Reincarnated as Twins: And Then, I Was the Only One Abandoned - ☆32 The Beginning of Exchange

☆32 The Beginning of Exchange 

“Well, well, Princess Elysia. I hope you are in good spirits today?” 

Leonard greeted Elysia with an exaggerated smile. He was rubbing his hands together as he stood to greet her as she entered the parlor. His eyes flickered briefly to the luxurious decorations in the room before returning to Elysia. 

“Duke Leonard. It has been a while. How have you been?” 

“Ah, yes, yes. I have been the same as always.” 

Leonard responded with a hint of nervousness. 

“That is good to hear. Now then, what brings you here today despite your busy schedule?” 

Elysia smiled warmly but immediately got to the point. 

“Well, it’s about Mistia Lake…” 

“Mistia Lake?” 

Elysia furrowed her brows, intrigued. Her sharp gaze seemed to probe Leonard. She was searching for the true intent behind his words. 

“Yes, I have recently heard that there is a large deposit of magic stones at the bottom of the lake.” 

Leonard glanced at Elysia, gauging her reaction. She simply gestured for him to continue. 

“You see, if it were just a few stones, it wouldn’t be an issue. However, a large-scale deposit of magic stones directly affects national interests. Therefore, I was hoping you might consider returning the rights to the lake to us…” 

Perhaps intimidated by Elysia’s silence, Leonard hastily continued. His voice slightly trembled. 

“O-Of course, we would refund part of the purchase price for the land.” 

Elysia fell into deep thought, her gaze distant as if calculating something. A heavy silence hung between them. 

“It is indeed unseemly for a portion of my land to technically belong to someone else.” 

“Y-You are absolutely right! B-But, if you could consider our circumstances, we would be most grateful…” 

Leonard’s voice grew weaker as he cast his gaze downward. 

Elysia observed him carefully before calmly posing another question. 

“Do you have magic stone artisans in Eldora?” 

Leonard hesitated. 

Refining raw magic stones and crafting them into usable magic tools required highly skilled artisans. Such work could not simply be entrusted to any blacksmith. 

“Actually, we are currently in the process of bringing artisans from Eldarin.” 

Elysia sighed and nodded. 

“You see, raw magic stones are only worth about two or three silver coins each. However, once refined, their value jumps to ten silver coins per stone.” 

She paused to ensure Leonard grasped the significance of her words. 

“So, how about this, Duke? I will keep ownership of the lake as it is. In exchange, I will sell you processed magic stones for five silver coins each.” 

Leonard quickly did the math in his head. 

Selling raw stones would barely yield a few silver coins. But if he purchased processed magic stones for five silver coins and resold them for ten, he would make a five-coin profit per stone. Even if he chose not to sell them, he would still gain a stockpile of refined stones. 

“…I cannot compete with you, Princess. Very well, let us proceed with that arrangement.” 

Leonard bowed deeply. 

As he took a sip of the tea before him, finally relaxing, he casually asked another question. 

“By the way, Princess, on my way here, I noticed crops unlike any I have seen before. What are they?” 

“We are cultivating various specialty crops from Eldarin. Due to the distance, transporting harvested goods from Eldarin to here is impractical. So we decided to grow them ourselves. Sometimes, one longs for the taste of home, after all.” 

“Eldarin’s specialty crops! Now that is fascinating. Would it be possible for you to sell any surplus to us?” 

Leonard had long heard rumors from adventurers about Eldarin’s fruits and vegetables and had always wanted to try them. 

“I would love to, but we have only planted enough to sustain ourselves…..… Expanding the fields would require more hands.” 

“Then we shall provide farmers. Naturally, they will need housing as well.” 

Leonard eagerly leaned forward, already making plans. 

The discussion soon expanded beyond agriculture, touching on blacksmiths, carpenters, and leatherworkers. It led to talks of broader exchanges of skilled labor. 

Elysia found herself almost overwhelmed by Leonard’s enthusiasm. But Fia, standing beside her, calmly provided support. By the end of the meeting, they had agreed to draft official contracts and finalize the arrangements at a later date. 

◆◆◆

By the time Leonard set out on his return journey, the sun was already beginning to set. 

“Ah, Princess, today was truly a fruitful discussion. I feel I have spent a most productive and valuable time here. I expect I shall be visiting frequently from now on, so I humbly ask for your continued cooperation.” 

With a polite bow, Leonard boarded his carriage and departed. 

Elysia watched the carriage disappear into the distance before letting out a small sigh. 

“I feel like I got swept up in his momentum…..… But if having more people around makes things more convenient, then I suppose it’s a good thing.” 

She turned to speak to Fia, who responded with an equally exhausted expression. 

“That’s true. However, many of the estate’s servants still hold prejudices against humans.” 

“Including you, right?” 

Elysia asked with a playful smile. 

“Compared to before, not so much anymore. For better or worse, that’s thanks to Souta.” 

Fia replied with a weary look on her face.