Chapter 1090: Chapter 1090

Count Trink of the Batan Kingdom was sweating cold bullets.

Typically, watching a child act like an adult would be a laughable sight. To some, the pressure she exerted might’ve been overwhelming, but for those with a bit of guts, it felt more like watching a pitiful little creature desperately trying to protect itself. Count Trink expected the negotiations to be the same.

Nonetheless, she seemed annoyingly skilled at things like negotiations and distinguishing necessary policies, which had been a bit of a thorn in his side. Even so, because she was still immature, he had been confident she’d never notice what he was trying to do during the negotiations.

Marquis Barogo’s plan had been simple: the moment the imported dried white mushroom flowers arrived, they’d be processed into narcotics and distributed, making sure that all the blame and associated fallout landed squarely on Tsuna’s shoulders.

Reasonably speaking, there was no way she’d be able to maintain her position as Chancellor if a massive amount of narcotics was spread within the kingdom because of her blunder, especially considering her reputation as someone whose capabilities had already been called into question. Once that was accomplished, he could easily add on other excuses to remove her entirely from her position.

Yet, astonishingly enough, she had seen through it. If their trade was called off right then and there, it’d lead to exchanges full of resentment and cause major damage on both sides instead of just hers. Knowing this, Trink had tried to pressure her into continuing the trade no matter what, but all he received in return was mockery—as well as a crushing pressure he had never experienced before. It felt like trying to scam someone who already knew every detail of the ploy.

Overwhelmed by a chilling sensation that made the hair on his body stand on end, he even momentarily forgot that he was being figuratively raked across the negotiating table.

“If this trade deal falls through, the Vatan Kingdom will end up clashing with us again. After all, this negotiation was prepared for the sake of fostering friendship between our two nations,” Tsuna remarked.

“But if you really think about it, paying full price for goods riddled with problems doesn’t make any sense.”

The subpar production processes they hadn’t bothered to hide, having expected her to overlook them, proved to be brutal shackles restricting their options.

“I’ll buy everything you want to sell. However, we’ll be adjusting the conditions and the price.”

Seeing Tsuna’s cold smile, Count Trick could do nothing but stare in stunned silence.

“Your Excellency! Why proceed with the trade despite knowing there are such risks?” one of the counts who served as her aide said with concern. “If things go wrong, your political standing could weaken substantially.”

“Then why go so far?”

“Magic really is fascinating, isn’t it?”

Until just a while ago, she hadn’t known much about magic. After her training, however, she was different. Though she hated to admit it, thanks to the spot-on information that someone had shoved into her hands, she had gained confidence.

“Regardless of the circumstances, we need those goods from the Vatan Kingdom. They’re items that can’t be produced naturally in our country.”

“That’s true, but wouldn’t it still be better to secure proper goods?” the man suggested.

“No. They deliberately judged that we needed those items, then set high prices accordingly. The only option we had was to offer our products at dirt-cheap prices and negotiate their selling prices down as much as possible.”

She then looked the man in the eyes.

“However, from now on, we’ll be the ones leading the negotiations. Thanks to this, the goods from Alberta that had to be sold at low prices can now be priced higher. Their flawed goods? We can now buy them dirt cheap. As you know, they also need this trade to go through, so they won’t be able to cancel it easily. This became especially true once their own mistakes were exposed .”

“Then, from now on...”

“Yes. I hate to admit it, but I honestly never thought we could secure a one-sided negotiation so easily.”

She hadn’t expected the collection of useless bits of knowledge she had once scoffed at to elevate her to such a dominant position.

“Your Excellency, what about your hair accessory?” asked a neatly dressed attendant as they showed her a beautiful, luxurious-looking hair ornament.

“It’s not needed anymore. I'm the Chancellor now, after all; it doesn’t suit me to keep acting so far beyond my age. Please report the finalized negotiation terms to our trade partner.”

“Yes, Your Excellency, but do you really think the Vatan Kingdom will accept this?”

“Once they stamp their seal, there will be nothing they can do about it.”

- The greatest weapon of a merchant isn’t money. It’s their tongue.

After that, Tsuna proceeded to pressure Count Trink until he couldn’t think straight, ease off, and then push again. She repeated the process until he ended up stamping the contract, agreeing to nearly half the original price without even realizing what had happened.

Tsuna’s glossy pink hair fluttered behind her as she confidently walked out of the room, and for the first time, her face showed a relaxed expression. It was as if the tension had finally left her.

Watching her from behind, Davey let out a soft chuckle. “Maybe I should mess with her a little.”

Tsuna seemed greatly relieved that the annoying man, Davey O’Rowane, was not with her at that moment.

“Yeah. It’s not like it matters if he knows what I did here.”

Even so, she couldn't stop trembling a little as she muttered to herself. Then, after glancing at the bed, she suddenly ripped off the accessories adorning her body and threw them aside, letting out a scream as she jumped onto the bed.

“Kyah! I'm so happy!” She giddily rolled around the bed, unable to contain her excitement. It had been the strongest blow she had ever landed in a negotiation.

Of course, the Vatan Kingdom might try to console themselves by thinking they at least got rid of defective goods, even if they suffered financial losses. Yet it seemed they had no idea that with a little tweaking, the defective goods could be turned into high-quality products. It was another thing she had learned from that man.

She had secured a one-sided victory, and it would serve as a huge boost to her standing.

“Done celebrating yet?”

Hearing the sudden voice, her eyes flew wide open as she shot up and grabbed a pillow to cover herself. “W-Who are you?! When did you get here?!”

“When? Ever since you screamed about being so happy. Duh.”

Her eyes, round as plates, stared at him in stunned silence. Then, her face flushed red and she raised the pillow in her hands.

“Are you planning to throw that at me?” Davey smirked.

“No! You're not getting off that easily!”

She threw the pillow aside and instead grabbed a candlestick sitting by the bed.

“The end of that candlestick is sharp, you know. Are you trying to kill me? Is it normal in Alberta for students to throw weapons at their instructors?”

“S-Shut up!!” Embarrassed beyond words, Tsuna lashed out in a frenzy.

Taking it a step further, Davey pulled out a magic device for recording video. “This is great footage.”

“Kyaaa!!” she screamed as she pounced at him, but there was nothing she could truly do against him. After flailing around for a while, Tsuna finally wore herself out and collapsed, panting.

“So. Did the negotiations go well?”

“And was my help useful?” Davey insisted.

She flinched. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had to. “Yes...”

“That's all you have to say?”

She glared at him as if telling him to stop teasing her already. “Why are you even here?”

“I came to check if my student did well.”

“Ugh. Fine! Thanks to the few days of training I received from you, both countries have changed a lot in Alberta’s favor. I now see how the Heins Territory managed to grow so fast.”

Even when facing the product of months of her careful negotiation prep, he had analyzed it all in just a few days. He effortlessly pulled out only the key points, read the opponent’s intentions, and shut down every potential threat.

Davey couldn't help but smile at the sigh and reluctant admission she gave. “Good, then that’s enough.”

“I can at least say thank you. Your help made the negotiations far more successful than I expected.”

“Isn't that a little too much trust you put in me?”

If even one piece of the knowledge he taught had been wrong, she could’ve taken a massive hit instead.

Her plan was to buy defective goods for a cheap price, then refine them into high-quality products for Alberta’s domestic market.

“You're right. If you had bad intentions, I would’ve gotten crushed hard.” Even so, she had trusted him. “At least, doing business is all about trust, isn’t it? ‘A fraudulent contract doesn’t last.’ That’s what you taught me.”

“You’re good at a lot of things, but you’re still too naive about trusting people.” Davey shook his head.

“No, it's trust based on my own judgment. Did you think I didn’t verify anything myself?”

“You couldn't have fully verified it in time.”

“You're right. Still, based on the bits of knowledge you gave me, I estimated the probabilities, and they didn’t steer me wrong.”

Her answer made him chuckle. “Smart. You learned one thing and immediately figured out how to apply it.”

“I hate to admit it... but you’re right.”

“Congratulations! I have nothing more to teach you,” Davey informed her.

If Davey intended to turn her into the greatest chancellor in the world, there would still be a long road ahead. However, his contract with the late Chancellor had ended.

“I still have a lot to learn, though!”

“I'm a busy man. I can't stay here forever.”

She looked visibly disappointed. “I guess... that's true.”

“I accepted a price, and repaid what I owed; that was our deal. Now that we’ve exchanged what we needed, there’s no reason for me to stick around.”

She made a subtly sulky face. “Umm.”

“Have you thought any more... about that marriage contract proposal I gave you before?”

His eyes narrowed slightly at her question. “You're still thinking about that?”

“I know! I know how close you are with your wives, so that’s why the contract already included a clause saying our marriage would be purely formal and I wouldn't interfere in your life at all.”

“Then you thought it wise to add a clause preventing yourself from accepting any other marriage proposals?” he countered.

“That was to eliminate any future nuisances...”

“That doesn't matter. If you go through with it, you'll end up alone for life. Who’s going to continue your family line then?”

“Well... as long as I avoid ending up married off to that damned Marquis Barogo, I figured it’d be fine.”

“See? You had no real plan at all, and that’s why you’re still not ready. If you're going to propose a deal, you have to figure out what the other side wants first.”

“Then what is it that you want?” she asked boldly.

“Nothing.” The real problem was that Davey didn’t have any immediate needs.

“If you’re really thankful, just make sure the supplies headed for Heins Territory are delivered quickly.”

She shyly asked, “Then will you at least attend the upcoming royal banquet?”

“Be my partner for the event. Please, don’t just leave ,” she said as she lowered her gaze slightly.

She had a look of regret. Davey turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of the soul of the late Chancellor, who simply looked at him and let out a short sigh. For original chapters go to N0velFire.ɴet

[Please, I’m begging you. That child... I think she’s just genuinely feeling a bit lonely.]

Whether some kind of attachment had formed over those few days, or whether it was for some other reason, the fact remained.

[I know it’s way too late to say this, but when I first saw my daughter again as a spirit, I realized just how lonely she must’ve been, with no one who really understood her.]

Davey responded through their minds.

[Enough. When are you going to ascend?]

The old man’s spirit panicked, and Davey pressed him further.

[I still have to collect what you promised me, so if you don't ascend soon, I'll have to force it. A spirit lingering behind this long is dangerous.]

While Davey argued with the late Chancellor, Tsuna approached with an anxious expression and asked cautiously, “I-Is it... really not possible?”

“What, do you want rumors spreading through Heins Territory that I’m cheating? No way,” he said firmly.

“R-Right? Ahaha. What was I even expecting?” she murmured with a disappointed face.

Turning her head away from him, she quietly wiped her eyes with her hand. Without showing her face again, she then started walking away.

“I’ll go ahead then. I’m... hungry.”

Watching her back as she left, Davey’s eyes inevitably narrowed.

A tablet suddenly appeared in front of him.

[The moment of choice will come, no matter what.]

Startled, Davey turned his head to find Goddess Freyja staring up at him.

“What do you mean? Ah. That spiritual entity?”

He recalled the spiritual entity he had seen at the royal palace. The boy had been docile, not aggressive at all, yet he was certain that the boy was a spiritual entity.

“I’ll handle it myself. Once I leave the ducal house, I’ll start an investigation immediately. Their traces are clearer than expected, so tracking them won’t be difficult.”

[That girl... she's like you.]

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” [The form of the soul. The flow of the soul. The story of the soul.]

She looked at him and continued to change the words on the tablet.

[The time of choice will come. Annihilation and salvation—they are but two sides of the same coin.]

Her words carried both a chilling coldness and a surprising warmth.

“You couldn’t bother to explain it in a normal way, huh?”

[I just thought I seemed pretty cool .]

“Honestly, you just sound completely reckless.”

A maid hurriedly ran after Tsuna, who was walking ahead on her own. Normally, everyone called her Your Excellency, but for some reason, that maid still called her My Lady. After running for a while, she finally came to a halt.

“My Lady, are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Perfectly fine,” she answered without turning around, and the maid watched her with a bitter expression.

“Then why are you crying?”

“W-What? I’m not crying! Why would I cry? Ahahaha.” She laughed awkwardly, but her voice was trembling. “It’s only been a few days, but I’ll probably die of stress from all the frustration he caused me.”

“But you’re feeling hurt now, aren’t you? After all, he even refused to be your partner for the banquet.”

The contract marriage proposal had been a reckless gamble, but among nobles, having a partner for a banquet wasn’t just a big deal. In fact, it was the norm.

“That’s only possible if you have some kind of feelings, My Lady,” the maid said as she gently hugged Tsuna from behind, comforting her.

“I-It’s weird, right? He was nothing but irritating, and after just a few days, you think I could have... feelings for him?”

At her shaky denial, the maid closed her eyes quietly. “My Lady, love between a man and a woman often comes quicker than you think.”

“Being called ‘My Lady’ doesn’t fit me... My soul is so old.”

“N-Nothing.” Wiping her eyes as she turned around, Tsuna forced a bright smile “Let’s go. We’ll be busy getting ready if we want to celebrate the success at the banquet.”

“I’m sorry, My Lady.”

Tsuna looked down in shock at the strangely bent, violet-colored dagger lodged deep into her abdomen.

“Rest easy, My Lady.”

Tsuna weakly asked, “You... Who are you?”