Chương 58: Chapter 56 – Movers and Shakers

Chelsea's blood ran cold as the king spoke. Her eyes widened slightly, and for one terrible moment she forgot how to breathe. She immediately looked at Ivy. She looked equally as stunned. Chelsea felt… Panic? Why? She opened her mouth, ready to protest, but Adriane smoothly took control of the conversation before Chelsea could say a word.

"My Chelsea truly is quite the specimen," Adriane said with a calm smile.

"She would make an exceptional princess and, someday, an even more incredible queen. Unfortunately, there is one rather significant problem." Her expression remained perfectly pleasant.

"She is a demon."

"I fail to see why that is an issue," the king replied.

"Junstruce prides itself on welcoming all races. Having a demon as a princess would only strengthen that message." Chelsea was only now noticing how tired the king looked. He didn't look… old… just really really tired.

"Oh, that part would be lovely," Adriane agreed easily.

"The issue is more dietary in nature." She gestured lightly toward Chelsea.

"My sweet little sister eats humans." The warm smiles vanished from every royal face almost in unison, replaced by varying shades of horror, disbelief, and alarm.

"Surely," the queen said carefully, "you are joking." Chelsea quickly stepped in before Adriane could elaborate further.

"I can eat other things as well, Your Majesty," she explained politely.

"But Adriane is correct. Human is my preferred food." She folded her hands neatly in front of herself.

"Marrying into the royal family would place me around humans constantly. I fear there could eventually come a moment where instinct overpowers restraint." She lowered her eyes slightly.

"If I were to lose control and injure a member of the royal family, the consequences would be catastrophic." The king rubbed thoughtfully at his beard.

"That would indeed complicate matters," he admitted.

"I trust you are not hunting my citizens for meals?"

"Oh no, Your Majesty," Chelsea answered immediately.

"I've simply added a private bounty to certain guild contracts. Specifically jobs involving bandits or other dangerous criminals. Adventurers bring me back…"

"Specific parts," Adriane interrupted before Chelsea could enthusiastically explain further. The princess, who had remained unusually quiet until now, looked at Chelsea with fascination.

"Do you find it difficult being around humans?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not particularly," Chelsea replied.

"It's more comparable to walking into a bakery and smelling fresh sweets. Humans smell good." She shrugged. The princess stared at her.

"Sweets," she repeated uncertainly. Chelsea nodded brightly.

"Exactly." The king cleared his throat a bit louder than necessary.

"Well, what about your younger brother," the king said conversationally.

"I would be delighted to unite the our families through matrimony between him and our daughter." Chelsea smiled politely despite the panic building behind her eyes.

"That is an incredibly generous offer, Your Majesty," she began carefully. Speaking with nobles felt like navigating a minefield while balancing tea cups.

"Truly. However…" She paused, trying to decide how to phrase this diplomatically.

"There is one rather significant obstacle."

"And that would be?" the king asked. Chelsea folded her hands neatly behind her back.

"At present, our brother is courting someone already." She considered stopping there, then immediately decided against it.

"Unfortunately, Princess Evelyn would first need to defeat Fiona, the Brutal, in single combat for the opportunity to pursue him romantically." Princess Evelyn went pale almost instantly.

"Fiona… the Brutal?" she repeated weakly. It was obvious she didn't know who Fiona was, but just the title… Prince William, meanwhile, looked less horrified and more intrigued. In fact, his expression slowly shifted into the face of someone solving a puzzle piece by piece.

"That explains why she's constantly sitting with the Wixx family at the guildhall," he murmured thoughtfully. Then another realization struck him.

"That's also why she no longer smells terrible." Chelsea nodded proudly.

"That would be my doing, yes." She studied him for another moment before tilting her head.

"Forgive me, Prince William, but have we met before? You seem incredibly familiar." Adriane answered before he could.

"You spoke with him earlier today." Chelsea frowned thoughtfully. Earlier today… Then it hit her.

"The Guardian!" she exclaimed, pointing at him before quickly lowering her hand once she remembered she was in a throne room with nobility.

"You were the Guardian asking for a job early." Her eyes widened slightly in horror.

"Oh no. I hope I wasn't rude when I turned you away." Beside her, Adriane and Ivy both failed to suppress quiet laughter. Prince William, however, looked genuinely baffled.

"You did the exact opposite," he admitted.

"I approached you as a complete stranger asking for special treatment, and instead of dismissing me, you quietly set aside an appropriate job for me anyway." He paused, staring at Chelsea with visible confusion.

"I originally assumed you recognized me." Chelsea shook her head immediately.

"That makes this even stranger," he replied.

"You were simply…" He hesitated, like the conclusion itself felt absurd.

"Being nice?"

"Well yes," she said slowly.

"That's generally how people are supposed to act toward each other." Adriane, meanwhile, looked entirely unsurprised. The princess, on the other hand, was now staring at Chelsea with the exact same expression Maggie had worn during their first meeting: confused, fascinated, and slightly emotionally compromised. Chelsea was beginning to suspect her "kind-eyed demon" problem was getting worse instead of better.

"Well then," The king announced, clearly eager to redirect the discussion, "we should not keep the nobility waiting." The queen slipped her arm around the king's as they began walking. Prince William stepped toward Adriane and offered his arm with practiced elegance. Adriane accepted it with the cautious expression of someone accepting a venomous snake. Chelsea nearly laughed. The princess moved beside Chelsea while Ivy followed a respectful distance behind them.

"Miss Chelsea," the princess asked quietly as they walked through the halls, "may I ask your age?"

"Of course," Chelsea replied sweetly.

"I turned eighteen about a month and a half ago. What about yourself?" The princess looked visibly startled by the answer.

"I will turn nineteen later this month," she replied after a moment.

"How did you perform so well during the assessment?" And just like that, the questioning began. Chelsea did not dislike the princess. Quite the opposite, actually. The girl seemed intelligent, curious, and surprisingly driven beneath her timid demeanor. Still, there was something in the way she kept studying Chelsea.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the butler announced loudly as the great ballroom doors swung open, "The royal family accompanied by Adriane and Chelsea Wixx." As they entered, a wave of applause swept through the grand ballroom. The room itself was far larger than the throne chamber and considerably more alive. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, scattering warm golden light across polished marble floors and gold-trimmed walls.

Noble families clustered together throughout the hall while servants drifted between them carrying trays of wine and delicate pastries. Unlike the throne room, this gathering was not restricted to adults. Children in miniature formalwear darted recklessly between groups of nobles, their laughter adding a surprising warmth to the otherwise refined atmosphere. Chelsea immediately noticed something else as well. Everyone was staring at her. Not at Adriane. At the weird demon.

The entire room had turned toward her and Adriane. Some nobles stared openly in awe at the Silver Sword herself. Others looked at Chelsea with curiosity, caution, or poorly-hidden unease. A few simply looked terrified. Chelsea smiled politely anyway. If she was going to terrify an entire ballroom full of nobles, she might as well do it while looking pretty.

"Miss Chelsea, you simply must meet my friends," Princess Evelyn insisted as she suddenly grabbed Chelsea's hand and began pulling her deeper into the ballroom. Chelsea barely managed not to stumble. As she was dragged along, another horrifying realization struck her. She had completely forgotten the princess's name. Chelsea discreetly used The Eyes. Evelyn, The Princess of Junstruce. Well that title certainly lacked creativity.

Chelsea glanced back toward Adriane for help, but her sister merely sighed and waved her onward in surrender. Unfortunately, that meant Adriane was about to lose her Charisma shield against the nobility. Chelsea suddenly felt much worse about leaving her alone. Still, openly refusing a princess seemed like an excellent way to create an off with her head moment, so Chelsea reluctantly allowed herself to be escorted away. Ivy naturally followed close behind exactly as instructed.

Princess Evelyn led them toward two girls standing near one of the ballroom pillars. Both were dressed in extravagant silk gowns that shimmered under the chandelier light with every slight movement. One had auburn hair arranged into elaborate curls pinned with glittering jeweled clips. The other wore an elegant silver tiara that looked almost comically heavy atop her pale blonde hair. The air of privilege surrounding them was so thick Chelsea felt like she could physically trip over it.

"Judith, Laura," Evelyn called brightly. Both girls lit up immediately upon hearing the princess's voice. Then their smiles faltered the instant they realized who she had brought with her.

"Evelyn," the auburn-haired girl said carefully, "who exactly are these two?"

"Judith, this is the demon girl I was telling you about," Evelyn explained excitedly.

"The new A-rank merchant." She then glanced toward Ivy with visible confusion.

"And…" She hesitated.

"I actually don't know who she is." Chelsea immediately stepped in before Ivy could become invisible beside the nobility. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"This," Chelsea announced proudly, "is my best friend and personal assistant, Ivy Leaf." Ivy looked back at Chelsea with immediate gratitude written across her face. The blonde noblewoman finally spoke.

"Don't demons and elves hate each other?" she asked.

"And why would you need a personal assistant?"

"First, maybe generally speaking," Chelsea replied pleasantly, "but as I said, she's my best friend." She gestured toward Ivy.

"Second, there are quite a few things I can't easily do by myself. Ivy helps with those."

"Like what?" both girls asked almost simultaneously. Evelyn immediately straightened.

"Ladies," she scolded softly, "mind your manners. This is Miss Chelsea Wixx, the highest-ranking merchant in the entire kingdom."

"I took the merchant examination once," the blonde noblewoman announced proudly. Chelsea brightened immediately.

"Really? How quickly did you finish?"

"About half an hour." Chelsea looked genuinely impressed.

"That's an incredible time. What rank did you receive?" The blonde noblewoman paused.

"Oh, I failed horribly," she admitted.

"Numbers make absolutely no sense." Chelsea stared at her for a second before nodding solemnly.

"Understandable." Evelyn quickly stepped in before the conversation derailed further.

"My apologies, Miss Chelsea. This is Lady Judith, daughter of Marquess Dunder, and Lady Laura, daughter of Duke Juice." She smiled toward the blonde.

"She's also my cousin."

"It's a pleasure meeting you both," Chelsea said politely while giving a small curtsy.

"Servant girl," Judith said casually while looking at Ivy, "go fetch us drinks." A cold wave of irritation and anger rolled through Chelsea immediately. She kept her smile in place, but only barely. Ivy instinctively looked toward Chelsea for guidance. Chelsea answered for her before the elf could speak.

"My apologies, Lady Judith," Chelsea said pleasantly.

"Ivy is not permitted to leave my side for any reason." Her smile grew ever so slightly.

"However, I would be more than happy to retrieve drinks for everyone myself." Judith looked entirely unbothered by this arrangement.

"Wonderful. Bring us three sparkling wines."

"Of course," Chelsea replied with a graceful curtsy before stepping away from the group.

"You're seriously going to let her talk to you like that?" Ivy asked quietly once they were out of earshot.

"Talking to me that way is whatever," Chelsea replied with a shrug.

"Talking to you that way is different." Her expression flattened slightly before she dismissed it with a sigh.

"Besides, they can survive waiting a little longer for their drinks. I don't have time to play noble teenager tonight." She glanced out across the ballroom. Every important person in the kingdom seemed to be gathered beneath those chandeliers. Merchants, Guild officials, Nobles, Investors, Landowners, People with money. People who moved caravans, controlled imports, supplied armies, financed construction, and decided which businesses succeeded or quietly vanished.

"I need to make connections," she murmured.

"A lot of them." Ivy tilted her head.

"Connections?"

"Networking," Chelsea corrected automatically.

"Making people like me and want to work with me."

"That sounds manipulative."

"It is manipulative," Chelsea replied cheerfully.

"But in a nice way." She reached into her pouch and pulled out both the necklace and gloves Adriane had given her earlier.

"I think it's time these came back out." The gloves slid smoothly over her hands while the necklace settled against her collarbone.

"Better?" Ivy asked.

"Safer," Chelsea corrected. She scanned the room carefully. Years of watching business videos in economics class, doomscrolling finance content online trying to get her mother out of debt and absorbing those manipulative sales tactics she watched on Youtube suddenly became college level knowledge.. The truly important people stood farther back where conversations were quieter. That was where the real networking happened.

Chelsea immediately spotted three older men speaking near one of the massive windows overlooking the city. One wore deep blue noble attire with silver embroidery shaped like waves. Another had ink-stained fingers and merchant ledgers tucked under one arm despite being at a royal ball. The third wore practical black clothing with only a small crest pin to indicate status. There was no flashy jewelry. These were business men, not interested in peacocking. Chelsea immediately walked toward them. Ivy hurried after her.

"…grain prices from Vallance continue rising," the ink-stained merchant was saying quietly.

"If the western roads remain unstable, winter imports will become problematic."

"The roads are not the issue," the man in black replied calmly.

"Bandit activity has tripled near the border forests."

"Because your guards keep getting bribed," the nobleman in blue muttered. Chelsea stopped directly beside the group.

"Hello there," she said brightly. All three men looked toward her at once. The merchant nearly dropped his ledger. The nobleman looked confused.

"Miss Chelsea Wixx," the merchant said cautiously.

"That's me." Chelsea smiled warmly and gestured between the three of them.

"And you all look important." The nobleman barked out a surprised laugh. While the merchant looked legitimately terrified. Chelsea continued before any of them could recover.

"You," she pointed toward the nobleman in blue, "look like shipping or imports. Probably sea trade." His eyebrows rose.

"You," she pointed toward the merchant, "are either logistics or supply management because nobody carries accounting notes to a royal ballroom unless they physically cannot relax. And you were hoping to get some work done during this…" Chelsea sighed, "required formal greeting." She scoffed The merchant slowly lowered the ledger behind his back.

"And you," she finished while looking toward the man in black, "look like someone whose entire life would improve if everyone else around you became slightly less stupid." For the first time all evening, the man in black actually smiled.

"Gods," he muttered.

"I like her already." The nobleman laughed again and offered a hand.

"Duke Marin Valcrest. Junstruce maritime trade." Chelsea shook it immediately.

"Knew it." The merchant sighed before introducing himself next.

"Ellis Thorn. Senior logistics coordinator for the merchant's guild."

"Oh!" Chelsea brightened.

"You're one of mine." Ellis looked deeply uncertain how to respond to that statement. The final man finally extended his hand.

"Commander Hale. Internal security." Chelsea shook his hand as well. Commander Hale stared at her for a second before another reluctant smile appeared. Chelsea immediately pressed the advantage.

"So," she announced, clasping her hands together, "what catastrophic problems are currently ruining all of your lives?" The three men exchanged looks. Then, unexpectedly, Duke Valcrest answered honestly.

"The river ports." Ellis immediately groaned.

"Don't start."

"No, she asked," the duke argued.

"Half our imported grain spoils before reaching the capital because the unloading system is ancient."

"The roads are worse," Ellis countered.

"You lose less money to spoiled grain than we lose replacing damaged wagons." Commander Hale crossed his arms.

"And both of you ignore the actual issue," he said.

"Trade routes remain unsafe." Chelsea listened intently. Not fake polite listening. Actual listening. Chelsea had discovered very early that people adored someone who genuinely listened.

"So your ports are inefficient," Chelsea summarized.

"Your roads are deteriorating. Your security response is reactive instead of preventative, and all three problems are feeding each other." The three men went silent. Commander Hale narrowed his eyes slightly.

"How old are you again?"

"Eighteen." Chelsea smiled sweetly. For the next half hour, Chelsea worked the room like she had been born for it. She spoke with textile importers about foreign dyes and with caravan leaders about monster migration affecting trade routes. She spoke with a jeweler who imported enchanted gemstones from desert kingdoms. She somehow ended up in a heated discussion with two nobles about whether restaurants for commoners could become profitable. That one nearly came to blows.

Ivy watched the entire thing from slightly behind her, growing more stunned with every passing conversation. Chelsea moved through the ballroom effortlessly. She laughed easily. Remembered names and asked thoughtful questions. Complimented people sincerely. Made nobles feel important. Made merchants feel respected and not looked down on just because she took a test quickly. She even made guards feel noticed and appreciated by going to each one and letting them know she appreciated them more than they know.

And somehow, impossibly, every single person walked away from the conversation feeling like Chelsea Wixx genuinely cared about what they had to say. By the time the music shifted for the next dance, half the ballroom was watching the demon girl in the blue dress. And standing near the wall with a wine glass in hand, Commander Hale quietly muttered to Duke Valcrest "That girl is either going to become the richest woman on the continent…"

He watched Chelsea charm an elderly trade minister into laughing so hard he nearly spilled his drink.

"Or she's going to accidentally conquer it."

"I'm exhausted," Chelsea groaned as she collapsed backward against the cushioned carriage seat. The moment the ballroom doors had closed behind them, every ounce of polished noble etiquette had evaporated from her body.

"That," Adriane said smugly from across the carriage, "is exactly why I wanted you there tonight. I think I only had to say ten words the entire evening." Chelsea slowly lifted her head.

"Adriane," she said carefully, "do you actually understand how enormous tonight was for us?" Adriane leaned back comfortably.

"I mean, I usually get receptions like that," she replied casually.

"The house was nice, but Duke Juice offered me one the last time I stayed here too." Chelsea immediately grabbed both of her horns. This had become her preferred method of stress management.

"Adriane," she repeated slowly, "meeting the king and queen was an honor. Wonderful. Fantastic. Cool. House. Neat." She waved one hand dismissively.

"But that is not the important part." Neither Adriane nor Ivy interrupted her. Chelsea pointed dramatically toward the carriage ceiling like she was unveiling divine revelation itself.

"I am now on a first-name basis with almost every major importer, exporter, trade coordinator, shipping authority, and supply manager in this kingdom." Both of them stared blankly.

"Ok?" Adriane replied. Chelsea leaned forward intensely.

"In this society, trade is power. Whoever controls the movement of goods controls money. Whoever controls money controls influence. And whoever controls influence eventually controls policy." Ivy's face slowly scrunched in concentration as she tried to follow along. Chelsea continued before either of them could derail her momentum.

"Every single merchant I spoke to tonight accidentally told me where the kingdom is bleeding money." She pointed excitedly at Adriane.

"The ports are inefficient. The roads are unstable. Their food distribution system is archaic. Restaurants barely exist. Most nobles think commoners eating prepared meals is some kind of revolutionary concept." Adriane slowly raised one finger.

"It is."

"That's not the point," Chelsea said immediately.

"The point is that I found revenue streams tonight. Real ones. Places where money doesn't just grow." Her eyes lit up dangerously.

"It multiplies." Ivy stared at her helplessly.

"You've been saying words all night that I don't understand," she admitted.

"It honestly feels like you've been speaking a completely different language to the nobles."

"Yes!" Adriane agreed immediately.

"The bank was like that too!" Chelsea pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Okay," she sighed.

"Simple version." Both of them visibly focused.

"Right now," Chelsea explained carefully, "we have middle money." She made a small circle with her thumb and forefingers of both hands. They nodded.

"Tonight, I met people with big money." She made a circle roughly twice the first circle's size. More nodding. Chelsea grinned.

"And because of the things those people accidentally revealed to me…" She clasped her hands together excitedly.

"I realized our middle money can become very, very, very big money." she pulled her hands apart to mime a circle the size of a dinner plate. Adriane frowned thoughtfully.

"How big?" Chelsea considered the question.

"The current loan?" she asked.

"Theoretically, eventually, it becomes the equivalent of loose change." Adriane's eyes widened.

"We could pay it off?" Chelsea laughed.

"I mean we could pay it off with the leftover gold from entirely unrelated purchases."

"Oh." Adriane went completely silent after that, staring out the carriage window with the expression of someone mentally trying to comprehend numbers large that large. Ivy, however, still looked confused.

"I don't understand where the money itself comes from," she admitted.

"Does that mean Adriane is going to take significantly more contracts?"

"That's the best part," Chelsea said with a delighted grin.

"No." Both of them looked at her.

"In fact," Chelsea continued, "if everything works the way I think it will, Adriane should eventually be able to stop taking awful jobs entirely." Adriane looked back immediately.

"What?" Chelsea noticed, her face was… close. Really close to Ivy's.

"I'm serious." Chelsea leaned back in her chair to create distance.

"A few months for setup, maybe longer depending on construction and supply chains, but theoretically? We should eventually reach a point where the family no longer depends on questing income at all." Adriane stared at her. Chelsea pointed toward herself proudly.

"Capitalism baby!" Neither of them reacted.

"I really need to stop using words from Earth," Chelsea muttered. The carriage finally rolled to a stop outside the inn. The driver climbed down first and opened the carriage door for them. As usual, Adriane exited first, followed by Ivy. Chelsea moved to step out last when the driver suddenly cleared his throat nervously.

"Miss Wixx," he began awkwardly, "would you perhaps allow me to take you out for lunch sometime?" She had prepared for this exact situation.

"I am so sorry," she replied gently.

"I'm actually already involved with someone." She gave him an encouraging smile.

"But don't worry. There's a lot of cool chicks out there. You'll find the right one eventually." The driver stared at her in confusion.

"My…my apologies," he said slowly.

"I'm… actually, I'm already married." Chelsea froze halfway out of the carriage.

"Oh." The driver looked equally confused.

"Oh." There was a painful silence.

"Right," Chelsea said weakly. The driver awkwardly tipped his hat.

"Have a wonderful evening, Miss Wixx."

"You too." The carriage pulled away. Chelsea stood motionless in the street for several seconds before slowly turning toward Adriane and Ivy.

"Did I just figure something out?" she asked. Chelsea pointed dramatically toward the retreating carriage.

"I need to test this on Henry immediately."