Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: When the Counterattack Against You Begins
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Helios's mind gradually cleared, and a frantic voice reached his ears. With a groan, he opened his eyes at the sound.
"Your Highness, are you all right?"
"Why am I here?"
Helios clutched his throbbing head and asked Elick, who stood before him. Elick straightened Helios's blankets as he replied.
"You collapsed in the corridor on your way out of the banquet. Was it that headache again? Shall I call a physician?"
"No need. How did the banquet go?"
Helios grimaced at the lingering pain and asked.
"Fortunately, the nobles reacted positively. Just as His Majesty planned, they should now flock to buy those goods."
"That's a relief. The merchant group will be swamped soon enough."
He had heard that the goods imported over the past month weren't selling. Helios knew full well how serious Esther was about her merchant group.
"Any other moves from the marquis household?"
"Aside from taking one member from the Elpis Merchant Group to Falcone last time, nothing else."
Helios clenched his fist tightly, as if venting his unease.
Elick cautiously gauged his expression as his hand paled, then spoke up.
"Your Highness, there's something else I must report."
"What is it?"
"His Majesty had the oil bought from the merchant group distributed to the nobles—one bottle each—and told them that if they want to purchase more, they can get better quality from the palace-managed merchant group."
"......What?"
He knew the emperor's卑劣 tactics, but this was outright mocking the Elpis Merchant Group.
Even selling the same product, nobles would obviously choose the large, palace-run merchant group over the small Elpis one.
"On top of that, they've repackaged it in fancier bottles and prepared separate gifts for the nobles."
"They're openly stealing it."
He knew the emperor coveted the Elpis Merchant Group. But this was the first time he'd stepped out so brazenly to undermine it.
"They must value the merchant group highly."
"I think so too."
With the bad rumors spreading, the Elpis Merchant Group's profits were likely declining. If even the nobles were poached now, its future was doomed. Helios grew urgent.
"Your Highness, you mustn't push yourself yet."
Elick stopped Helios, who was trying to ignore his dizziness and sit up.
But he couldn't afford to lie here. All he could think was that he had to inform Esther somehow.
"We need to send a letter to the Elpis Merchant Group."
"Didn't you say to avoid contact with them for a while? If His Majesty made a move to seize the group, he'll watch it even more closely now."
Elick objected to Helios's decision. Helios knew Elick, who was always by his side, understood his feelings well.
"His Majesty already suspects your relationship with the merchant group leader."
Helios couldn't deny that this choice might endanger them both.
"Damn it!"
Helios punched the innocent bed, sighed while staring at the darkened sky, and cursed his own powerlessness.
Your Highness.
If he couldn't protect that bright smile again, what meaning would his life have?
The fleeting thought gave him déjà vu. Clutching his head as pain surged again, Helios wondered.
'Again'? I can't lose you like that. But what happened?
Helios trembled with the anxiety and fear that wouldn't leave his mind.
"Merchant Group Leader! Big trouble!"
The day after the emperor's birthday banquet ended, Dana burst into Esther's office with a voice so urgent she didn't even knock.
"What is it, Dana?"
"It's just..."
"Calm down and tell me."
Dana took a deep breath at her words, then spoke.
"The oil we sold to the palace! They're selling it openly through the palace-run merchant group now. They've changed the bottles at will and added gifts. Even at three times our price, people are going crazy to buy it! How can they do this?!"
Dana yelled, no longer hiding her anger, but Esther responded calmly.
"Dana, calm down. We still have stock left, don't we?"
"W-Well..."
Dana's trailing off said it all.
It was just as Esther had intuited—Dana wouldn't have stood by idly watching customers flock there.
"I tried telling people, but they said with different packaging, different seller, and such a scale difference, how could they trust ours?"
"Ha."
The emperor no longer bothered hiding his卑鄙 tricks, but it wasn't time yet.
While listening to Dana's outrage for a while, someone knocked on Esther's office door again.
"Merchant Group Leader, are you in?"
"Yes, come in."
Carter and Garan entered.
Esther asked the two, who looked troubled and hesitant to speak first.
"What is it?"
"Well, a letter arrived from the palace..."
"What's going on?"
Even as she asked, Esther could guess the contents. It was the very contact she'd been waiting for.
Carter stepped forward from where he'd been hesitating.
"They're questioning the bad rumors about our merchant group. It says they're saddened that other buyers believe the rumors, but essentially suggests halting transactions for now. And..."
"And?"
"They added some absurd conditions."
"Like what?"
Carter sighed and handed her the paper.
"They express pity for our struggling group, now even worse off, and say if the quality-proven Dran Oil isn't selling, the palace is willing to buy it..."
Dana, listening, exploded.
"What? Does that even make sense? How dare they plan to resell it!"
"Merchant Group Leader, what do you plan to do?"
Esther gazed at the letter before her, lightly tapping the desk with her fingertips. She'd briefly considered avoiding the contract altogether.
But she quickly changed her mind. Using these scoundrels to squeeze out every bit of profit wasn't a bad thing.
"How much are they offering to buy?"
"Merchant Group Leader, you can't mean!"
Dana's face paled. She could guess what Esther intended.
"Sell them an additional 3,000 units and use the money for research. Customers who won't buy from us anyway—we might as well sell to them."
"......Understood."
"Carter!"
Dana cried out in shock at Carter's agreement, but he just looked at Esther without responding.
"Merchant Group Leader, do you truly have no regrets about this choice?"
Garan, surprised by Carter's reaction, widened his eyes and asked Esther.
"I know it could be incredibly risky. But can't you trust me just one more time?"
"I don't know what Carter's thinking, but I can't agree to such a dangerous decision based solely on trust. Do you have a plan?"
Garan pulled out a chair, sat across from Esther, and asked.
Esther wiped away sweat trickling down in the humid air as summer approached.
"Notice anything from the recent weather?"
"......It's unusually hot. It shouldn't be this bad normally."
Esther nodded as if she'd expected Carter's answer and continued.
"Dran Oil is especially sensitive to temperature. Soon, all those goods will spoil. Better to sell them to the palace while we can."
Garan nodded in understanding, then asked again.
"I get that. But what about next? The palace is clearly targeting our group. If this continues, they'll swallow us whole."
"What if all the oil they bought in bulk spoils now that demand is high?"
"......"
Garan leaned forward with interest.
Esther had to convince both Dana and Garan here. She couldn't execute the plan without her key leaders on board.
"They'll probably want to do more trade. For that, they'll need our help—we know the exact route. Only we know how to navigate that dangerous coast. In the end, the palace will have to bow to us."
"Trade with the palace? Propose partnering on imports?"
"No. I'll sell them all the information on entering Inda—at a premium price."
Garan's eyes widened at the unexpected reply.
"Then we'll lose our only weapon."
"No, we'll have gained something."
"What?"
Esther smiled, pulling a thick report from her drawer.
"We won't need to risk our lives or waste time on it anymore. That's what we invested in, after all."
It was the report summarizing Oilie and Mail's research progress. Their steady work had finally borne fruit yesterday.
Mail and Oilie contacted her the moment they got the results.
[A bit more testing is needed, but yesterday we succeeded in extracting oil for the first time.]
"We no longer need to risk going to Inda."
Esther handed the report to them. Garan, unaware of the details since Esther managed the research, examined it closely and pondered.
"I'll follow your decision, Merchant Group Leader."
After a long silence, Garan agreed. Dana gaped at her colleague.
"Garan?"
Garan passed the report to Dana and gave Esther a slight smirk.
"The palace struck first. I don't take hits lying down."
Carter, unconcerned by Garan's risky words, chuckled lightly and patted Dana's shoulder.
"What do you think, Dana?"
"You already know."
Dana sighed softly, then slammed the papers down with a shout.
"Fine! Let's use those high-and-mighty nobles for once!"
Esther steeled her resolve, gazing at her trusted merchant group members who believed in her.