"They all killed my family and all the people of Gardenhill in one night. The tragedy is called the Dark Night of Adelheim," Joanna replied.
"I'm not interested in your house's past. I'm more interested in the current state of trade," Quentin stated.
Joanna squinted her eyes, looking at Quentin with seriousness, trying to analyze the man beside her.
"What do you want to know about trade for?" Joanna asked.
"Just trying to anticipate the need for me and my family," Quentin replied, Joanna having no idea the man beside him was the Lord of Helferich.
The woman fell silent again, lifting her wooden glass, which still had alcohol inside. Quentin did the same, enjoying the drink even though he didn't like the taste and smell.
"For regular needs in the home, you only need to supply an abundant supply of potatoes," Joanna replied.
Quentin, who heard Joanna's words, began to narrow his eyes. Joanna might be lying. There was a business she might have to take care of.
They might just be having a casual conversation, but for both of them, this conversation could be the start of a rumor.
"Why potatoes? Doesn't Athalaris have a large wheat field in Northcrest?" Quentin asked.
"That's right, just before Prince Edmund's army cut off the trade route from Northcrest to the south," Joanna replied.
"Many food merchants in the south cursed Edmund's actions. What he did deplete Redfair, Telmarath, or even Highvale's food supply," Joanna revealed.
"Wheat began to be left behind, the price of bread rose sharply to the point that it was difficult for common folk to buy, even nobles hesitate to buy a box of bread now," Joanna explained.
"That's why potatoes became the first choice for folks. Besides being durable, potatoes are cheaper than wheat," Joanna continues.
"Is there any chance that potatoes will survive until the end of the conflict in Northcrest?" asked Quentin.
Joanna shook her head. The answer to Quentin's question was complex, as it concerned people's interests.
People on Athalaris were used to consuming wheat, whether made into bread, cereal, pasta, or something else.
"I tried selling potatoes, but people responded less than if I sold wheat flour," Joanna explains.
"That proves they are getting bored with the potatoes, and I'm sure they will be even more bored soon," Joanna says.
The drink in Joanna's glass started running out, and the bartender poured her another for the second, final glass according to the amount of money Quentin had given him.
Quentin himself closed the glass with his right hand when the bartender was about to pour it. He thought he had had enough of the drink.
"There's not much of a potato supply compared to wheat in Northcrest anyway," Joanna explained.
"How long will these potatoes actually last in the market?" asked Quentin.
"From what I've seen through my friend's words and the people's need for winter, I believe by the third month, they'll have eaten wood and stone," Joanna replied.
The man beside Joanna nodded. He had gained valuable information regarding the food commodities needed by the people.
For now, potatoes are the people's choice. However, in the future, wheat will still be the sole choice of the people.
Northcrest was the largest producer of wheat in Athalaris. If Northcrest had been selfish, they would have kept the wheat and let the southern people freeze with starvation.
"Chaos is everywhere. Every time a regime ends, there's a suspicious mess," Joanna complained.
"Suspicious?" asked Quentin.
"I think after Prince Quentin died in Tregaron, there was chaos everywhere," revealed Joanna.
The woman beside Quentin chuckled, downing her drink in one gulp, "He's probably controlling all this chaos in the afterlife, isn't he?"
Quentin gasped, shocked to hear Joanna have such thoughts. However, Quentin was quite grateful Joanna did not know about the identity of the man beside her.
"Hey. Tell me. Do you want House Adelheim to rise again?" asked Quentin.
It was Joanna's turn to be surprised at Quentin's question. Instead of being curious, Joanna laughed out loud at Quentin's joke.
"Haha! What exactly did you say? I'm the last bloodline of Adelheim, and Gardenhill is completely controlled by House Hildemar," Joanna replied.
"I've tried asking Lorelei for help. However, they refused because they had no affinity with us," Joanna explained, her voice lowered to a sorrowful tone.
"The Redfair ruler doesn't get along with you? That's really sad," Quentin said.
"I thought so, too, but as I have lived by trade, I have begun to know the truth about Lorelei," Joanna said.
Quentin squinted, staring intently at Joanna in the hope that Quentin could get other valuable information from the unfortunate woman.
"Lorelei has worked with Hildemar to destroy Adelheim," Joanna explained.
"What?" asked Quentin.
"Hildemar promised Lorelei something, and somehow, Lorelei agreed to it," Joanna replied.
"So that's it, huh? Apart from Reingard and Lorelei's closeness, it seems that Hildemar had planned long before the selection of candidates for Queen Athalaris," stated Quentin.
Joanna heard what Quentin had said. Joanna's eyes sharpened, her heart pounding with thoughts full of high curiosity.
"I don't know your name yet, Sire," Joanna explained.
"I have to go." Quentin gave a gold coin - not to the bartender - to Joanna. He said the information Joanna had provided was more than enough for him.
Joanna accepted the money, enough for her to stay in Calden City for two nights. However, the money could not satisfy her curiosity about Quentin's identity.
The man walked out of the tavern, quickly striding towards Calden Castle as the night was approaching.
"Do you know him?" Joanna asked.
"The mysterious man? No, I don't know. Probably some weird guy who talks a lot of shit!" complained the bartender.
"You're an asshole. Ungrateful."
Joanna threw an annoyed curse at the stocky bartender. The man clucked his tongue while taking two more wooden glasses belonging to both. The woman arrived outside the tavern, her body twisting in place to search for Quentin's whereabouts.
From afar, she saw a man in black robes walking towards Calden Castle. Joanna walked silently, following the steps of the mysterious man she had been chatting with.
"Who is he?" Joanna asked.
The black hood opened. Joanna saw the form of a handsome young man with black hair, seemingly talking to the guard at the gate of Calden Castle.
"Prince Quentin," greeted the guard.
"WHAT?! QUENTIN?!" screamed Joanna, shocked that she fell from her hiding place.
Two guards began to draw their swords, one guarding Quentin while the other stepped closer to the mysterious woman.
"Who is she, Prince Quentin?" asked the guard beside him.
Quentin smiled as he crossed his arms, looking at Joanna, who had been caught stalking him.
"It's impolite to stalk me, Joanna," Quentin replied.
"Arrest her!" stated Quentin.
The two guards nodded obediently. They walked over to Joanna, took her by both hands and brought her inside Calden Castle.
"Wait. What will you do to me?" asked Joanna, trying to rebel.
Quentin smiled, not answering her. He ordered Joanna to be kept in a chamber on the first floor, an empty room used as a warehouse.
Joanna continued to rebel, unwilling to be imprisoned by them. However, her strength as a woman was no stronger than the two men in armor.
"Let me go, Prince Quentin!" Joanna shouted.
"I will talk to you tomorrow, Joanna. Try to get as much rest as you can," remarked Quentin.
The man walked up the stairs from the first to the top floor. He was about to rest in Arabelle's chamber —they had lived in the same chamber since they married.
Just as Quentin passed by Edgar's room, Quentin eyes noticed that the door was slightly open. Curiosity got the better of Quentin, and he dared to enter.
As the door slowly opened, a servant was seen tidying up the bowl and spoon Edgar had finished using.
"What are you doing?" asked Quentin.
The servant gasped in surprise, turning around quickly, "I-I've come at the behest of Lady Marcella, Prince Quentin."
"That's right," Marcella replied, coming out of the bathroom of Edgar's chamber.
Quentin's attention was drawn to the side, staring at Marcella with a sigh. The worries in his heart vanished at Marcella's presence.
"I thought she came on her own."
The servant began to pack the things on the nightstand, then planned to take them away. Quentin's sharp eyes were drawn to a mysterious small metal tube, Lasage.
"Why is Lasage here?" Quentin asked.
"Sir Colton put it there. He said that the contents of the Lasage were herbal leaves," Marcella revealed.
Quentin squinted, walking towards the servant about to exit the chamber. The servant's steps halted as Quentin called her back.
The man's hand reached forward, grabbed the Lasage, and opened the lid. Clearly visible were the burnt dry leaves that had left ashes.
Quentin touched the ashes and rubbed them on his fingers. It gave rise to a wild idea that could be used for his plan.
"All right. Give it back to Colton," Quentin stated.
The servant girl nodded obediently. She bid farewell to Quentin and Marcella, then went deep into the basement of Calden Castle.
"I thought you were already in your chamber, Prince Quentin," Marcella said.
"I've just arrived after traveling around the city. Is Arabelle in her chamber?" asked Quentin.
Marcella cleared her throat with an attentive gaze on Quentin, "Yeah. She's waiting for you there."