The Strongest Man’s Fake Wife Wants to Live Chapter 23

“You’re going.”

“I’m saying I’ll go to the capital with you to negotiate with the Woods Merchant Guild.”

Owen raised one eyebrow.

His expression suggested that he didn’t particularly like the idea.

“The journey to the capital will be arduous. You’ll be tired and worn out.”

“I still want to go. I’m acquainted with Marquis Clark. He’s the father of my friend, Io Clark. I’ve met him several times, so it should be easier to talk with him.”

Pesha spoke in a confident tone.

It seemed there was no ordinary argument that would make her back down.

Owen nodded.

“As you wish.”

Now that she had even gotten his permission to accompany him, they needed to hurry their departure for the capital if they wanted to proceed with things quickly.

“We’re leaving tomorrow, right? I’ll tell the maids to start preparing right away.”

“Before that, you should get some rest….”

Owen tried to stop her, who was already excited, but Pesha had already darted into her room as though she couldn’t hear a thing.

Why is she so excited?

Owen withdrew the hand he had reached out to stop her, looking bewildered.

He couldn’t understand why she was so happy.

Was she happy because she was going to see her friend again after such a long time?

‘If that’s the case, then that’s a relief.’

On the other hand, seeing Pesha so delighted at the thought of leaving this place and returning to the capital left him feeling a little bitter.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

Unlike him, Pesha hadn’t married because she wanted to.

Owen gave a bitter smile.

 

***

 

Leaving behind the three adjutants who remained in the territory to manage the count’s castle, they trimmed their party down to a small number of people and headed for the capital.

Unlike the wedding procession, which had been burdened with a great deal of luggage, they traveled light this time, so they were able to arrive much faster than when they had come to Swapro.

Returning to the capital after such a long time did not stir any particularly profound emotions in Owen.

In fact, Pesha’s mind was completely occupied with thoughts of bringing Owen and Io together.

So when the carriage stopped at an unexpected lodging, she was puzzled.

“Where are we?”

“I rented it. It’s not somewhere we can stay for long, but it should be enough for a few days.”

Owen introduced the place curtly as he got down from the carriage.

It was certainly too plain to be called a noble’s townhouse, looking more like the home of a wealthy family, but it did not seem uncomfortable to stay in.

“Oh my. You’ve arrived.”

The caretaker of the building greeted its master, whom he had not seen in a long time.

“Greetings, Count. You must be very tired from the journey. I’ll tell them to prepare a place for you to rest immediately. Still, I already had the room that will be used as the marital bedroom prepared in advance, so….”

“M-marital bedroom?”

Pesha had been looking around the building while letting the caretaker’s words go in one ear and out the other, but she turned red with surprise at the words marital bedroom.

Seeing her flustered appearance, the caretaker looked puzzled and watched her reaction.

“Yes. The bedroom the two of you will share. Is there some problem…?”

There were plenty of problems.

This was nothing short of a disastrous situation.

At the Count’s castle in Swapro, the room prepared as their marital bedroom had been practically left abandoned because of that ridiculous construction work that had dragged on for over a year, but things were different here.

There was no way they would have been carrying out construction here as well, so naturally, there would be a perfectly prepared room.

At this rate, she would have to share a bed with Owen.

Pesha, flustered, stammered as she desperately squeezed out an excuse.

“Well, I… a-actually, I’ve been feeling like I’m coming down with a cold since yesterday.”

She had hurriedly blurted out whatever came to mind, but it was far too flimsy for an excuse.

Just as she felt like biting her tongue, her words were suddenly cut off.

“No. Prepare a separate bedroom.”

The one who interrupted Pesha was unexpectedly Owen.

With an utterly unfazed expression, he naturally demanded separate rooms.

“It’ll be more comfortable for you as well, Wife.”

“Ah….”

Of course it would be more comfortable. We didn’t become husband and wife because we wanted to.

And yet, seeing him refuse so decisively left her feeling oddly sour.

‘Isn’t he being a little too firm?’

He had always been a decisive person. That was true, but… it felt strange.

In any case, the two of them went to the Woods Merchant Guild’s branch the next day for their meeting.

Perhaps because of Owen’s reputation, they had been able to easily secure an appointment even with the head of the Woods Merchant Guild, which was regarded as one of the best in the industry.

“Count Namoi! It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is James Clark.”

When they entered the guild’s reception room after being shown inside, Marquis Clark had already arrived.

With his plump build and gentle-looking features, Marquis Clark gave off a kind impression at first glance, but the rumors painted a somewhat different picture.

He was famous for being shrewd and calculating, as befitted a merchant, so negotiations would certainly not be easy.

Pesha swallowed dryly from nervousness.

“It is truly an honor to meet the hero of the Empire, a man who will go down in history.”

“Not at all.”

Owen seemed accustomed to such grandiose flattery, simply replying briefly before taking a sip of tea.

Rather than openly ignoring Owen like those insignificant lower-ranking nobles had, Marquis Clark warmly welcomed him.

However, this very Marquis Clark was effectively the leader of the lower-ranking nobles who had strutted around in front of Owen, so Pesha could not let her guard down even more.

“By the way, what brings you to the Woods Merchant Guild today?”

“I’d like to make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“The Empire has yet to find complete stability. The eastern region in particular is always exposed to danger because it borders the Abyss. The most difficult thing about fighting monsters is the aura they give off. Once contaminated by aura, humans die quickly.”

“Oh? And?”

“What would you say if I told you there was a way to prevent that death?”

“A way to prevent death….”

Until now, Marquis Clark had worn nothing more than a polite smile, but a faint glimmer of interest appeared in his eyes.

He had caught the scent of money.

Pesha did not miss the moment and opened her mouth.

“I made medicine. This is it.”

When Pesha placed the potion bottle on the table with a thunk, Marquis Clark examined it with interest.

“It’s in potion form. But surely you know that aura purification potions are already widely available.”

“It’s different from the potions sold on the market. I’ve added the ability to disinfect wounds as well.”

“It purifies the aura while disinfecting wounds?”

“Yes. Since aura causes rapid contamination through wounds, there’s little point in purifying the aura when the wound itself hasn’t been treated.”

“Hmm….”

Marquis Clark toyed with the potion bottle before smiling brightly.

“What can I do to help you?”

“I’ll give you four-tenths of the profits. In return, the Woods Merchant Guild will supply the ingredients for the potion. It only requires a few types of medicinal herbs.”

“A few medicinal herbs, you say… It would be more profitable for you to grow them in Count Namoi’s territory and simply leave the distribution to me, wouldn’t it?”

At that moment, Pesha faltered. There was something unsettling about Marquis Clark’s demeanor. She felt that she shouldn’t reveal any more of her cards.

“We’re short on manpower, and we don’t have a suitable place to store them. I tried to handle it ourselves, but it wasn’t easy.”

As she naturally put on an airy, casual front, Marquis Clark suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha! But isn’t there a bigger problem than that? I hear that Swapro, Count Namoi’s territory, is suffering terribly from contamination.”

“…….”

“It seems you don’t have any land where you can plant the medicinal herbs needed for the potion. Am I right?”

Pesha bit her lip, then decided to face him head-on instead.

“Is that really a problem? This potion will be extremely useful. It will save the lives of many travelers, mercenaries, and knights. If we set the price a little lower, I believe it would not only generate profits but also improve the guild’s image.”