Chapter 74:  Acquisition of the Factory (4)

It was the day I was making one of my usual visits to Luton Textiles.

Unexpected guests arrived at the Erian Hotel.

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter sat in the lounge bar, having tea with Madeleine.

She saw Istina, who followed in afterward, and let a faint smile appear on her lips.

“Oh my, isn’t this the Saint herself?”

Istina was dressed in a beautiful silver dress and a cloak with a hood.

She greeted Helena, with her dazzling golden hair, calmly.

“You were here as well, Western Grand Duke’s daughter.”

“Please, have a seat. There’s one dessert left, just in time.”

Istina sat across from Helena.

A young waiter who had been observing them from afar went to report to the hotel manager.

Then Yuria stepped forward, saying she would take over, and approached them instead.

“May I take your order?”

“A cup of mint tea, please.”

At the Saint’s kind smile, Yuria respectfully gave her regards.

Then, just as she received the order slip and turned away—

Istina dropped her smile at once and looked coldly at Helena.

“You seem to be here quite often.”

“Yes. I own the commercial building next door. I tend to stop by whenever I’m inspecting it.”

Helena evaded the question naturally.

Then she immediately went on the offensive.

“You, Saint, seem to come here rather often too.”

“Yes. President Roger happened to send me this.”

Istina pulled an envelope from within her mystical cloak.

[Erian Foundation Share Agreement.]

Helena narrowed her eyes slightly, recognizing the document.

Then, sipping her sweet-scented tea, she spoke.

“So, you received one too.”

“Yes. Apparently, it’s a token of thanks for helping with the hotel acquisition.”

Helena also opened the document case beside her.

And laid down a copy of the same document, side by side with Istina’s.

“Looks like we’re both sponsors of the Erian Foundation.”

Istina held 5%, while Helena had 12%.

Seeing the difference in share percentage, Istina slightly furrowed her graceful brow.

“Oh, is it the difference in shares that’s bothering you?”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter chuckled quietly, as if she had anticipated it.

“Having just 5% felt a bit lacking, so I bought a little more. The growth potential was quite high.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing Helena’s relaxed demeanor, Istina once again smiled graciously.

Then she removed her hood, made of silver wolf fur, revealing her elegant face.

“You must be pleased. Our Silver Truth Church is planning to propose an official partnership this time.”

An official partnership.

Now it was Helena’s turn to frown.

“Wait, is a religion even allowed to form partnerships with a business entity?”

“As you can see, the Erian Foundation is known for its many good deeds, including charity events.”

Istina pierced a Madeleine with her fork.

And after taking a graceful bite, she spoke with a sharp gaze.

“The justification is certainly solid.”

“……”

Helena took out the black glasses tucked into the pocket of her shirt.

As was her habit, she lightly tapped her red lips with the glasses’ frame.

She tried to guess why the Saint was suddenly clinging so aggressively to the Erian Foundation.

Then, soon enough, she came to a conclusion.

“You plan to gradually chip away at the shares and eventually absorb it into your religion, don’t you?”

It was the image of a wolf of the snowy plains sinking its fangs into the neck of a fox named Roger.

“Absorb it? I’d prefer if you didn’t interpret our faith in such secular terms.”

Istina waved her hand lightly.

Then she gently brushed the crumbs from her fresh lips.

“Faith, huh. Must be nice to be in religion.”

But soon, her fingers came to an abrupt stop.

Because the woman responsible for the future of a Grand Duke’s house was drilling into the heart of the matter with intelligent eyes.

“As long as you wrap up your self-interest prettily under the guise of faith, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Your words are rather harsh, Grand Duke’s daughter.”

Istina gave the sister from the West a benevolent smile.

“Then, what about you? What’s your reason for cozying up to the man from a rival house?”

The Saint’s blue eyes were silently asking Helena.

What her true intentions were.

“Cozying up? I’d prefer if you didn’t underestimate our businessman’s mind either.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter stirred her teacup silently with a small teaspoon.

Then, she gently set the spoon down and spoke.

“You know it too, don’t you? Roger—he’s going to leave the Grand Duke’s house soon.”

In truth, both of these giants already knew one another’s intentions.

Soon, a certain fox would leave the comfortable fence of the Grand Duke’s house…

And begin to roam the wilds.

They were both after that alluring tail.

“You’re trying to bring him under your control too, aren’t you?”

“As expected of the next Grand Duke—you’re sharp.”

Istina no longer hid behind her gracious image.

She began to reveal the sharp claws she had kept tucked beneath her soft paws.

“But Roger didn’t seem particularly interested in Miss Helena.”

Helena gave a dry chuckle, as if her pride had been wounded.

The truth was, she also found that point rather unpleasant.

Even in her Western territory.

Even in the grand ballrooms of the Imperial Palace.

In all those places, she had always been the one who drew men’s attention.

It was undeniable. The golden hair inherited from the imperial bloodline, and the blue eyes that sparkled beneath it—

She was a rare beauty, even among the royal family.

And yet, that secretary candidate had shown not a flicker of interest.

If anything, he seemed wary of her.

Istina believed that gave her a considerable advantage in this kind of situation.

However, what Helena said next wiped the smug look off Istina’s face as well.

“He’s not interested in you either.”

Helena placed her empty teacup on its saucer.

She tilted her head slightly and looked at the Saint in front of her.

“Has Roger ever visited the cathedral privately?”

Now that she thought about it, not once had he come to the cathedral after asking her for the letter of credit recommendation.

Even this share transfer document had been sent through a staff member.

That’s why Istina’s expression was visibly uncomfortable.

“I knew it would be like that.”

Helena calmly shook her head.

Then she raised her index finger…

“The woman closest to Roger around here is none other than the Grand Duke’s daughter, Echina.”

She pointed to the only rival who had managed to score points over them.

“Even those lifeless eyes of his seemed oddly at ease only when he looked at the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter.”

“Well, isn’t that because she’s the master he’s always served under?”

Istina replied with her arms crossed.

Then Helena perched her tinted glasses high on her sharp nose bridge and spoke.

“Exactly. But if he’s planning to leave even someone like that behind and walk away from the Grand Duke’s house—”

The Saint immediately caught the meaning behind Helena’s words.

And she responded with a similar smile.

“It must mean there’s nothing beyond a master-servant relationship.”

“Exactly.”

The two quickly realized that their prey no longer had a master.

And it was time for each of them to start hunting in their own way.

“……”

A lounge bar packed with guests.

Even on weekdays, this place was always bustling, yet only one table remained still.

The first to speak within that stillness was Saint Istina.

“Then… how about we do this?”

She gently tapped her half-eaten madeleine with her fork.

“If we can’t win him over by hand, the next best bet is to force him into dependence—seems like the surest method.”

Istina knew very well how to handle people.

Not just with her looks—she was a woman who manipulated crowds through various means.

“Whoever ends up with the largest share of Roger’s foundation wins.”

If one were to consume all the shares, the head of the foundation would inevitably have to bow their head.

It was the same method Istina used to control many businesses and groups.

“How very fitting of you, Saint.”

Helena pushed up her tinted glasses at the Saint’s bold proposal.

Then, concealing the blue eyes sharpened by her own ambition, she responded.

“Let’s do it. It suits us perfectly.”

It was a method the Western Grand Duke’s daughter was quite fond of herself.

Both women rose from the table.

When the hotel staff rushed over to escort them, they elegantly waved them off.

“No need. We didn’t inform President Roger we’d be here.”

The two giants of the Empire strolled leisurely toward the hotel entrance.

As they walked out to the road, heading toward their respective carriages—

A group of factory workers appeared in the distance.

To be precise, what caught their eye were the name tags on their chests, clearly marked with: ‘Luton Textiles.’

“Hmmm—.”

The Saint looked at them with pity, like lost little lambs.

Her sultry gaze carefully concealed a fullness of greed.

“Oh my.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter watched them like they were small, adorable squirrels.

As if trying to use them to lure the fox into a trap.

The two women exchanged a brief glance.

Both were leaders used to commanding large groups of people—so they knew exactly what needed to be done now.

「―――――.」

The approaching group from the distance were foremen from Luton Textiles who had just come off shift.

Before their official job change, the middle-aged men had decided to stop by the restaurant the new boss had mentioned.

On their way, they caught sight of a banner strung across the hotel entrance.

[The 1st Erian Hotel Charity Party.]

[The 1st Erian Hotel Emerging Talent Competition.]

“He really does seem like a good guy.”

One of the middle-aged men murmured as he looked up at the hotel.

A fellow foreman in glasses, swayed by the same feeling, agreed with him.

“Yeah, he doesn’t feel like the typical young folks these days.”

“A guy like that will take good care of the factory.”

At their conflicted voices, the elder foreman who had been walking at the front came to a halt.

He turned to face his successors and snapped coldly.

“You people…!! We’re part of the Grand Duke’s household! Shouldn’t we be following the young lady’s will?!”

“Well, yes, that’s true…”

Most of the middle-aged men nodded in agreement.

However, one of the youngest foremen, quietly listening all this time, thought differently.

He had a twelve-year-old child now, and he opened his mouth to speak to his seniors.

“Being part of the Grand Duke’s house… it’s not like we’ve ever received any special treatment.”

At the rare rebuttal from their usually steady, family-focused junior, the rest of them all wore blank, stunned expressions.

One among them, who was usually good at mediating, scolded him.

“Hey now, what kind of tone is that to take with Chief Wang?”

“To be honest, I was a bit swayed.”

The youngest foreman, whose black hair had just begun to turn white, placed a fist over his chest.

Unlike his usual self, he spoke with firm conviction, revealing his honest feelings this time.

“Meal subsidies and commute support… For someone like me, barely managing to care for my kids, that was a very tempting offer.”

“Still, we should have loyalty. Betraying the house we’ve served our whole lives—it doesn’t sit right, does it?”

The youngest foreman shook his head firmly.

“When did we ever betray anyone? We just want to stay in the factory we’ve always worked at.”

“……”

Whether they agreed or not, the other senior foremen remained silent.

“Calling it a transfer doesn’t change the fact that we’ll just be treated like extras at the new factory.”

“But the young lady gave the order personally. I doubt they’ll treat us poorly.”

Gradually, the foremen began to split into differing opinions.

Since all of them were leaders in their own right, used to guiding juniors, it was only natural they voiced their thoughts openly.

However—

“Go if you want. As for me, I’ll die under the tombstone built by the Grand Duke’s house if it’s the last thing I do.”

The eldest and most senior foreman among them, Helbert, declared resolutely.

He was clearly the patriarch of a large family—his granddaughter was only six, already learning dance.

Even so, his obsession with the Grand Duke’s house came from a simple reason.

“You think the saying ‘if you must be a slave, better to be the Grand Duke’s slave’ came out of nowhere?”

It was about leaving behind the honor of having one’s children serve the Grand Duke’s household.

For someone who had lived his entire life in a class-based society, honor meant more than anything else.

“Say you work under that president and earn a bit more, just like you’re saying.”

He pointed to three of the foremen who had followed him, one by one.

“But what exactly can you do with that money?”

“Well, feed our families better, send our kids to better schools, that sort of thing.”

The younger foremen replied quietly, though their tone held a note of resistance.

At that, the elder raised his voice even more.

“That’s exactly it. The good schools, the benefits—they’re possible because we’re part of the Grand Duke’s household. That hotel owner can’t give you that same sense of belonging.”

Come to think of it, even while working at the outdated Luton Textiles, they had always walked with their shoulders squared.

Because they belonged to the Luton family.

Wherever they went, they could always proudly declare that one phrase.

Though they couldn’t afford to educate their children in the arts like nobles did or send them to prestigious academies,

At least they could get them into decent private academies.

That’s why, despite some hesitations, most of them slowly began to nod along to Chief Wang’s words.

That is—until the two giants appeared before them.

“Would you please stop for a moment?”

Noblewomen from the Empire’s highest ranks.

And when such young women addressed them, the foremen collectively froze with dazed expressions.

“Please, have a word with us—”

It was as if a line of squirrels marching in single file had suddenly been surrounded by predators.

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