Kris was beyond exhausted after the events that had taken place. The group had returned to the drawing room, and she was now sitting on a couch. All the color had drained from her face as she sat with her head hanging.
“Are you all right, Lady Kris?”
The elf’s experience in the audience chamber had been a series of shocking events. She’d had to stand in the middle of the room, surrounded by the most prominent nobles in the empire, and greet Their Imperial Majesties. After that, she had given a presentation on the products they’d brought as gifts, which had led to some stressful negotiations. At the end of it all, she’d realized that the entire situation had been planned from the start and that she had been the only actor in that performance who hadn’t been aware of the scheme. Some may say that in order to deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies.
“You did very well, Kristie,” Reiner said, but Kris just shot him a resentful glare. “That’s why I warned you of the dangers in the capital and to not let your guard down.”
Kris just internally complained, You just got to sit back and enjoy the show. That wasn’t a matter of keeping my guard up. It was foul play!
The elf let out a deep sigh and said in an exasperated tone, “I think that was the most exhausting day of my life.”
The moment she finally relaxed, there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Their Imperial Majesties have arrived,” a maid announced.
Kris immediately shot up from the couch and faced the door with her head lowered as she began panicking. What’s going on? I thought we were done talking!
The door opened, and Kris heard the emperor.
“As you were,” he said in a kind voice. “I’m sorry for bothering you while you are resting.” His tone was completely different from how he’d spoken in the audience chamber. “I’d like some privacy.”
With that, he excused everyone aside from Kris, Emma, and Reiner. The only people remaining in the drawing room were the three visitors and Their Imperial Majesties.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to properly introduce myself earlier,” the emperor said. “I’m Arwin Magnolia. It’s a pleasure to properly meet you.”
“I’m his wife, Matilda Magnolia.”
After elegantly introducing themselves to Kris, the expressions on their faces relaxed. Even after they had excused the staff, Kris never imagined that they would formally greet her, which left her flustered.
“Why don’t we sit down for now, so we can talk?” the emperor suggested.
His imposing presence had dissipated, and his sternness transformed into cheerfulness. Reiner and Kris did as the emperor suggested and sat on the couch, and Emma stood behind them by the wall. The imperial couple sat across from their visitors and proceeded to speak.
“Lady Kristie, I would like to apologize for involving you in our plans today,” the emperor said.
“There is no need for any apologies, Your Majesty,” Kris replied. “I assure you that I am all right. Also, if you would like, please feel free to refer to me as ‘Kris.’ The results of our discussion today are favorable to me as well. If anything, I should be offering you my gratitude.”
“Oh?” the emperor replied, intrigued by her statement.
The elf was correct that their negotiations had been set up for her own benefit and that of the Valdia Mark. The emperor and empress had publicly acknowledged and protected their production rights to the two products. Thanks to their plan, it would be difficult for other nobles to meddle with Kris’s and the Valdias’ business. Some of the nobles, including Count Roland, would have wanted privileges as well, so if such a discussion hadn’t taken place, there was no telling what sort of machinations those nobles would be brewing already. Just imagining the schemes they would’ve come up with made Kris’s head ache.
“I knew you would understand the intention behind that performance,” the empress praised her. “It really helped that you were able to properly answer my questions. Your resolve and courage were quite impressive, Kris. I would love to have you as a lady-in-waiting. What do you think of that? Would you consider it?”
“While I deeply appreciate your kind words, I’ve become quite indebted to Margrave Reiner. I also have my business, for which I am the representative. Therefore, I must regretfully decline your generous offer.”
Though a life in the imperial castle would be one of luxury and splendor, Kris felt much more at home as a merchant than participating in such politics, so she did her best to gently turn down the empress.
“My, my. After what you saw in the audience chamber today, you must already know that I am not one who would back down that easily.”
“You have quite the sense of humor, Your Majesty.”
The empress just giggled, seeming to enjoy the banter. For the merchant, this interaction was draining what remained of her mental energy. After some lighthearted conversation, the royals proceeded to explain the events that had led up to that day in detail:
When the Kristie Trading Company first completed their prototypes of the lotion and conditioner, Reiner secretly gifted samples to the imperial couple. Arwin, the emperor, wasn’t convinced of their worth, but as soon as Matilda, the empress, used them, she saw the incredible value of the products and immediately ordered all of her ladies-in-waiting, as well as anyone who was aware of them, to keep silent. Despite her efforts to keep things quiet, the information made it to the ears of some nobles. A rumor that the gifts from Valdia Mark were quite valuable began to spread.
Some nobles were quite sensitive to matters of privilege. They knew that being even the slightest bit privileged to any enterprises would allow them to earn profits without lifting a finger. However, the more people who gained from the profits and benefits earned by a business, the more expensive the products became. One wrong move could negatively affect the spread of a potentially successful item.
Matilda thought about how she should navigate the situation and settled on acknowledging the production rights and privileges of the Kristie Trading Company and the Valdia Mark in a setting where the empire’s nobles would be gathered. She also wanted to establish a relationship with the Kristie Trading Company so that they could build new distribution channels.