Chapter 58
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower. Chapter 58 Though it was our first time meeting face-to-face, Genevre Golbro and I sat across from each other like old friends of considerable standing, sipping tea. Since she didn't permit visits from unverified individuals, neither the Grand Duke nor Bonita accompanied me, yet I didn't feel particularly endangered. Besides, they'd sent me a dedicated teleportation scroll, so the journey here presented no real difficulty. However.... 'I genuinely can't fathom what she's thinking.' Considering her distaste for wasting time, I laid out my purpose the moment I settled into my seat. I also shared my belief that a connection with the Embrose Trading Company would benefit the Golbro Trading Company as well. But contrary to my expectations, her response came not as immediate agreement, but as a question.
"So you're saying you'd like the Golbro Trading Company to provide escort personnel to the Embrose Trading Company?"
"Yes, and ideally, establishing regular trade would be advantageous."
If we utilized the Embrose Trading Company's distribution network spanning the entire continent, personnel movement would become far more flexible than it currently was. I was certain the Golbro Trading Company had been waiting for precisely such an opportunity. 'Then why?' Why did Genevre seem so uncomfortable, merely fidgeting with her teacup? Unable to bear the awkward silence, I spoke again.
"Is there perhaps a separate condition you'd like to propose?"
I'd framed it as something of a personal favor, but if she viewed it as official business, her reaction would make sense. Yet the lovely young woman before me offered a response entirely different from what I'd anticipated.
"It's not about conditions."
"Then what...?"
"I'm hurt."
"...C-cough!"
Simultaneously, I choked, and the lukewarm tea surged back up my throat. Desperate not to appear unseemly before this new acquaintance, I stifled my coughing and lifted my head.
"H-hurt, you say?"
What on earth was she talking about? My bewildered question tumbled out unbidden.
"Miss Salt."
Genevre, regarding me once more, fixed me with a sorrowful gaze, her flower-like face clouded with melancholy.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what...?"
Had I been male, her voice—so laden with sorrow—would have sparked suspicions of romantic entanglement. Then came her explanation of the entire matter.
"Rumors have spread far and wide that the publication location of 'Safety Guidelines for the Ghost Duke's Castle' is the Blaire Grand Duke Territory."
"W-well, yes, that's true."
"And whispers suggest that the woman responsible for creating this masterpiece that shook the entire continent is..."
Surely not. My gaze reflexively shifted to the comic book wedged behind her, and I swallowed hard.
"From the very beginning of this manga business, I caught Miss April Salt's scent quite distinctly."
"...Pardon?"
Surely she didn't mean it literally? I hadn't marked any territorial claims on the manga books themselves. If that were the case, her meaning was painfully obvious.
"Miss Genevre Golbro...."
"And do you know how many letters I've exchanged with Miss April Salt? I know exactly how she builds her preamble before getting to the main point."
Her light brown eyes gleamed with the sharpness of someone who already knew everything.
"Once I understood the narrative structure of that story, my suspicions only grew stronger."
Genevre Golbro was one of the few people who knew I was staying in the Blaire Grand Duke Territory. It was because I'd borrowed personnel from her for the Dam construction project last time... Perhaps it was stranger that she hadn't suspected me in the manga business at all.
"W-well, you see. I never intended to upset you."
So much had happened to me lately that I'd forgotten—Genevre was meticulous by nature. I hastily began what could barely be called an excuse.
"And my involvement in this venture is supposed to be confidential...."
In truth, I'd never really kept it secret. But it would be better if Salt didn't know that I wasn't just alive and well, but conducting business in Cletan—practically an enemy nation, wouldn't it?
"Ahem, well."
I cleared my throat to lighten the mood and leaned forward slightly toward Genevre, who still seemed somewhat miffed.
"It would have been difficult to explain in writing that could be leaked. Besides, I never expected you to take such profound interest in manga...."
I trailed off and swept my gaze across the tall bookshelf with fresh eyes. Looking closely, I could see not only the main volumes of "Safety Regulations of the Ghost Duke's Castle" but also special editions and limited printings in small quantities, all lined up neatly with their packaging still sealed. And so I could naturally discern it. The depth of her affection for these manga.
"I truly didn't know."
I let my eyes droop slightly, tinged with genuine remorse. Fortunately, Genevre didn't seem inclined to dwell on this matter long, and her expression softened as she picked up her teacup.
"Now Miss April Salt knows as well."
After her sly remark, her gaze turned toward me.
"Doesn't she?"
Her words were essentially a hint to provide whatever she desired. In truth, Genevre wasn't the type to be swayed by money or power. The fact that I could meet her without major complications was because she treasured the trust I'd built with her over time. And if that were what she wanted.... 'She already has everything.' With wealth overflowing to the point of decay, she already possessed every single thing related to the manga. She even had three copies of the Ghost Duke Edition tumbler, which had been produced in a limited run of only one hundred. 'If Fabron Marquis had seen this, his eyes would have rolled back in his head.' No, not just Fabron Marquis. Countless people desperate to obtain a tumbler would surely clutch their chests upon seeing this. Well, in any case... I could be certain of one thing. That Genevre Golbro was utterly captivated by the manga we published.
"Miss Golbro."
I lifted the corners of my mouth into a leisurely smile and continued speaking to her in a subtle tone. It was time to play my trump card.
"I'd like to introduce you to the Empress of the Cletan Empire."
"Hmm, I'm afraid I must decline connections that would be difficult for me to manage..."
"No."
Uncertain what she had misunderstood, I naturally cut off her words, my expression hardening.
"As a devoted reader of 【Safety Precautions of the Ghost Duke's Castle】, someone who shares the same interests."
"Ah."
"I imagine Miss Golbro already knows how extensively the Empress is involved in activities related to 【The Ghost Duke's Castle】."
Genevre's expression appeared unchanged at first glance, but her tightly pressed lips trembled subtly upon closer inspection. It meant she knew the Empress was actively engaged as this world's first fan fiction creator and held a profound interest in it. 'This is it.' Indeed, that intoxicating scent of fervor emanating from devoted readers. I silently celebrated, confident that I had struck the right chord. * * * "Hmm, Miss Golbro is someone of repute and high trustworthiness in her surroundings... no, that's not it!"
April Salt had been carefully writing on the letter paper when she suddenly shook her head and crumpled it up. Whoosh! Ian—or rather, Kaian wearing the transformation ring—turned his head away, pretending not to notice the ball of paper falling to the floor in an arc.
"Ugh, it feels too clichéd for an introduction letter."
Murmuring while holding her head, she suddenly began glancing around as if struck by inspiration.
"Ahem."
Soon after, she quietly rose, having noticed Bonita dozing in the corner. Then, as if reluctant to have her maid exert herself, she picked up the discarded letter paper herself, disposed of it in the trash, and quietly returned to her seat. 'How curious.' Behavior rarely seen among ordinarily arrogant royalty. Of course, there was the special circumstance that she had acted in Lemeia's stead and had never been properly recognized as a princess, but... Kaian glanced briefly at April Salt, then reminded himself that observing his charge in such a manner did not align with Ian's duties, and deliberately turned his gaze away. Yet he could not help but find his attention drawn to her repeatedly. It had been roughly three months since he had taken up her protection by chance. In that time, the woman he had observed as a "guard knight" could be described in one word: a person of concern. Not only did she attract all manner of incidents and troubles, but she exhibited the peculiar behavior of reluctantly taking on most tasks herself. One might say she was a fine example of someone whose mouth protests while her body moves with honest sincerity. His overall assessment of April Salt, viewed solely as a "charge to protect," was just that. However... 'Not an unpleasant sight.' He did not realize it. Even now, as subjective judgments kept intruding, a faint, unfamiliar smile was quietly playing at the corners of his mouth as he repeatedly gazed at the back of her round head.
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