CHAPTER 48
“…It’s not prejudice, really…” Louisa gave a faint smile and nodded once. At her response, Raphael froze for a brief moment and blinked slowly.
“…It’s a family with considerable influence in the commercial world. It’s a good move to stay close to them. They’ve recently become more famous thanks to a new wine, and they’re gaining a reputation even in foreign countries.”
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke in a low voice. She had assumed he had no interest whatsoever in social connections or noble circles, so it was unexpected advice.
Especially since he brought up the wine himself.
Louisa straightened up from her relaxed posture and focused on Raphael. She had thought he was just a clueless ball of holy power, but he clearly had a discerning eye.
‘That wine really is becoming popular. The export volume is insane.’
Her lips curled up proudly.
“Gloria Trading Company has really built a strong foundation in commerce. They seem very competent.”
“The Dallio family has long-standing roots in trade, but I’ve heard they’ve especially prospered in the current generation. Oh, now that I think about it, a report about a major fraud involving merchant ships from another continent came through to the Holy Knights Order. So surveillance for smuggling will be tightened within the Empire. The Gloria Trading Company must be getting quite busy.”
Wait…? Merchant ship fraud?
A sparkle flickered in Louisa’s violet eyes, which always seemed to hold a trace of warmth. Forgotten plot details from the original story flashed through her mind, and she felt the hairs on her neck rise.
‘Right! In the original, Count Dallio and his wife got in trouble over a fraudulent contract! Why didn’t I remember that?’
A scam involving merchant ships meant it was on a large scale. It felt highly likely that this was related to that incident. Louisa leaned forward slightly and opened her mouth.
“May I ask what kind of fraud it was?”
Her tone was far too eager. Raphael flinched and leaned back, pressing himself against the chair’s backrest and opening his eyes slightly wider.
“Ah.”
“Is it confidential…?”
“I don’t think it’s classified. Usually, those in the commercial world share information. It’s just a matter of how quickly it spreads…”
Louisa’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Raphael’s throat bobbed.
“…It’s illegal slave trading.”
“Slaves?!”
“Yes. Though the slave system has been abolished, it seems there are still those who operate in the shadows.”
“Ah…”
She remembered clearly now. The villains in the story had deceived buyers by mislabeling cargo and hiding drugged slaves inside crates, smuggling them aboard merchant ships.
In the original story, Count Dallio fell right into that trap.
The criminals had taken advantage of the fact that not all crates were inspected, loading the slaves onto a ship headed for the Empire. Believing he had only legal cargo, Count Dallio was wrongly accused of being involved in illegal slave trading and was summoned to a noble trial.
‘Yes, that was it! This is the perfect chance to help.’
Louisa beamed like a flower in full bloom.
“Thank you for telling me!”
“…Do you not have any other questions?”
Raphael, who had been silent like a statue, asked in an unusually hurried tone.
She wondered if playing with his ear was a habit—maybe it was good for his blood circulation. Louisa found herself noticing how often he did it, his flushed ears clearly visible.
“I’m good, thank you.”
“Then if you’re ever curious or need anything, please feel free to tell me.”
“Yes, thank you for your kindness.”
“…Kindness…”
She heard him mutter under his breath, but she pretended not to and turned her gaze to the window. The blue sky outside was shifting quickly.
Upon arriving at the Dallio estate, Louisa soon clicked her tongue inwardly at her own misstep.
“Looks like rumors are just rumors, after all.”
“Indeed. You seemed very close to the First Prince. I was surprised he escorted you.”
She’d just handed over bait for the first topic of conversation at the tea party.
Since they’d gotten used to traveling together in the North, it felt natural to accept Raphael’s offer to escort her. But this was the capital, and she had momentarily forgotten how everything here became gossip.
Especially with someone like Raphael—anywhere he went would inevitably become the center of attention.
And of course, when she had first arrived, everyone had seemed hesitant and awkward, watching each other. But now they were all gossiping like busybodies without a trace of discomfort. Real chatterboxes, every one of them.
Granted, it was only after the Countess of Dallio had warmly welcomed her that the others had come over with hesitant smiles, but regardless, Louisa found the situation irritating.
‘I can’t deny it, but it doesn’t feel right to admit it openly either…’
Louisa kept her mouth shut, her expression unreadable. No matter what she said, she’d only look overly sensitive, so she figured it was best to let it all go in one ear and out the other.
“By the way, Lady Louisa, how was your trip to the North?”
At that moment, the Countess’s careful question caused the talkative viscountess, who had brought up Raphael earlier, to fall awkwardly silent. Louisa tilted her head slightly and gave a gentle smile.
“Yes. It was refreshing to visit again after so long. A nice change of pace.”
“I’ve never been to the North, so I’m curious. I heard it’s cold even in the summer. Is that true?”
“It is. Compared to the capital, it feels like late autumn. It doesn’t snow in the summer, but it stays cool year-round.”
“Oh my, how interesting. I don’t handle heat well, so maybe I should plan my next summer vacation in the North.”
“If you do visit, I’ll be sure to prepare in advance. It would be an honor to host such a distinguished guest.”
“Hahaha, how very kind of you!”
The Countess laughed heartily behind her fan. Her olive-colored eyes sparkled with sincerity, as if she genuinely enjoyed the gathering.
The other ladies gave awkward imitations of her laugh, their voices trailing behind her.
Then, after scanning each of them slowly, the Countess suddenly snapped her fan shut and smiled with regret.
“Truly, after meeting Lady Louisa, I’ve vowed never to judge someone based on rumors. How could someone so kind have such harsh gossip trailing behind them? I’m sure there were circumstances behind those stories.”
…Well, they are true, but it wasn’t me who did it. Louisa decided to play dumb.
If someone did decide to bring it up later, she could deal with it then. But anyone who’d suffered at the hands of the original Louisa would probably be too scared to confront her now. So she wasn’t too worried.
She met the Countess’s gaze calmly. When the Countess grabbed her hand warmly, Louisa was momentarily startled but didn’t let it show.
“Thank you.”
She could feel the other noblewomen staring at her, some looking scandalized. But to Louisa, only the Countess mattered right now.
One true friend was worth more than a dozen meaningless acquaintances.
If she wanted to talk business, though, this wasn’t the right setting. She glanced around discreetly.
The others clearly had no intention of engaging further. Whether out of distrust or lack of interest, they changed the subject and began sipping the imported tea, praising its aroma.
Louisa took the opportunity to look at the Countess again. The Countess met her gaze, and Louisa gave a subtle signal by glancing around meaningfully.
“This estate looked so stunning during the garden party. And now that I see it again, it’s even more impressive. How did you come up with such a beautiful garden?”
“Oh, I’m so pleased you noticed. Thank you. Would you care to walk through it with me?”
“I’d love to.”
As expected of someone from a powerful merchant family, the Countess picked up on her cue immediately and rose from her seat.
“Oh, would any of you care to join us?”
Louisa stood up gracefully and turned to the other ladies one by one.
“No, I’m all right.”
“Me too. Hoho…”
“It seems we’re all enjoying this new tea too much. You two go on ahead. Ohoho…”
Their laughter was stiff, but Louisa didn’t care. This was the perfect chance.
She assumed they just didn’t want to bother walking, and followed the Countess toward the garden path, content with her own judgment.
As they left the shade, bright sunlight poured down on them. Handmaids quickly rushed over with parasols. The two women walked leisurely under the sweltering sky without a single bead of sweat.
“Do you like roses?”
“Yes, I do. They’re such beautiful flowers. They’ve bloomed wonderfully.”
Exchanging casual talk about flowers, Louisa pondered how to bring up the topic she wanted.
Then she remembered Mary talking about how last year’s long rainy season had been rough, and how she was glad this year’s was brief.
Louisa opened her mouth.
“It hasn’t rained much this year. I thought it usually rained more around this time.”
“Indeed. But with this kind of weather, we don’t have to worry about typhoons, so we don’t need to delay any ship departures. It’s been quite helpful.”
Louisa’s hand, not holding a parasol, clenched tightly.
“Ah, of course. I heard the Count often travels personally—this weather must be a relief for you.”
