* * *

Magnus von Kelahinum was currently furious to the point of his hair standing on end.

The reason was simple.

Someone who introduced himself as a merchant from some trading company, who had rudely visited the Kelahinum Duchy without prior notice, had caused Serena, whom he had barely managed to coax out, to retreat back into her blankets.

The origin of the incident, as heard from Drukan, was simple.

The Extra merchant master who had gone to a rival trading company came looking for Serena without warning.

It could be considered a problem that Serena, who didn’t want to cause trouble, briefly let him into the reception room when he was making a scene in front of the mansion and showed no signs of leaving.

Anyway, apart from all that, seeing Serena just eating and sleeping like before, not even sharing the same room, was truly a painful thing.

Even the Crown Prince’s side had sent a communication because it was past the time for a medical examination and she hadn’t come.

With no other choice, Magnus urgently delivered letters explaining the situation to Marquis Lavernia and the Crown Prince.

[Extra Trading Company? Was there a trading company by that name…? I’m not sure.]

[You must be very concerned, Duke. It seems like quick handling is needed, so we’ll provide some help from this side.]

Magnus got up from his seat, looking at the replies he had received from Marquis Lavernia and the Crown Prince respectively.

He left his office and headed towards her room, recalling the situation he had heard from Drukan.

* * *

“Duchess, please don’t be like that and listen to me a bit more.”

“Haven’t I been listening all this time?”

Serena said, furrowing her brow and holding her forehead.

“If that’s the case, how about telling us about the knowledge of the products currently scheduled for release in our trading company and about that special prosthetic arm!”

Serena’s expression darkened, quite tired of the merchant who had been pushing his own story from earlier.

“If you sell everything related to it! We’ll give you any amount you want.”

It feels like she’s heard the same story more than a dozen times already.

“No, I’m good.”

Of course, Serena refused outright every time she heard it.

‘I don’t like talking to such an unreasonable person because common sense doesn’t work.’

It was a shamelessness that reminded her of Kim Chul-soo and Lemerun.

Serena deliberately swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out, thinking of her concept, and rested her chin on the back of her hand, raising the arm draped over the sofa.

‘I absolutely won’t fill up to the tenth time.’

From the start, what Serena had already set up was enough, and she just needed a channel for money to come in for life.

So she didn’t want to earn money she couldn’t even spend or become an incredibly wealthy merchant or rich person.

But the problem was the other party’s attitude.

‘Is it because he’s a merchant, he doesn’t back down easily.’

Serena thought for a moment, looking at the black tea and elaborate desserts set out in front of her.

‘Should I flip it over?’

The hot black tea would cause burns, but would that matter at this point?

‘…If I think of them as professors, I might be able to throw it.’

Serena, who had lived her whole life without ever hitting anyone, pondered.

Between conscience, instinct, and reason.

If people from high society had seen her stern expression, they would all have run away.

But ordinary merchants had only heard rumors of Serena’s fearsomeness.

‘She’s much softer than the rumors.’

The other party, who had come feeling very tense, behaved rudely as if he had caught an opportunity due to Serena’s less sharp attitude than expected.

“Duchess. It’s better to secure a big share when the value has gone up.”

And finally, he brought up the story that would become the starting point of everything.

“…What did you say?”

“What is there for me to hide from you?”

‘What kind of relationship do you think we have, you bastard.’

Serena blinked in bewilderment, feeling her hidden dirty personality rising after a long time.

“Anyway, there are loud rumors about divorce too.”

The most important point for a trading company is information.

And the Extra merchant had recently heard a rumor.

The news that Duke and Duchess Kelahinum had submitted divorce papers.

In fact, if that was all, this merchant couldn’t have acted so triumphantly.

However, on his way here, he happened to hear another rumor.

It was about the disposal of Lady Serena Kelahinum of the Lavernia marquis family.

“Moreover, I heard that the Lavernia family is also considering whether to cut off support or expel you from the family.”

He tries to persuade Serena with a very sympathetic expression.

“Huh?”

“Anyway, if you’re going to be cut off from both the Duke’s family and the Marquis’s family, Duchess, you’ll now become a commoner like me…”

Drip,

At the same time, Serena’s reason began to snap bit by bit.

The mental state she had patched together haphazardly began to shatter with a crash.

She had been quite troubled lately with mountains of work and memories of the past resurfacing.

“Before that happens, it’s better to build connections early with trading companies like us!”

“…Ah-ha?”

“After all, with such rumors about you, haha! No matter how beautiful you are, remarriage would be difficult. Of course, a noble like you wouldn’t know what kind of treatment a divorced common woman receives…”

“Hey, that’s enough…”

Serena picked up the black tea and threw it at the Extra merchant with all her might.

Splat–!

“Aaaagh!! Ah, hot!! Wh-what are you suddenly! Huh?!”

The merchant, soaked in hot tea, twisted his whole body and jumped up from his seat, shouting.

Of course, Serena didn’t apologize.

Because she threw it on purpose.

After throwing the black tea cup and all, Serena this time picked up the 3-tier tray filled with pretty desserts and threw it at the merchant once more.

“H-how rude! What is this now!”

“Hey, you son of a b*tch! Who’s being rude? You’re the rudest, suddenly coming here and spewing words, you f*cking bastard!!”

Stepping on the sofa table, she struck the merchant’s head with her fan.

Drukan, who was about to intervene by drawing his sword, blinked his eyes.

She started to beat the man indiscriminately with the fan she took out from her pocket.

Serena was angry.

F*ck, she was really angry.

It was because a mere rat dropping pepper had dared to provoke a small pepper that properly embodied the spiciness of Koreans.

“Ugh, ugh!! Ah, it hur… Urgh!”

“It’s supposed to hurt, that’s why I’m hitting you! What, did you think it would tickle?!”

Huff huff, even while catching her breath, Serena didn’t stop swinging her fan.

“Wh-what kind of noble lady has such a personality…!!”

“You, f*ck, will be crawling out of the ducal mansion today.”

With a face flushed red, she caught her breath and approached the man again, bringing a candlestick from the side.

Slap–!

Slap–!

Slap–!

Holding the candlestick in her left hand and slapping his cheek with her right, Serena’s eyes flashed fiercely.

The Extra’s body trembled, suppressed by the wild, almost crazed look in her eyes.

“Huaagh!”

She stomped on the man’s crotch with the pointed part of her high heel as he cowered, unable to touch or resist a noble.

“Aaaagh! Aagh!!!”

As he flailed his arms, unable to bear the pain and screaming, Drukan, who had approached quietly, lightly pressed down with his scabbard.

“Aaaagh! It’s bursting!!!”

Pop.

There really was a sound of something bursting.

“Huuurk!”

The Extra merchant let out a short scream as if uttering his last words, then immediately dropped his head like the last leaf falling.

“……”

Drukan, who was watching this, modestly brought his legs together.

The visual stimulus was too much.