House Hilgardie was a relatively recent noble family, as Nestart’s grandfather had been the first to be conferred a peerage. The title had passed from father to son, but through the years the family had always remained civil officials in the imperial capital without owning land. The Hilgardies’ status had finally changed after Haldoria ceded some of its territory to the empire and the emperor granted them land.
If one only knew about the family’s recent turn of fortune, one might expect everything to be going smoothly for them. However, the death of the former Lord Hilgardie had since thrown their lives into disarray. The young and inexperienced Nestart was now head of the family, with brand-new responsibilities and land to manage.
“It didn’t go well this time either...” Nestart said.
“It sure didn’t.”
Nestart and his sister both let out sighs as they returned to their lodgings after meeting with the Marquess of Hephaest. Nestart glanced at Arte’s face; she looked worn out. Arte had stepped up as the adolescent lord’s guardian, but even she was quite young and inexperienced at dealing with cunning noblemen and their endless attempts to exploit the smallest opening for profit.
“I truly thought this was my chance to grow our territory’s economy...”
“It couldn’t have been helped,” Arte said. “The marquess was right, after all. There wasn’t enough in the deal to benefit him. The fact that he told you that honestly and refused any contract instead of trying to take advantage of you was already very kind.”
“That’s true. Miss Ellie was also about to see him. Do you think she made a deal with him?”
“Most likely. She’s a very skilled merchant. She must have considered every last detail in order to build a mutually beneficial relationship with him.” Arte had replied without giving much thought to what she had said, but her words made her brother think harder.
Nestart paused for a few moments before finally opening his mouth again. “Don’t you think we should join a faction?”
“That won’t be easy. The territory our house was given used to be part of the kingdom. Many people in the empire don’t like the land or its people. Besides, the heads of our house have only ever been civil officials, which means we have no credibility as feudal lords. We have no backing either.”
“Well...”
“I suppose our first step should be finding someone to support you. Preferably soon.”
“Sister! Do you mean—”
“I know; that’s our last resort. But we have no idea how long the other party will wait. Maybe it’s time to play our final card.”
In the world of the nobility, there was one easy, natural, and surefire method to secure ties with another family—political marriages—and it just so happened that House Hilgardie had an unwed daughter. She was already a little old as far as noble marriages went, but Arte was attractive and there was a potential groom who had sought her hand in marriage.
“And you’d be fine with it?!”
“My opinion doesn’t matter. This might be necessary to ensure the prosperity of our house and the well-being of our people. Besides, the one who has the right to make this decision is you, not me.”
“But, I...”
Nestart was very much against sending Arte to this family, and he had already expressed that. He hadn’t told her why, and Arte hadn’t asked. She’d tried to respect his decision and hadn’t brought up the matter again—until now.
“I know you have your own reasons to oppose this wedding, but I think it’s about time you made your final decision.”
“I’m sorry, sister, but I’m very tired. I think I should go rest.”
“Nestart!”
Nestart returned to his room after forcefully cutting the conversation short.
Arte’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and she asked the maid for a cup of tea. A waiting maid, rather than a regular maid, should have been in charge of pouring tea for a noble lady such as her, but House Hilgardie wasn’t wealthy enough to hire many servants. The only two people accompanying the siblings on this trip were this maid and their coachman, who doubled as a bodyguard.
After drinking her tea, Arte washed up with some hot water and soap her maid had brought. She’d just finished when the coachman knocked on her door to announce that a guest had arrived. He said that the visitor was there on Ellie’s behalf, and Arte immediately agreed to see them.
“I-It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Lunoa Carlton, one of Traitre’s employees.”
“I’m Arte Hilgardie, the guardian of the head of House Hilgardie.” She could tell that her guest was nervous, and she smiled in the gentlest way she could muster to put her at ease. “Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Carlton. Although I’ve returned to my house temporarily, I’ve lived as a commoner for quite some time before that. Feel free to call me Arte.”
“Thank you. You can also just call me Lunoa.” With the introductions out of the way, Lunoa pulled out two letters. “These are from my boss, Miss Ellie Leis. This one is addressed to Lord Hilgardie, and this one is for you, Miss Arte.”
“Pardon me while I read mine.” Arte opened the envelope with a paper knife. “This is...”
At first glance, Ellie’s letter was a simple invitation to a meal in celebration of running into an old friend in an unexpected place. However, there seemed to be something deeper to it. Arte had picked up small hints here and there in Ellie’s wording.
“Miss Lunoa, I’m sorry to ask you this, but would you mind waiting here for a few moments? I’d like to show this to the head of my house at once.”
“Please do. I don’t mind at all,” Lunoa replied.
Before leaving the room, Arte asked the maid to bring out more sweets for Lunoa and refill her teacup. Then, she knocked on the door to her brother’s room.
“Nes? Nes, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Please, can we have this conversation another day?” Nestart asked through the door.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I’m not talking about that at all. Miss Ellie sent someone to deliver letters to us. I read the one addressed to me, and I think you should read yours immediately.”
The door cracked open, and Arte walked in to give Nestart his letter. He opened it quickly and read through it. Once he was done, he read it again from the top.
“May I ask what she wrote?” Arte asked.
“Of course. She’s not saying this directly, but it sounds like she wants to help me with the proposal I made to the marquess.”
“Then we must make time to see her.”
“I agree. If we cancel every meeting that isn’t an absolute necessity, when’s the soonest we can offer?”
Arte brought her hand to her chin and thought for a moment. “In two days. We can’t afford to reschedule our meetings with the Merchants’ Guild or large firms.”
“Understood. I’ll write a reply immediately.”
During the two days after entrusting their reply to Lunoa, Nestart and Arte attended meetings with the Merchants’ Guild and a few important businesses. While the meetings weren’t entirely a waste of time, the siblings did not achieve any major results. Despite working for the Merchants’ Guild, Arte wasn’t a merchant. The legal department to which she belonged did not have much sway in commercial affairs.
Finally, the day of Ellie’s invitation arrived. Nestart and Arte headed by carriage to the address Ellie had written in her letter.
When the carriage stopped, Nestart spoke up. “Hmm... Sister... Is this really the right place?”
“Well... That’s what the letter says.”
“But this is a high-class hotel exclusively reserved for high-ranking nobles, right?”
“I’m sure Miss Ellie knows what she’s doing,” Arte said. “Besides, I told you about her, didn’t I? On paper, she’s only invited us to share a friendly meal, but don’t let your guard down, Nes. You must be as careful as when you’re dealing with a high-ranking noble, not a merchant.”
“Yes, sister.”
Through her contacts at the Merchants’ Guild, Arte knew Ellie’s true identity, and she’d made sure to warn her brother accordingly. As soon as the two disembarked the carriage, an employee approached them.
“Hello. You must be Lord Nestart Hilgardie and Lady Arte Hilgardie,” he said.
“We are,” Nestart replied.
“We’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”
The man bowed politely and led them inside. There wasn’t a single soul in the large lobby and everything was quiet. Nestart found it strange, and his discomfort must have shown on his face because the employee spoke up.
“The Traitre Commercial Firm has reserved our establishment for the day.”
Nestart audibly gasped while Arte looked around in bewilderment. They couldn’t fathom the cost of renting such a place. Obviously, there was the price of all the rooms for the day, but what of the noblemen already staying at the hotel? Ellie would have needed to negotiate with all of them and compensate them. Why would she spend such a tremendous amount of money merely to have a meal with them?
The hotel employee pushed open a large door, revealing a hall with countless sumptuous dishes laid out. It felt as though a fancy soirée were about to start. Inside the hall were Ellie and her group, dressed to the nines.