<CHAPTER 7>
Who was that ridiculously handsome man?
> [“You suddenly opened my carriage door, barged in, and started babbling nonsense. Did you hit your head in that accident just now?”]
Remembering the man who had spoken to her with such icy hostility, Alosha couldn’t help feeling strangely dejected.
The more time passed, the more vividly his face, his voice, and that insufferably arrogant attitude lingered in her mind.
He had to be one of the story’s major characters… yet she had absolutely no idea who he was.
“If only I’d read a little further.”
“My lady, are you alright?”
“…Yeah. More importantly, is everyone else okay?”
“Yes. None of us suffered any serious injuries.”
Watching the coachman and maid—who had been rolling around moments ago as though they were on the verge of death—suddenly claim they were fine left the knight with an uneasy feeling.
“First, we have his calling card… but the real problem is this carriage.”
Alosha frowned at the completely wrecked carriage before turning toward the knight.
“I have somewhere I need to be. Would you mind taking care of everything here?”
“But I must escort you, my lady…”
The knight, the very model of rigid responsibility, immediately objected.
Alosha shook her head.
“That’s exactly why I’m asking you. There’s no one else I can trust with this.”
“My lady… what about us?” the maid asked.
“As soon as everything here is settled, head back to the estate. I’ll find my own way home.”
“But—”
Before anyone could stop her, Alosha hurried off toward the village.
—
After paying for a hired carriage, Alosha headed straight for the Laos Merchant Guild, just as she’d originally planned.
Inside the rattling carriage, she stared intently at the ring on her middle finger while biting her lower lip.
If this story-important ring made it here without any problems… does that mean the original plot hasn’t started yet? Or is it simply because this ring was always destined to end up in the guild master’s hands?
If it was the former, changing the story would be much easier.
If it was the latter…
…then she was doomed to die.
Still, doing something was better than doing nothing.
Her plan hadn’t changed.
She would seduce the villain, turn this blood-soaked fantasy into a romance, and survive.
That didn’t mean she actually wanted to marry him.
I’ll stay alive as long as I possibly can… and somehow, I’ll meet that man from earlier again.
As she renewed her resolve, the carriage lurched to a stop.
“My lady, we’ve arrived at the Laos Merchant Guild.”
Without waiting for the coachman to assist her, Alosha stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the guild’s signboard, which bore the same emblem engraved on her ring.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the reception desk.
“I’d like to meet the master of the Laos Merchant Guild.”
“My apologies, but our guild master only receives guests with prior appointments.”
She had barely decided to change the story, and already it felt as though the original plot was forcing events back onto their proper track.
Rejected so effortlessly, Alosha clenched her teeth.
Well… I expected this much. Even if I’m a noble, I’m hardly important enough for the guild master himself to come out.
Steeling herself, she decided to force the issue one more time despite knowing it was probably hopeless.
“Then could you at least inform him that I have an extremely important matter to discuss and would like to arrange an appointment?”
“I’m afraid that’s still—”
Seeing how genuinely troubled the employee looked, Alosha calmly pulled a banknote from her handbag and placed it on the table.
An unmistakably blatant bribe.
“M-My lady…?”
The employee stared blankly at the note.
Without saying a word, Alosha produced an entire stack of bills and began counting them one by one right in front of him.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Come on. I’m only asking you to pass along a message. How much do you want?
By the time she reached five bills, the employee’s eyes were glued to her fingers.
When the seventh bill landed on the table, the nearby clerk visibly swallowed.
That should do it.
Seven thousand krona.
For a noble like Alosha, it was little more than spending money.
For an ordinary commoner, it amounted to roughly two weeks’ wages.
“If you tell him I wish to negotiate over the Phoenix Ring… he’ll agree to see me.”
The employee flinched ever so slightly.
After a moment of thought, he slowly nodded.
“…Very well. I’ll deliver your message.”
“I’ll wait here.”
Afraid she might change her mind, the clerk snatched up the money and hurried upstairs.
Having money really is the best.
If she could solve everything with forty thousand krona for the ring and another seven thousand as a bribe, it was well worth it.
She waited patiently.
A short while later, however, the employee returned from the second floor wearing an apologetic expression.
“I’m terribly sorry. The guild master says he still won’t meet anyone without an appointment.”
“…”
That answer completely caught Alosha off guard.
The clerk bowed repeatedly, secretly worried she might demand the bribe back.
“…I understand.”
Is this because I’m not one of the novel’s important characters?
Her thoughts grew increasingly tangled.
But lingering here wouldn’t magically bring the guild master downstairs.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Alosha’s expression hardened with determination.
If he won’t come out… then I’ll just go in.
“M-My lady?!”
Having accepted such an outrageous bribe, the clerk could only shout after her as she marched past him and headed for the stairs.
He made no serious attempt to stop her.
A truly admirable employee.
Loyal to his employer…
And loyal to the bribe he’d accepted.
—
“Is it this room?”
“You can’t just barge in! The guild master specifically said he wouldn’t meet anyone without an appointment!”
The clerk shouted toward the closed office door.
Yet at the same time, he subtly flashed Alosha an OK sign with his hand, silently answering her question.
With a loud bang, Alosha threw the door open.
The strong backlight made it difficult to see clearly, but she could make out the silhouette of a man seated behind the desk.
She raised her voice.
“Are you the master of the Laos Merchant Guild?”
“Fiz… I’m fairly certain I said I wouldn’t meet anyone without an appointment.”
A languid voice echoed through the office.
The man lounging on the sofa slowly rose to his feet.
He was easily over six feet tall.
Long, dark green hair flowed all the way to his waist.
His bronze skin evoked the image of a man from a desert tribe.
An undeniably breathtakingly handsome man.
She seriously created men this gorgeous… and wrote a brutal high fantasy instead of a romance?
If she hated cheesy romance fantasies that much, she could’ve written BL instead!
Why waste such an incredible man in a traditional fantasy novel?
Alosha truly couldn’t understand.
Just look at him.
He’s obviously the smooth, flirtatious gentleman with a hidden mischievous streak—the devoted second male lead who always swoops in to save the heroine with his wealth and influence whenever she’s in danger. Readers would happily buy stock in him even knowing he’d never win!
“Believe me, sir, I tried to stop her. But the young lady was… rather unstoppable.”
The clerk called Fiz performed an Oscar-worthy act of innocence before the smiling guild master.
At last, the guild master slowly turned his gaze toward Alosha.
To every reader who ever loved second male leads…
Please forgive the old me who mocked you for investing in doomed ships.
Accept me as one of your own.
I don’t care if it sinks! I’m buying shares in the Merchant Guild Master!
People always joked that seeing someone unbelievably beautiful caused temporary memory loss.
At that very moment, Alosha nearly forgot why she’d come upstairs in the first place.
“…My lady?”
“Ahem… My apologies. You’re just so incredibly handsome that I accidentally stared.”
“…To receive such praise from a lovely young lady is an honor.”
The guild master looked momentarily speechless before slipping effortlessly into a polished business smile.
He placed a hand over his chest and gave a graceful bow.
“I am Emil Laos, head of the Laos Merchant Guild.”
“I’m Alosha of House Nocturne.”
“I assume you didn’t create all this commotion simply to admire my handsome face…”
Letting the sentence trail off, Emil tilted his head slightly while brushing a finger across his lips.
Does he even realize what every single one of those gestures does to people?
For one dangerous moment, Alosha seriously wondered if marrying the guild master, leaving the Empire behind, and forgetting about that terrifying duke might actually be the happier ending.
Snap out of it!
Don’t fall for the devil’s temptation!
To regain her senses, she slapped herself sharply across the right cheek.
“My lady?”
Emil’s eyes widened in surprise.
…Why does that make him look even cuter…?
I said snap out of it!
Before her train of thought could derail into shameless fangirling, she slapped herself again.
The stinging pain finally cleared her head.
Lifting her chin proudly, straightening her shoulders, and adopting the most confident posture she could manage, she faced him head-on.
“A merchant who refuses to even find out what kind of customer has come before turning them away? Does that make any sense?”
“…Doesn’t it?”
“Of course not! What if I were—according to the story—”
She coughed.
“I mean… what if I turned out to be someone very important to you? The least you could do is meet me first.”
“The people who are truly useful to me,” Emil replied calmly, “don’t arrive in worn-out rental carriages and barge into my office without an appointment.”
“…”
A direct hit.
Alosha had no comeback.
“In that case,” he continued, “would you kindly leave? It’s been a rather exhausting day.”
His unmistakable dismissal made her bite her lower lip anxiously.
“So… you’re saying you won’t do business with me?”
“Do you possess anything worth trading?”
“The Phoenix Ring!!”
You want it, don’t you?!
Although Alosha had finally revealed the ring, Emil merely shrugged with an infuriatingly relaxed smile.
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
