If Only I Could Disappear - Chapter 41

Merchants are fundamentally people that lived for financial gain.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Lexus was so thorough in that respect that he had neither blood nor tears, and that that calculating aspect of him resulted in the current Lectus merchant group.

However, Sotis’s proposal wasn’t something that would bring him any tangible benefits. It was the right thing to do, but it wouldn’t be efficient. It could become an honourable pursuit or a path leading to impoverishment.

Yet, Lectus said he would provide the money. Without any hesitation.

“Uhm…”

Sotis spoke cautiously.

“You don’t need to listen to any other reasons? Is this truly enough to satisfy you?”

Lectus replied firmly, almost brusquely.

“It’s fine.”

“Even so…”

“Please tell me the specifics. Do you have a direction in mind?”

She couldn’t avoid it. Her opponent was the head of the Lectus merchant group.

Sotis nodded while wiping her sweaty palms on her clothes, and glanced briefly at Lehman.

He was looking at her, as always. When their gazes met in the air, Lehman’s expression blossomed into an exceptionally tender smile.

“The reason poverty persists endlessly among the people in impoverished areas is due to a lack of economic activity. The land is barren, so they’re unable to eat, much less sow seeds. So, what do you think about providing what they need, while the merchant group will take a portion of the profit?”

“A portion of the profit?”

Yes. People will cultivate crops and sell them to the merchant group at a lower price, and the merchant group will resell them to other regions or supply to the capital. The same goes for other goods. Such as cloth, labour, as well as items from hunting.”

“The circulation of goods and money will be advantageous for the merchant group. However, getting to that point requires a significant initial investment. Also, if you were to give potatoes to those that don’t even have enough to eat, would they plant them? They’d probably eat them instead.”

“I’m aware of that. As such, until their first harvest, I want to provide them with the things they need.”

Sotis swallowed back her nervousness and said.

“Please lend me the money, Lord Lectus. I will find a way to repay it when I return to the capital. I will also bring up the matter in the imperial council, and if possible, I will use my name or position without hesitation. I will sell the furnishings in the Empress’s Palace to pay back the money if necessary, so…”

“Despite the debt that you’re about to accumulate, you’re still going to provide goods to the impoverished.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How much?”

“……”

Even if she was asked how much, she couldn’t provide a precise answer. She was ignorant of worldly affairs. She couldn’t even calculate what she could buy with a single gold coin.

Sotis moistened her dry lips and spoke resolutely.

“I ask that Lord Lectus provide as much as the merchant group can generously give. Even a single penny would be appreciated.”

“Hmm.”

Lectus’s gray eyes narrowed.

Sotis Marigold was said to be a woman far removed from greed. She had been like that even during her time as the empress. Instead of a jewelled crown, she wore a wreath of flowers, and she didn’t make a new dress for every occasion. She didn’t host banquets or accept gifts from the nobility. It was no wonder that everyone didn’t even know when the empress’s birthday was.

Such a woman, for the first time, felt ambition. She pleaded, asking for even a single coin if it could be spared.

It wasn’t for Sotis herself, but for what she believed in. For the future she envisioned.

Even though she might not receive any proper reward.

“I will make the calculations.”

And so, Lectus affirmed.

It was a kind of ambition he had never seen since he’d started the merchant group.

“Are you truly okay with this?”

Sotis couldn’t contain her anxiety and asked.

“Of course.”

There was a faint smile on the face of the head of the merchant group.

“Of course, I understand why the Young Lady keeps asking. The relief of the impoverished is a kind of gamble for the future rather than the present. However, merchants are more sensitive to the future than anyone else.”

“…Things could go unfavourably, and no one could take responsibility.”

“That’s right. That’s why, after I’ve established myself as a trader, I’ve protected this merchant group by excluding as much uncertainty and risk as possible.”

Lectus nodded.

“But, if it’s the future that the Young Lady is envisioning, then it should be fine.”

Lectus thought of his own wife, Cheryl Marigold.

His spouse resented her only sister, Sotis. It was because of her that Cheryl had to enter a loveless marriage. As her sister failed to capture the Emperor’s heart, her position in society had become laughable.

If her position was going to be difficult no matter what, it would’ve been better to have some status. However, the position that was merely in name was due to Sotis.

Cheryl had resented Sotis for a long time. She believed it was that their parents treated her differently and that people pointed fingers at her because of Sotis.

“I’ve often heard stories about Lady Sotis from my wife.”

Sotis smiled embarrassedly.

“She dislikes me a lot, doesn’t she? I’m weak, cowardly, and even timid, so Cheryl must have had a hard time because of me.”

“At first, yes. But later on, she came to admit it. That you were more suited for the position of Empress.”

Lectus continued.

“Though I do whatever it takes for material gain, I understand what’s right and what’s great. And personally, I’m grateful to you, Sotis.”

“……”

“If it weren’t for you, my wife would have become the Empress, and my marriage to her might not even have happened.”

Their marriage was one brought about by the Duke of Marigold’s ambition for economic power. Particularly, Cheryl had complained that she might as well have married a provincial noble instead.

However, Lectus sincerely loved Cheryl. It was said that he’d even fallen in love with her at first sight. He spared nothing for her and worked even harder to expand his merchant group to match her noble status.

“So, you request whatever that you may need. It may not have been intentional, but because of your choice, I am the person I am right now. You could see it as a form of gratitude.”

A smile slowly appeared on Sotis’s face.

There had been times when she regretted her decision to become Empress. It was especially true when she was exhausted by Edmund’s icy demeanour, Cheryl’s sarcasm, and the cold remarks of other nobles.

However, someone had at least gained some sort of opportunity to obtain happiness, and were thankful. As time passed, Cheryl also came to fall in love with the caring and intelligent Lectus.

Her choice might not be a mistake.

The thought alone made her feel less frustrated.

This is an opportunity. She nodded her head earnestly.

“So, I would like to request……”

* * *

Internally, Lectus was surprised by Sotis.

He had assumed she was weak in both body and mind, incapable of honestly voicing even the slightest thing that’s dissatisfying, and struggled all on her own, yet…

Sotis had refused the offer of a carriage. Both horses and carriages were essentially burdens. She’d even dismissed the idea of renting one, and instead requested for a wagon with that money.

Unlike carriages, wagons were more versatile. They could carry crops, cargo, or even transport the sick, so she planned to secure as many as possible and distribute them to the villagers.

“It would be for the best if the supplies could be stored for a long time. Flour instead of bread, cheese instead of milk, jerky instead of fresh meat. Don’t forget farming tools, millstones, plant seedlings, and fertilisers.”

“Supplies should be kept for a long time. Flour over bread, cheese over milk, beef over raw meat. Agricultural tools, whetstones, plant seedlings, and fertilisers are also indispensable.”

“I’m worried that you might get an upset stomach because you’re taking too many things.”

Sotis replied with a grin.

“It’s a hundred times better to have heartburn from eating too much than to starve to death. People have lived in scarcity for far too long.”

“…You’re truly, in various ways, unlike a typical Empress.”

“I hope you don’t think of that in a negative light?”

“Of course not. People that perceive their position as a moral obligation are rare.”

She blushed, seemingly embarrassed by his words.

“It would be nice if such things would happen frequently so that I wouldn’t appear so strange to you.”

“I will fulfil all the conditions you mentioned.”

Lectus meticulously wrote down her requests on a piece of paper, signed below it, and stamped it with a seal that’s only used by the merchant group.

“I will guarantee it with the head of the merchant group’s authority, so please rest assured. Instead, there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“It would be wise for the Young Lady to reveal your identity as the deposed Empress.”

Lehman, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, nodded briefly.

Although he had decided to keep a distance from negotiations as they were occurring in foreign lands, this particular aspect was something he also agreed with.

Arranging for the merchant group to provide supplies wasn’t the same as distributing bread for a few days. Above all, it was about moving the Lectus merchant group, which had great influence in the capital. In order to give this work a justification, there was a need for her name and position to rise to the surface.

Moreover, her support would extend to the peasants and commoners that were mobilised for the construction of Marigold Castle. On the contrary, the helping hand she’d extended would serve as undeniable proof of the cold-hearted handling by the duke previously.

To prevent Lectus from hearing any mention of putting the Duke of Marigold into a difficult situation, it was necessary to invoke Sotis’s name, who had once held even higher authority.

“Very well.”

Without much hesitation, she nodded.

“As you mentioned, I won’t conceal the fact that I am the deposed Empress and that I’m working on a national level to take care of the country.”

“……”

Thus, even if the Duke of Marigold opposed them, he had to uphold his dignity.

Just as Lectus thought it was fortunate to have found someone with whom he could communicate and sighed with relief.

With a gentle smile, Sotis added.

“In order to ensure my commitment doesn’t waver, please grant me substantial support.”

“……”

Lectus realised he needed to revise his assessment of Sotis.

He had thought of her as an excessively kind-hearted woman, but it seemed she wasn’t as simple as that.