Chapter 21
Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Desire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Luna fled, leaving Aiden behind.
She ran straight to her room.
There was no real need to run, but she desperately wanted to hide from the overwhelming embarrassment and shame surging through her right now.
Her face flushed bright red after sprinting for so long.
A Swordmaster like Luna, with her superhuman physique, wouldn't blush just from a little run.
The reason her usually impassive face was red was because she was recalling what had happened that night.
'Agh... I'm insane. Why did I bring up that night for no reason?'
Luna thought that to herself, but her conscience pricked her just as much.
She hadn't thanked Aiden for saving her life.
On the night they had become intimate...
Luna had deliberately avoided mentioning it, just like Aiden, and it bothered her that she hadn't managed to express her gratitude.
Aiden hadn't given it much thought since he had survived, but Luna...
She couldn't forget that night.
For someone who had never even kissed anyone before and knew nothing of men, the sensations of that night had been far too intense.
Even now, thinking about it at night made her body ache, keeping her from sleep.
She'd had more than a few erotic dreams about that night when she finally drifted off.
Luna bit her lip hard, suppressing her pleasure with sheer willpower, but the backlash only made her body and subconscious burn hotter.
She was no longer a virgin, and once she'd tasted physical pleasure, it was like a dam holding back a raging river. Her reason was the only barrier, leaving both her body and mind in agony.
She suppressed it with iron will, but her frustration grew in equal measure.
If Luna had a way to vent that frustration, things might have been different...
But being as fair-minded as she was, she couldn't even let herself unleash it freely.
She burst into her room in a single dash.
Normally, she'd wash up and lie down, but right now, Luna was far from composed.
-Thud.
She collapsed onto the bed, grinding her teeth to push through the shame.
'Hoo... He won't think it's weird, right? Yeah, I was just thanking him. He did save me, after all. So it's not strange at all.'
She rationalized it to herself.
'Besides, he's the one who can fulfill my family's aspirations. It's only natural, nothing more.'
Luna repeated that to herself.
Deep down, she vaguely knew it. She was craving Aiden.
The memories of that night had completely changed her.
But...
Her reason couldn't accept it.
Her liking a man?
All the men she'd met up until now had tried to suppress her or lusted after her power and authority.
Or they were simply drawn to her beauty.
Having seen that since childhood, no one had ever truly caught Luna's eye.
On top of that, the former regent had tried to marry her off to an ugly, worthless man, breeding a faint disgust toward men in general.
That had been her life.
But ever since forming that pact with Aiden...
He didn't meet her standards, yet she kept thinking about him.
She grew curious about him.
Maybe it was simple curiosity about this enigmatic man, full of questions she didn't know where to begin with.
But...
Even now, just thinking about him made her heart race.
She knew it would end in emptiness, but her hand slowly slid downward anyway.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning.
My mind was uneasy as I headed to the Grand Ducal Palace.
I'd only written that novel to survive...
I hadn't noticed during the meeting, but Luna seemed to have ridiculously high expectations for it, and that worried me.
"What do I do?"
From the looks of things, I had a gut feeling my proposal would be approved right after the expedition ended.
"I need to boost the odds somehow?"
The suggestions I'd made wouldn't bear fruit in the short term anyway.
Even if major merchant guilds or companies reacted quickly, physical time constraints would still apply.
"I need to get moving first?"
It would inevitably take time for the council to deliberate and approve.
To make it stick even a little...
"Guess I have no choice but to talk to Luna."
To be honest, it felt burdensome.
No one was as cold and aloof as her.
But I couldn't just ignore her when she'd asked for my help—even showing that vulnerable side, given her pride. I hoped it worked out.
Though I had no idea if it would.
I'd just spouted nonsense to survive in the first place. What were the chances?
No matter how desperate and eager she was.
Blindly trusting someone she hadn't known long was risky.
Sure, we'd been intimate, but...
Objectively, we hadn't spent much time together.
Hadn't she frowned when I visited her office for the ration permit last time?
"Ugh. Whatever. I'll just do my part."
That day at work, I prepared some documents with a few proposals for Luna and headed to her office.
The knights guarding the Grand Duchess's office.
Did they stand there all day?
I knocked idly, thinking nothing of it.
-Knock knock.
-Who is it?
"It's Aiden."
-Come in.
With her permission, I opened the door and entered.
Huh? Her face is a bit red.
Luna's cheeks were flushed, as if from heat, and she fanned herself with her hand while averting her gaze from me.
"What is it?"
"I came about something related to the proposal."
A cold? On this near-winter day, she was fanning herself, so I thought she might have a fever and gently placed my hand on her forehead...
It's hot?
She hurriedly swatted my hand away.
"Hah?! W-What are you doing?!"
I was startled by how visibly flustered she was.
This was the woman who stayed composed before assassins or tens of thousands of enemies.
"Your face was red, so I thought you had a fever and checked."
"Ahem... It'll return to normal soon, so don't worry."
She cleared her throat, and sure enough, her complexion normalized as she spoke.
Whoa? She controlled her own skin tone?
I was inwardly shocked by her feat of hiding fever-induced heat.
This was a Swordmaster?
Could Swordmasters even control their facial color?
"Anyway, what is it?"
Her face was pale and pristine again, so I explained why I'd come.
"Your reaction to my proposal yesterday seemed positive, so I wanted to discuss some preemptive steps."
I laid out the proposal like that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Aiden explained the proposal in silence.
Luna's heart raced as she looked at his face.
She tried to focus on his words, but last night's events flooded back, leaving her utterly mortified inside.
She was a Grand Duchess, yet she'd vented her desires on her retainer.
Skilled as she was at hiding her true feelings regardless of her emotions, Aiden calmly continued reading the proposal.
'Haa... Why am I like this lately? Is it because we keep meeting?'
When she hated Aiden, her lust had cooled.
But realizing he was helping her reignited it, making it impossible to control.
Especially last night—she felt she'd gone quite far on her own.
And the ensuing emptiness and hollow despair had crushed her.
As Luna listened to Aiden while lost in thought, he narrowed his eyes.
"Are you listening properly?"
"I am. So, you're saying we need to spread the word to merchant guilds and companies before announcing the tax cuts?"
For someone as sharp as Luna, this was child's play.
And...
Aiden nodded at her response.
"Exactly. And we'll need to negotiate with them in advance as needed. To maximize their involvement, we should roughly decide on the tax reduction rate beforehand."
Luna closed her eyes briefly.
She fought to calm her arousal before speaking.
"What's your estimated figure?"
"Around 10-15%."
With current taxes at 30-40%, this bold cut over half made Luna frown.
"Isn't that too much?"
"It's necessary to draw them in. And for larger guilds and companies, Your Grace should promise no increases. They won't trust you otherwise."
Merchants had often seen rulers change policies on a whim.
Lending money only to be framed and killed, or having assets seized and exiled.
Knowing this, she mulled over Aiden's words carefully.
And...
Luna opened her eyes.
She gazed intently at Aiden's face.
'He's not even that handsome... Why does he keep popping into my head?'
"Understood. You have full authority on that. Just report the final outcomes with the guilds."
'Not even better-looking than the Crown Prince or the Black Knight.'
"I'll do my best. If you could sign here, then."
Luna signed the documents with a flourish.
Aiden bowed and left the office.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A few weeks later...
A rumor began circulating among the merchants of the imperial capital, Vitreon.
It was about...
"Heard Heyron Grand Duchy is abolishing gate taxes and cutting taxes?"
"Pfft, they'll hook a few suckers and then hike taxes back up and restore the gates. Like it's the first time?"
Three men in fine clothes sipped wine as they chatted.
"They say it's different this time. Word is, Grand Duchess Luna will give a guarantee of no hikes for a decade on investments above a certain amount. Insiders say taxes drop to 10-15%, so everyone's biting."
The unexpected news left the other two dumbfounded.
A document signed by the Grand Duchess tied to the Grand Duchy's and her personal credit.
Breaking it could mean no merchant guild or bank would lend to Heyron ever again.
It was ironclad.
Still skeptical, one man stood to confirm.
"For real?!"
"Dead serious—my company's in an uproar! Plus, Heyron has sea access, right? Trade with the New World and East Continent becomes viable if gates are waived..."
Taxes were the bane of guilds and companies.
Wages here were low, so expenses weren't huge, but...
Taxes were a fixed percentage drain—naturally despised by all merchants.
"Heard Byren Merchant Guild's sending someone to Vain tonight."
"Already? Well, Byren..."
"Not just them. Artisan guilds in Vitreon are dispatching to Vain too. Better move fast."
The quiet one spoke up curiously.
"But isn't Vain short on people? Setting up shops and workshops needs manpower."
"Idiot! Buy folks from other regions and ship 'em to the Grand Duchy. Grease 'em with relocation cash—who among the serfs would say no?"
"Yeah, even sending hundreds nets profit. Taxes are sky-high as is."
Everyone nodded in agreement.