’s dangerous with a pale face.
But Perez smiles at me.
"Why are you laughing?"
"It’s nice. You care about me."
"Perez, this is really serious..."
"I know."
Perez said in a low voice.
But the smile on his face doesn’t fade yet.
"Don’t worry, Tia. I’m gonna survive. Because you told me to live, to survive."
That was what I said in the woods.
I can’t believe he remembered that again.
At the same time, my fighting spirit boils up after a long time.
We should push the Empress and Astana away as soon as possible.
"Perez."
"Huh?"
"I’m going to be a little busy."
"...yes, I heard. You are in charge of the Lombardy family’s business."
Rumors had already spread to Perez, too.
"Yeah, and Perez, you’ve been busy lately."
"...I?"
Perez tilts his head.
Oh, right.
Monak Top was a secret.1
"There is a conference in which both His Majesty and the Noble Association participate. You don’t prepare for that."
"Oh, yeah, that’s right."
"So from now on, call me in advance. You’re here after a long time, but I don’t want to cross paths."
"...Yes, I see."
He’s a little sullen and asks.
"Should I call you a week in advance?"
"What? A week?"
"If it’s too short... Ten days? Will that be okay?"
Perez’s face was very serious, perhaps asking sincerely.
His innocent look made me smirk without realizing it.1
I reached high and stroked Perez’s head and said.
"One or two days is enough. I just meant to call me in advance."
"...That’s a relief."
Perez murmured and laughed.
* * *
Riding a horse to leave Lombardy’s mansion, Perez suddenly looked back at the gaze he felt.
Tia was standing in the window of her room waving to Perez.
"Hi, Tia."
Far from being heard, Perez waved his hand together with a greet.
"Let’s go."
Perez gently stroked the horse’s neck and spurred it.
Duk, duk.
He was quickly running out of the city of Lombardy, with a heavy hoof echoing the ground.
Perez did not slow down, his gaze wary of his surroundings, even as the cold wind hit his face.
It was because he knew that this situation, in which he runs alone on a deserted road, is the best condition to be attacked.
Fortunately, by the time he reached the Capital, all he ran into on the road was a few Top’s carriages.
There was no dangerous situation.
However, Perez went around for a long time even after entering the Capital.
And only after confirming that no one was following him did he drive to a secluded inn.
Naturally climbing up to the second-floor room, Perez met two people who were waiting for him.
"Nossier, Rignite."
Rignite, dressed in the clothes of the commoner, and a neat-looking middle-aged man greeted Perez.
"How’s work going, Nossier?"
Perez asked in a dry voice that was completely different from when he was with Florentia a little while ago.
"As the Prince had expected, Angenas had contacted us. They want to buy the tree."
"As expected of Perez!"
Rignite cried out in surprise, but Perez remained calm.
"Not only did I graduate from the Academy and return to the Imperial City, but I was assigned to the conference. It’s obvious what the Empress would do in this situation."
"But you could have done something else."
At the words of Rignite, Perez shook his head.
"The Empress is as obsessed and proud of her family as making Astana the Crown Prince. Developing Angenas would have been the best way for the Empress to think. Perhaps I would have made the same choice."
"So... What shall we do?"
Nossier asked carefully.
"I’ll sell it."
Perez’s answer was quick.
"...Will that be okay?"
Nossier was still worried.
He worked his whole life as a member of the Top, and only served as a boat for others.
And at the age of over 40, he finally became independent and formed a Top, but soon lost everything.
The owner of the large Top, which Nossier has been working for, intentionally ruined Nossier’s new Top.
It was Perez who helped him who is in despair and lost everything he had collected all his life.
At a young age, Nossier admired Perez.
So he followed Perez without question.
But this time, he’s old-fashioned, too.
"Triva trees on Monak Top will be used to develop the land of Angenas. And that’s how much it’s going to increase the power of Angenas."
"Well, Nossier is right, Perez."
Rignite agreed on the sidelines.
"If we do something wrong, we may be able to gain the weight of Angenas with our own hands."
However, Perez remained unwavering despite concerns from the two.
He just answered in a dry voice.
"There is no way that the West will remain the land of Angenas forever."
Then he turned right around and asked Nossier.
"How much can we buy in the future?"
"If you work hard, you can buy as much as you’ve saved before the fall."
Upon hearing Nossier’s answer, Perez tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers.
Tuk, Tuk.
A moment later, the steady ringing stopped and Perez said at that moment.
"Let’s start by selling a tenth of what we have now to Angenas. We have nothing to rush."
"Then the price is..."
"From five times the amount they’ve called. I will allow you to go down three times through negotiations, Nossier."
Five to three times.
Experienced Nossier has never made such a profiteering bargain.
But it is Perez.
He had to do it.
"Yes, Sir Perez."
Nossier replied, bowing his head.
Perez said the last thing to Nosier.
"Keep that in mind, Nossier. The purpose of our purchase of the Triva tree is to extract as much money as possible from the pockets of Angenas. Sooner or later all their funds run out, making them look for other investors. That’s the ultimate goal of the Triva tree deal."
* * *
The carriage of the vassal family entered Lombardy’s mansion.
It was a carriage in which Romassie Dillard was riding, who was in charge of Lombardy Top.
Romassie, who is busy running the Top, was hard to pick a day to visit the mansion except for a meeting.
But today, it was a way to put everything aside and run directly.
The reason was a letter that arrived a few days ago.
The sender was Florentia Lombardy.
The point was she want to use authority. But before that, she wants to hear from the Top operator, please come to the mansion today.
Romassie, who did not even know that Florentia had left Gallahan’s house and gained independence, repeatedly doubted his eyes.
"Lady Florentia invokes authority over the Top of Lombardy... Ha."
It was well known that she had been loved by Lord since childhood was especially intelligent.
But ’smart kid’ and business were a completely different story.
Nevertheless, Romassie Dillard took his own steps today because of the red ribboned ointment that remains in the corner of his head.
The first time he saw Lord bragging about ’this was made by my granddaughter’ and after that, his son, Clerivan, who claimed to be a teacher for Florentia.
They made the Lombardy Top’s chief directly split the busy time and headed for Lombardy.
"Isn’t that Herringa?"
As he was just getting off the carriage, Dillard murmured at the sight of the Heringa carriage parking earlier.
Don’t tell me you’re here on the same business as me.
Romassie shook his head, calling it a useless idea.
He must have stopped by to report to the Lord because of the scholarship meeting soon.
He thought so.
There is no way that Florentia, which has just become an adult, will try to move to Herringa at once, as Devon and Dillard are not enough for her first business.
Romassie thought so and headed to the residence of Florentia.
And when he raised his hand to knock on the tightly closed door.
"Hahaha!"
A big, cheerful smile came from inside the closed door.
He couldn’t understand the contents of the conversation, but the voice of the conversation sounded very harmonious and pleasant.
Romassie took a few steps back from the door and waited for the guests to come out.
After a while, the door opened and it was none other than the Herringa householder.
"No, did you come as well?"
Herringa’s householder, with a bright smile on his face, looked at Romassie and asked.
"And Herringa was there. This is true."
She’s such a tough little girl.
Romassie Dillard thought so and looked at Herringa’s householder.
By the way.
"Hurry up and go in, too."
Herringa said with a smile as if he knew what was going on in Romassie’s mind.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve had goosebumps, so I’ll have to walk a little more and go back!"
"What do you mean of goosebumps?"
"Oh, if you go in there, you’ll see with your eyes!"
Herringa’s householder, who left only that word, has gone away.
"Hmm."
Eventually, without clearing his doubts, Romassie Dillard opened the door after knocking.
"Welcome, Lord Dillard."
The first to greet him was Florentia, sitting comfortably in a chair, drinking tea.
Although he still had his childhood image, his smiling face, which grew up to be an adult, was full of ease.
And next to her, there was a person who made Romassie Dillard nervous.
"It’s been a long time, Lombardy’s Top’s chief."
Clerivan Pellet, the owner of the Pellet Corporation, which is by far the first in the Empire to be considered as a single Top that does not carry the power of a noble family, stood behind Florentia and was waiting for him.
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