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The next day, Archduke Richard handled the situation brilliantly.
He erased every trace of us from the Marchioness of Bardi, got rid of the worn clothes, and bought new ones.
No one wondered how I had explained the situation to the Archduke's family, and no one wondered whether I would go home with the Archduke the next day after the outing with Claire.
The problem ended as if nothing had happened, making it difficult to believe that anything that threatened our lives had happened overnight.
The only thing that changed was that Mrs.
Perona brought me an unidentified bitter liquid every night.
After that day, nothing changed between me and the Archduke.
We simply ignored the incident as if it had not happened and focused on our work.
I, too, tried to forget the excitement I felt in his arms that day.
In the Archduke's living room, the hour-distribution meeting, which had been postponed due to the young Marquis Spencer's agenda, began in earnest.
“Young Marquis Spencer, how many watch distributors have you contracted with?”
“So far, there are 23 local and international distributors, ma’am.”
“That's enough, isn't it?”
“Sure.
You outsourced the work to Spencer’s group, right?
With all due respect, I’m telling you it’s more than enough.”
Young Marquis Spencer smiled, his eyes narrowing with a mocking smile.
It's been a long time since I've seen him, and he still looks neat and tidy.
“What are the conditions?”
“Not bad.
However, everyone wants a supply of us, so you have to supply them according to each order.”
I frowned slightly as I received the ledger that young Marquis Spencer had handed me.
He turned his pen and added.
“I will also need to check the production data.
So please let me know through my assistant if the quantity is available this week.”
“It seems possible.”
I answered in one breath.
Before his assistant, sitting next to the Young Marquis, could write down the schedule in his notebook, Young Marquis Spencer looked at me in astonishment, then smiled jokingly.
“It's not urgent, so take your time and check.
If there's something wrong, the problem will be bigger.”
“There is no error.
The production of the first workshop decreased by about 5.7% this month, but the production of the second workshop increased by 8.1%.
The total quantity mentioned here is about 36 units less than this month’s production, so we should be able to meet the quantity.”
The eyes of the assistant sitting next to the young Marquis widened.
He seemed unsure whether I was joking or not.
The young Marquis continued to look at me in amazement.
“As always, you are amazing, ma’am.”
“By the way, about Spencer’s distribution commission.
It’s very high.
You should also consider Richard’s operating profit.”
I ignored his exclamation and continued my business conversation.
The Marquis shrugged, taken aback by my somewhat aggressive comment.
“This is Spencer's standard fee.”
“There are also the standard fees for Richard's workshop.”
The workshop had just started, and Spencer Company was its first client.
There could not be a standard fee.
But I spoke as if I were a strict craftsman in an ancient workshop announcing the drawings they had maintained for more than a decade with a stern expression.
After all, I had to lose to get my money back.
Marquis Spencer's mouth curved gently.
Finally, he answered in a low voice.
“Okay.
How can I resist if you look at me like that?
I’ll adjust it to your liking.”
This time, the assistant's mouth opened.
“Are you really going to lower the fees, sir?”
The assistant said these words without realizing it, then closed his mouth in embarrassment.
He always stood next to the Marquis, silently recording the proceedings of the meeting, but this time he seemed very surprised.
Of course, I was equally surprised.
“A-Now that you agreed, you can't back out.”
Before the assistant could stop me further, I quickly filled in the commission section of the contract with a permanent marker.
However, I felt a little confused.
It was a bold move, intended to increase the Archduke's profit margin, but I did not expect him to accept it.
Someone as experienced in business as the Marquis Spencer would have quickly realized the absurdity of my argument.
Marquis Spencer smiled slightly and tilted his head.
“Sure.
For your information, this is the first time I've seen a Spencer family merchant reduce his commission.”
Hearing these words, I blinked more than before, and stared at him with a puzzled look.
Sometimes, when I looked at Marquis Spencer, I could not believe that he was the director of the most prestigious trading company in the empire.
Whenever he dealt with me, he always agreed to very unfavorable terms.
I began to suspect that there was something I wasn't aware of.
I asked him with a suspicious look.
“But why are you reducing the commission this time...?”
"Well, I don't know.
This is my first time, so I don't know."
He just whistled with a fleeting, innocent look.
When I maintained an ambiguous expression, he brushed back his curly brown hair and approached me.
“I have a question for you too.”
"for me?"
He nodded, his emerald eyes shining with curiosity.
“How do you always remember everything, your happiness?”
Instead of answering, I stared at him intently.
He seemed curious about my memory from when we visited the Kingdom of Grace together.
I thought about it for a moment, then smiled at him.
“I guess it's all about effort, right?”
“Effort...?”
The Marquis spoke in an annoyed, whiny voice.
Of course, he didn't seem to believe it.
But anyway, I had no reason to talk about my abilities in front of anyone.
So I ignored it and responded in a businesslike tone.
“Yes.
If Young Marquis Spencer makes an effort to save everything, it is definitely possible.”
“If that's what you say, ma'am, I'll do my best.”
Then he laughed sweetly.
I carefully reviewed today's harvest, stacked several leaves and tapped them together.
“So, today's meeting is over, right?”
"Yes."
The young Marquis nodded, and the assistant bowed politely and left first.
The young Marquis leaned comfortably in his chair, sipping his cold tea.
“The boring thing is over.
Now it's time for something more fun.”
He seemed eager to talk to me.
On the other hand, I was so tired from the long meeting, I felt like asking him if he was busy and leaving.
But then I realized that I owed him a lot, so I sat silently in front of him and took a sip of tea.
“Thank you for doing me a favor at last summer’s party.
You were kind enough to change the terms of the contract, but I was late to thank you.”
"Yes."
The young Marquis's expression became strange.
He turned the teacup slowly, looking at the stirring liquid inside.
“Did Benedict say that?”
“Hmm...”
I remembered what the Archduke said that day when he asked me to dance.
“Forget it.
Just ignore him.”
I assumed that the Marquis had simply waived the terms of the contract.
After all, being a party partner was a trivial requirement that would bring him little financial gain.
'Was there something else between them?'
I frowned a little as I thought of this, and the Marquis burst out laughing.
“Oh, I said something unnecessary.
You know, I was preoccupied with what the lady asked, so I asked Benedict that we ignore the terms of the contract, which was right.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
Fortunately, everything seemed to be fine.
Then I smiled at him with a bright smile, full of kindness and gratitude for my excellent customer.
“Even if you are a close friend of the Archduke, I know that this level of exceptional treatment is no small matter, even for a businessman.
As Archduchess Richard, I thank you with all my heart.”
“For Benedict...”
The young Marquis smiled meaningfully and tapped the armrest of his chair.
Then he slowly rested his chin on his hand.
“Honestly, I have always prided myself on my envy-free life.”
“…..?”
I stared at him blankly as he muttered that surprising remark.
A fleeting feeling of self-mockery washed over the beautiful young Marquis's face.
“But I've been envious of Benedict lately.”
The hand that was raising the teacup in the air stopped.
Slowly, his gaze met mine and I sighed.
“I don’t understand what you have to envy, young Marquis.”
Is that so?
I stared at him, furrowing my eyebrows in a frown.