Steel and Mana

Chapter 69 – Merchant Trap (1)

It didn't take long for Elliot to send out the invitations and news and for the night of the ball to arrive. I was up in our room with Sasha and a few maids who were helping us dress before we headed to the ballroom and joined the rest of the nobles.

"How many are here?" I asked while I let a maid fix the vest on me, looking at Sasha, who was admiring her new hairstyle in a mirror. Her long, fiery locks were now braided as a natural crown around her head, directing the rest to flow down to her back, which was left open in an elegant white and gold dress. She was simply beautiful.

"We are still missing six guests, but the majority of them are here, My Lord." One of the maids assigned to us answered, "All eleven minor noble families are present."

"So we are only waiting for the merchant families..." I mumbled, making Sasha look back at me, a bit worried.

"Do you think they know something?"

"No. I think they didn't want to arrive before any of the official nobles. That would make them too brazen and open them up to criticism from them. You know how prideful they can be."

"I don't know... I didn't think about that..." She murmured, blushing, which just made her more beautiful.

When we were finished, I proudly held her hand, walking down to the castle's main floor and hearing the maids announce our titles and arrival. I knew she was way more nervous than ever before, but I kept firmly holding her as we descended the steps, letting everyone take a good look at us. While she was dressed in white, I mainly wore black and gold clothes, looking like some kind of military officer, which was fitting as I was the one leading the Frontier.

First, it was Elliot who greeted us, and I returned the gesture warmly, keeping up with the etiquette, even raising his position a bit as I acted very cordially and close to him. This should send a message to everyone under him that the current Baron was tightly tied to the Frontier, more so than his now-dead elder brother.

Next came the introduction of the minor nobles. They either had the title of Baronet or the Lord of something, and a few held the rank of Knight, the lowest among the minor nobles. Seeing that my Uncle's region was more 'fragmented' than mine was interesting. I couldn't imagine how one of the bigger ones looked at a much more civilized part of the Empire, where we began from the rank of Marquis or Earl... what a headache. It's like kingdoms within kingdoms that are within another kingdom. I was happy that my land was so open and most of my population lived in my new city. It was enough to manage the few towns we established and their leaders and not to deal with a horde of nobles.

To battle Sasha's nervousness, I made sure she had to introduce herself to everyone who approached us, not letting her simply hide behind me and say nothing. She has to get used to this, especially for the future of our home. Whether or not anyone cared about her being an orphan or a commoner, it didn't matter. Watching their eyes scan her body made me sure they only cared about her being beautiful. Heh... I felt good. Really good. I always dreamed of being the target of envy like this. Sometimes, it's good to be a bit eccentric.

Then I heard a trumpet signaling new arrivals, and here they came. The merchants... I watched with interest as multiple people walked in, five men and one woman. To my surprise, none were overweight, yet I expected it as a show of wealth. Huh. Surprises.

Looking at their faces, they were somewhere between twenty-ish and death as two of the men walked with canes while entering the castle. The brunette woman amongst their ranks wasn't young either, but she was shaking her wide hips with every step as if looking for her very first partner.

"Ouch." I flinched, feeling Sasha pinch my wrist as she held onto my arm, noticing that I was watching the jiggling jugs at the other end of the room. "Sorry, first true MILF I am seeing here."

"What is that...?" She murmured, and I leaned in, whispering the answer into her ear. The way she blushed and wanted to laugh and curse at me at the same time made me chuckle, kissing her face right in front of everybody.

"If you finished," Elliot interrupted us, "Let me introduce you to them."

"All of them are...?" I asked while following him.

"Supposedly. We will see. Talk with them; I will excuse myself shortly and begin the operation."

"Are you leaving everything to me?" I asked with a chuckle, and he simply nodded. The sly bastard.

"You are my Viscount, Lord Leon. I would not dare to steal the spotlight."

"Tsk. So be it."

"Friends!" He cried out, laughing and opening his arms, looking like he was meeting with his old classmates after being years apart. "I am glad you could all come!"

"We would not have missed it, and it was our honor to be invited, Baron Elliot!" The oldest-looking man answered, his voice raspy and sounding like grinding sandpapers together. He was barely 160 centimeters tall, leaning forward on his stick, showing his bald, wrinkly head toward me. Was he in the process of being mummified, or what? I couldn't tell when his eyes were open or closed.

"Let me introduce you all to my nephew, Viscount Leon, the new, appointed leader of the Frontier, and his wife, Lady Sasha."

"Gentlemen. Madam." I nodded with a smile, not going overboard as it was them who had to bow to Sasha and me.

"Greetings." My wife added, still sounding nervous, and didn't bow her head because I gently squeezed her hand, reminding her that she was now in the position of the one receiving them.

"The honor is ours!" The old man answered for all of them once again. Hmm... so he is their spokesperson. I see.

Darting my eyes over the others, I could see them to be a bit nervous but also confident. I don't think they thought my Uncle already knew everything. Looking into their eyes, I could read some excitement in them, especially in the lone woman, thinking they were already rising to the rank of an official noble. Being invited to this party was already a good sign. Elliot continued speaking as he told me their names, one by one, but I didn't bother listening. After everything, they would most likely be beheaded. I was about to say something when my eyes caught an intriguing clue.

One of the men in the group, looking to be in his thirties, wearing a red tie with his black formal dress, signaled me. I knew I wasn't wrong because I moved my head ever so slightly, asking with my eyes if I saw it correctly... and he answered, not with words but with a gentle nod and a pleading expression deep in his blue eyes. The way he ran his fingers through his jet-black hair was another sign of his nerves, and he was asking for help.

I saw the same look once. It was plastered all over one of my commanding officer's faces when we received an order that would put us in the line of fire. We were made to be a sacrificial bait in an operation... Not all of us returned.

"Interesting..." I whispered ever so slightly, and Sasha was the only one who heard me, making her eyes snap to the same man I was watching. I couldn't be happier to know how well-synced we are. It makes my heart proud.

He continued trying to signal that he wanted to speak with me, preferably alone, but I thoroughly refused. I think he then realized why... because he turned white as a ghost. Now... his name I did memorize. Dorian.

"I will leave you with Viscount Leon for a moment; I need to prepare the main event!" Heh, sure you do, Uncle! With a smile, we saw him off, and before they could get suspicious, I took over to be the leading figurehead.

"I wanted to meet with you, to be honest." I knew it surprised them as they exchanged glances, becoming more excited. Expect for the guy who successfully read my thoughts. He was barely able to hide his shaking hands. "I am in great need of some experts because I am thinking of reconstructing the Frontier a little. We are way too backwater for my taste!" They only dared to laugh after I did as I tried to lower their nervousness.

"We would be glad to help!" once again, it was the old man who answered. Was this predetermined? I don't know, but seeing some of their faces twitch, I think he simply prided himself as their leader. I guess it was his idea from the get-go... Too bad, old man, you just pushed your friends to certain death.

"My Uncle did introduce you to me, but I still don't know your specialties. Can you enlighten me? I heard that every wealthy merchant knows what field they are the best at!"

Of course, I was not interested in it all; I just did as Uncle asked, pushing for time. I only paid any attention besides nodding and humming when Dorian introduced his specialties. I guess the rest noticed his nervousness as I finally saw the old man open one of his eyes wide enough that I could see his greying, partially cloudy eye.

"I am but a tailor. My only claim to my little fame is that I copied some inventions from the Capital and established a manufacturing guild, making quality clothes en masse. I mainly deal in fabrics because of it... I am... a nobody, Your Highness." Pleading? In front of everybody? Geez, you are totally broken.

"Ahahaha, please, don't be so nervous! We are not here to rob you!" I grinned, laughing loudly. I saw the old man wanted to interrupt, maybe sensing something, but I didn't let him. Screw you, now you are all along for the ride, and I won't stop the train. "We are here to sell you some new and unique items! My Uncle had made some interesting things and asked me to endorse them for him. Come, let me show you!"

Of course, I spoke in a way that everyone heard me. They watched as I led them over to a desk that was guarded by Oleg and my soldiers, covered with a big, white sheet. With a nod, I signaled to Sasha and began removing the sheet, revealing the items for everyone to see.

If you want to sell something, you need a beautiful girl to present it. It is scientifically proven that the presence of a cute girl lowers the chance that anyone manages to pay attention to the little details and begins flashing money instead. Who conducted that experiment? Details, details... It doesn't matter.

What mattered was that it was working. This time, it was Sasha who took the floor, introducing them one by one while I was her helper, showcasing the goods like a good little assistant. While they were eying her and our merchandise, I had time to scour their expressions, and Elliot was right. The perfume was the most exciting part for them, except for Dorian. His scared eyes only relaxed for a moment when he heard about the glue. Once again... interesting. Maybe I should interrogate him later on? Perhaps not all of them are to be sent to their death? We will see...

Our eyes met then, and his face, just like before, returned to its pale color, trying to plead for help one last time, but I just shook my head. I ignored him for the rest of the presentation, focusing on Sasha, who finally managed to shed her nervousness and speak freely, doing her best to sell the items. I couldn't help but chuckle because all of them were introduced as Elliot's inventions. Take that, Uncle; you will be nagged by people interested in buying them, not me. Dumping me here to be your smokescreen! Serves you right.

"Oh?" I smiled, and with my soft exhale, Sasha's eyes also looked at the six while she kept explaining the qualities of the perfume. The present noble women were already nagging their husbands to buy one before they all went in the wind, not paying attention to what was happening.

My reaction came for a simple reason. I saw the oldest bastard flinch and reach into his inner pocket. It was followed by the others doing the same, as one by one, all of their faces turned really ugly, real fast. Dorian was the only one who didn't reach for his pocket. Instead, he simply closed his tearful eyes, beginning to raise his hand, going to his knees. Smart.

"Did something happen?" I raised my voice, interrupting everybody, and while I looked at the old man, Oleg and the rest of my soldiers encircled them, quickly telling everybody something big was happening.

"Nothing, Your Highness." Their leader answered me, and finally, they noticed Dorian on the floor. "What are you doing?" He barked at him, but it was already too late; his action was enough of a confession to the other nobles present to catch on; something had to go wrong somewhere. Even Sasha couldn't hold back her chuckles, seeing how quickly they cleared away from the group, not wanting to get involved with it.

"He is the only one who realized it from the start." I answered them calmly, picking up a glass of wine and sipping on it, "Burning my Uncle's food caravan? It is an attack on me, you know."

"Proof. Without-"

"Baron Elliot is already gathering it; that is why your little alarm system went off. That is enough proof for me. Oleg, go and escort them to their guest rooms in the dungeons. If they resist..." I took another sip, smacking my lips, "Kill them on the spot."