Episode 8
The quality of herbs from the Gruan Trading Company was exceptionally good. But because they were so good, the price was high—and as soon as my father became the head of the family, he proposed an outrageous supply price. He slashed it to half of the original cost.
The Marquisate of Gladelis maintains such an aristocratic image that many people respect them deeply. Rumors even spread that any trading company cut off from doing business with our family must have serious issues. In the end, Gruan Trading had no choice but to supply herbs at that absurd price.
Receiving less money meant that their workers’ salaries naturally decreased. My father took advantage of that gap to bribe Gruan’s employees and steal their seedlings and cultivation methods. That’s how the herbs in the rear garden of the marquisate’s estate are being grown—with the cultivation methods stolen from Gruan.
Since our family had been trading with them for generations, it became “natural” for us to know Gruan’s secret techniques.
“They’re close, so of course they shared things.”
“The Gladelis family is so respectable—surely they wouldn’t have bad intentions?”
“They’re a model of noblesse oblige, so they must be trustworthy!”
That’s how public opinion formed.
On top of that, our family sold the herbs we grew—using large-scale cultivation—at much cheaper prices than Gruan. The quality was low, but we made up for it with sheer quantity.
As a result, Gruan Trading lost its place in the market and eventually ended up being treated like mere street peddlers.
Looking back… my family was truly evil.
They took the good reputation my grandfather built and used it to justify every despicable act imaginable.
While I was thinking that, Susan spoke sympathetically.
“It’s really unfortunate about the trading master’s younger sister too.”
“Oh, right. She has an illness that can be cured as long as she takes her medicine consistently, right?”
Fortunately, the medicine itself wasn’t very expensive. But because of our family’s exploitation, the trading company collapsed so badly they became virtually penniless. They couldn’t even afford that cheap medicine.
Her illness couldn’t be treated with just raw herbs, they said. In other words, the daughter of an herb merchant was dying because she couldn’t get medicine.
Hmm… honestly, I do want to help, but I can’t support her all the way until she fully recovers…
Besides, I don’t have the personal funds to provide ongoing support.
“It would be nice if they could rise again as the top herb trading company. Their products were truly excellent.”
“Agreed. They say even using the same methods, our family’s herbs can’t compare to theirs.”
I wanted to help him, but I was in no position to. I’m an illegitimate child with limited status—and in the future, I die.
I need to survive first.
I turned to leave, but my feet suddenly stopped on their own.
Wait—don’t I actually know how Gruan Trading can rise again?
And now that I think about it, my final goal isn’t to hear Karsian say, “She’s not a bad person.” When Karsian’s father returns, I will only be ten years old.
How could the ten-year-old daughter of a destroyed family guarantee her own safety?
I have to find a place to rely on until I come of age. And conveniently, I know exactly how to rebuild Gruan Trading. My brain spun quickly, then lit up.
“Susan, follow me!”
I hurried toward the entrance where the commotion was happening.
The knights noticed me and quickly hid their weapons. I passed by them and approached the trading master.
“Hello?”
The young master of Gruan looked at me in puzzlement, then quickly bowed politely once he realized who I was.
“Hello, Lady Gladelis.”
His expression was complicated, but his manners were proper and his eyes sincere.
I smiled brightly.
“I need some potent herbs. Could you show me your catalog?”
“A catalog? O–of course!”
“Young lady, don’t we already have herbs in the garden? There’s no need to let such peddlers inside.”
The knight cut him off. At the word “peddler,” the trading master’s expression dimmed again.
I stepped next to the trading master and said to the knight:
“I guess you didn’t hear me say ‘potent herbs.’ And I don’t recall granting you permission to speak.”
The knight with the cold demeanor hesitated. He looked at me as if wondering, Why is this illegitimate brat acting like this?
Why? Because I—the illegitimate one—am about to fix at least one wrongdoing of our family. And incidentally, help myself survive.
I ignored him and looked back at the master.
“Shall we go inside and talk?”
About how Gruan Trading can rise again—and how I can entrust myself to them.
I smiled as harmlessly as I could.
Susan served warm tea.
“Ah, thank you.”
The young master of Gruan, Seltron, sat across from me with a dazed expression. Susan smiled kindly at him, then stood behind me. Seltron seemed unaccustomed to such courtesy as he took a bewildered sip of tea.
I spoke bluntly.
“Please hire me at Gruan Trading.”
“Pffft!”
Seltron spat out the tea he had just sipped.
“I—I’m so sorry!”
He panicked, flustered and apologetic, though thankfully the distance kept him from spraying it on me.
I softened my expression as much as possible.
“I can be of help to Gruan Trading.”
Seltron wiped his mouth and looked at me blankly, clearly thinking, What is this child even saying? Then, as if realizing that asking to see a catalog only to request a job was absurd, he lowered his head in disappointment.
He said in a tired voice:
“I’m sorry, but we can’t take on new employees right now. Because…”
“Because your business is suffering. The trading company owned by the Gladelis family is selling large quantities of herbs cheaply—the same ones Gruan used to supply.”
His body stiffened slightly. He hadn’t expected a child to speak so maturely. In that moment, a faint flash of resentment appeared in his eyes, as if saying: You know all that, and yet…
I leaned forward.
“That’s exactly why you need to hire me.”
“Young lady…”
“My father, the Marquis Gladelis, bribed your people and stole your information.”
Seltron’s eyes widened.
His expression said: How could she know that? At the same time, anger toward Gladelis rose sharply—enough that my being a seven-year-old no longer mattered.
Thankfully, our family has always had a scholarly and refined image. People say even the children are precociously mature.
So Seltron didn’t question what kind of child says such things? He simply accepted it. After my return, the only thing my family has been useful for is this kind of leverage.
I whispered, encouraging his anger.
“You can’t just let yourselves be trampled forever, right? Please hire me.”
“Young lady… are you saying you intend to betray the Gladelis family…?”
He watched me carefully.
I lifted my teacup.
“It’s too early to speak of deep matters. But…”
I glanced at Susan behind me.
She is my only real friend—both in my previous life and in this one. She is someone I can trust.
I drank and spoke quietly.
“I’m actually an illegitimate child.”
“……!”
Seltron’s eyes widened, and I felt Susan’s gaze as well. But I looked only at him.
“I think that should be enough explanation.”
His eyes trembled violently. It was hard for him to believe.
After all, the world knows me as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis Gladelis. There has never been a rumor about me being illegitimate—my father keeps the servants tightly controlled. So this was the first time Seltron was hearing such a thing.
I spoke to the deeply troubled Seltron.
“Please hire me. I can help you both directly and indirectly.”
“……”
“Because soon, I will be helping my father run his trading business.”
At that, Seltron’s eyes sparkled.
I pretended not to notice that calculating gleam.
“That means I’ll know immediately which trading companies Father is dealing with and what kinds of transactions he’s making.”
The small clink of my teacup landing on its saucer echoed lightly.
Around this time in my previous life, I began helping Father with business matters—specifically, with running the underground fighting arena that eventually got me executed.
I was unusually skilled in arithmetic and had natural talent for managing a trading business. Later, he even took me to negotiations, and I secured several major deals for him.
But despite everything, my parents never loved me.
The bitter memory stung, so I quickly continued before I could get sentimental.
“And I know how Gruan Trading can rise again.”
“Is… is that true?”
“Yes.”
I nodded firmly, thinking of the original novel.
In the original story, Gruan later becomes a prestigious trading company that even supplies herbs to the imperial capital. More precisely, it’s male lead Karsian who helps them rise.
A few years after taking revenge on my family, Karsian goes on a trade expedition with his father and returns after rescuing a princess from a fallen kingdom. She becomes the heroine of the story—Irith.
