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Chapter 148: It seems an angel came to my aid.
...In the original timeline, he was a merchant who controlled the great trading guild.
He had his hands in many pies, commanding the flow of money, and was even permitted access to the innermost chambers of the royal palace.
He had built a far more solid position than any flimsy noble who could be blown away by a breath of wind.
It's unclear how much status and wealth he had amassed before Ortansia's birth, but judging by his tone, he already wielded considerable influence.
“It would be simple enough for me to shut down this wretched tavern on a whim. Raise the rent? Cut off the liquor supply? What do you suggest?”
“H-!”
Bernadette, who had been maintaining a smile until now, grimaced at the blatant threat.
“...This is going too far, Ducasse.”
“It's all up to you, Bernadette. A woman of your intelligence should know what to do, shouldn't she?”
Ortansia regretted using the blessing of Listening Ears to hear the conversation so clearly.
Ducasse's cloying voice was that unbearably unpleasant.
But then, she saw a figure move at the edge of her vision.
‘Father...!’
Ortansia's father had risen quietly.
‘It was here Father stopped Ducasse...!’
He intended to step between Ducasse and Bernadette to save her.
As a duke, Father could exert influence to halt Ducasse's tyranny.
Bernadette, saved by him, would become interested in the man who came to the tavern disguised, and their relationship would begin.
‘But I must change things.’
There mustn't be enmity between Father and Ducasse.
‘Right, this should do it...!’
Panting, Ortansia lifted the item she had prepared.
It was one of the tavern's small, barrel-shaped mugs with handles.
A direct hit from this height wouldn't be a trivial matter.
“Tyrol, here we go!”
[ Aye! ]
Working together with Tyrol to adjust their position, Ortansia let the mug fall downstairs in one swift motion.
‘Hit him...!’
The mug, released from Ortansia's grasp and falling... struck Ducas squarely on the back of the head, just as intended.
“Hah!”
With a pathetic groan, Ducasse collapsed face-first onto the table, unconscious.
“Eh... Who!?”
Stunned by the sudden event, Bernadette stared blankly before jerking her head up to where the mug had fallen from.
...For a moment, Ortansia thought she'd locked eyes with her mother.
But Bernadette couldn't see Ortansia.
Staring at the empty landing, she tilted her head in puzzlement.
“Oh dear... no one there...?”
“Divine retribution, that! He got what was coming to him for talking such nonsense!”
“Cheers to the good fortune of the songstress Bernadette!”
“Cheers!”
The drunken patrons seemed to regard this strange occurrence merely as another spectacle.
Bernadette picked up the tankard that had struck Ducasse squarely on the head and examined it closely.
“How very strange indeed... heh heh.”
She looked up once more and smiled softly.
“It's as if an angel came to my aid.”
Even if her mother couldn't see her presence, those words made Ortansia's heart swell.
‘I was able to help Mama…’
Just that thought alone made her glad she'd come to the past.
“Right then, I'm feeling good today, so I'll sing one more song!”
“We've been waiting for you, Bernadette!”
“Brilliant!!”
The tavern patrons cheered the singer as she headed back to the stage.
Meanwhile, her father, who had been about to rise, seemed to realise his assistance wasn't needed after all, seeing her like this.
“Phew... Seems there was no need for me to step in after all.”
“Honestly, I was on tenterhooks wondering when you'd burst in, Your Lordship.”
“One couldn't simply leave such a situation unattended. Though, it seems the songstress Bernadette had far more formidable protectors than I. Still, that Ducasse fellow's arrogance cannot be overlooked. If such behaviour continues, it could adversely affect the capital's economic and cultural development.”
“Indeed, perhaps we should take measures ourselves.”
“Ah, we'll address it promptly upon our return.”
The hushed conversation between Father and his attendant was perfectly audible to anyone with a keen ear.
‘Good. It seems Father will handle Ducasse too.’
Though she worried whether interfering with Ducasse' deeds might earn her further enmity, she believed he wouldn't harbour deep resentment as long as Bernadette wasn't involved.
Believing this, Ortansia breathed a sigh of relief.
‘...I did it. I managed to change how they met.’
The meeting between her father and mother had been prevented, and the feud between her father and Ducas had been erased.
With that, the purpose for going into the past had been achieved… but then…
“Hah...!”
Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body with a jolt, and Ortansia collapsed to the ground.
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We fixed the next and preview buttons above the table of contents
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