The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 29: The Birth of a Nouveau Riche (4)

“A gift? What do you mean by that, Roger?”

Echina’s golden eyes stared up at me intently.

She didn’t seem to suspect right away that I was Helena’s spy.

In return for that trust, I let out a deep breath.

“Ah, that gift…”

Helena curved her eyes into a sly smile, clearly curious about how I would respond.

She was trying to use this opportunity to shake up the relationship between me and the Grand Duke’s daughter and draw me to her side once I was driven apart.

As if she wanted to witness the results of her scheme in real time.

“Go on, tell me, Julius Roger.”

I hadn’t returned the gift, nor had I informed the Grand Duke’s house that I had received it.

It was the perfect setup for suspicion, and Echina looked at me with an intense gaze.

At that moment—

“I received it well.”

I spoke to the two noble ladies.

With the most innocent, bright smile in the world.

“And I donated everything.”

A heavy silence settled over the café following my firm words.

Only the faint sound of gentlemen sipping and setting down their coffee cups could be heard in the distance.

The two ladies stared at me blankly, dumbfounded.

“What…?”

Helena’s face—she, the one who had sent me the gift herself—was a sight to behold.

She had always carried herself like a queen, so dignified and haughty.

But now, her golden eyes were wide open like a startled cat’s.

“Are you saying you just dumped suits worth two carriages and gold bars at the cathedral?”

“Yes. The Saint was quite pleased. Said a faithful brother had come—”

I smiled divinely, as if graced by the blessing of the gods.

Then, I skillfully followed up with a reason she couldn’t refute.

“It would have been rude to reject such a precious gift from the Western Grand Duke’s daughter.”

No—

I gave her a reason she had no choice but to accept.

“So I thought donating it to the cathedral would be the most meaningful way to use it.”

“……”

The moment I brought up religion, Helena couldn’t press me any further.

Echina was no different.

Judging from the Western Grand Duke’s daughter’s reaction, it seemed my innocence had been firmly proven.

If I had really been her spy, there’d be no reason to toss such a large amount of funds meant for operations into a church.

“This is ridiculous. Then what did you use to buy those buildings?”

Helena crossed her arms and threw the question at me.

The sunglasses hanging from her tightly stretched shirt bulged slightly.

“There’s no way you managed that with just the profit from the Luton Sword.”

“I took out a loan from the bank.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter, who knew I’d bought property.

Perhaps caught off guard, she ended up revealing that she was keeping track of my actions.

“That can’t be. There’s no way a baron’s house could get a loan that large on its credit.”

She must have thought I was playing right into her hand.

But by then, I was already standing beside her—the one who thought she was looking down at me from the palm of her hand.

It’s easy enough to track someone’s movements, but peering into their heart is another matter entirely.

“I was fortunate to receive the Saint’s blessing.”

I clasped my hands together and offered a saintly smile.

At my sly expression, Echina let out a short, involuntary laugh.

“A blessing…?”

Helena, however, reacted in the complete opposite way.

With her eyes narrowed, she silently stared at me, watching the way I had slipped through her grasp like a fox.

Any other noble lady would have shown at least a hint of panic when her ploy failed.

But Helena, like a seasoned hunter, simply picked up my trail again.

“Right… So what you did was turn the gift I gave you into a bribe for the Saint!”

“A bribe? I merely donated it with good intentions.”

Perhaps realizing that her trap had actually handed me an escape route, Helena exhaled deeply.

“By the way, how did you know I bought buildings?”

“I just happened to find out when I stopped by the bank!”

At some point, Helena had stopped using stiff language with me.

She cleared her throat and spoke once more in the tone of an empress.

“Why were you at the Northern Bank?”

Echina chimed in, backing me up like a supporting volley.

And the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, unwilling to lose her ground, answered with perfect composure.

“There was a good shopping district in Old Luton, so I bought into it.”

“Old Luton…?”

There’s no way Helena had much information about that place.

And yet she had suddenly decided to invest in that fading city?

‘Could this be another gamble based on her investigation of me?’

Perhaps this woman standing before me…

Had a higher opinion of me than I thought.

“There happened to be a quaint old hotel, so I acquired the shopping complex across from it… The location’s not bad at all.”

With a graceful motion, Helena crossed one leg over the other.

“The hotel itself looks quite charming, too.”

She picked up her black sunglasses and lightly tapped them against her lips.

Now I was effectively sandwiched between the two Grand Duchesses' shops, with the hotel in the middle.

“I think it’s the perfect place to form a commercial district for clothing and weapons. Of course, that includes Leonil Sword.”

“Are you confident? Because as it happens, I’m planning to sell Luton Sword too.”

The two Grand Duchesses crossed their arms and faced each other.

The tension between them was so intense, the cold coffee on the table seemed like it might start boiling again.

Come to think of it, both of them wielded power second only to the imperial family on the continent.

And both in the present and in the future, they had exceptional business acumen.

For such women to glare at each other like this…

‘This is way too exciting…’

“So you’re already planning to put up a store sign for Luton Sword, Lady Echina, even though it’s only just started gaining recognition?”

From between her radiant golden hair, Helena’s blue eyes—reminiscent of the sea—shone sharply.

The sharp, intelligent gaze of Helena—who had already solidified her influence in the Western Grand Duke’s house.

“How about solidifying your popularity on campus first? Just a bit of advice from a senior in business.”

Most upper-class men wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

Anyone who underestimated her stunning figure and noble features would be instantly overwhelmed.

“You’re the one rushing things. It seems like you’re recklessly expanding into the North after losing the Academy market, no?”

In this kind of confrontation, Echina didn’t back down either.

She was famous for her beauty on campus, but the fact that no man even tried to approach her made that reputation clear.

“Um… Ladies, it seems both of you may be getting a little too heated…”

I looked back and forth between the ladies with a deliberately awkward expression.

Then both of them, like territorial beasts, said at the same time:

“No, not at all.”

“We’re having a business talk, Roger.”

A tingle ran through the fine hairs on both sides of my cheeks.

After lightly brushing off my face, I turned first toward Helena.

“Still, I do believe Old Luton will thrive even more thanks to you, Lady Helena.”

I threw out the comment like a fox nestling up beside a golden beast.

“Leonil Sword is especially popular among the older, more mature crowd—like officers. That should bring in a good number of upper-class clientele as well.”

“Of course. You know better than anyone that there’s no better nourishment for a commercial district than the established elite, don’t you?”

Helena slowly closed her beautiful eyes and looked toward Echina.

With her half-lidded blue eyes, she watched her rival with relaxed composure.

“……”

“That’s true. As someone who invested in the same area, I’m quite pleased myself.”

I responded with an honest expression of appreciation.

At that, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter lightly brushed her crossed leg against my suit trousers.

“No need to be impressed so soon.”

Helena took off the uniform jacket that had been draped over her shoulders.

Her pale shoulders came into view.

“When you’re by my side, far more interesting things are bound to happen.”

She extended her hand with elegant poise.

Her index finger lightly touched the tuft of my bangs sticking up, like she was petting a puppy.

“I don’t hold back when it comes to investing in talented people.”

There was a sweet scent—like grapes—from the arm she raised.

And that whispering tone of hers, so mature and alluring.

No ordinary man could easily turn down a master like this.

“Just hearing that is an honor, Lady Helena.”

“……”

While I expressed my respect politely,

Echina narrowed her signature golden eyes.

Like a lioness watching a predator that had entered her domain flaunting its coat.

“We’ll see.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter gently placed her hand on the Luton Sword at her waist.

Then she softly caressed the lion-shaped hilt.

“Seems like you’re unaware Old Luton now has a much younger population, doesn’t it?”

Echina, convinced that new legal professionals and various public officials would soon flock to my hotel.

She looked at me with a dignified gaze, regal like the Grand Duke of the North himself.

Somehow, it felt like both women had been staring at me every time they spoke.

“In the end, whether now or in the future, the one with far greater investment value is our Luton Sword.”

Echina rose from her seat.

Then, while casually brushing off her trousers from sitting, she added offhandedly,

“We’ll know soon enough once we both open stores.”

Helena stood up as well.

And just then, a carriage bearing the black lion crest began pulling up in front of the café.

“This’ll be fun. Round two?”

The two Grand Duchesses moved closer to each other.

So close that Echina’s swaying tie brushed against the curves of Helena’s dress.

“No, it’s not round two anymore. Now you’re the challenger.”

Echina smiled lightly.

With her lifeless, golden eyes.

Then she turned her head sharply.

With her long, black hair fluttering behind her, she said to me,

“Let’s go, Roger. The carriage has arrived.”

I glanced at Helena briefly.

Then, with a polite bow, I headed outside the café.

“Understood.”

All the way out, I kept a practiced, unreadable expression on my face.

But inside, I was grinning wickedly.

‘Both of these powerhouses have just lit the fuse.’

Now it was time to sit back and watch how the board I laid out would start to spin.

“……”

Helena silently watched the two of us grow distant.

Then, when I had fully boarded the carriage—

“Ipson.”

She pulled out her black sunglasses from the pocket of her taut white shirt and slipped them on.

As if there was nothing more worth seeing on this street.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Send out one more message pigeon.”

The escort knight, who had been waiting at a distance, took out a notepad and pen.

As he opened his mouth to ask what message to write—

“Tell them I’ll be returning home even later than expected.”

“Wh-what…?!”

Ipson’s lips parted in shock at the thunderbolt of a statement.

After all, she had already been in the North for over three weeks now.

“His Grace Grand Duke Leonil must be worried… He’s always thinking about you, my lady.”

Helena, who had kept a cold and empress-like expression until now,

Let out a deep sigh at the mention of her father.

“If I fail to bring you back again this time, I really might die…!!”

“Haa…”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter shook her head with clear displeasure.

Then finally, she let her face show the youthful emotion fitting for a 22-year-old.

“He’s so strong when it comes to ruling a country… And yet he always acts like that only with me.”

“He says you’ve earned enough money, so he wants you to come home and at least show your face...”

Helena glanced back at her escort knight.

His blue eyes shimmered between strands of brown hair as she looked at him with a hint of pity.

But—

That was all it was.

She was a born aspirant.

“Sorry, Ipson.”

Helena left her subordinate with a mature, serene smile.

“Didn’t Father say it himself? You don’t let go of prey once you’re certain it’s worth catching.”

With a graceful, precise hand, she adjusted the frame of her sunglasses.

She slipped them off lightly, gave them a small twirl, and began walking toward the hotel in New Luton.

“Your Highness…!!”

The escort knight let out a deep sigh.

And in the end, he had no choice but to quietly follow her, step for step.

「――――――」

The black carriage passed by the most expensive hotel in the shopping district and began rolling down the main road.

During the ride back, I intended to calculate how much Old Luton’s average property value would rise tomorrow.

But I couldn’t bring myself to.

“Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter of the North, sitting across from me with her legs crossed.

Usually, she would stare quietly out the window whenever we rode together.

But now, she was staring straight at me, like she could pierce through me.

“Do I have something on my face?”

‘I don’t think I did anything wrong today…’

I had deflected Helena’s gift perfectly by donating it.

And when it came to the sword business, Luton was clearly leading in the North…

“Yeah, you do.”

She actually said I had something on my face.

With a pout like a displeased cat, she lowered her gaze toward the carriage's storage compartment.

Then, as she reached over—

In Echina’s hand appeared a small jar of hair gel.

The kind women typically use to keep their hairstyles in place.

I was just wondering why she suddenly brought that out when—

“There’s a lot I don’t like.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter of the North dipped her long fingers into the pale cream.

Then, scooping up the sticky gel—

She calmly smoothed down the part of my bangs that Helena had touched earlier.

“You’ve got to look presentable before you meet Father.”

Echina’s soft breath tickled the tip of my nose.

In the closed space of the carriage, she gently combed back my bangs, tidying them up.

“I just fixed it because it was bothering me.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

I offered Echina a gentle smile of gratitude.

At that, she simply cleared her throat and tossed the now-empty jar aside.

While absentmindedly fidgeting with her now-sticky fingers.