A significant amount of time had passed since Kris and I had begun our meeting in the drawing room. There were just that many things related to her trip to the capital that we had to go over.
“Also, we will begin deliveries to Her Majesty next month. Following our contract, there will be a payment from the royal capital made in Lady Matilda’s name to the Kristie Trading Company. What shall I do with your portion of the funds?”
“Hm... Would it be possible for you to keep the portion meant for me in a separate account within your company, under my name? I think I’ll be asking you for a lot of things, so it’ll be easier that way.”
This was half of the truth. I would indeed be asking Kris to handle certain things for me, so it would be easier if my money was already with her company. The other half of my reasoning was that I wanted some insurance for my future. I still didn’t know how things were going to turn out for me.
“Understood. I normally wouldn’t do such a thing, but you’re a special case, Sir Reid,” she said with a wry smile as she accepted my difficult request. The only stipulation she made was that she be able to meet with me if the account ever had too much money.
With that, our discussion was over, and we’d finished the confirmation portion of our meeting. It was then that I remembered I had one last thing to discuss with her.
“By the way, have you ever done any trading with Lenarute?” I asked.
“Lenarute? That kingdom is quite strict when it comes to foreign businesses, so I’ve rarely had dealings with them.”
I kept the part about my marriage a secret but told her that I would be visiting Lenarute soon and wanted to create some business contacts while I was there.
“Very well. I’ll make arrangements to join you, so please let me know when the date of your trip has been decided.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to let you know.”
As long as I had Kris with me, I would definitely be able to establish some business contacts in Lenarute. That would allow us to have a lot more freedom, and my heart was stirring with excitement.
“Whew, I think that’s about it,” I remarked.
“Yes, I believe I’ve also reported everything important to you. Now that we have direct business with Her Majesty, if there is anything you ever need from her, I can relay your request.”
When Kris said she could send a letter whenever with a wry smile, I bashfully replied, “Her Majesty must be quite the force, given that you were muttering her name in your sleep. I don’t think I want to interact with her unless I absolutely must.”
I thought back to how Kris seemed yesterday, troubled in her sleep by the empress. I didn’t want to deal with someone so terrifying. I nodded to myself with my arms folded across my chest.
Kris seemed to find something strange about what I’d said. “Sir Reid, how do you know that I was mumbling Her Majesty’s name in my sleep?” she asked with a look of suspicion.
“Huh? That’s because when you were sleeping, I... Oh.”
A wide smile spread across her face, and that same dark aura I’d seen from Mer and my mother began emanating from her. Though she was smiling, her eyes were filled with rage.
I heard a loud snap, and I realized that a hair accessory of hers had snapped off. It was as if her hair was moving in accordance with her anger, floating in the air. This was the most terrifying woman that I’d ever seen.
“Kris...? I-It wasn’t on purpose. I was just feeling a little mischievous, and I...”
Perhaps if I’d explained myself better, she would have been understanding, but I was too intimidated to speak properly. I couldn’t even understand what I was saying.
“So you admit it?” she asked with a chilling laugh.
“Urgh... Y-Yes, I admit it.”
The moment I gave in to her, the light in her eyes disappeared. Kris hung her head and began shaking.
“Kris!” I cried.
She lifted her head and glared at me, her face bright red. She looked to be experiencing a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
“How could you sneak a peek of a woman while she’s sleeping?! You’re the worst!!!”