Chapter 12
Claire stepped out of the alley with a refreshed expression. She tapped Teddy on the shoulder, who had been guarding the entrance.
“Let’s go.”
“Did you take care of it properly?”
“Yes.”
Despite her confident reply, Teddy glanced into the alley where faint sobs could still be heard.
“She seems fine.”
“What, did you think I beat her up? That wouldn’t solve the problem anyway.”
“She should at least pay for the trouble she caused your trading company.”
“…When did I ever mention the trading company to you?”
A strange silence briefly hung between them.
Claire stared at the obscured eyes behind Teddy’s mask before shrugging her shoulders.
“As expected of the head of a guild from the underworld. Anyway, don’t worry. Everything is settled.”
Teddy, who had been tilting his head slightly toward Claire, slowly turned his face forward.
“You seem kinder than I expected.”
“…Is that an insult?”
“In this case, it’s a compliment.”
There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Soon, Teddy left with a parting word, vanishing like the wind. Claire, left behind, thought he was an unusual man.
Would they meet again?
***
The master of the Pierre Trading Company, Jean Pierre, was humming a cheerful tune while organizing documents.
“Once I send this, the Muton Trading Company will invest in us!”
It was none other than a proposal to take over Starlight Cream and rebrand it under their name once the Minerva Trading Company was ruined.
“Hah, I was planning to make this cream all along!”
Like Claire, he had intended to create a cream using the Blue Trut plant.
However, while waiting for a response to his investment request from the Muton Trading Company, the Minerva Trading Company launched Starlight Cream.
Feeling threatened, Jean decided to destroy the Minerva Trading Company.
If left alone, they might replace Divar Trading Company and take over the market.
“Haha, it was a wise decision. Stamping them out early makes things easier!”
Having falsely accused the innocent Minerva Trading Company, Jean felt no guilt.
After all, how could they have obtained the extinct plant without the Muton Duchy’s power?
It had to be true that the Minerva Trading Company used fake Blue Trut.
Just as Jean was about to send his proposal to the Muton Duchy, a staff member burst into the room in a panic.
“Master! Something terrible has happened!”
Jean frowned at the intrusion.
“What is it? Why the commotion?”
“P-Please read this!”
“What? What is it?”
Jean’s eyes widened in shock as he snatched the newspaper the staff handed him.
“What is this?!”
His trembling gaze scanned the headline emblazoned across the page.
“Exclusive: Are Starlight Cream’s Side Effects Actually Caused by Pierre Trading Company’s Cosmetics?”
The article detailed how the rash suffered by the victim was actually caused by Pierre Trading Company’s cosmetics, and that Starlight Cream had prevented the symptoms.
The real culprit was Pierre’s flagship product, ‘Blossom Fragrance Oil.’
Jennifer had revealed her identity and given an interview, lending greater credibility to the story.
“What nonsense is this?! Our Blossom Fragrance Oil passed safety tests!”
Of course, the same was true for Starlight Cream, but Jean raged without a shred of conscience.
“Jennifer, how dare she betray me? Who’s going to believe this nonsense?!”
“Well… complaints about Blossom Fragrance Oil causing rashes have started flooding in.”
“What—?!”
Hearing that the controversy was escalating quickly, Jean clutched his throat and staggered.
Who could have done this?
‘Defending Starlight Cream and attacking our product—it must be those Minerva Trading Company scoundrels!’
He slammed his desk and got up.
“I’ll go grab those bastards by the neck myself…!”
But as soon as he opened the office door, he was met with chaos.
People who had read the article and bought Blossom Fragrance Oil were crowding the entrance.
“Give us refunds! We demand refunds!”
“We’re not leaving until you refund us!”
“Refund! Refund! Refund!”
Seeing the mob united in chanting for refunds, Jean stumbled backward in shock.
He barely escaped through the back door and made his way to the Minerva Trading Company.
With thundering steps, he arrived at the building in a secluded alley on 4th Street.
“What is that…?”
A crowd had gathered there too, marveling at something.
“Wow, amazing!”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes!”
What’s all the fuss about?
Jean pushed through the crowd to see for himself and froze in shock.
On a long table at the entrance of the building, inside a transparent glass case, was a mystical, turquoise plant on full display.
“Blue Trut imbued with starlight!”
Jean recognized it instantly. He had begged the Muton Duchy to acquire it.
“H-How can it be the real Blue Trut…?”
As he stood there, dumbfounded, a clear voice called out to him.
“What brings Master Pierre of the Pierre Trading Company here?”
Turning his head, he saw a woman wearing oversized glasses.
“I heard there’s chaos because of Blossom Fragrance Oil’s side effects, yet you seem to have time to admire Blue Trut.”
Though her tone was soft, Claire’s words pierced Jean’s heart like a dagger.
He scowled and asked, “Hey, are you from the Minerva Trading Company?”
“Yes.”
“Tell your trading master to come out! I have something to say!”
“Go ahead and say it. I’m listening.”
Claire’s vague reply made Jean stomp his feet in frustration as he pointed at her and shouted.
“I know it was you who spread rumors about Blossom Fragrance Oil’s side effects on purpose!”
“We didn’t do anything like that.”
“Don’t lie! You’re just trying to pin the blame on us because of the Starlight Cream controversy!”
“There’s no reason for us to do that. Why would we target the Pierre Trading Company?”
Claire smiled faintly.
“If Pierre wasn’t the one who started the controversy, there’d be no reason for us to do so. Don’t you think?”
“…!”
Jean flinched at the sharp edge in her words. Stammering, he tried to retort but quickly regained his composure and countered.
“You could’ve done it to eliminate a competitor!”
“Well, we’ve never really considered the Pierre Trading Company as a rival.”
Claire placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head. Her words thoroughly bruised Jean’s pride.
Seeing his clenched fists trembling in anger, Claire chuckled softly and asked, “Or do you have any proof that we did it?”
“T-That’s…”
Jean had come rushing to confront them as soon as the issue arose, so he had no evidence.
Only then did Jean realize his mistake and shut his eyes tightly before opening them again.
The woman, with her oversized glasses covering half her face, still stood firmly in place.
“This is troubling. If you’re accusing us without proof, it almost seems like you’re trying to frame us on purpose.”
Claire crossed her arms and muttered loudly, as if talking to herself.
Hearing this, the crowd surrounding them nodded in agreement.
Indeed, Jean’s baseless accusations against the Minerva Trading Company seemed irresponsible and suspicious.
“Could it be that they’re pinning the blame because Blossom Fragrance Oil is about to fail?”
“Now that you mention it, it’s strange. Could they really not know that the Starlight Cream controversy was caused by their oil?”
“No way… Were they planning to shift the blame from the start?”
As the murmuring grew, Jean waved his hands desperately, flustered.
“No, everyone! That’s not true—!”
“Then how about working with us?”
Claire interrupted Jean’s words with a meaningful suggestion.
All eyes turned to her.
“…Work together?”
“We recently had trouble because someone falsely reported that our Blue Trut was fake. We’re planning to file a lawsuit and claim damages.”
At the mention of money, Jean’s eyes widened as if they would pop out of his head.
He stammered involuntarily.
“B-But didn’t that informant say there was nothing wrong with Starlight Cream and that it was our oil that caused the issues?”
“That person was just a victim who misunderstood the side effects. The one who falsely reported about the Blue Trut being fake is someone else, as you know.”
“…!”
Jean’s heart sank.
Jennifer had falsely claimed the Blue Trut was fake to avoid discrediting herself further, and he had anonymously added to that report to reinforce it.
Could they have found out about that, too…?
Unable to hide his anxiety, Jean looked at Claire, who smiled and spoke again.
“Let’s sue them together.”
“I-I… How much are you planning to claim in damages?”
“Well, let’s see. Since we couldn’t do business and suffered mental distress because of that person…”
Claire slowly folded her fingers as if counting. Jean swallowed dryly, waiting for her next words.
Her pale hand folded once and then opened again.
“About five billion gold?”
“That’s absurd!”
Jean reeled at the staggering amount.
“Who said you could—!”
“As the victims, we get to decide that.”
“Still…!”
“What’s the problem? It’s not like you’d have to pay it yourself.”
Jean’s expression froze instantly.
Claire stepped closer, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered gently.
“We know it was you.”
“…!”
“It’s fun when you’re the one doing it, but when it’s done to you, it’s infuriating and unfair?”
Through her round glasses, her icy gaze pierced him, rendering him speechless.
To formally report him, resolve the controversy about the side effects, and pursue legal action would take a long time.
Some people would lose interest in the details and only remember the Starlight Cream controversy.
So, Claire had used the same method Jean had employed—creating a bigger controversy to shift focus.
As a result, the mob’s fury was now directed at the Pierre Trading Company and Blossom Fragrance Oil.
Meanwhile, Starlight Cream was freed from the negative spotlight.
The crowd gathered outside the shop to admire the Blue Trut plant was proof of that.
“Jennifer has gone traveling, and the Blossom Fragrance Oil victims will be out of sight for now. Good luck finding the editors of the major newspapers, too.”
Claire had filled in the gaps Jean had overlooked while retaliating against them.
By the time Jean could prove Blossom Fragrance Oil’s innocence, the public would have forgotten.
And suing the Minerva Trading Company would be impossible because of his own actions.
Looking at the frozen Jean, Claire spoke with feigned generosity.
“Think of it as reaping what you sow. If you do, we won’t bother dragging this into a legal dispute.”
“…”
“If you understand, get lost. And watch your tone.”
—
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