ORPDRL Chapter 33

 Episode 33

As Letty noticed the merchant handing a piece of paper to Moriel, she anxiously stomped her feet and urged the fairy.

"Hey, fairy! Are you done yet?"

"Hold on a second. I'm modifying the dialogue to avoid copyright issues."

Ugh, copyright issues again!

Frustrated by the fairy’s delay, Letty pounded her chest in impatience.

"Wait a minute. There's a clause stating that the supply of goods to Grizzly Territory must be exclusively handled by the Frode Merchant Guild?"

Lorik interjected between Moriel and the merchant.

'Lorik is the best!'

Letty, noticing Lorik’s suspicious gaze as he examined the contract, gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Lorik, your young eyes are sharp. I can’t even see that."

"Yes. There are some suspicious clauses written in tiny print here."

As Lorik pointed out the hidden loopholes to the elders, the old men, whose eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, pulled out magnifying glasses from all directions.

"Hmm, you’re right. We can’t just hand over exclusive trading rights so easily."

Even Timus hesitated to proceed, causing the merchant to panic and step forward.

"Now, now, what do you mean by 'suspicious clauses'? Lorik, trust is the most important factor in business. If you start doubting us now, this deal could fall apart."

Clicking his tongue, the merchant pointed to something inside his coat and whispered quietly—just loud enough for Moriel to hear.

"If you don’t sign a contract with us now, things will get quite difficult for you. No other merchant guild is willing to trade here, which means the Grand Duke's family has to risk traveling to the neighboring village every time to obtain supplies."

Since no guild wanted to trade directly with Grizzly, the Grand Duke’s family had to pay high brokerage fees each year to secure a middleman.

The merchant emphasized this fact as he leaned in closer to Moriel.

"…Especially since you, lord Moriel, cannot return to the White Bear Territory. That means I’m the only one who can provide you with the items you need."

In other words, he was the only one who could supply him with the Frozen Butterfly Wings.

Only Moriel—and Letty, who was eavesdropping from afar—understood the true nature of the merchant’s threat.

"Lord Moriel, don’t sweat the small stuff. Look at the bigger picture."

'Yes, I do need that item.'

Frozen Butterfly Wings were a type of sleeping aid that allowed the user to dream of whatever they desired when held in their hands.

Moriel suffered from severe insomnia and couldn’t sleep properly without them.

'I won’t last much longer without them.'

Swayed by the merchant’s persuasion, Moriel ignored Lorik’s protests and picked up a pen.

He had even taken the signet ring from Grisys’s hand while he was asleep and was about to stamp the document with the official seal of the Grizzly Grand Duke’s House.

"Stop right there!"

Just then, Tinker raised Grisys’s arm high, and at the same time, Letty—pressing a bowtie to her mouth—spoke out.

"Cancel that deal immediately!"

Though her words sounded theatrical, the people, who had hardly seen Grisys awake in recent days, didn’t doubt him and widened their eyes in shock.

"Wait… is the Grand Duke awake? What’s going on?"

"But why aren’t his eyes open?"

Hearing someone murmur in confusion, Letty flinched and quickly raised her voice.

"T-That’s because I’m trying to stay awake despite being sleepy!"

The sudden use of formal speech made the fairy angrily bite Letty’s nose.

"Hey! Get your act together!"

"Hmph."

Tears welled up in Letty’s eyes from Tinker’s sudden attack, but she quickly glanced down at the script in her hand and spoke again.

"…W-Watching those vile merchants deceive Grisys made me so angry that my sleepiness completely disappeared."

As Letty—speaking as Grisys—spoke, the onlookers who had been watching Moriel finalize the contract with the merchant began murmuring among themselves.

"What? Are you saying these merchants are frauds?"

Someone asked, and the fairy, who had climbed onto Grisys’s body, suddenly smacked the back of his head before quickly grabbing hold of him again. This made it seem like Grisys was nodding.

"Of course! Am I the only one who noticed? Moriel completely fell for their trick."

Grisys’s mocking tone made Moriel’s expression twist in frustration.

"Brother, you just woke up after sleeping all this time, and now you’re saying this?"

"I’m saying you’re an idiot, you fool! Hahaha!"

The villainous laugh was Letty’s improvisation, but the response wasn’t great.

"The Grand Duke's laughter sounds kind of weird today."

"Yeah, did he always laugh so obnoxiously?"

Hearing the murmurs, Tinker, still clutching Grisys’s hair, shot a warning glare at Letty.

"Stick to the script!"

"But it says here that he laughs… and I don’t even know what my father-in-law’s laugh sounds like!"

How could she know when she had never seen him laugh before?

Letty, temporarily removing the bowtie from her mouth, muttered excuses before adjusting to Grisys’s movements and continuing her lines.

"Anyway, Lorik, those guys are frauds. We cannot proceed with this contract. Throw them all out."

"E-Excuse me? Do you have any proof? You’re accusing us of fraud without any evidence!"

Flustered by Grisys’s sudden command, the merchant stepped forward.

"Someone who has done nothing but sleep until now—what could you possibly know?"

Even if Grisys had been negligent in his duties as head of the household, those words were far too disrespectful to be directed at a Grand Duke.

Some of the elders, who had been too busy praising Moriel up until now, began to show their displeasure.

"Hold on, merchant. That’s quite an impudent way to address our Grand Duke."

"Exactly. ‘Acting recklessly’? You do realize that His Grace has the final say in all matters concerning the Grand Duke's household, don’t you?"

Even though Moriel had enough influence to be considered a candidate for the acting head of the Grand Duke's family, the true Grand Duke was still Grisys.

Realizing just how much Grisys’s authority had diminished, the elders let out sighs of discontent.

"You say there’s no evidence?"

At that moment, as the fairy tugged at Grisys’s face to raise his eyebrows, Letty seized the perfect timing to shout.

"That painting—it's not even a reproduction of a famous masterpiece! Isn’t it just your daughter’s doodle?"

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