Chapter 109
Count Eskel was so infamous that even passing cats would snort in disdain.
However, there was one innate talent that even the world acknowledged about him—his exceptional ability to sniff out money.
Fundamentally, the Count was quick-witted. He could read people’s desires, and wherever those desires pointed, money was always sure to follow.
That was the reason he had survived despite flitting between the noble faction and the emperor’s faction like a cuckoo bird.
After all, there was no such thing as a person who didn’t need money.
“Ah, my head aches.”
But now, a threat loomed over his once seemingly secure financial situation.
And that threat was none other than Duke Frantor.
The Duke, bent on revenge, was slowly tightening the noose around his neck, and it was giving him quite the headache.
“It’ll be fine! His Majesty holds you in high regard, Count!”
Viscount Forzi, the Count’s right-hand man, tried to appease him with flattery.
“Hah! His Majesty doesn’t cherish me—he just finds me useful for scratching his itches in his stead.”
“But still, considering that the last time with the moneylending scandal, you got off with just imprisonment, wasn’t that quite merciful?”
“Well, that’s true. I know all too well how much His Majesty despises that military brute.”
The incompetent emperor was an old man, full of jealousy and fear.
Rather than singing praises of the emperor, the people of the empire instead chanted the name of the young duke.
The citizens had long since realized their emperor’s incompetence and even wished that the duke were emperor instead.
A young duke with formidable military power who had the unwavering love of the people.
The emperor, riddled with paranoia, was convinced that Duke Frantor looked down on him and feared that he might one day plot a rebellion.
Count Eskel, ever perceptive, had merely acted as a convenient tool for the emperor, dealing with the insolent duke in his stead.
It all started when he drove the duke’s elder brother to his death.
Besides, even within the emperor’s faction, there were those who viewed the young duke unfavorably.
Though they all served the crown prince, hardly any did so out of pure loyalty.
They were all merely positioning themselves for the power they would gain once the crown prince ascended the throne.
Though the emperor’s faction and the noble faction were at odds, in the end, it was all a battle for their own interests.
Thus, they should have joined forces early on to mold the crown prince into a puppet, securing an easier future for themselves.
But Duke Frantor was inflexible, pledging his allegiance solely to the crown prince without compromise.
So, the Count had gradually pushed the duke into a political corner.
Oh, and of course, he hadn’t forgotten to stir up conflicts among the nobles.
As long as the aristocrats remained embroiled in endless disputes, the emperor’s incompetence wouldn’t stand out too much.
Only when they were too busy tearing each other apart could the emperor finally enjoy some peace.
This was the nature of their unspoken transactional relationship.
No matter how brazenly the Count ran amok, he had the emperor as a powerful patron willing to turn a blind eye.
Not to mention that matter as well.
A knowing smile crept onto the Count’s face.
“As long as His Majesty remains in power, that duke won’t be able to act recklessly.”
Viscount Forzi nodded enthusiastically, his expression naive.
“And besides, Count, you have grown children to rely on!”
“Hah… those grown children are exactly what I’m worried about.”
The Count clutched his head, groaning.
Raising himself from the status of a nearly ruined noble was no easy feat.
It had been his desperate hunger to escape poverty that had driven him forward all these years.
Because having no money meant having to swallow his pride and bow his head to wretches like insects.
He had resolved never to let his children suffer such humiliation.
“Out of all my children, not a single one takes after me!”
“What? But they resemble you so much in appearance!”
“I’m not talking about their faces!”
“M-my apologies!”
Perhaps the problem was that his children had never experienced such disgrace.
Two sons. Two daughters.
No—three, if he counted the one hiding away in the annex.
Yet, among all his children, not one had inherited his ability to read the flow of money.
His eldest son, Salizar, who was supposed to succeed him, was so slow-witted that entrusting him with anything was hardly reassuring.
“They all know how to spend money, but not a single one knows how to earn it—!”
As he clutched his head, agonizing over the matter, a face suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Helena, who had returned home empty-handed after visiting the Frantor estate.
Duke Frantor himself had once requested to marry her.
He had hoped she might win the Duke’s favor with her charms, but in the end, she had accomplished nothing.
A child born from a mere single night.
On a day when he had longed too much for the warmth and kindness of the world.
A child born from the night when he, weary of life, had wept and found solace in the arms of a mere servant.
A girl who neither resembled him in appearance nor in character.
Even when he had first learned of the woman’s pregnancy, and even now, he regretted that night.
“Why the troubled look, Count?”
“Helena—that girl.”
“Ah, you mean the young lady in the annex?”
“That girl. I heard she invested money just before a ship set sail from Bondestel and made a fortune.”
“W-what? Are you talking about that very same Lady Helena?”
Even Viscount Forzi was so shocked by the news that he half-rose from his seat on the sofa.
“And now, she’s investing in Trafon…”
The ship had long since set sail for the open sea, and the investment involved repaying a trading company’s debts in exchange for shares.
After Bondestel, many trading companies had taken on enormous debts to launch their ships first.
Even the Count himself had no idea what kind of goods Trafon’s ships were bringing back.
“Trafon? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Yes, I looked into it—it’s a newly established trading company.”
The Count had been suspicious of Helena’s claims and had investigated Trafon separately.
Trade was a high-risk, high-reward business.
Especially with the newly opened sea routes to the Esagallos continent, interest was at an all-time high.
Still, he couldn’t trust her judgment.
“Hmph, she must have just gotten lucky last time.”
To the Count, Helena was the most foolish of his children.
Born an Eskel, yet all she did was tend a vegetable garden!
Not to mention, she had boldly attempted to do business in Frantor—only to have her key rights taken away from her.
“What would a girl know about money?”
If she were like Rosalith, interested in grooming and adorning herself, that would be one thing.
But a girl who spent her days covered in dirt from working the fields? He simply couldn’t believe she had an eye for business.
“Forget it. Just ignore it. She must have just gotten lucky last time and made a quick fortune.”
“But isn’t it a ship heading for Esquallos?”
“It’s a trading company struggling with debt—one without the capital to operate smoothly.”
A newly established trading company couldn’t possibly have a keen eye for business.
Besides, after Bondestel, countless trading companies were heading toward Esquallos.
How could a mere newcomer expect to make money while facing such competition?
It was nothing more than paying off the debts of a struggling company.
“Anyone foolish enough to pour their hard-earned money into this is an idiot.”
Count Eskel clicked his tongue in disapproval.
But Viscount Forzi heard it differently.
If he considered Bondestel and, more specifically, the business Helena had attempted in Frantor… perhaps she wasn’t entirely without talent.
More than anything, her venture in Frantor had accurately identified what people truly wanted.
Wasn’t that the same talent the Count himself possessed?
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
The Count waved his hand dismissively, as if realizing he had spoken unnecessarily, and left the room.
“Tch, he talks too much.”
Once the Count’s presence had completely faded, Viscount Forzi slumped back onto the sofa, his previously rigid posture relaxing.
Crossing his legs, he poured himself a glass of brandy from the coffee table and took a slow sip.
“I need to make money quickly and get out of this mess.”
Lately, trying to appease the Count in his irritable state had been exhausting.
“…Hmm.”
Even after the Count had left, Forzi couldn’t stop thinking about Trafon.
“Maybe I should invest a little, just in case?”
Whether she had real talent or not could be determined later.
—
A quiet annex where even the servants rarely set foot.
Jane came running in, holding a letter, to where Helena sat by the window.
“Madam, a letter has arrived! It’s from Trafon!”
“Oh?”
“It seems Trafon struck gold with the tea leaves they brought in! Exotic tea leaves from a distant land—how fascinating!”
Jane’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly questioned Helena.
“How did you know, Madam?”
“Hmm.”
“Oh, come on! Don’t hesitate, just tell me!”
“Honestly? I don’t really know.”
Helena answered sheepishly.
“Bahen gave me some information, and the company seemed to have a good eye. Their debt was an investment debt, after all.”
“Do you think Count Eskel invested in Trafon too? If he did, he must have made a fortune, just like you!”
“No, I doubt he believed me.”
“…That does seem likely.”
“But from now on, things might be different.”
By now, news of Trafon’s success had surely reached her father’s ears.
Father, you once told me—
“A woman can never win a man’s heart with money. That is not a woman’s role.”
But in the end, you will succumb to money.
Anyone else might resist, but you, Father—you will fall for it.
Helena quietly sipped her tea, gazing out the window.
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