Chapter 7 – Part 3

“Kristin…”

“I want to do this, Lady Beatrice.”

Beatrice shook her head, then reluctantly nodded as if to say no more.

Instead, she decided that it would be dangerous for Lenci to wander around Oakley alone with the jewelry pouch, so they would go together.

Perhaps there would be a bank nearby that could exchange the jewels for cash.

“Your name is Lenci, right?”

“Yes, Countess.”

“We should move together. It’ll be easier to get things done if we separate from Kristin.”

“Lady Beatrice, I have one more favor to ask.”

“Go ahead, Kristin.”

“I’m sorry, but when you sell the jewels and return, I need you to find a clinic for the men who will be rescued from the mines. I don’t think there’s a decent hospital in the area where they can be treated.”

“All right. Lenci, let’s go.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to look into it.”

The unexpected voice belonged to the coachman who had informed Kristin about the Morrison family earlier. Kristin, surprised to see him, asked, “You’re the one who brought us here, right?”

The coachman nodded, looking somber. “You remember me. I was about to leave, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Knowing that the workers are buried under that dirt, I felt I had to help.”

Kristin felt frustrated by this bleak reality.

Suddenly, she thought of the Merchant Association and decided to go to their office.

“I need to go meet the Merchant Association members. They’re nowhere to be seen with this accident happening.”

“Those Merchant Association fellows… Oh, you don’t need to look for them. Look there, they’re coming this way.”

When Kristin looked in the direction the coachman was pointing, a group that seemed to be the Merchant Association members were rushing over.

Their faces were filled with a mix of solemnity and bewilderment. Seeing them, the families of the miners rushed towards them.

“Please, save them!”

“Please! Please, save our husbands!”

“……”

The merchants remained silent, unable to respond. They, too, were at a loss.

They really couldn’t do much. They needed machinery to lift those heavy boulders.

“We want to save them too. We’re not at ease either.”

Though the merchants said this, they seemed more like they were trying to evade responsibility.

The reason was right behind them.

When they heard that Liam had been captured by a certain marquis and taken to the Imperial Palace in the capital, they had come to take action.

“We shouldn’t have joined hands with the Morrisons….”

But one merchant, who still seemed to be in a daze, spoke up, causing the families to suddenly collapse in despair.

Kristin slowly walked towards them.

Beatrice and Lenci had already left, and only Winston remained by Kristin’s side.

Kristin walked over carefully and slowly, and after a moment of silence, she spoke to them.

“Aren’t the members of the Merchants’ Association going to take responsibility for this situation?”

“Who are you to be asking us such questions?” one merchant asked cautiously.

“Oh, are you by any chance a nobleman associated with the Liam Morrison family?”

At one merchant’s words, all of them looked at Kristin with suspicious eyes.

Kristin calmly continued.

“I am the new mine owner who will be managing this Levi Mine going forward. I’m sorry to be introduced to this situation. I’ve heard the reason why the mine collapsed, and I’ve accidentally found out that the Merchant Association members are not in a very respectable position either.”

“What do you mean by that? We were deceived by Liam Morrison just as much as anyone else. We wouldn’t have invested if we knew the mine was going to collapse.”

Their excuses were pitiful.

A mine collapsing is not unusual. The priority should have been safety, but they neglected it. Furthermore, they showed no concern for the workers or their families.

Kristin regretted having even considered working with these people. What had she expected?

On top of losing their investment, the fact that they had to compensate the workers seems to have weighed on them more than the mine collapsing.

‘They show no sign of remorse!’ Kristin thought to herself.

Unable to stand their behavior any longer, Kristin raised her voice.

“I don’t know how much each of you invested, but I will compensate you. As the new owner of the mine, I will take full responsibility for all compensation.”

“Can we believe your words?”

“Phew, that’s a relief. We almost lost a lot of money. It took so much effort to gather it.”

“Then please compensate us as well. The damage is enormous.”

“Please handle it quickly, My Lady.”

Seeing their reactions, Kristin smiled slightly.

“However, there is a condition.”

“What condition?”

“I’ve heard some strange things about the Merchant Association members colluding with the Morrison family and regularly receiving illicit money. I’d like to know how much you’ve received.”

“Illicit money? We know nothing about that. We were simply investors and received returns accordingly.”

“I haven’t finished speaking.”

“We are victims too, My Lady.”

They still hadn’t changed their minds.

Kristin made a final remark to them.

“If you don’t tell me the source of the backdoor money, I can’t help you either. I will compensate you on the condition that you tell me everything. If you take no action, I will have nothing to offer you. Liam Morrison, who was taken to the palace, will probably confess everything truthfully.”

“Are you threatening us? Typical nobles.”

“How much do you trust Liam Morrison? He will likely sell you out to save himself.”

“Ah.”

“That Marquis…”

The merchants sighed in unison. They could delay no longer.

Then, they all spoke at once.

“We will tell you.”

“His Lordship used to give us a bonus every Tuesday, saying we had to trust each other to keep the business going,” one merchant said, and another followed.

“He told me that all nobles did this, and that’s how he became a nobleman without much difficulty. His father, Neil Morrison, also gave his business partners 500 gold a week to buy food and have fun.”

“500 gold? He only gave me 300,” another merchant chimed in.

“You got 500, and you got 300? He only gave me 150! And it varied every month. When he gave less, he apologized,” a third merchant added.

“They said they were treating us equally as a family, but they completely deceived all of us.”

The more Kristin listened to the merchants, the more absurd it became.

They seemed to no longer want to be associated with the Morrison family, and one merchant brought a ledger with the money that Liam had given them.

Kristin received the ledger and said to them:

“I will give this ledger to Marquis Winston Zenon here.”

“Thank you, Lady Kristin.”

Winston was impressed by Kristin’s boldness and resolve. He had only ever seen her gentle and delicate side before; this was new to him. He wanted to ask why she had changed but decided against it, guessing she had her reasons.

“Excuse me, My Lady,” one of the merchants said cautiously.

“Go ahead.”

“I’ve been thinking, if we help with this, will it reduce the crimes we’ve committed?”

The merchant fidgeted nervously, trembling.

“The crimes won’t be reduced, but if you help, it will benefit the families of the workers. By any chance, can you provide the tools needed for the mine rescue operation?”

“Lady Kristin.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

Winston, who had been listening, addressed Kristin.

“If it’s about the tools, I have already instructed my knights to bring them from my estate.”

“My Lady, procuring the tools is no problem. We can ask the merchants in the neighboring town to assist with the rescue operation,” the merchant replied.

“Please bring them here as soon as possible. I will cover all the necessary expenses,” Kristin said, smiling at Winston.

“Thank you so much. I would have been in a real bind without your help today.”

“Not at all, Kristin. It’s a bit unfortunate that I encountered you in such a place, but I’m still relieved to have met you, Kristin.”

“Pardon?”

“You seem to be a stronger and more unyielding person than I had imagined.”

“That’s kind of you to say. Thank you.”

As Kristin met his gaze, Winston simply smiled kindly without saying anything further.