Second Male Lead, You Said It Was A Contract Marriage? (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 049

But if I had known he misunderstood my actions, I should have just told him the truth. My attempt to be considerate seemed to have made him feel worse instead.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that and mistakenly assumed things.”

“No, it’s my fault for not being honest from the start. I was told the Marquis of Yekerth and the Duke of Ferhaem have a friendly relationship.”

That was how the butler had explained it when first introducing them. I didn’t feel comfortable pressuring the Marquis of Yekerth by using the Duke of Ferhaem’s name either. I had no intention of leveraging my position as a duchess.

“That’s why I acted alone. The Duke of Ferhaem stayed out of it; it was only Pelanne Trading House and the Marquis of Yekerth who came into conflict.”

Pelanne Trading House distributed independently developed goods to both nobles and commoners. The reason Pelanne had rapidly become one of the most prominent trading houses in the empire was precisely due to their unique product development.

Thus, cutting off trade with Pelanne caused significant damage in many ways. Occasionally, nobles tried to pressure Pelanne by exploiting the fact that she was a commoner—but I, being a noble and now a co-owner, changed that.

Pelanne used me as a shield. Looking back on it now, she was quite clever. By giving me a share, she repaid her debt with a substantial sum while simultaneously placing me, a noble, at the forefront to reduce friction with other nobles.

“If you had told me, I would have made the Marchioness of Yekerth apologize for her rudeness. The House of Ferhaem doesn’t need to be cautious around the House of Yekerth.”

Yes. He definitely would have done that. He was fiercely protective of those close to him and became terrifyingly sharp toward anyone who harmed them. But that wasn’t what I wanted.

“If he had done that, would the apology have been sincere? Or would it have been forced? I didn’t do this just to hear an apology. I wanted to ensure she could no longer torment others.”

I no longer wanted to stand by and watch her harass powerless ladies or mistreat maids. To stop that, I had to strip her of her power.

“If Pelanne Trading House cuts ties with the Marquis of Yekerth, they’ll suffer quite a bit. The Marchioness of Yekerth became a central figure in high society precisely because she gained early access to Pelanne’s products and set fashion trends.”

And if I added that Pelanne would refuse to supply their goods to anyone still trading with the Marquis of Yekerth, people would abandon them frighteningly fast.

“She won’t be able to function as a power in high society anymore. Naturally, the ladies who once nervously watched her every move will finally feel at ease. Do I seem strange to you for saying this?”

Read full content of this chapter on r e d c a t t y . c o m