"That much…? That much…? Why do I have to bring more flavouring this time, yet don't make a proportionate amount? A split five hundred gold coins plus the payment for it would only be one thousand one hundred gold coins…"
"That's because the chapel is getting a cut. This time, the chapel and merchant definitely spent a hefty sum to make sure things go through the pipeline smoothly. There's bound to be a fair price to pay to cover the cost of provisions and the transportation. Hence, you can't earn much after the increase in capital and having to split with the chapel. This time, you don't need to drop an extra sum for capital. You just need to bring it back. Furthermore, you've cut the chapel out of the equation, which means that you'll get a bigger cut. Additionally, to be fair, you'll be earning close to what you earned last time despite only receiving a five hundred payment, as well as a cut of six hundred gold coins."
Lucia looked at her slender fingers and frowned. She was presumably trying to calculate her income. She looked up at me and smiled. "But Travor, you will give me an extra share, am I right? Because you came to me this time! Travor is a nice guy, so you'll definitely help us."
"I don't know where you got the confidence from… Plus, I'm not a nice guy. You're correct, though. I only want two hundred gold coins. The remaining one thousand is yours to take. Nonetheless, I have to remind you again not to reveal that you were helped by humans. We don't know what you elves are doing. If you succeed, then remember to proceed with our flavouring trade afterwards. We don't need anyone else to be involved. Just sell it to us."
"That's a given. We elves may not like to interact with you humans too much, but we're very happy to trade with friends. Moreover, I'll get to come over to visit Veirya more often. Oh, and Leah. Such an adorable child is a gift to the world. She's worth our diligent efforts. I love cute children the most. Veirya may always look indifferent, but in truth, she's a very adorable girl."
"Yeah? I agree to be honest."
Needless to say, Veirya wasn't cute. She was just insensible. However, her insensible mannerisms did sometimes make her appear to resemble a naughty kid. For example, from the terrifying fly high experience from last time, you could tell that she was curious about all sorts of things.
The two of us went to the door. I took in a deep breath. I consciously put some distance between us to avoid the chances of Veirya's sharp sword appearing. I was concerned about Veirya's stance on Achilles suggestion. Veirya's bottom line was extremely frightening, because I never had any idea what it was. Lucia would move in with us; then, I'd go with her to the elven lands. While Lucia and Veirya were quite good friends and I could understand Achilles being concerned about the goods, I was very worried that Veirya wouldn't approve. If Veirya didn't approve, there was no way that I could go with Lucia.
"Lucia, I need to make this clear with you. The most important factor in this operation is Veirya. I'm not certain that she can accept our plan. If she objects to it, I won't be able to go to the elven lands with you, which means that Achilles and I will need to replan it to send somebody else with you. To be honest, though, I think that Veirya is very likely to not give me permission. We must convince Veirya to let me go. As such, we must do our best to avoid letting her mistake that I want to leave with you."
Lucia nodded then looked at me. She folded her arms. "It's so strange that Veirya likes you so much. In the past, she never cared about someone so much. You also seem very loyal to her. You're just a prisoner of war; how did you get her to like you so much?"
"Like? I'd say that she feels that I'm her possession. The one that Veirya likes is Leah, but Leah is very afraid of her, which is why she wants to get Leah to accept her via me."
Talking about it made me feel bitter. Perhaps Lucia was able to read my feelings thanks to her keen senses. She softly sighed then my shoulder. In a somewhat sympathetic tone, she stated, "It's tough on you, huh? I know what you're thinking right now, and I truly feel sorry for you. In saying that, it's not your fault. It's just that Veirya lacks emotion. She's never understood what feelings are. You didn't see her the first time that I met her. At the time, she really was nothing but a sword for killing people."
"Let's put all that aside for the meantime. We just need to focus on one thing now, which is to make sure that we convince Veirya to approve."
I took in a deep breath to calm myself down.
'It's not time to be thinking about romance. I should focus on the matter at hand.'
I knocked on the door then pulled it open to find Leah and Veirya sitting at opposite ends of the table facing each other. They both looked at each other with serous looks. In their hands were paper cards. I don't recall Anna and Leah looking that serious when they played cards last time. The scene in front of me, however, resembled the gods of gambling facing off in a final showdown. In one corner was the expressionless Veirya. In the other corner was, Leah, who bit down firmly on her lip. She intently stared at the card in her hand as though she was mustering up every ounce of energy she had to figure out what card Veirya had.
"Add two infantries!!" declared Leah. She finally made up her mind and played her final card down on the table.
After examining the card before her, Veirya folded her card, "I lost."
"Wooo!!!" Leah immediately smiled with joy. She hopped off her chair and ran over to me.
Anna came out with a hot pot. Seeing me return, she smiled. "You are back, Sir."
Veirya turned her head to give me a subtle nod. She then looked over to Lucia. "Good evening, Lucilia."
"Good evening, Veirya."
"You came back late. So. Anna cooked."
Veirya looked back at me, but it seemed as though she was reproaching me. I smiled helplessly. Indeed, I went out at night to discuss business. Since Anna cooked already, I figured it should be fine. Leah came up to me and gave me a warm hug. Every time I came back, I'd receive a warm hug from Leah.
"Papa! Sister Lucia…"
I picked Leah up. She touched my face with a smile. She vigilantly watched Lucia. Lucia smiled, and then touched Leah's face. She then went up to the table and casually sat down. She picked up the cards. However, Veirya didn't pick up her cards. Instead, she sternly looked at Lucia and asked, "What. Did you two do?"
"That, we need to discuss with you. He has something to tell you."
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