"I have a way to deal with them."
Veylin looked at the young woman before him, who seemed a little weary.
Even taking the fastest ship and switching to the finest horses, the journey from Wrong Anchor Harbor to the Royal Capital took several days.
She must have set out as soon as word spread that he had rented the Hundred Blossoms Hall.
This woman had doubted his plan from the very beginning.
"I spent ten years dealing with the guilds in the docks and markets of Wrong Anchor Harbor."
"So I knew you would hit a wall."
Veylin admitted that he had misjudged the situation.
"I underestimated the control the guilds have over their rank-and-file members."
He made no secret of his original intentions.
"This recruitment event wasn't meant for them in the first place. It was bait to attract someone else, someone far more important."
Caroline paused in the act of swirling her glass, leaving an arc of deep red wine clinging to its side. She looked up, curiosity in her eyes.
"Oh? Who carries enough weight to warrant such an elaborate scheme?"
Veylin laid out his entire plan concerning Tristan Lorenzo.
After listening, Caroline first widened her eyes in surprise. Then a genuine smile blossomed on her lips, tinged with admiration.
"Tristan Lorenzo..." she repeated softly, as though savoring the ingenuity of the plan.
"That idea... is bold, and very clever."
She drank the last of her wine, then set the glass down hard on the table.
"But judging by the results so far, it probably won't leave him with a favorable impression of you."
"The guilds in the Royal Capital have existed longer than the Haiti Duchy itself!"
She walked toward the center of the hall, surveying the splendid but empty space.
"Here, a craftsman is