Chapter 5 – The Northern Speraum (Part 4)

“Ha! Is this how you treat guests who have come to the castle?”

The first words of the Countess of Phineus, who barged into the office, pushing aside the servants, were loud and accusing.

As Sandy was pushed aside by the Countess, a spark of anger flashed in Reubellina’s eyes. Paddington, who had been about to say something, chose to close his mouth under the fierce golden gaze of the Countess.

Armur, while hurriedly packing up his belongings, observed the situation with interest.

“Guest?”

“Yes, guest! I had high expectations because you were from the capital, but as expected… capital bumpkins are indeed different.”

“Who are you calling a guest?”

“Of course, I’m talking about myself.”

Reubellina could no longer listen to the Countess’ arrogant words. She had already decided to discard any pretense of respect at the mention of ‘bumpkin’.

“What are you saying? Did you age backward?”

A soft voice, incongruous with the harsh words, flowed from Reubellina’s lips. The tone was gentle and sweet, that of a noble lady, making it hard for the Countess to initially grasp the insult.

Who would have expected an insult to be delivered with such a smile? Especially from a high noble of the capital.

“Wh-what did you say…”

“If your ears are that bad, you should retire from high society, don’t you think?”

Tilting her head, Reubellina directed her question at Paddington. Paddington, unable to hurl insults at a noble, simply turned his head silently. Reubellina did not fault him for it.

‘Not that I expected anything from him.’

She hadn’t asked for a response from Paddington. It was a ploy to insult the Countess of Phineus indirectly.

“Good heavens! This is the first time I’ve been treated so rudely! Paddington! Does His Grace the Duke know about this?”

“Oh, of course, Ren knows. While he’s like heaven to you, he’s going to be my husband.”

“Using a nickname so casually in a formal setting. This is the first time I’ve seen such disrespect.”

“Really?”

Reubellina’s voice turned icy.

“I’ve also never seen such disrespect. This is unimaginable in the capital. For a mere countess to call a Duke’s daughter, and the future lady of this North, a bumpkin.”

Countess Phineus was momentarily taken aback by Reubellina’s word, but quickly regained her composure. She was, after all, Count Phineus’s wife. A count who brought supplies to the North.

Not only that, she managed the trade of special products from the east and west regions. Without their supplies, Tartenon’s knights might starve.

‘Hah! She’ll regret this soon enough.’

A flash of cruelty crossed the countess’s eyes. She showed no regard for Tartenon’s knights braving the cold to protect the Northern borders. Her only thoughts were on how to make the presumptuous future duchess kneel before her.

Lost in her own delusions, the Countess of Phineus failed to notice the trace of disdain in Reubellina’s eyes.

‘How predictable.’

Reubellina could clearly see the Countess of Phineus’ intentions. Having seen many high-society ladies in the capital who dared to challenge her only to have their secrets exposed and brought to ruin, she was confident that although the countess might be holding her head high now, in time, she would be groveling.

‘But before that, I’ll make sure she never sets foot in Speraum Castle again.’

The effort she put into reviewing the documents had paid off. She had planned to finish sorting all the paperwork before the Countess of Phineus could make any moves, and fortunately, she completed it just in time. With Armur by her side, she had enough leverage to pressure the Count of Phineus.

At Reubellina’s subtle gesture, Armur slightly nodded his head.

“It seems you don’t know much, having come from the capital. The circumstances here in the North are quite different.”

“Different circumstances?”

“Of course.”

The countess raised her head proudly. Reubellina pondered whether she had to continue witnessing this ridiculous display.

‘Well, for the sake of a dramatic moment, I have no choice.’

She wished there were more spectators. While the countess continued her rant, Reubellina, seemingly indifferent, entertained other thoughts. It was a pity she couldn’t host a grand ball to humiliate her like in the capital. If only the estate’s budget were a bit more generous, she could have orchestrated a spectacular public disgrace.

‘This place isn’t even as good as an eastern county!’

Suppressing her lament, Reubellina’s gaze turned to the countess.

“Therefore, without the Count’s help…”

“Are you done?”

The cold tone in Reubellina’s voice made the Countess of Phineus flinch, but she maintained her haughty demeanor, pushing her chest out in a show of confidence. Reubellina, however, was unfazed.

“I reviewed the documents related to the castle’s budget.”

“Budget?”

“As the future duchess, it’s only natural to examine the budget.”

Reubellina extended her hand towards Paddington. He handed her the documents he was holding, and she flipped through them. When she found what she was looking for, her golden eyes gleamed.

“It says here that a single shirt for the knights costs 200 rubles. Is that correct?”

The countess’s shoulders twitched. While she could fool the Northern knights, she struggled to find a response when Reubellina, who had come from the capital, mentioned the price.

At that moment, Armur, who had been silently listening, interjected.

“Did you say 200 rubles for one shirt?”

“Ah, let me introduce you. This is Armur from the Musen Trading Company.”

The countess’s eyes widened. Rumors had already spread in the North about the Musen Trading Company, the second most renowned in the capital, establishing a branch in Speraum. Meeting someone from the Musen Trading here, especially with her husband, Count Phineus, already wary of them, was unexpected.

“The Musen Trading?”

“How peculiar. Are the shirts gilded with gold?”

Armur frowned as he spoke.

“Do you also think it’s strange? I certainly find it strange. A shirt that costs 3 rubles in the capital, how can it be 200 rubles here in Speraum?”

“That’s because the cost of transporting it to the North should be considered!”

The countess protested, but Armur and Reubellina ignored her.

“Musen Trading can provide the same shirts for a fraction of the cost.”

“Really?”

The countess’s face turned pale as she listened to their conversation. She had come to teach the naive young lady from the capital a lesson, but now she was hearing something that could jeopardize her husband’s business. She didn’t know how to react.

Count Phineus was the kind of person who would sell even his own family for his own profit.  The reason he had tolerated Emmern’s antics was his delusion that she might one day become the grand duchess.

“This price is almost fraudulent.”

Reubellina clicked her tongue and tossed the documents aside. The countess, seeing her displeasure, opened her mouth to explain but closed it again, still too proud to bow to Reubellina.

However, the moment Armur spoke up, the Countess cast aside her pride and everything else.

“If you do business with the Musen Trading, I can assure you this won’t happen again, Your Grace.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely. Charging such exorbitant prices is an act of disloyalty to the Duchy of Speraum, which guards the Northern borders.”

Reubellina couldn’t help but smile inwardly at Armur’s words subtly undermining the loyalty of Count Phineus. And, as expected, his words changed the atmosphere in the study, catching the attention of everyone present.

To the Northerners, the Speraum family was one that had been with the empire since its founding. To have cheated the family that played the biggest role in maintaining the North was a serious offense, one that could warrant a trial among the Northern nobles.

“Di-disloyalty?!”

“Oh my.”

Reubellina blinked in surprise. It was an act, but apart from Armur and Sandy, no one could discern the truth. Since the Countess had left the door open when entering the study, several household servants had already overheard the conversation unfolding inside.

“What, does this mean that Count Phineus has been swindling our duchy all this time?”

“Is that so?”

“They’ve been saying there’s nothing left after bringing in goods from the capital, but…”

“So it was all lies?”

A servant’s sharp voice echoed through the corridor. Hearing this, the Countess of Phineus hesitated to respond, but Reubellina didn’t give her a chance.

“If that’s the case, does it mean there have been issues with the goods supplied by Count Phineus?”

“If you entrust it to me, I will compare the prices with those in the capital.”

Armur responded promptly. Reubellina admired Armur’s timely intervention.

“The transportation costs to bring goods here are considerable, though.”

“Of course, we’ll consider that when calculating the prices. If you entrust it to us.”

Armur’s confident response caused another stir among the servants.

“If someone from the capital is saying this, then it seems like Count Phineus has been taking advantage of us terribly.”

“And then they’d come to the castle all the time, trying to show off in front of the Grand Duke!”

“Every time the Count Phineus came to the castle, he’d act all high and mighty towards us!”

The murmurs of the servants spread even to the interior of the study.

‘Good, good.’

Reubellina’s eyes sparkled with a smile of satisfaction.