Actually, there was a reason Cassia had deliberately asked the mercenaries to keep Zester occupied while she met with the merchant guilds. Ashram hadn’t understood at first, after visiting three well-known merchant guilds and coming back empty-handed every time, he finally realized why Cassia had been reluctant to bring Zester along.
“Five percent? What good does that do for anyone? To put it bluntly, for an untested product like this, that may or may not succeed… I doubt you’d find any guild willing to jump into such a gamble.”
“Hm… is that so.”
The master of the ‘Belga’ guild, the fourth well-known merchant guild they visited, was no different.
Sitting opposite the guild master with James and Clara on either side of her, Cassia didn’t seem offended by his impudent remarks; she simply stroked her chin and nodded.
The three merchant guilds they had visited earlier were just as famous in the capital as Belga. Perhaps because of that, the high-and-mighty guild masters all had the same reaction. Ashram, a mercenary who was second to none when it came to a short temper, had no choice but to watch as his madam was openly looked down on. That was because she had warned him not to intervene under any circumstances.
‘It would have been uncomfortable in many ways if the Leader had come along.’
If Zester were here, he would be even angrier. And not just angry. Knowing Zester’s personality, he might not have been able to lift his head in front of his wife out of sheer apology and embarrassment.
It was no exaggeration to say that the merchant guilds that thrived in the capital earned as much annually as a decent mid-sized territory. Their wealth was so immense that they found minor nobles laughable, so it was only natural that their noses were high in the sky. It came as no surprise that they would look down on a noblewoman from the insignificant House of Greze.
“Baroness, it seems you don’t know this as you are unfamiliar with the market prices, but even if you searched through every merchant guild in this business, you wouldn’t find a single sane guild master who could agree to terms so absurd.”
“Look here! Don’t you think we’re offering this ratio because we know this business will definitely succeed? Huh?”
“This fellow’s been spouting whatever suits him since earlier. I don’t want to waste time, so if you don’t like the conditions I proposed earlier, please leave now!”
When James interrupted with a flushed face, the merchant guild master crossed his arms across his chest with an arrogant expression and retorted sharply. Cassia looked thoughtful, but she didn’t seem like she was going to nod in agreement.
“Hm…”
“Ten percent of the sales. Of course, that would be your share, Baroness.”
The guild master’s eyes gleamed slyly for a moment. In truth, from his perspective as a merchant, this product called a ‘wig’ did seem to have some commercial potential, and the party proposing the deal was a lady from a small, powerless territory who appeared to have no experience in trade. He thought it might be possible to step in without lifting a finger and reap the benefits.
The guild master looked at Cassia’s expression, thinking she might give in, but James, Clara, and Ashram beside her sighed inwardly, knowing this would be another wasted trip.
Cassia was someone who had coolly shaken her head and walked out on the proposals of the previous three guilds, who had offered to give her 30 percent, 30 percent, and 25 percent respectively. There was no reason for her to agree to terms even more ruthless than the previous ones.
“I appreciate the offer. However, that ratio would be a bit difficult for me. Perhaps we can work together if the opportunity arises another time. Thank you for your time. I shall take my leave.”
Cassia coolly stood up once again.
“My goodness, just where did you get the idea to present such outrageous terms? I know you are a young madam who doesn’t know the ways of the world, but this is really something. Alright, let me close one eye and yield. I can go up to 15 percent.”
“Mn, thank you but I’m fine.”
Cassia smiled gently and started to walk away, and the guild master flared up.
“Look here, Baroness! I am a busy person! I even held back when you made the absurd proposal of taking 95 percent while pushing a product whose commercial value hasn’t even been proven yet. You’ve wasted a person’s time like this and now you’re just going to leave?”
“Didn’t I ask you clearly at the beginning? I asked if you could spare some time despite being busy. I don’t recall forcing you or begging you pitifully to please listen to me.”
After announcing that the product had received a patent from the Imperial Palace, she would always ask whether they could spare some time, as she was looking for a merchant guild to handle distribution. The sharp-eyed guild masters even in the midst of their busy schedules, had immediately recognized the value of the wigs and arranged meetings. Of course, all negotiations had fallen through because Cassia insisted on a meager 5 percent share for them.
“Do you know that no one else would even give you a 15 percent share?!”
“Even if that 15 percent was your share, I have no intention of signing. Unless it is a contract where I take 95 percent of the sales and your guild takes 5 percent, there is no need to even look at it.”
“Hah, seriously.”
The greedy Belga guild master found the young madam, who refused to move according to his wishes, somewhat irritating. On the surface, she looked young enough to be his daughter, so he thought she would be easy to handle.
Cassia calmly rose and headed out of the guild building, with James and Clara following behind her.
Just as Ashram glared disapprovingly at the guild master whose chin was trembling, and turned around to leave last…
“Hah, too many people living more pitifully than commoners but clinging to their pride just because they’re called ‘nobles’, honestly…”
The sneering remark reached Cassia’s ears as well. However, she simply paused for a moment with an indifferent expression, then continued walking. In the end, it was Ashram who couldn’t hold back and exploded.
“Is this bastard out of his mind? Huh? You don’t know there’s things you can say and things you can’t?”
“Ashram!”
Cassia immediately frowned and tried to stop him, but Ashram forgot her warning not to lose his temper and roughly rolled up his sleeves.
“Oh my, how scary. What, are you going to hit me? The ‘Jackals’ are dead and gone. You guys used to foam at the mouth, going on about how much you hated nobles, but now that one of you put on some worthless title, you all swarm there praising him to the skies. Tsk.”
“W-what?! I-is this bastard actually crazy?”
Ashram strode forward as if he was about to punch him and James and Clara grabbed his arm to pull him back in shock.
“Who do you think I am? Even most nobles bow and scrape to trade with our guild. But Greze? What kind of pride does Greze have, thinking you can come trade with me?”
After the imperial war ended, Count Bertol Axios had drawn attention as one of the leading figures of victory. As well as Zester Greze, a commoner mercenary who had been granted a noble title.
Since the Emperor had praised them until his mouth went dry, naturally, the people of the capital couldn’t help but know them. That included the story of Cassia, the daughter of the southern tycoon Count Ruberno, who became the Lady of Greze a few months ago.
“Tell your Madam this! She seems to be putting on useless pride while clinging to the memories of her days in the South, but honestly, it’s ridiculous that she’s the only one who doesn’t realize her value has dropped after being sold off!”
“This damn bastard, seriously!”
“Aaaah! Don’t do it!”
“A-Ashram! Calm down, calm down!”
Clara and James squeezed out every ounce of their strength to hold back Ashram’s terrifying momentum, but it didn’t look like it would last long.
“Hit me if you want. The ones who will be thoroughly ruined are you people anyway. Do you know how many powerful nobles are dying to get a line into our guild? Hah. You don’t know how scary the world is.”
The guild master’s sarcastic words, continuing to the end, were frustratingly correct. Cassia stood at a distance, watching the commotion, and bit her lip.
No matter how well-off her maiden family, the Rubernos, were, it had nothing to do with Cassia now. In the empire, a married woman followed her husband’s title, so as the merchant guild master said, she was no longer the Count’s daughter from a wealthy family, but the mistress of a poor territory.
In this harsh reality where class distinctions among nobles were clear, her current position was embarrassing to even be called a ‘noble.’
It was also an undeniable reality that lower-ranking nobles couldn’t hold their heads high claiming to be nobles in front of merchants with massive wealth and influence. Cassia had foreseen this situation, which was why she had intentionally left Zester behind.
“Ashram, did I not clearly ask you not to get carried away and act rudely?”
Cassia was just as angry as Ashram, but she suppressed it and spoke.
Ashram’s fists trembled, looking like he was about to strike at any moment, and the guild master smirked, with an expression that said, ‘I thought so’ as he watched Cassia back down. James and Clara, watching this quietly, felt like a fire was burning inside them.
“Come out.”
Cassia spoke to Ashram with a stern expression and strict tone, indicating she wouldn’t say it twice.
Since he had promised, he had to stamp down his temper no matter how fiery it was. Ashram stared intently at Cassia, who showed no emotion even after hearing such insulting remarks, then let out a sharp breath into the air before striding past her and leaving the guild building first.
Cassia immediately followed Ashram, then stopped and spoke.
“…You must have suffered quite a bit from the bottom to climb up to this position. Was there no one who looked down on you and ignored you back then?”
“What?”
At the unexpected remark, the guild master whipped around to look at Cassia, raising his brows.
“With people, you never know what the future holds. You never know when a single act of generosity could bring you fortune, or when a careless word could grab you by the ankle. My proposal might look absurd to you as a businessman, but I didn’t expect to be insulted like this, especially when I haven’t forced you to sign a contract. I’m a little surprised.”
For someone who claimed to be surprised by the insult, there was not a single change in Cassia’s expression. She continued with the same relaxed and generous smile she had when she entered.
“I sincerely hope the Belga Guild will continue to prosper even with that mindset of yours. And if we meet again later, please treat me exactly as you did now. I like people who are consistent in their attitude.”
The guild master scoffed. It sounded like she was speaking with the assumption that the wig business would succeed later, but if she kept insisting on that meager share ratio, not a single guild would contract with her. No matter how good the product is, it is meaningless without a distributor to promote it.
Leaving the man and his arrogant attitude behind, Cassia exited the guild building. Outside, Ashram, Clara, and James were waiting for her.
Unlike the worried Clara and James, Ashram looked thoroughly disgruntled that he hadn’t been able to land a punch on the man who insulted his madam. On top of that, he seemed secretly guilty about the fact that he had broken Cassia’s request to restrain himself and kept glancing at her quietly to gauge her reaction.
Seeing Ashram like that, Cassia let out a long sigh and simply patted his shoulder reassuringly, then walked ahead.
This was already the fourth fruitless attempt.
Everyone followed behind Cassia with weary steps, but when she suddenly stopped, they all stopped in unison.
Cassia, whose face was deeply gloomy despite the cheerful festival atmosphere, stood still, gazing blankly into the air, then closed her eyes tightly, muttering.
“…Haa… Life…”
It was truly a pitiful soliloquy.
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 82 - February 26, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 81 - February 26, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 80 - February 26, 2026