How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

“Your Grace, that is not what I meant…”

Flustered, I tried to calm him, but Tristan would not listen. His voice rose, thick with anger and disappointment, as if he were ready to devour me.

“Every day is like walking on thin ice, and every moment is a battle. Do you even know what would happen if something went wrong? If we lost to the pirates, Constantine would be dragged onto a galley ship as a slave, chained by the ankles and forced to row for the rest of his life. And if his identity were ever revealed, he would be sent straight to Everett. Grand Consort, even if you are ignorant of the world—”

“That’s not what I meant! At least listen to what I have to say!”

I had expected Tristan not to agree easily, but I hadn’t thought he would get angry before even hearing me out. My temper flared as well, heat rushing to my head, and my tone came out sharper than I intended.

“Who said anything about taking him into a sea battle? Do you think I’m that thoughtless? What I meant was, you should consider another way!”

“Another way?”

In an instant, the air in the room froze. But I was too worked up to care about his reaction. My words tumbled out faster, and my voice grew louder.

“How long do you plan to keep doing mercenary work that barely earns anything? You risk your life hunting a few pirates, yet the profit is barely enough to keep things running for a single year!”

“What are you trying to say, Grand Consort?”

Tristan’s cold question cut through the air. His clear eyes gleamed like blue glass.

“Hezekia doesn’t even have proper warhorses. The knights can’t afford to maintain their arms. All we have are a few ships. What do you expect me to do with them? Are you trying to insult me?”

“No! I mean… trade—commerce! Trade, I mean trade!”

Out of breath, I blurted it out. I quickly corrected myself, remembering how Tristan used to sneer whenever he spoke of my adoptive father, Viscount Elsworth. The word “business” would have made him glare at me like it was filth, so I changed it in haste. It was the same thing anyway, but “trade” sounded a little more refined…

“Let’s trade!”

“…”

For a moment, Tristan was speechless. His expression was one of disbelief.

But the tension in his furrowed brow eased slightly. Shrinking a little, I hesitated and began to explain while carefully gauging his mood.

❖ ❖ ❖

“I would not call it an absurd notion. I did not expect such a proposal from the Grand Consort.”

Wilhelm’s steady voice resonated through the office. The atmosphere was thick with tension. The retainers were discussing the Grand Consort’s proposal, each voicing their opinions.

“But trade? Are you suggesting His Grace become a merchant? That is beneath his dignity.”

The one who spoke harshly was Gehart, a knight of common birth who had earned Tristan’s trust and served by his side. When Gehart glared sternly around the room, several of the other retainers nodded in agreement.

“However, as His Grace said, we cannot continue fighting pirates forever. Setting aside the danger, demand for such work is decreasing. The various nations are now investing in private fleets instead of hiring mercenaries.”

“Wilhelm is right. We already have ships—more than one, in fact.”

“But trade is not as simple as having ships. The Eastern trade routes are monopolized by the Imperial merchants,” said Sir Mildred, frowning deeply.

He was right.

The Rubyere Empire had flourished through trade with the East. To reach the Eastern Empire’s capital from Rubyere, one had to cross the narrow inland sea in the south and then traverse the desert.

The amount of goods that could be transported at once was small, and even that required a caravan of camels guarded by escorts. Crossing the desert was so perilous that one’s life was constantly at risk, and the expenses were staggering—far beyond what Hezekia could afford.

However, the profits were equally enormous.

A prime example of this was my adoptive father, Viscount Elsworth. Once an unremarkable baronet, he had used intermediary trade with the East to amass an immense fortune, earning his viscount title and becoming one of the empire’s most influential figures.

Of course, there were plenty of rumors—that the traded goods weren’t truly from the East, and that rival merchant houses had mysteriously disappeared one by one—but regardless, his success was undeniable.