Princess Caroline's lovely face was like a flower, and the pleading expression she wore made her all the more pitiful. Yet Xu Yi glanced at her without the slightest change in expression. Instead, his voice grew cold.
"Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but this happened entirely because your Drake Duchy refused to listen to my advice. You brought it on yourselves, and now you come asking me to save you. Don't you find that a little ridiculous?"
Princess Caroline's expression dimmed. After a pause, however, she put away her troubled look and replaced it with a charming smile. Without hesitation, she linked her arm through Xu Yi's and gently shook it.
"Although we did indeed make this mistake ourselves, I know you would never stand by and do nothing, President Xu. Isn't that right? Otherwise, you certainly wouldn't have come to see me in person."
Xu Yi looked at her coldly, offering neither an answer nor any change in expression.
Princess Caroline had come to Bunta City with the team sent by the Drake Duchy this time, but certainly not to cheer them on. She had other important business to discuss with Xu Yi-or, to be more precise, she had come to ask for his help.
While King Eric was on the throne, Count Samo had worried that King Eric and Duke Stark would target the Xinfei Merchant Guild's operations remaining in Sewell City. After contacting Xu Yi and discussing the matter with him, he had gradually moved those operations to the Drake Duchy.
With the Drake Duchy's support, those operations had remained largely intact and had already taken root there. Not only were they developing well themselves, but they had also provided the Drake Duchy with extensive technical documentation, allowing it to begin investing in its own research and