I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 140

The city of Tuanel, where the Chepher Family is located, was originally known by the nickname “the Sleeping City.”

This was due to Tuanel having particularly short days compared to other regions, and despite scholars putting their heads together, they have yet to discover a satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon.

However, geographically, it was also a traffic hub that connected fertile plains with various locations, transforming it into a new land of opportunity under the governance of the Chepher Family.

If there were to be a symbolic item representing their significant accomplishments, it would undoubtedly be the blue ore known as Seungryuseok, produced in Peron, which is the territory of the Robeheim Family.

In fact, it originally had a striking resemblance to stalactites and was noted for its blue appearance, but had no particularly notable characteristics until people discovered that this ore could emit light for a considerable time even with a small amount of magical power, thus gaining recognition as a precious item along with mana stones.

Of course, there were many inventions at that time that emitted light through magical power, but Seungryuseok was overwhelmingly more efficient, and it couldn’t even be compared to oil lamps and similar products.

As the existence of Seungryuseok became known, Tuanel had its eyes set on it.

Since the sun sets early in the city, they constantly needed light, making this Seungryuseok a blessing amidst the drought.

Thanks to this, the city has now transformed into a place that is so productive that it has earned the nickname “the City Without Night” because of the presence of Seungryuseok, but that also indicates a significant dependence on the ore.

To put it differently, the reason the Chepher Family is more subservient to the Robeheim Family than other families is that the authority over Seungryuseok lies with them.

“One can never be sure when their mind might change, so I must present myself well whenever possible.”

Though this story occurred before Briuud’s father was even born, the former head of the Robeheim Family had stated that they would not raise the price of Seungryuseok provided to Tuanel beyond a certain level.

However, that was merely a promise made by a predecessor.

Moreover, it wasn’t documented on paper, and it was only a matter of keeping spoken words.

Seungryuseok isn’t produced infinitely from the land, and eventually, limitations would be revealed.

Even if that time comes, the idea that it could still be purchased at this price was far too optimistic and hopeful for Briuud, a merchant who was also a nobleman.

That’s why he made an effort to curry favor with the new head of the Robeheim Family, even coming to this far northern land.

Even if prices were to rise in the future, it was his duty to maintain a reasonable line that wouldn’t critically impact the profit distribution.

“In that regard, it was fortunate that I had an acquaintance with Mirabel.”

Hearing that his daughter had spoken briefly with Ariel during the last coming-of-age ceremony, he had brought her along even though there was no need to.

And from Briuud’s perspective, that seemed to play out quite well.

Despite having taken the position of head of the Grand Duke’s household, he was still at an age where emotions and relationships were fragile, so he sought to build a connection with Mirabel, who could be a peer and friend.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected such a minor encounter would shine this brightly, but in any case, he was just glad that the outcome was good.

“It’s all too obvious.”

The problem was that all these events were really within Ariel’s control.

From the moment Ariel heard the name of the Chepher Family, she had a good idea of what her main objective was.

In the list of families to watch over before she inherited the position of head of the family, given to her by Yulken, the Chepher Family was included.

So at first, she thought she would just give a suitable flattery and refrain from taking any particular action.

After all, Yulken had firmly advised her not to wield the authority of Seungryuseok as a means of power, and Ariel’s thoughts matched that sentiment.

But what if the current head of the Chepher Family was the father of one who had wronged her friends?

Then the story would change a bit.

“I’ve heard that over 20% of the annual production of Seungryuseok is used in Tuanel, so my father is keen on maintaining a good relationship as much as possible.”

“Haha, how kind of you to consider the difficulties of your subordinates; I hardly know how to express my gratitude.”

As Ariel momentarily continued a meaningless conversation with Mirabel, she suddenly turned to Briuud and brought up the topic of Seungryuseok.

It was a somewhat heavy topic to bring up during a congratulatory event, so Briuud had been watching for cues, but when she openly mentioned it, his eyes lit up.

Even amidst all that, he didn’t rush in blindly but instead skillfully observed her demeanor before dipping his brush first.

However, what followed in the conversation was, contrary to his expectations, quite grim.

“But what to do? Actually, the production of Seungryuseok has slightly decreased this year compared to last year.”

“Excuse me? The production of Seungryuseok decreased…? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Briuud was obviously taken aback by the unexpected statement, not even having the luxury to hide his change in expression.

Despite not being a member of the Robeheim Family, he could not help but sense that significant matters like production numbers usually leaked out even when attempts were made to conceal them.

But I can declare boldly that there had been no news pointing to a decrease in Seungryuseok production.

“It’s not a critical level, of course. There will be some changes in shipping volume and prices, but…”

“I see.”

While Ariel spoke lightly with a smile, Briuud couldn’t express such a carefree demeanor.

Given the context, her casual comment was likely a serious matter that they could only ascertain once the lid was lifted.

‘Now, what’s the reason for revealing such information?’

What’s even more confusing is that these facts were suddenly disclosed by Ariel herself.

Even if it were crucial information, as the head of the Grand Duke’s family, she wouldn’t simply divulge it; ideally, she’d send her vassals to discuss matters.

This implies that she must have had her reasons for stepping forward.

But Briuud couldn’t fathom what that reason was.

‘No matter what, the important thing here is to conceal my thoughts as much as possible.’

The increase in prices was something that was bound to happen anyway.

So Briuud judged that in this situation, it would be better to feign humility and earn some goodwill.

“After all, Seungryuseok isn’t the private property of the Grand Duke Family. If you could select what’s advantageous for the Grand Duke’s interests, we would gladly accept it.”

With his head bowed in deference, Briuud held a victorious smile inwardly, but the problem was that this reaction was just another trap set by Ariel.

“Private property, huh… Well, that’s indeed correct. That means we have some power to handle it as we please, doesn’t it?”

“…Excuse me?”

As Ariel’s previously gentle tone turned abruptly sharp, Briuud instinctively glanced up, questioning if he had misheard.

“In fact, my father told me to avoid meddling with Seungryuseok, but I wondered if it was truly right to maintain it just as it is for the sake of the family.”

“I see.”

“Yes, so I was thinking… Wouldn’t it be acceptable to raise the price by about 30% now?”

30%.

Briuud’s eyes widened, and his lips trembled as he processed the suddenly skyrocketing price of Seungryuseok.

He turned so pale that Mirabel, who was watching from the side, started to fidget restlessly.

“30%, you say… Meaning there’s that much disruption in the production?”

“Not at all. I’m merely saying that since it’s the family’s private property, it wouldn’t hurt to provide a little flexibility based on my mood.”

Even with a bright expression, Ariel’s demeanor gave Briuud the impression of a demon lurking behind her.

While she might say it’s just a slight adjustment, for the Chepher Family, which consumes over 20% of the total production of Seungryuseok, that news was akin to a thunderclap.

“Your Highness, I apologize for bringing this up, but raising the price uniformly by 30% is…”

Briuud whispered desperately, grasping at straws, but Ariel feigned surprise and widened her eyes in response.

“Raising it by 30%, you say? Impossible. There must surely be some discrepancies.”

“Y-yes, that’s a relief. If I may, concerning the Seungryuseok supplied to Tuanel…?”

“Hmm, let me think.”

Ariel made a show of contemplating while scratching her chin, but her eyes remained fixed on Mirabel.

She had no intention whatsoever of actually raising the price of Seungryuseok.

This 30% figure represented an emotional response, an expression of rage towards the girl who, right before her eyes, had slighted her friends.

If she had truly experienced disrespect, she might have aimed for more than 30%—perhaps even 50% or 70%, but since that wasn’t the case, she decided to show mercy at this moment.

“Normally, one should exclude personal emotions at such occasions and only think of the positions of the families…”

Ariel swallowed the rest of her words and lightly tapped on Mirabel’s shoulder a couple of times.

At the very least, experiencing why they were in such a situation might teach them why their actions were wrong, or how to avoid facing their father’s wrath.

“Oh, by the way, I heard you wanted to have a chat with me very much?”

“Excuse me? Your Highness, what do you mean by that…?”

The friendly demeanor from before had vanished completely, and suddenly being called ‘that girl’ left Mirabel unsure how to respond.

The coldness emanating from her was so chilling that she felt her hands and feet might freeze in place.

“Oh? Really? That’s strange. My ‘friend’ said so… Maybe I misheard.”

Ariel added, “We met during the coming-of-age ceremony, didn’t we? With my friends,” before casually tapping Mirabel’s shoulder one last time and walking past the two with indifference.

Since she didn’t want Edgar to see a scene like this, she had asked them to clear out, so it was time to search for him.

Whether this act of revenge was satisfactory remained uncertain, but observing the frozen figures of father and daughter left her with a feeling that perhaps it wasn’t all too bad.