Even Garren, who’d told me about the Kristie Trading Company, had made no mention of Kris being a baron’s daughter. Garren would definitely have shared that information had he known.
If Garren didn’t know, does that mean she didn’t tell anyone?
“The truth is, I wasn’t aware either...” Kris admitted.
“Huh?”
Her response was completely unexpected, so she proceeded to explain.
On her way to the capital from Valdia Mark, a messenger from the Saffron Trading Company had come to see her. That was when she’d learned that her father, Martin Saffron, had been recognized by the Kingdom of Astoria for his contribution to his country through his successful business and was being ennobled. Technically, Kris hadn’t officially become a noble yet when she was in the capital.
After checking with the company, it had been decided that introducing her to our emperor as the daughter of a baron was all right, given the timing. The company had worked things out with both Kris’s father and the Kingdom of Astoria so that if there were any inquiries from Magnolia, they would all be on the same page, so there was nothing to be concerned about.
“Astoria and Magnolia are in a cooperative relationship, and Astoria would never let an opportunity like this pass by,” Kris explained. “This is a chance for an Astorian business to have direct dealings with the imperial family of Magnolia. Astoria will undoubtedly back our claims. There is nothing to worry about.”
Kris stared into her teacup as she spoke and took a small sip when she finished before putting it back down. She remained confident, but I was trembling internally. She’d assured me that there wouldn’t be any issues, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d challenged imperial nobles with a bluff. Her courage was admirable.
“What a brave woman,” I mumbled, voicing what was on my mind without thinking.
“Hm? What was that?”
Kris hadn’t heard what I’d said, just that I’d muttered something, so I quickly changed the topic.
“Oh, um...nothing. Anyway, my father seemed quite excited that you’d launched a counterattack on Count Roland. Did you really need to go that far?”
“Oh, the count. Well...”
Roland was undoubtedly arrogant and disliked by many; however, he wasn’t a count just in name. Though they weren’t praiseworthy deeds, he was extremely skilled at scheming, policing businesses, and obtaining privileges that would benefit his interests. He was also good at hiding all of his machinations from the other nobles, including the emperor. In a way, he too was a skilled noble working in the capital.
As a result of Count Roland’s scheming, several foreign businesses had been barred from operating in the capital, including the Saffron Trading Company. In order to conduct business there and sell to the imperial family and other nobles, the foreign companies would eventually have to do something about Roland.
It was amid such troubles that Kris had visited the politics there. The events that had taken place in the audience chamber on the first day had been immediately relayed to top members of the Saffron Trading Company, and they’d come up with a plan to give Roland a scare.
“Count Roland may have gone a bit too far. A positive way to look at his actions would be to consider that he was simply trying to protect domestic businesses. However, such actions would only weaken Magnolian businesses when it comes to competing with foreign companies.”
When Kris was still working with the Saffron Trading Company, she had visited countries all over the world. It was natural for a country to give special treatment to local businesses, but overbearing policies would prevent them from competing with foreign businesses and leave them lacking the power to adapt to trends. Kris was well aware that such restrictions could cause domestic businesses to be swept up by the waves of change. Once that happened, it would take a while for them to get back on their feet.
In this case, the Kristie Trading Company was based in the Valdia Mark, which made it a Magnolian business. If Roland had been attacking a foreign business, that could have caused a lot of trouble for Magnolian trading.
Kris thought back to the face that Count Roland had made when she’d backed him into a corner, as well as the looks on Their Majesties’ and the other nobles’ faces, and giggled. “It seemed that he wasn’t very liked among the capital nobles, so I don’t think he’ll be showing his face for a while. I’m sure the foreign businesses will eventually purge the capital of all the corrupt companies that were under Count Roland’s protection.”
Kris mentioned this purge of corrupt companies with an incredible lack of concern, as if it had been no big deal.
“I’m so glad you’re an ally, Kris. I’m grateful to whatever fate led the Kristie Trading Company to the Valdia Mark.”
“That’s quite an honor, Sir Reid. I am also grateful for the wonderful fortune that led us to meet.” A distant look came over her face as she continued. “No matter how talented you are or how hard you work, sometimes your efforts bear no fruit. In my case, I was lucky to have met you.”
There was a sorrowful look in her eyes that suggested she was looking down on herself. She was likely thinking back to how she’d had no choice but to leave the Saffron Trading Company. Kris was a talented businesswoman, but I had no doubt it had been incredibly difficult for her to build the Kristie Trading Company from scratch here. It was after such a struggle that I’d appeared in her life. That was probably why she thought of herself as lucky.
I could understand her perspective, but I didn’t agree. I really hated to see her putting down her own talents. “That’s very true. No matter how talented or hardworking someone is, their efforts may never be recognized. They may never see any results. I think good fortune only comes to those who still continue to fight—the people who desperately continue forward until their skills are finally recognized. I believe you’ve worked that hard, Kris. If it wasn’t for your own hard work, our butler wouldn’t have recommended your business to me, and I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.”
After silently listening to what I had to say, Kris just looked down and mumbled, “Thank you...” Her voice was trembling as she spoke.
“Oh, um, we’re running out of tea! Why don’t we take a break?”
I was quite flustered by her reaction, but she only nodded silently in response to my panicked words.