“Si-Si-Sister…”
“Yes, Allice.”
Crunch. Dana twisted the heel of her shoe. She smiled brightly and then asked, “You said this is a precious flower, right? But Allice, do you think it is precious to me too?”
“Sister Dana!”
“Don’t think at your level. This is nothing more than a piece of paper to me.”
Dana smiled faintly and nudged the crushed Moonlight Flower with the tip of her shoe.
“Take this and leave immediately.”
* * *
Returning to her room, Allice burst into tears. “Sob. Sob.”
“Allice, don’t cry, okay?”
“But Miona, sob, sister, sister!”
Miona looked sympathetically at Allice. “What did Dana say to you?”
“I-I went to apologize to sister with a Moonlight Flower as a gift, but she…” Allice gasped for breath. “She said it was a lowly gift.”
“What?”
“And then, sob, she smashed the flowerpot and said my Moonlight Flower business will fail…”
“Oh my god! How could she!” Miona was shocked. “Dana is still so cruel.”
“D-Don’t say that.”
“Show her. Prove to her that you can succeed!”
“But how? What if she’s right, and I end up ruining everything? I don’t know anything.”
Allice was genuinely scared. She went to the academy just because all the children of noble families went there. At the academy, her favorite subject was piano, and in classes like economics or management, she barely managed to avoid failing…
“Don’t worry. I’m here!” Miona confidently exclaimed.
Come to think of it, Miona always scored the highest in those subjects. Moreover, Miona’s father, Viscount Kruz, was the head of a trading company. Though he lost everything in a shipwreck… Miona had learned much from her father from a young age, as she had been educated as the heir to the company.
“T-Then, do you have a good idea?” Allice hesitantly asked.
Miona pondered deeply. “Yes. I do have a good idea.”
“What is it…?”
“Well, it’s…”
* * *
“What?” Huan scowled. “Sell Moonlight Flower bulbs?”
“Yes.”
“That’s absurd, Allice! Selling the roots that haven’t even bloomed yet?!”
“It’s not about selling the roots. It’s about selling the right to receive them once they bloom later.” Allice repeated what Miona had explained to her. “We can promise the flowers once they bloom and sell them in advance at the bulb stage.”
“Nonsense! Where did you get such a foolish—”
“Wait.”
At that moment, a man stepped forward. It was Eric, the vassal of the Windsor family and the one in charge of the Moonlight Flower business.
“that’s a good idea.”
“Huh?” Huan was baffled at Eric’s words. A good idea?
“You’re suggesting we implement a pre-sale system. It’s an excellent idea.”
Eric’s words weren’t flattery. He was genuinely impressed.
“If we do as Lady Allice suggests, we can generate revenue for the next several years in advance.”
“Re-Really?”
“Yes. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. Did you come up with this, Lady Allice?”
Allice hesitated. Technically, it was Miona’s idea, but… If I hadn’t asked Miona, this idea wouldn’t have come to light. So, in a way, it was her idea.
Blushing slightly, Allice smiled. “Yes.”
“You are truly brilliant. I didn’t know you were such an intelligent person, Lady Allice.”
Huan muttered discontentedly, “Hmph. Well, I doubt it.” He was extremely displeased.
Selling bulbs? That’ll make it harder for me to sneak away Moonlight Flowers!
In fact, Huan had been planning to sneak away some Moonlight Flowers slowly to create his own private garden. But now, if they’re pre-selling the bulbs as well— the management would become stricter than before. Then, sneaking them away will be nearly impossible!
Danae said she’d consider marrying me if I could create a moonlight flower garden!
“I object. The Moonlight Flower business is thriving as it is. Why need to take unnecessary risks?”
Then Allice looked straight at Huan. “Even if Uncle opposes it, it’s pointless.”
“What?”
“I’ve got my parent’s permission and have been put in charge of sales. So, whether Uncle objects or not, I’ll be selling the bulbs.”
Veins bugled on Huan’s forehead. Could it be this girl right now. Is she defying me?! He was furious. He wanted to slap her right then and there, but if his sister and brother-in-law found out, he’d face serious consequences. So, he had to hold back.
Damn it, you b*tch.
* * *
It was a week later.
“Patriarch, have you heard?” Sandra boasted with a heightened sense of pride. “Thanks to Allice’s idea, the Moonlight Flower business is thriving!”
The past week had been like a dream for Sandra. After Allice got involved, the bidding price for Moonlight Flowers at the auction had more than doubled. Moreover, it took only a week!
“Our Allice, isn’t she amazing?”
Carl Windsor was also beaming with pride as he bragged about his daughter’s achievements. “She’s truly brilliant, haha!”
However,
“It’s too soon to celebrate.” Viego Windsor spoke coolly. “While it’s profitable in the short term, we need to be quick and responsive to maintain this upward trend.”
“Of course, of course! I believe in my daughter’s abilities!”
Meanwhile, the person receiving all this praise, Allice Windsor, blushed.
Over the past week, Moonlight Flowers had consistently broken auction records, and the bulb sales had also been a success.
I heard the first bulb auction sold for an incredibly high price.
A week ago, a single moonlight flower was 300 million Fran. But just yesterday, it sold for 600 million Fran at an auction. The bulbs were fetching nearly the same price.
I never imagined it would go this well.
Allice glanced at Dana’s face. Was she feeling defeated? Dana was silently eating her stew with a smile-less face.
She must be so embarrassed. After all, she was engrossed in bizarre delusions that Allice would ruin the Moonlight Flower business within a month.
In reality, I’m thriving.
How ashamed and mortified must she feel? How envious must she be?
Not only was Allice adored by the crown prince, but she was also being hailed as a business genius…
She must be dying of jealousy, feeling utterly humiliated.
Poor Sister Dana. So pitiful.
At that moment, their eyes met.
“…”
Allice felt a pang of discomfort.
Why?
She immediately realized. Dana still didn’t envy her. She still wasn’t feeling defeated…
Could she be in denial?
Yes, that must be it. She couldn’t possibly accept this reality. Once the adored older sister, but now a mere spectator…
But sister, denying reality is a dangerous act.
What if she remained trapped in delusions?
Allice looked at Dana with pity, as her poor cousin clinging to denial.
Look—wasn’t Sister Dana even smiling faintly right now? Isn’t she?
Thank you for the chapter!❤️🔥💋