"Hello Raze Grimhold, raise your head and have a seat," Marine said, her gaze lingering on him as she spoke.

Raze looked up, feigning respect. He spoke, "Sorry, Your Majesty, but I really couldn't bring myself to sit beside someone of your caliber."

"Seems you are a really respectful kid," she said, then placed a hand under her chin. "Or are you? Regardless, take a seat. Your queen commands it," she stated.

Without a choice, Raze walked to the chair and sat down. He made sure he looked relaxed, yet not too relaxed to be disrespectful. He wanted to be done here and head to Ribest, so anything to make things move faster.

"So, I've heard a bit about what you have done," she said, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward. "My master told me." She glanced at Lady Rose.

"No, you used your status as queen to force me to talk. All I sent was a letter," Rose said. She picked up her cup of steamy tea and took a sip. "You have always been one stubborn kid that never knew when to stop," she added as she placed the cup down.

"Hmm, well that particular characteristic made me the queen now," Marine replied with a smile, then turned her head to Raze. "Everyone has a defiant bone in their body; you just have to find it, and you'll discover you can do a lot. Doesn't that make sense, Raze Grimhold?" she asked.

"Uhm, I believe it does, Your Majesty," Raze replied.

"You can drop the act. Sebastian is my personal servant; his life is tied to mine. Where I die, he dies, so there is nothing I hide from him. As for Lady Rose here, I believe her eyes see better than mine by far," Marine said. She interlocked her fingers and placed them on her lap as she talked to him.

'Sigh, she wants to start playing her games. Acting good and calm will only piss her off more,' Raze determined. He let out a breath and spoke, "Your Majesty, I cannot for the life of me understand what you mean by dropping the act," Raze said, a soft smile on his face and a change in demeanor.

Marine nodded, then kept talking. "So tell me how you were able to develop a soap and perfume that are that cheap, yet better than the ones most of our best alchemists can produce.

If word got out that it was a kid doing this, they would surely come for you one way or another."

"I understand that, and that's why I have decided to use people I trust for the distribution and to ensure I remain anonymous for the time being," Raze replied.

"Hmmm? Smart kid, but you should have asked Lady Rose. That's never enough in the Kingdom of Vermilion," she said. "No one is really capable of hiding everything."

"She's right, Raze. As much as I don't like it, Marine tells the truth. I'm very sure that by now, a lot of big minds have already placed people behind finding out who the real creator of the products is.

All they need is a sliver of information, a talk on the street, someone, something—anything," Rose said before taking up her tea and drinking.

'I know where they are going with this, but I don't want to be in this. It's not the right play for me.'

"I see, thank you for the warning then, Your Majesty," he said. He was about to keep speaking, but then she continued.

"Another thing, didn't a certain merchant know about what you are doing and didn't get put in the loop? Master Rose told me that as well," she said.

"You kept probing me till I said it," Rose replied casually.

"Hmm, then it's safe to say that you already have a target on your back. That's pretty wild for a kid your age, but that's not really why I am here. Despite the fact that soap and perfume are marvelous things to have, especially for the people, I am here because you fixed a rune structure from over hundreds of years ago.

That's something definitely worthy of a reward. And when you said simply 'money,' I was curious to see who it was. Was it some grubby, greedy person that wanted to get rich? Or was there some other reason?" she asked, looking him right in the eyes and staring into his soul.

But Raze sat there unshaken. He kept a calm look and then spoke, "The Grimhold family is in what you'll call a decline, amongst several other issues. I am simply trying to fix it and make it my home, and for that, I need money," Raze said.

"Hmm, so it isn't a selfish desire for gratification?" she asked.

"Well, it is. Developing Ribest makes me happy, and that's why I do it," he replied.

"Hmmm, I want to see this development one day, but for now, I can't. And I cannot stay long. Since I entered the city, the Crimson Auction House sent me an invite to come to tonight's auction, so I need to rest a bit ahead," she said and then got up. She looked at Raze.

"Your contribution to the kingdom is massive, and monetary rewards aren't enough. But as it is what you asked for, you'll receive a thousand gold coins monthly for the next five years, and a first direct payment of ten thousand gold.

You'll also be allowed to take out a loan from any financial institution of the kingdom, to which you can use the Vermilion name as collateral." She pulled out a golden ring and then handed it to him. "Everything that you need is inside there," she said before walking out, followed by Sebastian.

Outside the door, Sebastian walked behind her. He spoke, "My queen, is that all you want to do with the boy?" he asked.

"Oh no, no, no. Let's start with a very long leash. Trust takes time to build. He'll be more useful in times to come, I am certain of it," she replied.

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