How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

“What do you mean ‘ate something wrong’? You only realized the value after leaving because someone else’s cake looked bigger, Grand Consort! Who could have imagined it? Everyone except you could, have you forgotten?”

“…….”

Now that I think about it, that seemed to be the case. The concerns I had overheard from the knights came back, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Gehardt, completely worked up, lowered his stance to look me in the eye and continued to foam at the mouth.

“You must warn them firmly that it is too late to regret it. The Grand Consort belongs to Hezekia, and they are going to spend their life with us, so make sure they are warned not to get carried away.”

“Ha, I think it was done. Probably……”

Even Tristan’s gaze alone had likely been enough of a warning. Yet Gehardt could not be satisfied.

“What do you mean ‘probably’? It went smoothly this time, but what if that prince tries something again? As of today, the inspection results recognized no issues, did they not?”

“We still have to receive the official confirmation documents……”

“Even that can be received through a proxy. No, we must leave quickly before they come back to nitpick again. If we linger for a few more coins, we might see trouble. Your Grace, Your Grace!”

Even as Gehardt lost his composure and ran amok, no one seemed to intervene. When he began to run out of steam, Tristan finally raised his head.

“Gehardt, choose your words carefully.”

“But Your Grace!”

“The Grand Consort does not act together with you. Ruellin is the spouse of the Grand Duke and the master of the Grand Ducal Palace. Do you understand?”

“……That is not the issue, Your Grace!”

I had no idea what they were arguing about. My head throbbed, and I pressed one hand to my forehead while waving the other helplessly. Regardless, Gehardt’s insistence to quickly unload the goods and depart Belforte before Everett showed up made sense.

“It would be best not to waste any more time, Your Grace. The transaction price has already risen sufficiently, so why not hold a meeting with the public exchange tomorrow?”

“Agreed.”

Tristan seemed to think the same. At his response, Gehardt, who had been raising his voice, and Midred and Johannes, who had remained silent, visibly relaxed a little.

The next day, I went with Gehardt and a few of the practical staff to the public exchange at Belforte Port.

Tristan, however, could not join the negotiations. Although the inspection had been cleared yesterday, the inspection team requested a rather detailed report necessary for issuing official confirmation documents. The Grand Duke’s review was required.

It seemed like a tactic to buy time since they could not find any fault with the goods. Even knowing this, I wanted to return to Hezekia as soon as possible, so today I decided to travel separately from Tristan. After all, he had not been particularly helpful in price negotiations before, and we often moved on our own.

The representatives of the merchants consistently showed enthusiastic and active attitudes. Negotiations went smoothly, and the meeting was soon wrapped up comfortably.

“If there are no further objections, let us proceed as planned. We will return now.”

“Yes, yes. I will prepare the official contract by tomorrow. Please review it, Grand Consort.”

Starting this evening, the goods would begin unloading, and by tomorrow night, all tasks would be complete, allowing us to set sail for Hezekia. It had been so long that I could not even remember the last time we returned. Everything was going smoothly.

Yet I could not relax.

Since the inspection team’s visit the day before, a lingering sense of unease had settled in my chest. Everett’s lingering gaze kept coming to mind, sending a chill down my spine.