CHAPTER 129: THE VALMIRE FAMILY’S PROBLEMS AND A PROMISE

"You..." Aston was at a loss for words. His body trembled as he stared at Nolan in fear.

"Pfft!" Nolan couldn’t help but chuckle. Taking a sip of his tea, he said casually, "No need to be so surprised, Marquis Valmire. Honestly, there’s no shame in admitting it. In fact, it was only after you revealed your true intentions that I could begin to trust you."

To Nolan, unconditional support from the heads of noble families simply didn’t exist.

Even with Orlan, he had to offer something in return—healing Syra and Alicia.

But given his abilities, it was an easy task, so he didn’t mind.

If anything, he grew more suspicious when someone offered support without asking for anything in return.

There was almost always a hidden motive behind it—and Nolan intended to uncover it.

There was no way he would allow a potential enemy to pose as his sister’s ally in this succession struggle.

Aston remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh. His anger faded, replaced by helplessness and shame.

"I’m sorry, Prince. I wasn’t truly angry. I just wanted to test you one last time. What I didn’t expect... was that you’d surpass my expectations. I apologize for my earlier behavior," he said respectfully, cupping both hands.

"Don’t worry about it," Nolan replied casually, waving his hand. "Now, tell me—what happened to your family’s business?"

Aston gave a small nod and leaned back in his chair. He set aside the shattered cup and picked up the spare one beside it.

After pouring himself a fresh cup of tea, he took a slow sip.

"Prince, you may already know that the Valmire family has long held the largest share in the armaments market—swords, armor, spears, and the like. For centuries, we’ve maintained that position and have become the most prosperous Marquis family in the eastern region," he explained respectfully. "However..."

His expression darkened as he continued, "The Castellan family—one of the three Marquis families—suddenly entered the armaments industry. Strangely, their sales skyrocketed. In just this quarter alone, they sold over five hundred thousand units—nearly half of our own production."

"And that’s not all. They’ve also started dominating markets in several eastern cities. Their ambition is clear: they intend to dismantle the Valmire family’s hold on the industry."

There was an unspoken rule among Marquis families—not to interfere with each other’s established interests.

The Castellan family’s sudden incursion into the Valmire’s market was a blatant violation of that rule.

Worse still, they were backed by the Red Obsidian Trading House.

That made things far more complicated. After all, the Red Obsidian Trading House was second only to the Blue Moon Trading House and controlled a massive share of the Empire’s commercial networks.

Offending them could severely impact the Valmire family’s armament sales. It would be a crippling blow.

Nolan raised an eyebrow, his expression sharpening with interest as he straightened in his seat.

"If I remember correctly, the Marquis Castellan family has close ties with the Red Obsidian Trading House, right? And they’re backing Zarak in this succession, aren’t they?"

Aston looked briefly surprised by the question.

He nodded slowly. "Yes, Prince. The Castellan family is indeed aligned with the Red Obsidian Trading House. That’s one of the main reasons their sales have skyrocketed. And you’re right—they’ve publicly declared their support for Prince Zarak."

"Heh..." Nolan gave a faint grin. "So that’s how it is. I see."

He hadn’t expected the Castellan family to back Zarak, but thinking about it now, it actually made perfect sense.

In truth, the Trading Houses in the Empire were much like the trading associations from his previous world.

To put it more clearly—they were oligarchs: powerful individuals who held immense wealth and controlled vast portions of the Empire’s market.

Among them, the most influential was the Blue Moon Trading House, followed by the Red Obsidian Trading House, then several others of lesser scale.

And the leaders of these Trading Houses were anything but benevolent or idealistic. Their sole objective was profit—as much of it as possible.

To achieve that, many forged alliances with nobles—ranging from Barons and Viscounts to Counts, Marquises, and even Dukes.

Naturally, these partnerships came at a cost.

In exchange, the oligarchs demanded things like business permits, protection, or exclusive access to key markets.

Well, come to think of it, it all closely resembled the system he had known in his previous world.

The Red Obsidian Trading House had helped the Castellan family break into the lucrative armaments market. In return, the Castellans backed Zarak in the struggle for the throne.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement—and most importantly, it didn’t violate any succession rules.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he took a deep breath and sipped his tea.

"I understand your problem," he said casually. "I’ll help you deal with it. Don’t worry. Besides, the Red Obsidian Trading House has overstepped. This is the perfect time to give them a well-deserved beating."

Aston looked slightly puzzled by that last remark but said nothing. He simply gave a brief nod.

"In that case, I am deeply grateful, Prince," he replied solemnly.

A tired but relieved smile appeared on his face as he finally leaned back in comfort.

This issue had haunted him for months, and now—at last—there was hope it might be resolved.

He didn’t know exactly when that would happen, but one thing he was sure of: Nolan wasn’t someone who treated alliances lightly.

And for that reason, he chose to place his full trust in him.

The two continued talking about many things.

Since Aston didn’t know Nolan well, he used the opportunity to get a better sense of the young man.

To his surprise, Nolan turned out to be truly exceptional.

He was sharp-minded, intelligent, and possessed knowledge as vast as the ocean. No matter the topic, it always felt like Nolan had the answer.

It was something Aston had never seen before—not in the young heirs of noble families, nor in princes like Adalen, Cedric, Aldric, or any of the others.

Now, he finally understood why Orlan had warned him so seriously: Never offend Nolan.

To go against a man like him was no different from courting death.

Before they realized it, half an hour had passed, and the two agreed to end their conversation.

"By the way, Prince," Aston said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red token. In its center was an engraved insignia of a sword, spear, and golden shield. "This is my family’s token. Please accept it as proof that the Valmire family stands with Princess Elina."

Nolan gave it a brief glance, immediately understanding the meaning behind the gesture. He didn’t refuse. Instead, he took the token and slipped it into his pocket.

"I’ll accept it," he said flatly, turning away. "Don’t worry. By tomorrow, both the Castellan family and the Red Obsidian Trading House will suffer a heavy blow. I guarantee it."

Without another word, he walked off, leaving Aston standing there, his face frozen in stunned silence.