Chapter 19

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 19

Chapter Title: The Fiancé's Visit

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Remeia Salt had to be the most radiant jewel of Salt above all else. She absolutely couldn't let anyone catch her in such a pathetic, pitiful state.

That's why Remeia hurriedly covered her face.

Her eyes were puffy from all the crying, and she suddenly felt a pang of fear that they might look ugly.

"Princess, it's me."

"Count Ravioli...?"

Mason Ravioli.

The man who had recently been awarded a countship for his merits in wiping out the pirates plaguing the coastlines, and...

"Are you alright?"

Remeia Salt's fiancé.

His tone and expression were endlessly gentle, but Remeia couldn't easily lift her head.

No, in truth, she wasn't the least bit pleased about running into Mason at all.

"Yes, Princess?"

A puzzled call came, but Remeia remained utterly silent.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"......"

In fact, he had a solid reputation as a decent man.

Not only did he enjoy great popularity, but his late father, Viscount Ravioli, had left behind a vast fortune, making him quite wealthy.

On top of that, society buzzed with rumors of him being a refined gentleman who respected women, so it was only natural that King Berga had personally chosen him as Remeia's suitor.

But he had a flaw. A fatal one that completely outweighed all those merits.

"I'm fine."

Remeia slowly wiped away her tears and finally met Mason's gaze.

In her now-clear eyes, he appeared—for her standards—the ugliest man on earth.

For starters, he was nearly the same height as her. Even considering she was taller than average, it was unacceptable. His hair was a dull dark brown, and his features were arranged in an unforgivably plain way.

As if mocking the hand he extended for escort, Remeia steadied herself against the tree and stood on her own.

"I've been swamped with administrative duties lately, so the stress got to me... What brings you here, Count?"

Her attitude was soft yet carried a thin veil of distance.

Mason awkwardly withdrew his ignored hand and let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Ah, well... It's been quite some time since we had that informal engagement, so I thought it might be time to discuss the wedding."

As his cheeks flushed red while he spoke, Remeia naturally looked away.

What good was a nice personality when even looking at his face properly was a struggle?

After catching her breath for a moment, Remeia managed a smile and replied.

"Mm, I understand what you're saying, but... isn't it a bit premature?"

"Ah..."

"I just finished a marathon meeting on diplomatic matters with Kletan today and was about to rest. If talk of my marriage comes up in this situation, it would only burden Father King even more, so I think it's best to put it on hold for now. Of course, you'd understand, Count?"

Of course, this hold would be extended indefinitely at her discretion.

And if she ended up marrying Raiden for love, this engagement could be annulled anytime... but no need to explain that far.

Remeia finished her quick calculations and glanced at him.

The Count Ravioli, who had shown up unannounced without even scheduling, grated on her nerves more than usual today.

"I, I see. I always respect your wishes, Princess."

As expected, this naive, kind man could only nod along whenever she persuaded him, and this time was no different.

Remeia bowed her head plainly as she gazed at Mason's broad nose bridge while he forced a polite smile.

"Then I'll be off—I have a full schedule ahead."

As she turned haughtily to leave, her mind was filled with thoughts of the letter she hadn't yet finished.

She resolved to complain to Raiden about this unreasonable, unfair situation no matter what.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump, thump.

...What's that sound?

It was the frantic beating of my tiny, mouse-sized heart.

'What do I do?'

For the past ten minutes, the Duke reading his comic in silence looked like a beautiful work of art.

Truth be told, I'm human too, with my own sense of aesthetics, so admiring him was enjoyable enough for the eyes.

But every time he stayed quiet, my heart pounded like I was falling in love—it was unavoidable.

...I wonder if he's heard of the bridge effect.

Though our first impression was the worst, my view of Kaian Brail had gradually shifted in a positive direction over time.

He'd even stepped in personally at my request to resolve the apprentice artists' dispute. (Though it came with conditions—that was the catch.)

Thinking about it, assigning me a diligent, capable maid, and providing delicious desserts as promised without fail...

'No, no.'

I nearly revised my opinion of Duke Brail positively. He might be luring me into lowering my guard like this from the start!

The more my mind relaxed, the less I could afford to drop my vigilance around this handsome man.

With that fierce resolve, I watched him turn the page and cautiously opened my mouth.

"Um..."

"So..."

Aargh! Why did our words have to overlap at this exact timing?

Like a scene from a third-rate drama, we spoke at the same time, and I quickly lowered my gaze before his eyes could meet mine.

"Speak first."

"No, Princess, you go ahead."

"No, it's nothing important anyway."

"Now I'm suddenly curious what this 'nothing important' is."

"No, it's really trivial..."

I tried hard to back down, but it didn't work on the Duke, as expected.

He conveyed his firm intent and then fell silent.

And in these situations, I was always the one who lost.

"Uh... Do you think this could make some money, Your Highness?"

"You're talking about this comic?"

"Y-yes."

I nodded toward the first volume of Safety Rules of the Haunted Duke's Castle in the Duke's hand.

"In what sense?"

"Well, you see..."

Explaining such a major plan verbally without a business proposal felt a bit awkward.

But who am I? A veteran survivor who rolled through the wilds of Salt Castle with no allies.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my hunched back and began laying out my thoughts point by point.

"As far as I know, less than 50% of Kletan Empire's commoners can read."

The Duke listened quietly, his expression unreadable. No objections yet, so no changes there.

"But this comic can be understood through the pictures alone, even without knowing how to read, and it's even fun."

Standards of fun vary by person, but the very concept of 'comics' would surely feel fresh.

Plus, with a bit of advertising mixed in, considering the Empire's overflowing population, I was confident we could at least break even if it flopped.

"Once it catches people's eyes, it'll trend quickly. It might even encourage more people to learn to read to understand the story, positively impacting literacy rates..."

One step, two steps.

As I approached the desk where the Duke sat, I clenched my fists tight and poured out my passion.

Finally, a slow voice emanated from the Duke.

"How do you plan to distribute it?"

Of course, I'd thought that through too.

"How about printing it in the Imperial Newspaper that's already circulating?"

"The Imperial Newspaper?"

"At first, we pay for the space, but after a few times, they'll start paying us to run the comics. Then we can share those profits with the artists, right?"

"You think that alone will generate meaningful revenue?"

The Duke's doubt was reasonable. People typically react passively to unfamiliar things.

Mindful of my heating cheeks, I replied.

"The newspaper is more for promotion than profit. Later, we publish and sell the comics ourselves."

"How?"

"The Empire Newspaper's printing goes through the Magic Tower, so we could..."

Before I finished, the Duke shook his head.

"The Magic Tower is dealing with major issues right now. They have a solid partnership with the Imperial Newspaper, but they won't bother with us, whom they've never dealt with before."

"Th-that's not certain."

Hitting a roadblock before even starting was more common than I'd thought.

As I racked my brain for alternatives, a point from the Duke's words suddenly clicked, and I looked at him.

The Magic Tower had a problem?

Wait a minute...

Could it be?

"Um, Your Grace?"

"What?"

"Could I know what problem the Magic Tower is facing?"