How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 30.1
Energetic Gehardt seemed to have made the journey without difficulty, but my weak body, which felt dizzy even after walking a little while, could not endure such a distance. I was already gasping and pale before even leaving Belforte.
“This will not do. Gehardt, summon a carriage.”
“No… the carriage fare will be far too expensive.”
“Who told you to worry about that? Gehardt, do it now.”
Tristan furrowed his brows and raised his voice.
Of course, it was fine to take a carriage, but there was no need to spend money unnecessarily. Yet Tristan’s decisiveness left me no choice but to comply.
“…Hezekia is not so impoverished that the Grand Consort cannot even ride a carriage.”
“Yes….”
While waiting for the carriage, Tristan spoke. But honestly, Hezekia’s finances were strained.
Maintaining the grand duke’s enormous castle alone cost an incredible sum. I even thought it would be better to just sell it. Though, no one would buy it…
“This trade has already accumulated a significant profit, has it not?”
“Yes….”
How much could it be, yet he wants to spend so lavishly? The other day, he went out and spent a lot on expensive herbs after tracking down Sir Mildred. My remaining cash had already decreased, leaving me a little lighter in body but burning inside.
Still, as Tristan said, it was true that not riding a carriage would undermine the Grand Consort’s prestige. Reluctantly, I took Tristan’s offered hand and boarded the carriage summoned by Gehardt.
As we approached the destination, impatient Gehardt urged the coachman forward. His expression was filled with excitement and anticipation.
“There it is, Your Grace! Isn’t it amazing?”
The view Gehardt pointed to was indeed astonishing.
On one side of the vast farm, countless green leaves swayed in the wind. In a corner, round bulbs covered in soil were piled high. Even at a glance, there seemed to be hundreds, and if we dug up all the bulbs buried in the field, there would likely be thousands.
However, the original work never mentioned such a large quantity of Lirisia being cultivated near Belforte, even though the text provides fairly detailed information about Lirisia.
“I even negotiated with the farm owner. Haha, they said they would sell it very cheaply. Even if it is not a formal contract, a provisional agreement would get us an additional discount…”
“What? A provisional agreement?”
I looked at the farm with unease, then suddenly jumped in surprise. When I hurriedly scolded Gehardt, he scratched the back of his head and stammered in response.
“No, why would you say that? You told me to buy the Lirisia bulbs without worrying about the price if we found them.”
“I am asking whether a provisional agreement was made!”
“I intended to, but the sum was significant, so I temporarily held off. It seemed too big a decision for me to make alone…”
“Ah, well done.”
I finally exhaled in relief. Tristan looked down at me with curiosity, seemingly puzzled by my reaction.
It was then.
“Oh, you must have had a hard journey, Your Graces.”
The farm owner approached, rubbing his hands together and smiling broadly.
“Welcome, Grand Duke, Grand Consort. I have heard from the knight. The bulbs are all prepared right there.”
The overly cheerful welcome from the farm owner felt a bit out of place. I stared at him silently for a while before asking,
“Are these bulbs definitely Lirisia?”
“Yes? Yes, of course. They are Lirisia bulbs, indeed.”
The sudden question seemed to fluster the farm owner for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. I continued to press him.
“How did you cultivate so much Lirisia? I understand it is not easy to grow flowers native to the Eastern Continent’s climate.”
“Oh, when I was younger, I followed merchants in the Sar Empire and specifically learned techniques from the East. Consort, are you worried the bulbs might not be healthy? Haha, there is no need to worry at all.”
The answer did not inspire trust. Yet Gehardt, completely excited, believed the farm owner without a doubt.
“Look. These are definitely Lirisia bulbs, aren’t they? I examined them very carefully.”
The bulbs Gehardt handed me looked familiar. Their shape was almost identical to the Lirisia I had seen before. Yet I still could not fully relax.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
