The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 28:  The Rise of a Nouveau Riche (3)

“So that’s what it feels like when the hotel lights up.”

Echina’s golden eyes held her mother’s legacy within them.

She neither choked up nor showed joy.

She was simply content that her mother’s legacy had finally begun to breathe and come alive.

“……”

I quietly watched the Grand Duke’s daughter.

She had spent her life concealing her emotions, educated to always show the noble demeanor befitting a duke’s second daughter.

It saddened me that she had grown up unable to shed even a single tear in front of others.

And then, the moment I recalled how she had cried for my sake—

Echina opened her mouth, as if trying to hide such a memory.

“Thank you, Roger.”

She composed her voice like the Grand Duke of the North.

Standing tall with her arms folded, she offered her gratitude with dignity.

“Thanks to you, I’ll now get to enjoy watching the streetlights turn on at this hour every day.”

She was trying hard to sound indifferent, but I knew the truth.

Her face had turned slightly redder than usual.

“Thank you as well, for viewing it so kindly.”

I bowed my head in courtesy.

Then Echina stood beside me, placing her hands behind her back just as I had.

For a while, neither of us said a word.

Only the sound of dozens of carriages passing by filled the space around us.

She finally spoke again after quite some time.

Perhaps thinking this awkward silence didn’t suit her, Echina cleared her throat.

“Did you purchase only the Erian Hotel building?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In truth, I had already acquired the nearby empty plots as well…

But since the Grand Duke’s daughter only asked about the building, I didn’t bother to mention unnecessary details.

I simply watched Echina give a small smile at my modest investment.

“That’s a shame. The value of Old Luton is about to soar.”

Her golden eyes shone brightly in the early evening dusk.

She understood.

She knew exactly what kind of ripple effect the lights of Old Luton—seen from this upper-class district—would bring to the Empire’s North.

“Still, I’ve secured the symbolic heart of the street, so I have no complaints.”

I said, gazing at the tallest hotel in Old Luton.

“Really? Won’t the rich fools flock here, throwing around money the moment they catch the scent of profit?”

“That’s alright. My hotel holds a special kind of value.”

I gave her a wink with one eye.

Echina tilted her head like a curious cat.

“Special kind of value?”

As if to answer her question, I opened my briefcase.

Then I showed her the contracts of the many aspiring legal professionals who had signed with me.

“There are many factors that increase a building’s value. One of them is who moves in.”

A hotel where legal professionals had collectively set up their offices.

Just hearing that alone conjured an image of luxury and elegance.

Its aged exterior would only enhance the sophisticated atmosphere with a sense of classic charm.

“Legal professionals, huh. Indeed, if they settle in Old Luton, the whole atmosphere of the street will improve.”

Echina immediately grasped my intentions and gave a nod.

To such a woman, I tossed out a half-joking suggestion.

“Why not take this opportunity to invest in Old Luton yourself, Your Grace?”

Starting tomorrow, the value of this place would skyrocket beyond reason.

Echina, who had once cried for me before I died, had more than enough right to receive early information.

No—perhaps she was the most fitting investor of all.

Other heirs had no real attachment to this place and would likely sell as soon as the price rose.

“Invest?”

But.

Echina was not just any twenty-one-year-old woman.

“There’s no need.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter placed a hand on her hip.

Then, with the sharp gaze characteristic of someone from a prestigious family, she looked up at me and said,

“All the shops around the hotel already belong to me.”

‘……?’

That was news to me.

While I’d known she wasn’t just a knight and had a good head for business…

I had no idea she owned land in Old Luton.

“Then may I ask why you didn’t purchase the hotel itself, despite cherishing your mother’s legacy so much?”

I asked why she had deliberately avoided buying it.

Echina replied in a dignified voice, like a queen.

“My father would have been uncomfortable if he realized I still longed for my mother.”

Noble families cared deeply about appearances.

Even if “others” referred to their own family.

Though her relationship with her father was strained, she still respected him greatly.

“Then buying only the land around the hotel was…”

“Correct.”

Echina lifted the corners of her crimson lips ever so slightly.

Then she said something only a woman at the top of the empire’s food chain could say.

“If some pitiful guy took it over, I planned to make his life hell until he left.”

She brought her long fingers to her lips.

Her resolute nature hadn’t changed one bit.

“Ha-ha… Then I suppose I’ll have to be careful as well.”

I scratched my cheek with an awkward smile.

No wonder I hadn’t been told who owned the nearby shops when I inquired…

‘So Echina was hiding her identity, waiting for a chance to crush anyone who dared to lay hands on her mother’s hotel.’

I, too, would need to pay extra attention to the hotel.

But then—

“Well, still…”

Echina didn’t show any more hostility once she knew I owned the hotel.

Rather, she looked up at me with a faint smile.

“With you, I think it’ll be alright.”

The tie resting atop her ample curves fluttered gently in the night breeze.

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter brushed her elegant hair behind her ear as she spoke.

"May you continue to watch over it with such deep sincerity."

"I will keep that in mind, Your Grace."

I responded to her request by placing a fist over my left chest.

Thankfully, I could finally breathe a little easier now that she acknowledged me as the owner of the hotel.

But—

I had planned to sell the hotel once it was time to leave the Grand Duke’s house...

'When that time comes, Echina might just cry…'

No—rather than tears, she might just sink those sharp canines into my scrawny neck.

Because I dared to sell off the hotel while invoking her mother’s name.

If I didn’t want to hear such things, the best option would be to make a strong impression when I eventually ‘retire’ from the Grand Duke’s house.

“You just focus on making the hotel thrive. I’ll invest in the surrounding commercial area.”

Echina had already seized control of all the shops around the hotel.

If the Grand Duke’s massive capital were invested there, the other nobles wouldn’t sit still.

There would be a flood of investments, and the twentyfold increase in value I’d promised to Istina would be a sure thing.

“Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll do my best to see it flourish.”

Just say it confidently.

I could worry about the future when it was time to leave the Grand Duke’s house.

With the same gentle gaze I had as Chief Secretary, I replied to her.

Then Echina, with her hands still behind her back, slowly took the lead.

“First, I’ll open a luxury shop selling Luton Swords.”

“It’s an area frequented by workshop workers too, so accessibility should be good.”

I chimed in beside her.

At that, the Grand Duke’s daughter glanced back and gave me a sly, foxlike look.

“You remind me more and more of Debier.”

“I'm honored by such high praise.”

At my relaxed tone, Echina bared her sharp canines as if exasperated.

Then, pointing at my face with a sulky expression, she muttered,

“You act way different outside the mansion. You’re even more greasy.”

“Well, we are outside the Grand Duke’s house, after all.”

Echina let out a deep sigh at my shameless reply.

She then crossed her legs and sat back down.

“A carriage will arrive in thirty minutes. Let’s return together.”

“Understood. Then I’ll send a report to the mansion.”

While she took a sip of her now cold coffee, I headed toward the café counter.

I handed a silver coin to the waiter and requested a carrier pigeon.

“To the Luton residence, please. The fastest one you have.”

“The fastest is out back.”

The young, brown-haired waiter politely pointed to the back of the shop.

I nodded and said we’d go together, then turned the corner.

At that moment—

Rows upon rows of birdcages hanging in the café hallway came into view.

――――――.

Messenger pigeons resting quietly inside golden cages.

Numerous waiters busied themselves managing the birds and delivering the letters they carried to the café customers.

This was New Luton.

An age where information was power—and power was everything.

And in this era, even cafés had adapted, serving as the ears and feet of their patrons.

This was exactly why the Empire’s northern elites stayed in this place.

“This rock dove is the fastest one, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The waiter pointed to a glossy brown pigeon.

Normally, when dealing with a mere secretary, they'd offer a run-of-the-mill messenger bird and take the tip with minimal effort.

But this one responded with honesty.

I gave him another silver coin.

“Much appreciated.”

While he opened the cage, I pulled out my notebook and wrote a short note that I’d be returning with the Grand Duke’s daughter.

Then I handed it over and asked him to send it just as written. I was about to head back when—

“……!”

Through the brass cages, I caught sight of a woman.

“Fancy seeing you in a place like this.”

Under the moonlight, her radiant golden hair shimmered faintly.

A silk dress clung to her hourglass figure, as alluring as an hourglass itself.

“Julius Roger.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter, Helena, saw me and gave a graceful wave.

Her face was partly hidden behind pitch-black lenses.

“Lady Helena.”

I gave a small bow in greeting.

The blonde woman placed the back of her hand on her full hip.

“Are you on leave or something?”

“Yes, I stepped out for a bit.”

Helena gently rubbed her fingers against one of the cages.

Then she walked toward me, still caressing the bars.

“So, you must’ve just called for a return carriage.”

“That’s right. Are you on your way back too, Your Grace?”

Standing beside me, she adjusted her glasses.

The tinted lenses—developed five years from now to block sunlight—were already something she’d been wearing for over a decade.

Though she hadn’t returned from the future like I had, she clearly had a remarkable sense of foresight.

No doubt, even back then, she was investing in a wide array of ventures.

“Yes, but…”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter touched her glasses to her luscious lips.

And with blue eyes like the surface of a still lake, she said,

“I’ll be back soon.”

‘Of course.’

Once she heard the rumors about Old Luton, she might turn her carriage around before even making it halfway home.

But by then, it would already be too late.

“Been enjoying the profits from Luton Sword?”

“Yes, I had a very enjoyable day.”

Now that we were alone without the Grand Duke’s daughter present, I responded with the cold tone of my former Chief Secretary self.

Perhaps surprised by the atmosphere—hard to believe it belonged to a mere candidate—she gave a faint smile.

“Really? I wonder what sort of fun you had with that money.”

Naturally, there was no reason for me to tell her.

So I offered her a polite farewell and turned silently to return to the café hall alone.

But—

She naturally fell into step beside me.

Sliding the temple of her glasses into the pocket of her fitted dress shirt, her silhouette became even more prominent with each step she took in her taut skirt.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we were ever on such familiar terms.”

“I just happened to be headed the same way.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter gestured toward her escort knight waiting at the café entrance.

And just like that, I ended up returning to the table with her.

And that situation…

“……”

…ended up captured in the sharp eyes of Echina, as piercing as a black lion’s gaze.

“Oh my, Echina, Grand Duke’s daughter. You were here too?”

“I’ve been here for quite a while.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter rose from her seat as she saw me return with Helena.

As she approached us, her tailored slacks drew the eye with every step.

“Is that so? I came straight over to send a message, so I didn’t see you.”

“Was it not deliberate, walking by and ignoring me?”

At Echina’s pointed jab, Helena tilted her head.

Her radiant golden hair cascaded to one side like a set of scales tipping.

“Well. I don’t tend to pay much attention in that direction.”

Then, the Western woman looked at me gently.

As if implying she had more interest in me than in the other Grand Duke’s daughter.

“I see. Then in that same spirit of not paying attention, I suppose we’ll part ways here.”

But Echina wasn’t a woman to be underestimated.

She gave a faint, knowing smile like a dominant beast, then stretched out one hand.

She lightly grabbed the edge of my sleeve and gently pulled me toward her.

“Let’s go, Roger. It’s almost dinner time.”

She spoke in a familiar tone, drawing close to me.

The subtle fig scent around her seemed to grow stronger.

“……”

Helena looked momentarily stunned at Echina’s bold display.

She glanced between the two of us—me and Echina—before slowly curling her red lips in amusement, as if a good idea had just come to her.

“All right then. Get home safely.”

Seeing her let go so easily, Echina abruptly turned her head away.

But at that moment—

Like a predator swiping a paw at its rival’s back, Helena struck.

“Oh, right—Roger. Did you receive the ‘gift’ I sent you?”

A sharp jab, like claws through the air.

“A gift…?”

The shine vanished from Echina’s eyes, which had been turned away.

She looked back at Helena, then stared straight at both of us.

Like a lioness spotting a sly fox clinging too close to her mate.

‘Here it comes…!!’