“Would you like a drink, too?” Tanya quietly offered a cup to the man in front of the door—Dida.
“I always knew you were the caring type. Poured some for me too, did you?” Dida took the cup happily and sipped.
“In your dreams. Why would I give you hot milk to drink, when it’s your job to stay awake and protect our lady? It’s just boiled water.”
“Oh… Well, I had a feeling.” Dida grinned wryly.
“It’s not like you to look so sullen.”
“Yeah?”
Dida drank the water, still smiling. Tanya studied him in silence.
“The princess asked me why I call her that,” he admitted.
“Oh, I see,” Tanya said dispassionately.
“That was cold, Tanya. You started this conversation, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but your response was so dull. Besides, I doubt you’re that hung up about it.”
“You got me. The princess thinks I’m making fun of her for being naive, and that’s true. But that’s not all…”
“Indeed. I believe it was the first time you saw her? You said she was ‘like a princess in a story, so kind, soft, and beautiful.’”
To Tanya and Dida, someone like a duke’s daughter was a being from a different dimension. Under normal circumstances, their paths should never have crossed. But by some twist of fate, she had taken in these forsaken children, and now they lived together. It had been such a shock to realize such a world existed, that such people existed.
Dida, with his hard, scarred heart, had been no exception. There had been shock…and at the same time, jealousy. How could they be so different? Why was she showing him her world? He thought these things soon after being taken in by the duke’s family. He even started to resent Iris for being showered with the world’s fortunes, for knowing nothing of debasement.
Yet he also envied her purity. She was like a character from a storybook. That someone like her could smile at him, value him, need him, when he was no more than a pawn and worth less than pennies, was mind-blowing. It was nice. As time passed, he realized his place was at her side. He imprinted on her; she was his mistress.
“Just tell her. ‘It’s because you’re as cute and kind as a storybook princess.’ It’s not like you have an ulterior motive. Or are you embarrassed to voice the thoughts of a naive child now that you’re an adult?”
“Sure, I could say it. You, Lyle, Rehme, and the others are always going on and on about how much you love her straight to her face.”
Dida was right. All Iris’s little brood had sworn unending loyalty to her. Only Dida, hardest to read, acted aloof, hiding his true feelings in smoke. Was he truly loyal?
“Can’t you say it another way?” Tanya sighed.
“I’m not wrong, though.”
“Well, I suppose.”
“I don’t call her ‘Princess’ for any deep abiding reason. But she seems to get caught up in it, mull it over. It makes her examine her own shortcomings, which makes her even greater.”
Dida grinned brightly, the brightest one so far. Tanya sighed internally, realizing he meant well.
“Everyone expresses their love for her without reservation and does their best to make her desires come true,” he said. “That’s why I figure a guy like me is important. Someone unreadable, whom she can’t quite figure out. Someone to make the princess stop in her tracks and think.”
“What a troublesome personality you have.”
“I’m cynical.”
“Same difference.”
Dida shrugged. “Maybe I’ll tell her the real reason once I retire.”
Tanya sniffed. “Well, then she’ll need to live a long life in order to hear your true feelings.”
“What? Really?”
“We both know you’re never going to retire on your own. And it’s even less likely our lady will ask you to leave her service.”
“Perhaps.” However, Dida laughed both out loud and in his heart.
Tanya once again raised her fist above his head. “Quiet. What if you wake her?”
“Ow! Tanya, you hit too hard.”
“Not true at all. Now, I must be going.”
“Yeah, yeah… Oh, Tanya.”
“What?”
“When did I ever tell you the real reason I think she’s a princess?”
“Long ago, when you were completely in your cups. Until then, I was convinced you were insulting her. I’d even fancied eliminating you on occasion.”
“Whoa…”
“Keep your smoke and mirrors to a minimum, lest you forget your true feelings.”
“Don’t worry, that’s not happening. There’s one thing I’ll never let go of.”
Dida smiled. Tanya also smiled for once, for she knew of what he spoke. The one thing Dida would never let go of—in other words, that which was most important to him. For all of them, that was their mistress, Iris. It was the most convincing argument anyone could put before Tanya. After she closed the door, Dida went back to his post as if nothing had happened, aloof as ever.
✦ ✦ ✦
And so, with the month I’d asked for over, my final task was to meet Moneda. Although, to be honest, this meeting would be my first real obstacle.
A receptionist led us into the merchant guild’s receiving room. The merchant guild with which Moneda was affiliated was, quite literally, an organization made up of a collection of people who made their livelihoods off mercantile work. You could think of it as similar to a union. Branches of the merchant guild were found all over the country, unbound by local laws, and existed as a single entity. However, each of these branches had its own flavor, so to speak, so it was difficult to say if unconditionally categorizing them all as the same entity was truly correct. Essentially, a central headquarters sent out messages to the branches and dictated shared rules, but it was up to the discretion of each branch on how to implement them. It was quite similar to the relationship between the king and his governors.
The building of the merchant guild’s branch office struck me as both calm and oddly profound, the diametric opposite of the grandiose, flashy designs favored by the nobility. You could say that only a certain sort of person would recognize its true value.
“It’s good to see you again, Lady Iris.” A refined young man with glasses entered the room after us. Unfortunately, his smile seemed like nothing more than a lie to me.
“And you, Moneda. Oh, don’t trouble yourself with formalities. I’m here incognito.”
“I’m sorry, but custom dictates.”
“Of course… You always were a stickler for these things.”
“So, what is it you want?” He got right to the point.
He wasn’t even going to bother reminiscing pleasantly about the past, eh? Nothing had changed, then.
“Oh, Moneda, don’t be like that. It really has been a long time. How are things lately?” I asked.
“How are things? Quite fine.”
“Good. I should have expected as much of the guild’s vice-treasurer. I assume you also know of the most recent developments in my life, as well?”
“You got me.” Moneda gave me a wry smile. Merchants were, in my experience, uniquely able to acquire all the latest rumors and up-to-date information. Naturally, they kept close track of the nobility, their biggest spenders.
“As you know, then, due to recent events, I’ve returned to the duchy. Incidentally, Moneda, how is the guild doing lately?”
“Fine, as well.”
“Oh, really? I heard your trade with the royal capital has slipped quite precipitously.”
His calm expression froze over. I could hardly hide my smile at the sudden change.
“Now, now. If you let your emotions show, you’ll have people fishing in your pockets before long.” I gave a stately chuckle to try and ease the tension in the room, but Moneda’s expression remained stiff. “Moneda, I’m sorry. It was just a hunch. But it seems trade has indeed slowed between our duchy and the royal capital, then.”
When the state of the capital was uncertain, of course trade declined. When selling to nobles, it wasn’t rare for a merchant to visit their estate and bargain directly. In fact, this was the most typical method. But these visitations brought risks. If a merchant grew too friendly with a client, that noble’s enemies would begin to suspect and avoid their business, which no merchant would desire.
Yet, the recent trade decline was still only just barely visible. Only those who stared at ledgers every day could have seen it.
Oh, but I really didn’t have any proof as yet. This was a bluff, and nothing more. But with the world in such a moment of change and being so difficult to predict, it was smarter to be careful. If I were a merchant, that’s how I would conduct my affairs.