Knock, knock.
While lost in thought, someone knocked on the door.
“Excuse me, my lady. You have a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Yes, Count Humphrey has come to visit.”
Hilde glanced at Hestia, slightly concerned.
An uninvited guest, and not just anyone—this was someone Hestia had been particularly wary of. She worried that the sudden visit would upset her lady.
Sure enough, Hestia raised her eyebrows a bit, and her fingers tapped a steady beat on the sofa’s armrest.
After a brief five-second pause, Hestia stood up.
“Where is the Count now?”
“He’s currently looking around the estate.”
Hestia followed the servant, and Hilde quickly sidled up to her, whispering, “Are you alright?”
“No, I don’t like that he comes and goes as he pleases,” Hestia’s voice was cold, sending a chill down Hilde’s spine.
“But… perhaps this is an opportunity.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hilde, while I deal with the Count, watch for anyone behaving unusually or acting busier than usual. Focus on the five suspects.”
“Understood, leave it to me.”
They soon arrived where Count Humphrey was, led by the servant.
Humphrey was standing by the library door, peeking inside.
“The young master is currently in the class.”
Hestia purposefully made her footsteps louder as she approached the Count. He turned his head. For a brief second, there seemed to be a chill in his eyes, but it quickly melted away into a soft smile.
“Well well isn’t it a new ruler of the Duchy.”
His words were intentionally misleading, making Hestia’s hand twitch for a moment. However, she maintained her smile, shaking her head modestly.
“I’m merely the young master’s guardian.”
“That’s the same thing, isn’t it? Until the young master comes of age, you hold the reins of the Duchy.”
“Haha, is that so?”
Hestia thought to herself, ‘You see only what you want to see, don’t you?’
“Did the servant not guide you to the reception room?”
“They offered, but I wanted to see the young master. Looks like he’s busy with lessons. I’ll greet him later.”
‘He probably just wants to see whether Leonhard is doing well or not.’
“I see. In any case, let me escort you to the reception room.”
Hestia had no desire to leave Leonhard alone with the Count, so she led him to the reception room.
As Hestia sat at the head of the table, Humphrey hesitated for a moment but then sat down across from her, grumbling uncomfortably.
She paid no mind to his reaction and instructed a maid to bring refreshments.
“Your sudden visit caught me off guard. Had you informed us in advance, we could’ve prepared a more proper reception for you.”
‘You could’ve at least let us know you were coming.’
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I just happened to be passing by and thought of dropping in. There’s no need for us to exchange formal invitations just to see each other.”
‘I’m not someone who needs to notify you of every move I make, right?’
“Of course, but your sudden visit suggests you must have something important to discuss.”
‘So get to the point.’
“Haha, the young lady seems a bit impatient.”
‘So eager, aren’t you?’
They briefly locked eyes, smiling at each other, though their words held concealed daggers.
“Ahem, well, I actually came to talk about that business proposal you recently turned down.”
Humphrey handed over some papers, and Hestia narrowed her eyes.
‘This is about the project I rejected a few days ago.’
It was a redevelopment project for a small village on the southern coast, intended to turn it into a high-end vacation destination for royalty and nobility.
At first glance, it didn’t seem like a terrible idea. Targeting the rich and transforming the place into to resort could generate considerable profits.
But there was a reason Hestia had rejected it.
“I assume you declined because of the large investment required. Right now, the trend across the country is to target the noble and wealthy classes with high-end projects.”
“I’m well aware of current market trends. Even our family has been developing high-end products.”
“Exactly. But nobody has yet developed a large-scale resort like this. I assure you, this will become a key asset for the South in the future.”
Humphrey continued listing the benefits of the project, claiming that nobles were eager to invest. However, Hestia wasn’t paying much attention.
‘That project was a total disaster in my past life, even ridiculed by other nobles.’
In her previous life, Humphrey had been his guardian and had pushed the project forward.
But the village needed completely new buildings, and everything had to match the aristocratic style. The amount of money and time needed was huge. It took three years just to finish the construction.
Even after the grand opening, they had a hard time making back their investment, even with all the promotion. At first, the resort drew in visitors, but it didn’t take long for the excitement to fade.
There were a lot of reasons for the failure, but the biggest problem was the village’s remote location. Being far from any city, the only draw was the stunning ocean view, which got boring pretty quickly. People went to resorts in the South to find something exotic, but there were no events, markets, or chances to connect with locals or other travelers. The only entertainment they had was a casino—something they could just as easily enjoy back home.
The second major issue popped up when pirates attacked the village less than a year after it opened. The South was known for its bustling maritime trade but also for rampant piracy. Naval patrols were essential, yet foolishly, Humphrey had pushed the local navy station to a neighboring village, claiming it ruined the aesthetic vibes.
‘To make things worse, the grand duchess was vacationing there at the time and became the target of the attack.’
Although the nearby naval forces responded quickly, preventing any loss of life, those who were briefly captured by the pirates suffered significant psychological trauma. News of the incident spread like wildfire, and soon even the few nobles who had visited stopped coming, turning the village into a ghost town.
Naturally, they never recovered the initial investment and suffered massive losses.
‘There were other issues as well, but those were the main ones.’
There was no way Hestia would approve such a doomed project.
“I guarantee it—this will be a groundbreaking project that will bring prosperity to the South!”
‘Look at him, so confident.’
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Hestia feigned a thoughtful expression.
“But… the investment seems far larger than I expected. I’m also concerned about relocating the naval base.”
“Since we’re going after the aristocrats, this kind of investment is essential. As for the village, it’s been calm for ages. Even the navy crew stationed there is mostly just twiddling their thumbs. We’re not getting rid of them, just relocating them to the next village—it shouldn’t cause any problems.”
“The reason it’s peaceful is because the navy is there. Do you really think pirates would attack with naval forces stationed nearby?”
“Tsk, tsk. You’re still young and inexperienced. That entire region has been peaceful for generations. I’ve never seen pirates there in all my years.”
‘So that’s why you moved the base in the last life, you idiot?’
Realizing words alone wouldn’t convince him, Hestia sighed lightly.
“Regardless, I can’t approve relocating the navy. Even if they’re not actively fighting, we can’t just move a military unit on a whim.”
“Tch…”
Humphrey scowled, visibly displeased, as he leaned back in his chair, staring at Hestia with thinly veiled irritation.
Seeing his disdainful expression and finger-pointing, Hestia struggled to suppress the smirk threatening to creep onto her lips.
“You seemed so sharp for your age, but you’re more rigid than I expected. You can’t be so cautious all the time, especially when you’re young. You need to take bold risks.”
His tone was condescending as if he was talking to a child.
“Haha… It’s not my own money, so I have to be careful. I hope you understand.”
“Ahem. Fine, I’ll let the naval issue go. So, will you invest?”
His smug expression returned.
It seemed clear that he was convinced he would secure the investment.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
“You don’t need to give much. Just this amount will do. All you need to do is sign here and stamp the duke’s seal, and I’ll take care of the rest. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Hestia looked down at the amount written on the contract.
“Not much, you say, but you’re asking for this much?”
The amount was equal to the base purchase price for the mine she had been eyeing.
It was equivalent to three years’ budget for an ordinary estate.
Though Winston Duchy’s cash flow was solid enough to recover from such an investment, but there was no reason to invest in something that was bound to fail and wouldn’t even recover the principal.
“I’m sorry, but… I won’t be able to invest.”
As she gently pushed the contract back, Malrus couldn’t even manage his expression and began glaring at her.
“Ha… Lady Frost.”
“Yes, Count?”
“Are you trying to play games with me?”
It was a blatant threat, something you could expect from a back-alley thug.
“How could that be?”
“Then why are you rejecting the contract without even taking a proper look? It seems to me like you’re just dismissing me.”
“I didn’t examine it thoroughly because I already reviewed the business proposal when it was submitted earlier. It’s all still clear in my mind. I judged that investment wouldn’t be feasible after considering multiple factors. It’s not out of any personal feelings.”
“…”
“In fact, personal feelings should never be involved in these matters. This isn’t just a few coins; it’s coming out of the duchy’s budget, so I have no choice but to be cautious. I trust you’ll understand with your broad, generous heart, Count.”
At her last flattering remark, he finally seemed to recall his dignity and cleared his throat.
