Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Three Shots
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As I opened the door and stepped inside, Luna looked at me with a smile.
"Did Yalta leave well?"
"Yes, he just departed."
She gave a small nod, then stretched her arms wide with a big yawn.
"Nngh~ Now I can finally get a little rest."
Luna had been quite busy lately entertaining the other specie races.
She already had a mountain of work, and adding reception duties on top made her look a bit tired.
Even as a Swordmaster, could she not escape mental fatigue?
"Yes, I suppose so."
I averted my gaze from her eyes, staring at the floor as I replied.
Her striking red eyes, always so beautiful before, now felt terrifying.
"But Aiden, it'll really work out okay, right?"
I nodded slightly at the worry in her voice.
"Yes, it will definitely succeed."
The moment I returned to Vain, I planned to distribute samples of this liquor to the guild and caravan leaders.
If I explained the effects and let them experience it firsthand...
It would sell like hotcakes, wouldn't it?
And if I packaged it as a miracle cure-all for the Emperor...
He wouldn't feel his pride wounded, and once he grasped its effects, he'd be hooked on the Yin-Yang Wine.
Using that as leverage, I aimed to eliminate or at least reduce our pioneering obligations.
Something along the lines of how only the orcs held the secret to brewing it, so we needed to coexist with them.
"Please... I hope it goes that way."
Luna wore a pained expression.
"If it fails, you're done for... and so am I."
This pioneering venture had cost a fortune.
And that money was all borrowed.
If the Yin-Yang establishments didn't sell well, the Grand Duchy would go bankrupt within two years.
"It probably won't fail."
Luna seemed dissatisfied with my words.
"Hmm..."
She propped her chin on her hand, staring at me with a bored look, and I hurriedly looked away from her gaze.
"Aiden, did you do something wrong to me?"
"Ah... No? Why would I?"
"Then why are you so stiff?"
Well, that's because...
As I avoided her eyes, she shouted.
"See? You just dodged my eyes again! What's wrong?"
Luna rose from her chair and walked toward me.
Ah... No, don't. She might snap my neck at this rate.
I forced down my trembling and spoke to her.
"It's nothing. I'm just tired."
I plastered on the most natural smile I could muster, but Luna tilted her head.
"What's up with you? You've been acting weird lately, you know?"
"It's really nothing. Oh? Speaking of which, I have orders to send to Vain by today... I'll be going now!"
And with that, I fled from Luna.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Once Aiden left the office, Luna puffed out her cheeks.
'Tch... Why is he acting like that?'
She had been excited at the thought of some alone time with him after so long.
His colder-than-expected reaction left her sulky.
"There's definitely something."
But not knowing what it was frustrated her.
She sat at her desk, lost in thought.
Aiden had been subtly avoiding her lately.
His reactions felt familiar to Luna.
'It was like... he was terrified of me.'
She had ruthlessly eliminated her enemies, facing their fear head-on.
So she saw through Aiden's fear of her.
'Why?'
Luna had never scared Aiden.
If she had, he wouldn't be in one piece.
Luna was never soft.
She knew half-measures could lead to retaliation later.
That's why she crushed them thoroughly and harshly.
Instilling primal fear so they'd never defy her again.
If they had the guts to overcome that fear...
She always killed them to eliminate any future threats.
That iron rule had made her the final victor in the cutthroat world of politics.
So she assumed Aiden's fear stemmed from her actions.
'What is it? Why is he so scared?'
-Tap... Tap...
She drummed her slender fingers on the desk, pondering long and hard, but no clear reason came to mind.
'It makes me feel a bit wronged.'
Since developing real feelings for Aiden, Luna had treated him delicately.
So he wouldn't feel burdened by her position as Grand Duchess.
She had even endured the hassle of exhausting him all night, letting him sleep in the morning while she handled Jin, but this was the result.
"Sigh... So what made him like this?"
She racked her brain over what could be frightening Aiden.
She reviewed recent events step by step.
'Could it be because of Jin?'
Though he hadn't seen her handle Jin, he must have heard rumors of how ruthlessly she dealt with him, she assumed.
Luna pondered how to dispel Aiden's fear.
'First, I need to get him to open up honestly...'
But she figured a trembling Aiden wouldn't easily share his true feelings.
'No choice. I'll have to use that.'
Luna prayed this method would work.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hoo..."
Is it because I'm working alone?
Even simple calculations were giving me a splitting headache.
Doing math by hand without a calculator felt tedious beyond belief.
Finally, my head throbbing, I buried it in my arms on the desk.
"Man, if only I had a calculator."
It wasn't basic hundreds; I was adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers in the tens of thousands...
I'm not an elementary school kid—why am I doing this?
And there were hundreds of these basic math problems to solve.
"Should I learn the abacus instead?"
I glanced at the empty desk next to mine.
Staring at Jin's abacus on it, I thought.
I couldn't master it in the short term anyway... Next time I see Luna, I need to request an assistant.
This is driving me insane. I stretched with a yawn.
"Haaah!"
But despair hit as I eyed the towering stack of documents.
Ha... Isn't there any escape?
For now, it's tough, but once this deal wraps and the Grand Duchy stabilizes economically, I'll make my getaway.
-Knock knock.
The knock on my office door startled me, freezing my body.
Who is it?
"Who is it?"
-It's me. Charles.
Oh?
"Come in."
As I said that, the door opened, and Charles entered.
"Greetings."
I gave a bright smile to Charles, whom I'd seen often lately.
"Yes, but what's the occasion?"
"Her Highness the Grand Duchess requests you join her for drinks this evening."
"Pardon?"
I gave a wry smile at Luna's message.
Yikes... I'm in for it again.
Before, driven by instinct, I hadn't realized how dangerous it was, but now it was different.
"I have a lot of work to do today."
I had to avoid drinking sessions with her as much as possible.
If I actually got her pregnant... escaping would be much harder.
Charles nodded at my response.
"Ah? Then I'll relay that to Her Highness."
"Yes, thank you."
As Charles left, I sighed at the papers strewn across my desk.
"Hoo, better get back to work."
Time flew as I wrestled with the documents.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
"Oh? What time is it?"
My clock read 9 PM already.
Maybe I should head back and sleep?
As I thought that and started tidying up...
-Knock knock.
Another knock.
"Who is it?"
-It's me.
A clear, melodic voice.
"Your Highness? Please come in."
As I replied, the door opened.
"What brings you here?"
She frowned at my question.
"I said let's drink, so why didn't you come?"
"Well..."
I glanced awkwardly at the piled-up papers on my desk...
"Sigh... Do that later and follow me."
My shoulders shrank at Luna's icy tone.
What's this? Is she in a bad mood? Or did I upset her?
As anxiety surged, Luna thrust her sulky face right up to mine.
"What's with that look?"
"Huh? What... look?"
She let out a deep sigh at my words.
"Hmph, whatever. Just follow me."
Luna's expression was stormy.
Her dissatisfied face filled me with dread.
"Uh... Where are we going?"
-Glare!
She shot me a sharp look and took the lead.
"My room."
I followed Luna as she walked ahead.
Why does she look so upset?
I felt jittery trailing behind her.
She wouldn't chop off my head right now, but...
For me, wanting to keep things casual, her behavior was burdensome.
-Creak!
Luna opened the door to her room, revealing a prepared spread.
Not as lavish as when we drank in Vain, but seeing the meat, soup, bread, and cheese, I could tell she'd put thought into it.
"Sit."
As I sat in the chair per her order, she roughly uncorked the bottle...
-Pop!
And poured into my glass.
Then...
"What? Aren't you pouring mine?"
Luna held out the bottle.
I took it and politely filled her glass, then she raised hers.
"Cheers."
"Ch... Cheers."
-Clink.
I tossed the liquor back.
"Ugh..."
How strong is this stuff?
The intense alcohol burned, wrinkling my face.
"Here, try this too."
She carefully served some ham and cheese onto my plate.
"Thank you."
I delicately bit into the long ham rolled with cheese, the smoky flavor blending with the mild cheese in my mouth.
As I ate, Luna refilled my glass from the bottle.
"Here, one more."
Huh?