Chapter 19
As I mumbled to myself, Lilianne and Sabrina looked at me with puzzled expressions.
Ignoring their stares, I suddenly stood up and shouted,
“A club!”
“Why?”
“I’m talking about making a real club! A club that fits the historic era!”
“What???”
Sabrina and Lilianne looked at me in confusion, but I just smiled mischievously.
After hunting with Alex in the forest outside the capital, Mathieu rode his horse all the way to the beach.
It had been a while since he last rode freely like this, and the thrill of it filled him with excitement.
Winning the hunting bet also helped his mood.
Because of the hot weather, the beach was crowded with nobles having picnics.
Mathieu looked at them with disdain, thinking how lazy and idle they were.
Just then, Alex arrived late and whistled as he took in the view.
“Wow~ Look at all the ladies playing in the water. Why don’t we take a break here too?”
Ignoring Alex’s nonsense, Mathieu clicked his tongue and urged his horse forward.
“You stay if you want.”
“Wow, you’ve really changed since the breakup. The once notorious young duke, who never refused a woman, suddenly has no interest? What a surprise.”
“Shut up.”
The truth was, his past relationships were more of a rebellion against his fiancée and father.
No matter how many scandals he caused, his fiancée would always smile foolishly, which only made him more frustrated.
It felt similar to dealing with his father—an unresponsive wall, whether he did good or bad.
But now that the wall was gone, he found himself uninterested in other women.
Or maybe, a new kind of wall had formed instead…
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Alex’s loud voice again.
“Wow! Oh my god! Now that’s a bold lady!”
Alex’s voice trailed off as he squinted, as if trying to recognize someone.
“…Wait a second… Hmm?”
Then, as if realizing something, he murmured,
“Isn’t that your ex-fiancée?”
Only then did Mathieu turn to look at the beach again.
What’s so special about Claire…?
And then—he froze.
Under a parasol, three women sat elegantly, wearing outfits that were barely covering them.
Bare legs, bare arms, and even exposed breasts…
“Whew~”
Alex whistled as he enjoyed the sight, which made Mathieu frown deeply.
For a moment, he almost punched Alex in the mouth.
Realizing his own reaction, he quickly turned away, feeling frustrated.
Damn it. Whether his ex-fiancée walked around half-naked or completely naked, why should he care?
“Let’s go.”
“Why? This is a rare sight! Let’s enjoy it a bit longer!”
That was the last straw. Mathieu grabbed Alex by the collar and yanked him close.
Shocked, Alex blinked at him.
“W-What’s wrong with you?”
Mathieu hesitated, debating whether to punch him or not.
Barely holding back his anger, he gritted his teeth and muttered,
“If another man saw your divorced ex-wife naked, how would you feel?”
Alex looked at him in confusion.
“What are you talking about? I was never married, so I don’t have an ex-wife!”
For the past few days, I had practically lived in the study.
Now, holding the completed document in my hands, I looked at it with pride.
It was a business plan for a salon—a club disguised as an elite social space for nobles.
A real club!
If you’re from Korea, you’d know—the kind of club where young people dance and party until dawn!
Of course, this one would be fancier and more private.
I wasn’t rushing into this blindly.
Reputation and word-of-mouth were everything when running a salon or social club.
Luckily, I had a secret weapon—Lilianne.
The Sinclair Marquisate was close to the royal family and had strong influence in high society.
And Lilianne was their beautiful only daughter.
With her support, getting nobles to talk about the club wouldn’t be difficult.
My job was to design a space that would capture their curiosity and excitement.
And I was confident.
Who am I? A former project manager from Korea’s ruthless IT industry!
I spent years balancing client demands, meeting designer requests, and handling programmer complaints.
I knew exactly where people would find faults and how to prepare for them in advance.
Now, to remodel the building and hire staff, I needed investment.
My plan was to convince the count with this proposal and secure the funding.
Holding the documents with determination, I left the study and went to find my father, the Count of Devonshire.
Luckily, today he was working at the mansion.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on his office door and spoke carefully,
“Father, it’s Claire.”
A moment later, his voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
As I stepped into the study, my father, the Count, looked at me curiously while reviewing a pile of documents with his monocle on.
“What brings you to my study?”
The old Claire never even went near the study, afraid of disturbing him.
But now, I had come all the way here, knocked on the door, and was standing in front of him.
No wonder he looked so surprised.
“Is this about the young duke?”
He probably thought that was the only reason I would come.
Even though I was acting strong on the outside, my father knew I was a soft-hearted and caring daughter.
Wanting to ease his concern, I smiled brightly.
“No, Father. This isn’t about the young duke.”
“Then…?”
I carefully stepped forward and handed him the document I brought.
Frowning in confusion, he took the papers, adjusted his monocle, and began reading.
I waited nervously, just like a project manager waiting for a client’s approval.
After a long silence, he finally placed the document on his desk and stared at me.
“Did you prepare this yourself?”
I couldn’t tell from his expression whether he was impressed or disappointed.
Quickly, I started explaining my case.
“It might seem reckless now, but in the long run, this business has great potential. Even if it doesn’t succeed as expected, we can still sell the building and land to recover more than the initial investment. I truly believe this is a worthwhile business.”
My calm and confident explanation seemed to surprise him.
The Count removed his monocle, stood up, and slowly walked toward me.
Then, he carefully took my hands in his.
“I thought you were just saying you wanted to help your father… but you’ve really been studying hard.”
Oh no. Why does he look like he’s about to cry?
My father, despite his strict appearance, was actually quite sentimental.
Seeing his eyes well up, I awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to do.
“Alright, I’ll invest. I must. Even if this business fails, I would still invest in you.”
Wait… Was it really this easy?
As someone who spent years rewriting proposals after endless rejections and complaints, this outcome felt almost… anticlimactic.
Before I could process everything, my father returned to his desk, stamped the official family seal on the document, and handed it back to me.
“I’ll have the investment funds transferred by today. Since it’s a large amount, we should open a bank account in your name.”
In this era, banks were mainly for wealthy nobles.
Getting an approved account was no small feat, as it signified high status and financial stability.
Our Devonshire family wasn’t the wealthiest, but thanks to my father’s business skills, we had enough credibility with the bank.
Feeling happy that things were going so smoothly, I nodded without hesitation.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
As if remembering something, my father raised a finger and pulled something out from his drawer.
It was a letter—an invitation.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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