Chapter 113
*
As time passed, as if it were a lie, the Count personally came to the annex.
Jane, who had never expected the Count to come on his own, dropped the bouquet she was holding in shock.
As she blankly stared at him with a dazed expression, the Count frowned and asked her,
“Helena. Is she inside?”
“Huh? Oh? Yes! Yes, she is. Shall I escort you?”
Jane belatedly picked up the fallen basket. Viscount Forzi had sent a lavish bouquet as a token of gratitude.
Of course, Helena never really liked bouquets without roots.
Anyway!
To think that the Count actually came!
It felt like just yesterday when Helena mentioned that the Count would be coming, and Jane had doubted it, thinking, ‘No way…’
“No need.”
Clicking his tongue, the Count shot Jane a disapproving look, as if wondering how such a clumsy servant could exist.
Then, without another word, he headed toward Helena’s bedroom.
“…Unbelievable.”
He really came.
Left alone in the annex hallway, Jane murmured to herself.
*
Helena had thought he couldn’t be just a complete fool.
Of course, that was a prejudice she had only recently begun to change.
Still, whether he had the talent to make money remained to be seen.
Whether it was Bondestel or Trafon, his success might have been purely luck.
Besides, what Helena was attempting was an incredibly risky investment.
It wasn’t about investing in a well-established merchant group, but rather in a newly formed one that had to take on debt just to build its first ship.
How could one possibly trust and invest in a ship that had already left the harbor?
They didn’t even know what cargo it would return with!
In any case, given the situation, the Count had decided to take care of his own urgent financial matters first.
He was already in a desperate financial situation.
Damn those parasites. Money-sucking leeches!
It was hard enough just to keep himself fed.
Making sure others had money to eat was an even greater burden.
‘Ha ha ha, my lord Count! The Duchess is truly a treasure!’
On top of that, he couldn’t ignore the news that the Viscount who frequently visited the annex had made a fortune.
‘Even the casual things she mentioned turned out to be money-making tips! Ha ha!’
Viscount Forzi boasted loudly, as if he wanted the Count to hear.
Perhaps he had even secretly bought shares in the Trafon Merchant Guild.
Up until now, the Count had always been late to the game, acquiring shares only after others had already reaped the profits.
It was infuriating how often he had to settle for scraps after others had feasted.
Just how much money had that damn Viscount made this time?
If only he had invested alongside him from the start, how much wealth could he have gained?
The thought alone made his vision go red.
*
So, enraged, he warned the damn Viscount to stay away from his estate for the time being and then headed to the annex.
As he walked there, he wondered—just what was Helena saying that was making people so much money?
Was she acting like a prophet, gazing into a crystal ball? Or was she drawing fortune cards?
But when he actually arrived, it was nothing special.
She simply served him tea and casually mentioned that exotic scents were becoming popular these days,
That the Countess of Emphirem was actively engaging with certain merchant groups,
That certain trading companies were building strong networks.
Nothing groundbreaking.
He had expected deep, insightful discussions about which merchant leaders were particularly skilled.
Up until that point, the Count had been skeptical.
His opinion of Helena, both in the past and now, had been that she was merely ‘a mistake from one night’.
A bothersome child.
One who never particularly stood out.
Fragile, lacking any special talent.
Someone he could easily live without.
But then—
“Haha… Haha… Ha…!”
Even as he tried to suppress it, his lips kept curling upward.
Skeptical as he had been, when he invested in the merchant group Helena had mentioned…
It was a jackpot.
This time, the merchant group Helena mentioned was not only Trafon, which traded tea leaves, but also Andantra, which dealt with fragile items like teacups.
“My dear child!”
The Count went straight to Helena.
A dutiful daughter who had earned her father a great fortune.
But when he arrived at the annex to see what she was up to, she was simply playing in the dirt.
“Oh, Father, you’re here.”
“How did you know teacups would become popular, my dear?”
“Since foreign tea leaves have gained popularity, it’s only natural that teacups would as well,” Helena answered plainly.
“As more people seek out tea, the demand for teacups is bound to increase.”
“……”
“And it was obvious from the start that the Andantra merchant group would bring in teacups.”
After all, they mainly dealt with ceramics and glassware.
Even after setting such a grand event in motion, Helena remained focused on tending to the field.
Watching her, the corners of the Count’s lips curled up.
‘That child carries my blood!’
For so long, he had agonized over finding an heir who had inherited his talents.
Salizar, who was supposed to succeed him, was hopeless. He only knew how to spend money, not how to make it.
“If only you were a son, not a daughter.”
Then he would have named her his heir on the spot.
Or if only Salizar had inherited her talent instead!
If that had happened, he wouldn’t have had to endure such headaches alone.
But no, now was not the time to dwell on such things.
Since a daughter couldn’t inherit the title, he just needed to make sure she grew in a way that would benefit Salizar and Eskel.
“I thought you were a burden returning home, but you’re actually a blessing.”
He wanted to shout with joy.
Thanks to this investment, he could finally put out the urgent fires.
And as long as this child remained by his side, she would surely continue to be useful.
“Well done, Helena.”
The Count, suppressing his pride, forced himself to offer a casual compliment.
“Is there anything you want?”
“……What?”
Only then did Helena, who had been focused on her fieldwork, turn to look at the Count.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ve been a great help to me, haven’t you?”
“……Oh, have I? I didn’t really realize, Father.”
“Hm? But you were the one who told me about Andantra.”
“I only passed the information along. I didn’t invest any money myself.”
“……What?”
The Count blinked in disbelief. Meanwhile, Helena remained as composed as ever.
“What? You didn’t invest?”
“No. I didn’t really… need money.”
The Count barely suppressed a smile. ‘What a remarkable child.’
“So you told me this purely out of a desire to help your father?”
“Yes. I’m glad it helped you, Father. That’s enough for me.”
In the past, he had disliked her weakness.
But now, she was starting to grow on him.
At the very least, if she were on his side, she would be useful.
And unlike Laviel, she wouldn’t harbor any overambitious desires for succession.
Most importantly, she wouldn’t challenge Salizar’s claim to the heirship.
“You say you have no greed for wealth. Then do you have any other desires?”
“……Hmm.”
Helena didn’t answer right away.
She simply looked at the Count with a soft smile.
“I do have desires, but they aren’t things money can buy.”
“I see!”
The Count laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
“But you should learn to be more ambitious. And above all, greed for money is the most important of all!”
“……”
“If you want something, you should have it. If you want to do something, you should find a way to make it happen.”
“Find a way to make it happen?”
“Exactly!”
“Thank you for your advice. I’ll try to keep that in mind, Father.”
‘So naive…’
Just moments ago, he had been pleased by her innocence.
Now, he showered her with sweet words.
“You need to broaden your perspective. You can’t stay so naive.”
“What opportunities to broaden my perspective could I possibly have in the annex?”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
The Count assured her.
“I’m not really interested in anything else. I’d rather just take care of my fields.”
Her answer satisfied him to the very end.
The Count’s children were known for their greed.
Yet, here was a rare one without any.
It felt strangely refreshing.
And oddly… he felt a sense of pride.
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