Upper Rank Loomos.

They are one of the giant upper ranks distributing high-end goods nationwide. When Julius Marquis was engulfed in suspicions of inadequate supply, they were among the upper ranks who momentarily hesitated to interact with the Marquis and were indefinitely delayed in their meeting, causing them significant difficulties.

On the day ‘it’ happened, they were at the Julius Mansion for a dinner appointment with the Marquis and his wife.

By chance, the successor of Upper Rank Loomos, who happened to be in the corridor, witnessed the entire process from the moment Arthur’s knight was slapped to the Marquis’s wife collapsing, and it turned into poison for them.

The successor of Loomos concluded that something extraordinary had happened.

“He attacked my subordinate?”

“…No, even after seeing that, how can the Marquis shamelessly exploit Arthur’s name? It seems that the suspicions of inadequate supply might be true, and Arthur seems to be quite firm… ”

Despite accepting losses and attempting to proceed with a business contract with the proud Julius, the reason was the belief that this place would become the Empire’s second capital.

However, the Marquis, witnessed by the successor that day, seemed foolish and naive, and Arthur did not seem likely to tolerate such a person.

It seemed that the Marquis Julius would soon be pulled out of the advanced position.

Conducting shady business against Julius Marquis felt like an extremely foolish thing to do at that moment.

So, that’s what he had told his father.

He suggested that they should be cautious because it seemed like there would be an unusual flow between Arthur and Marquis Julius, and it might not be good to incur more than moderate losses in business with Julius.

Let’s watch the situation.

After the son, who had actually witnessed the confrontation between Arthur and the Marquis, confidently asserted such a claim, the upper rank of Loomos chose a ‘watching’ stance after much consideration.

However, the Marquis covered up his mistakes with a substantial war compensation and survivor’s pension, and Arthur accepted the Marquis’s apology.

Things didn’t escalate further.

Even with the visit from the family’s messenger of Christina Julius, the atmosphere shifted in favor of the Marquis, as his previous status was restored.

The Julius Marquis regained his former standing, and he didn’t meet with them again.

It was a judgment mistake.

Upper Rank Loomos fell into a predicament.

How the relationship with Julius was maintained greatly influenced the brand value of Upper Rank.

If rumors spread that Upper Rank Loomos lost Julius’s favor, it would affect other contracts with competing upper ranks.

While there was no one directly blaming the successor, the successor felt deeply troubled by the fact that Upper Rank Loomos faced difficulties due to their hasty judgment.
At this rate, it seemed that even the upper ranks who had not been considered rivals would fall behind.

While the successor pretended not to care, saying, “It’s just that little thing; we can meet slowly,” he began secretly exploring other ways to cover up his mistake.

The successor of Upper Rank Loomos and the messenger whispered in the courtyard.

“Hey…! I entered that dress shop. Since there’s still a carriage, it seems they haven’t come out yet.”

The successor, who had been scanning that direction with binoculars, lowered the binoculars with a suspicious look, gazing at the dress shop.

“…Really? Was it Arthur and Lady Christina?”

“It’s certain. That carriage came out of the Julius Mansion. If it’s a blonde woman and a black-haired man who can come out in a carriage from Julius Mansion, who else could it be…!”

In an effort to create a positive connection with Christina and Arthur, the successor was releasing messengers to gather information and investigate the Julius Mansion.

The successor frowned and asked the messenger, “Did you see their faces? Are you sure?”

“The distance was a bit far, but when they got off the carriage, I saw the lady’s face slightly. It looked very similar to the illustration of Christina Julius that was published in the newspaper. And since the two were together, it gave off the feeling of ‘Arthur and Lady Christina.'”

Similar to the illustration? That sounds quite credible.

The successor, somewhat skeptical, looked at the building of the dress shop.

To be honest, he wasn’t very optimistic.

After offering a substantial reward for eyewitness accounts of Arthur and Christina, there were too many false reports, and they had already been fooled several times.

The successor raised his head and confirmed the name and location of the dress shop.

“…….”

It wasn’t the dress shop that had previously interacted with Lady Christina.

Of course, if they prioritize excluding outsiders trying to approach, they might have changed to an undisclosed dress shop.

Considering the many upcoming events, in this situation, wouldn’t they prefer a trusted place among the ones they had dealt with before?