CH 129
Pellet Corporation’s office.
“…What did you just say?”
Clerivan, who was busy working in the morning, asked again, surprised enough to drop the flag pen.
I said it again in a calm voice as much as I could.
“Perez is the owner of Monak Top.”
“…Are you sure?”
Clerivan looked at Bate sitting next to me and asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. I was surprised, too, so I checked it several times before telling you.”
“Oh, no… No way…”
Clerivan couldn’t speak as he washed his face.
I know how you feel.
I was quite surprised when I first heard it.
I don’t know how many times I’ve asked Bate if he’s sure like Clerivan did.
I said, pouring a glass of water to Clerivan, feeling like I was looking at myself.
“First, have a glass of water and calm down.”
“Yes…”
While drinking water, Clerivan was still dumbfounded.
After blinking a few times with a blank face, he muttered as if he had realized.
“That’s why he was so wary of me. He’s still competing with Pellet in the north…”
“Did that happen?”
“Yes, just before Lady Florentia came from the banquet…”
“Don’t worry too much. If Perez was really wary of you, he would have completely hidden his innermost thoughts. To the point where no one would notice.”
“Well, that’s true…”
Clerivan nodded and smiled in vain.
“I thought he must be an experienced merchant. I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back of my head…”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Bate picked up one of the guest chocolates on the table and put it in his mouth.
“He built the Top with a middle-aged merchant named Nosier. But the real owner is the Second Prince.”
“Well, it’s like me and Clerivan.”
“Ah…”
I was speaking calmly, but I was quite surprised.
I’ve never heard the name ‘Monak Top’ in my previous life.
“By the way, His Highness Second Prince is no ordinary man. I can’t believe he made a Top with a borrowed name. Oh, of course not comparable to Lady Florentia.”
Clerivan, who returned to his usual calm appearance, said, giving a lot of strength to the last word.
“But at this rate, the First Prince is truly no match for the Second Prince.”
“It wasn’t the right opponent from the start.”
Who cares about Astana.4
“But there’s Empress behind him, so it’s not an easy fight.”
“Empress Rabini is not an easy opponent.”
I don’t know anything else, but I acknowledge the Empress’s political skills to quickly grasp what the other people want as well as their weaknesses.
“The Empress is very active these days.”
Bate also agreed with us.
“Recently, she has been close to Ivan in the North and often called him to the Imperial Palace.”
“I’m sure he has thought about appointing the Crown Prince.”
It was the Emperor’s authority to choose the Crown Prince.
However, there was a formal procedure to seek the consent of the Imperial Nobles.
When the Emperor chooses the Crown Prince, the Aristocracy must agree to it first.
If the majority of the Aristocracy agreed, then the consent of the representative families of the East, West, South, North, and Central Empire was needed.
The unanimous agreement.
The representative family is simply the family with the largest territory in the region.
Luman in the East, Sussew in the South, Angenas in the West, Ivan in the North, and finally Lombardy in the center.
For now, it is.
And this procedure has quite a significant legal effect, so he has not been entitled to a ‘fair’ Crown Prince if he did not meet these conditions at the time of his inauguration.
Of course, in most cases, nobles follow the Emperor’s orders.
“For now, His Highness Second Prince must capture the aristocracy. Since the Emperor has decided him to attend the conference, the problem will be solved easily.”
Clerivan was right.
In my previous life, the aristocracy was not a big problem in Perez’s future.
The problem is.
“The key is to get the consent of the local representative families.” Said Clerivan while fixing his glasses.
“Even if the other families can be persuaded, what happens to Angenas in the West? We need to get unanimous agreement.”
Bate asked as he tilting his head.
In my previous life, Perez had to face Lombardy’s and Angenas’s opposition.
Toon down Angenas from the West’s representative and Lombardy from the Central deposed for tax evasion and aiding and abetting treason.
“Scary bastard.”1
I shivered at the sight of the spiteful Perez in my previous life.
Then Clerivan looked at me with little worried eyes.
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“Lady Florentia?”
“It’s nothing. Perez and Monak. How are things going with us?”
“Although the Monak Top is still bothering us, fortunately, the purchase of the tree is stable.”
“Violet seems to be working hard.”
“Don’t you know Violet’s personality, who doesn’t give up and hates to disappoint Lady Florentia more than to die?”
I laughed as if I couldn’t help at Clerivan’s words.
Violet is the most diligent and hardworking person I know.
“But she needs to know how to rest a little bit. We’ve been collecting trees since last year, so we don’t have to make aggressive purchases anymore.”
“Then how can I tell Violet?”
“Keep buying Tribal trees, but reduce the frequency of competing with the Monak Top. I’m afraid they have something to do with the tree.”
I know what’s going to happen in the future, but I want to see what Perez thinks.
“Then I’ll go back to the store.”
Bate, who greeted me, went away saying his job was done, and Clerivan and I continued our meeting.
Clerivan, who carefully received my instructions, was hesitating for a moment.
“If you have anything to say, feel free, Clerivan.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s…”
Perhaps ashamed to have been caught inside, a slightly blushing Clerivan carefully took his chance.
“I need permission from Lady Florentia.”
“Permission?”1
Pellet’s work was left to the discretion of Clerivan except for the big ones.
Because he’s a lot more capable than me.
But is it a job to get permission separately?
“There was a time when Lord Gallahan consulted concerns to me at the birthday banquet…”
Clerivan explained his plan to me in a calm voice.
“So you’re saying that my father is building a port in Chesire that leads to the Eastern seaboard, so why don’t we invest in it?”
“…Yes, of course, it will be the most expensive investment since Pellet was created, and I understand if you don’t allow it because it’s risky…”
“Mr. Clerivan.”
“What?”
“Are you a genius?”
How could you come up with such an idea?
Clerivan, who was embarrassed for a moment, spoke to me in a cautious tone.
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“Genius sounds more appropriate to a person like Lady Florentia than to a man like me…”
“No, Mr. Clerivan is a genius.”
I got goosebumps on my arm with a shiver.
Because I know the future, it’s as if Clerivan can see the big picture I can draw!
I’m sure that’s why he raised Pellet Corporation all by himself in his previous life.
Perhaps hearts are popping out of my eyes looking at Clerivan right now.
I can tell by the face of Clerivan smiling a little shyly.
I said after a short thought.
Then since we’re making investments, let’s go wild.”
“…Wild?”
“Transfer some of the Triva trees that have been cut down and dried up to Chesire.”
“Are you building a port with that?”
“No. Dad, the Lord of Chesire, will do it. We’ll build a boat.”
“Oh, boat…!”
“The Nocta and Elby rivers are the largest and widest rivers on the continent. We will make a boat big enough to match it.”
“Then we can easily move our Pellet’s cargo to the East!”
“Not only that…”
I and Clerivan started having a meeting excitedly after a long time.
* * *
After the meeting at Pellet, I headed straight to Louryl’s house.
Because I was invited to dinner.
I was so hungry because of the meeting, I ate a meal and sat around the drawing-room with a simple dessert.
I wasn’t the only guest at today’s dinner.
“Oh my, our Marilyn! Oh!”
“Kaah!”
It was Clang Devon, the eldest son from Marilyn’s father’s sibling, the head of the Devon family, the Lombardy vassal family, who was kissing his nephew Marilyn in front of me.
“Flint, think of every day as gold as Marilyn is still young! They don’t play with their father even if they grow up just a little bit…”
“That’s because you’re so annoying…”
Flint, who said so, smiled softly with Louryl.
“You laugh now! Watch, when the time pass. I’m not going to comfort you if you cry then, Flint!”
He talked a lot more than usual, probably because he relaxed a bit with a glass of wine he drank with his meal.
He’s a weaker drinker than he looks.
We drank wine together and I was fine.
At that time, my eyes and Clang Devon, who were smiling, met.
“Lady.”
Clang closed his lower lip as if he had a lot to say.
“Tell me, Lord.”
“I, this Clang Devon, will not lose to anyone for loyalty to Lombardy, I will!”
There was a loud bang on the chest.
“Of course, without Devon, Lombardy ‘Transportation Business’ and many of Lombardy’s businesses would be scattered.”
I laughed and played along.
But it’s not an empty word.
In fact, Lombardy Transportation, which Devon is in charge of, is one of the cores of Lombardy’s many businesses, including the Top.
“It’s Lombardy Transportation that allows branches scattered throughout the Empire to communicate with the headquarters. It’s Lombardy Transportation that makes sure the Top stuff reaches its destination, right?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
Clang Devon nodded passionately.
“But why doesn’t anyone appreciate our efforts? Why!”
“Did something happen at the meeting of the Vassal family?”
“Ha… I don’t know if I can tell the young lady yet. Among the vassal families, our Devons are often ignored…”
It was pathetic to see the big Clang Devon’s shoulders drooping down.
“It’s all because there’s no tangible result. Everyone builds buildings or makes a lot of money on Top. I’m not doing anything.”
The depressed Clang Devon’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
“At best, we must be assisting other families. I can’t help it.”
Something must have happened at the Vassal family meeting.
It was good for me to have something to say to Clang Devon.
Click.
I put the glass of wine in my hand on the table.
“Lord Devon.”
Clang Devon slowly raised his head at my call.
I said, looking at the face, which was really upsetting.
“You said you didn’t want Lombardy Transportation in your care to just assist other families?”
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“Whoa, that’s our Devon family’s job. But to be honest, yes.”
“Then why don’t you change it?”
“…Yes?”
Clang Devon’s eyes shake.
“Would you like to do a business with me that only Devons can do?”