Chapter 72:  Acquisition of the Factory (2)

The office became shrouded in a soundproofing spell.

Thanks to that, our voices could no longer leak outside.

In other words, if I made one wrong move here, I could end up facing something nasty from the deputy commander-cum-mage standing behind me.

If I wasn’t careful, I might leave here crippled.

But if I were the type to shrink back over something like that…

I would never have dared to target the business of the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter.

“You’re currently short by about 20 billion gold to repay the principal.”

I made the number two with my fingers.

“But you’ve already maxed out your loans building Luton Hall, haven’t you?”

At my question, Freya let out a dry, scoffing laugh.

Then she looked at me in a calm yet menacing way, like a fox putting on a show right in front of me.

“That’s not a problem. There are plenty of places besides the bank where I can borrow money.”

“I’m sure. As the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter, your credit must be impeccable.”

I agreed evenly to her words.

Then, with my characteristically narrow eyes, I gave a small smile.

“But you don’t like that option, do you?”

For Freya, there was only one place other than the bank where she could get a reasonable loan.

Family.

However, when it came to money, her family was stricter and more thorough than strangers.

Borrowing from her second or eldest brother, with whom she was relatively close, would still mean exposing a weakness to a competitor.

And borrowing from her father?

He had entrusted her with this project to test her ability, and now she would be running back asking for money.

That was hardly the picture Freya wanted to paint.

“Rather than engaging in grueling negotiations with other parties, a clean deal with us would look much better in the eyes of those around you.”

“…”

The eldest daughter closed her eyes slowly, as if deep in thought.

She considered from whom she could sell the factory with the least damage to her pride.

Naturally, the conclusion came quickly.

Better to sell it to Echina’s loyal aide, who was still relatively green to the world, than to her brothers, who would load the contract with toxic clauses.

“It seems my little sister has at least some sense.”

She thought all of this was Echina’s idea.

Now that she had confirmed we were serious, she was looking to see the card we had prepared.

“All right. So what is the grand first item our Echina is aiming for?”

Freya looked down at me with a haughty gaze.

It was as if she were saying, “I’ve granted permission, now it’s your turn to state your business.”

In response, I answered boldly.

“We want Luton Textiles, which you own, Your Grace.”

Luton Textiles.

Perhaps it was because I had named the most unprofitable and outdated of her businesses.

Freya blinked slowly a few times.

“I understand its current value is about 19 billion. I’ll acquire it at cost.”

I added that without the slightest hesitation.

However, Freya no longer seemed interested in the principal amount.

Instead, she focused on why, of all things, it had to be Luton Textiles, as though trying to grasp the true nature of my intentions.

“That’s odd. Even if Echina is a bit of a novice in business, she’s not that naive.”

As expected, the eldest daughter placed her hand under her smooth chin.

Then she fixed me with an intellectual gaze.

“Why go for the most outdated factory?”

I met her question with a steady look.

“Because, given the amount we currently have, Luton Textiles is the only viable option.”

That answer didn’t seem to satisfy her; she sank into her own thoughts, like a queen trying to discern the intentions of her vassal.

“No… that’s just an excuse. There’s definitely another motive.”

Without uncrossing her legs, the eldest daughter picked up her teacup.

She leisurely took in the aroma before speaking.

“Unless you state a clear objective, I can’t make this deal.”

The Grand Duke’s eldest daughter responded firmly, showing the composure of a company president.

“No matter how outdated Luton Textiles is, every worker there is still a member of the family.”

Freya turned her head slightly to gaze at one wall.

On it was a detailed organizational chart of Luton Maiden.

“For their sake as well, the buyer’s purpose should be clear, don’t you think?”

In one far corner sat Luton Textiles.

A few scattered employee names there caught the eye.

“I have no intention of demolishing Luton Textiles or repurposing it for anything else.”

I answered evenly, looking in the same direction.

“I simply want to expand our currently weakened clothing business.”

Expand the business.

At those words, Freya’s golden eyes flashed sharply.

“You’re planning to establish an independent brand.”

The eldest daughter extended her palm,

Then she began tapping each finger one by one, dissecting the essence of the plan.

“You’ve already secured enough retail space in Old Luton, and you’ve gained the artistic symbolism of the Erian Hotel…”

She instantly laid out the trajectory of her sister’s growth.

“Now you want to secure a production base to solidify your influence.”

Freya gave a short, incredulous laugh, perhaps impressed by her sister’s big picture.

Then, in the next moment, she turned cold.

“In that case, I have all the more reason not to sell Luton Textiles.”

She leaned slightly forward in her chair.

Then, closing the distance to my narrow eyes, she said,

“In that case, what will you do next?”

It was the posture of someone who had read her opponent’s intent and was responding in the most strategic way possible.

Truly the demeanor of the Grand Duke’s most trusted child.

If she had been born a son, she might have been enough of a threat to Eric, the eldest.

But.

I knew exactly what she was worried about.

“I know what’s on your mind. You’re afraid of Echina’s growth.”

I set my teacup down in the same manner she had.

And in that teacup…

“But you can rest easy on that point.”

Was a business card of the Erian Foundation, with my name printed proudly on it.

“Because I’m not here today as Echina’s secretary.”

At those words, Freya’s fine brows knit together.

Even she, who predicted and saw through everything, had not expected such an answer.

“What…?”

The same went for the deputy commander watching from behind.

Even the flow of the soundproofing spell he maintained flickered slightly.

“You’ve done your utmost for Echina and even got her involved in the family business—so what is this all of a sudden?”

“Everything I’ve done was for my own business. It has nothing to do with Lady Echina.”

I continued leisurely, like someone standing on equal footing with Freya herself.

“The 19 billion gold I intend to offer you is entirely my own money.”

Just a secretary candidate.

And from a fallen baron’s family at that—yet holding 19 billion in hand.

“The Erian Hotel was also purchased with my own funds. I own most of its shares as well.”

Freya, who until now had assumed Echina was behind everything, fell silent the more she heard.

But what surprised the eldest daughter even more was not the wealth I possessed.

It was the way I revealed all of this to her so calmly.

For someone barely twenty years old, to stand alone in negotiations with the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter—it must have seemed strange indeed.

“So there’s no need for Your Grace to worry about Lady Echina.”

I held out my hand politely to the eldest daughter.

“You’d be selling the factory to someone with no connection to the ducal house.”

“…”

Hearing my earnest words, Freya sank into thought for a moment.

If what I said was true, Echina had essentially been nothing more than a figurehead.

However.

That, she would think, was an even greater problem.

In truth, I was like a spy pretending to be Echina’s aide while secretly siphoning off profit for myself.

“Do you even understand who you’re saying this to?”

Freya’s expression turned colder than before.

She spoke as though she now considered me an enemy.

“Even if Echina is my rival, she’s still of the same ducal house. That means you’ve been using us to take illicit gains.”

She was right.

Every word was true.

However.

“Even so, don’t you think it’s better than letting it go to Lady Echina?”

Even though she had struck right at my weak point, I gave the eldest daughter a faint smile.

As if I were speaking to an old friend I had known for years.

“…”

This time, it seemed Freya felt as though her own thoughts had been laid bare; she pressed her lips together.

While she stayed silent for a moment, I added calmly,

“My company’s name contains no trace of the word ‘Luton’ anywhere.”

The eldest daughter of the Grand Duke of the North let out a deep breath at my composed demeanor.

Perhaps realizing the secret behind my unusual track record, she slowly shook her head.

“I see… you’ve always had a different air about you compared to the other candidates. Your heart was elsewhere from the very beginning.”

“I still always fulfilled my duties as a secretary.”

Freya let out a small laugh, like a fox amused by its prey’s brazen greed.

“I’ll admit it. Even I found you tempting.”

At her candid words, I bowed my head in gratitude.

Then she slid a preliminary contract across to me.

“Fine. Let’s see you spread your wings as you please.”

When she had believed it was Echina’s plan, she had been sharply on guard.

But the moment she heard I wasn’t a blind loyalist, Freya began showing goodwill.

That was how little the Grand Duke’s household thought of one another as family.

Thanks to that, I had been able to make my move ahead of everyone else.

“But let’s make one thing clear.”

Freya rested the back of her hand against her chin.

Still seated with her legs crossed, she gazed at me intently.

“What will you do if, after acquiring the factory, profits still end up in Echina’s hands?”

As expected, she was meticulous in such matters.

But I had already prepared for this.

So I met her eyes squarely and answered firmly,

“If that happens, I’ll resign from every position I’ve attained.”

“Good. That’s the spirit I like to see.”

Freya seemed satisfied with my resolute gaze, exhaling briefly.

Then, tapping the nameplate on her desk that read “President,” she said,

“If you’re going to lead a factory, you should take on that level of responsibility.”

“An entirely reasonable point.”

I handed the signed preliminary contract to the chief secretary.

He, too, took out his fountain pen to sign.

But the middle-aged man kept glancing at me with a suspicious look, as if something about me felt off.

Even so, there was nothing he could do.

All he could do was sign the contract.

“I’ll have the acquisition funds sent from the Erian Hotel soon.”

“All right. In the meantime, I’ll finish discussions with our executives.”

Normally, most companies would decide on a deal of this size through meetings.

But the person before me was the eldest daughter of the mighty Grand Duke of the North.

When she said “discussions,” it was, in truth, little more than a notification—

A coercive notice that she would be selling Luton Textiles.

And there would be no one to oppose it.

All the executives were merely contracted employees paid to do their jobs.

Putting out the fire in front of them would take priority.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Do that. Deputy commander, escort this guest to the company entrance.”

The middle-aged man snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the powerful mana surrounding the president’s office vanished like an arrow.

“Follow me.”

I walked out of the office alongside him.

We didn’t exchange a single word while descending the stairs.

But when we reached the main entrance of the company—

The deputy commander finally voiced the question that had been lingering, his tone full of suspicion.

“Are you not afraid?”

“What do you mean?”

With my hands clasped behind my back just like his, I turned to him with ease.

In that moment—

The middle-aged man seemed to sense something out of place in me, furrowing his deeply lined brow.

“Right now, what you’re doing is betraying the Grand Duke’s house. You’re using Lady Echina and then discarding her.”

The Grand Duke himself would never let such actions go unquestioned.

Freya must have found it amusing for exactly that reason and approved the deal.

“If you do this and split from the ducal business, you won’t survive in Nord.”

But—

What I wanted was precisely that—her finding it “amusing” enough to stamp the contract without hesitation.

If I had given the impression I would stay tied to Echina, she never would have handed over the factory.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Life is a gamble, isn’t it?”

I let out a dry laugh, playing the part of a reckless youth.

But when I turned away and made my solitary way back to Old Luton—

My eyes reverted to the pitch-black emptiness they’d had during my days as chief secretary, and I muttered quietly,

“A secretary or a president—either way, I can walk away now.”

Inside the breast pocket of my suit, I gently brushed my fingers over a certain document.

Aside from the preliminary contract signed with Freya, there was one more.

A certificate proving that 50% of the Erian Foundation’s shares belonged to me.

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