Chapter 73

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 73

Chapter Title: Blackout Curtain Scandal

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"Huh?"

A big problem?

What big problem?

Is there something even bigger that could happen here?

I'd just returned to my room from the annex and blinked at Bonita in confusion. She spoke urgently.

"Lady Rainy's workshop is in an uproar. Wh-what should we do...?"

"Why is Lady Rainy's workshop in an uproar? What could possibly cause a fuss there? Another backlog of orders?"

"No, it's not that... There's this in today's newspaper."

Bonita unfolded the newspaper tucked under her arm with trembling hands and showed it to me.

The front page of the morning edition bore these words in massive letters.

The rest was mostly just slander against Polreta leather.

Outlandish exaggerations like how the stench from a rotting Polreta corpse is so bad that even if people pinch their noses as they pass by, the smell lingers for thirty days.

Or how in the Brail Duchy, Polreta hides are so abundant that people trample them underfoot, kick them around, and treat them like trash.

I was left speechless, letting out a groan.

"Ugh..."

Of course, about five percent of it was based in truth.

Polreta leather is common, it does smell if not cleaned properly, and back when carcass disposal wasn't great, you'd step on them all the time.

But dirty? How thoroughly do they think we clean them!

"Let's head to the main house for now."

I took the newspaper, trying my best to stay calm as I started walking.

Even if everything in the article was one hundred percent true, it was another matter entirely for consumers to learn information they didn't need to know.

Hanging curtains on my windows that I thought were fabric was one thing—hanging curtains made from monster corpses was another.

No matter how cleanly they were washed, free of rot or blood smell.

I let out a deep sigh and tossed out a follow-up question, just to confirm.

"So, what's the reaction like? No refund requests piling up or anything, right?"

What if some sensitive buyers demanded refunds? I started mulling over whether our refund policy was solid.

But Bonita's response made me stop in my tracks again.

"Why wouldn't there be?"

"Huh?"

"Cancellations are flooding in for all the pre-paid orders! And that's not all—there's a line of people hauling their curtains all the way to the Duchy for refunds, jamming up the roads to nearby territories!"

"...What? Is that for real?"

Was this actually happening?

Was any of this right?

"This won't do. I need to go check right now."

I hurried not toward the main house, but straight to Lady Rainy's leather workshop.

'Surely nothing bad will happen, right?'

A sudden worry crept in that the excited mob might do something crazy.

Troublemakers weren't unique to Korea.

I'd dealt with plenty while slaving away for Remeia, and running businesses in the Duchy had exposed me to my share too.

Plus, now I was putting up with power trips from my handsome employer.

...Anyway, nothing bad would really happen, right?

That's what I thought.

"Wh-what? This many people?"

Lady Rainy's leather workshop and the surrounding alleys were already packed with crowds.

I hesitated, unable to push through to the workshop inside.

I scanned the area with a look of dismay.

'What's wrong with everyone...'

This was madness.

We'd never even sold the blackout curtains as luxury fabric—I'd emphasized their light-blocking effect, not any fancy opulence!

Then, one person from the massive crowd stepped into the center, raised their hands high, and bellowed.

"Selling hideous monster hides under false pretenses! Give us our money back! Money back!"

"That's right! Give us our money back!"

"Refunds!"

Emboldened by the cheering crowd, the ringleader didn't stop there.

"Exactly! Let's burn this cheap junk!"

They tossed several blackout curtains made from Polreta leather into the circle the crowd had formed, doused them in oil, and lit them on fire.

...What kind of performance was this?

"Refunds! Refunds!"

"Give me my money!"

"It's made from monster skin—fresh blood dripping everywhere!"

"Ever since we put this in my kid's room, they've been having nightmares!!"

But the more I listened to them, the fishier it got.

Their claims sounded just like...

'Professional agitators?'

Plants.

Not real customers, but people there solely to stir up trouble.

Their actions were too extreme for anything else.

And why burn the curtains all of a sudden? If they really wanted refunds, they could've just brought them intact and gotten their money back.

The rest of the crowd didn't seem suspicious, though. From the moment the curtains went up in flames, they started getting swept up in the frenzy.

As things grew rowdier, I couldn't advance or retreat—I was stuck in place.

"Be careful, miss."

"Ah, yeah. B-but Bonita, the workshop door is securely shut, right?"

"It's locked tight. All the windows are blocked too."

Only then did I relax a little.

Still, most of the people inside were women, probably terrified by the hostile vibe. It didn't sit right with me.

Someone had to put an end to this...

And right as I thought that.

"Make way!"

Neigh!

Horses whinnied as armed cavalry pushed through the throng.

"Oh!"

Bonita spotted them first—her face lit up.

'He finally stepped in.'

I didn't even need to look to know the Duke was at the rear.

But somehow, the moment my house arrest was lifted, here he was, rushing into danger. I couldn't bring myself to face him straight on.

'And now my head's throbbing like crazy.'

I prayed it was just my imagination and hoped for this mess to end.

Thankfully, the Duke didn't forget what needed doing. In a cold voice, he addressed the crowd.

"What is this commotion in my domain?"

The area fell silent in an instant.

Perhaps due to his sheer charisma, overwhelming them with his voice alone—no one dared raise their voice about blackout curtain refunds.

Waiting quietly for a response that never came, the Duke knew no one would step up. He issued a firm command.

"From this moment on, anyone causing even the slightest disturbance in the Brail Duchy will be shown no mercy and dragged to the underground dungeons of the ducal castle."

"Yes, sir!"

"And if you have grievances, file a formal petition."

Once the Duke finished speaking and the cavalry took their positions, the crowd scattered like frightened guinea pigs.

Lady Rainy's workshop finally regained its peace.

...Though the charred blackout curtains remained smack in the middle of the street.