The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 44: Securing a Big Shot (4)

The black horse galloped powerfully across the road.

Just a few weeks ago, the street had been empty, but now it was packed with crowds.

「Luton Royal. Old Luton Main Store.」

「Yekaterina Premium. Nord Branch.」

They had been browsing the two shopping districts built around the hotel by the Grand Duke’s daughters…

When they turned briefly at the appearance of a fine steed with thick, muscular thighs.

Even Echina, who was gripping both of my shoulders as if she might crush them, glanced back.

“We’ve arrived, Your Highness. Could you please let go of my shoulders now…?”

I barely managed to open my mouth, wearing the most pitiful expression in the world.

Like a fox caught beneath the paw of a lioness.

“Your riding skills aren’t bad.”

Echina turned her gaze slightly and let go of my shoulders.

My eyes fell on the suit jacket, now wrinkled and misshapen from her sweat and iron grip.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to handle such a fine horse.”

Rubbing my sore shoulders, I dismounted the black horse as hotel staff hurried over to greet us.

They briefly wore startled expressions when they saw the Grand Duke’s daughter with me.

“…?”

Especially Mansachs, who had been leisurely enjoying coffee inside the lounge bar.

The guy made a contorted face at the stark contrast between the coldly expressionless Grand Duke’s daughter and my easygoing demeanor.

“I only brought you here to save time, Roger.”

After I got off, Echina shifted in the saddle.

Then, wearing a faint smile—something she rarely did—she added,

“So do your best.”

As the Grand Duke’s daughter of the Empire pulled the reins, the black horse lifted its front leg with a solemn gaze.

The scene was majestic, like a war hero in motion.

“You never know, right? If you perform well this time too, the reward might be even sweeter.”

Leaving behind those meaningful words, Echina turned her horse.

At the same time, her black hair fluttered beautifully.

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

I bowed my head toward her departing figure.

Only after the sound of hoofbeats had completely faded did I lift my head again.

“Did I just see that right?”

At some point, Mansachs had followed me outside with a coffee cup in hand.

The blond young man asked me quietly, looking awkward and hesitant.

“How does one end up riding in on a horse with the Grand Duke’s daughter first thing in the morning…?”

“She just told me to ride with her.”

I patted the dumbfounded guy’s shoulder and turned toward the hotel.

After that, I was guided by a line of staff, their manager barking orders, and Yuria leading the way.

“Come. Let’s have a cup of tea together.”

The son of the newspaper family blinked like a canine creature.

Then, tilting his head, he quickly followed by my side.

“You know Her Majesty the Empress is coming to Old Luton in a month, right?”

I asked as I took a seat at a table in the lounge bar.

In response, he returned with an intelligent glint in his eyes befitting a press prodigy.

"Right, it's an official visit. It'll be announced in the daily newspapers nationwide in two days."

The name Old Luton would soon be known across the empire.

The value of the city, which had already risen twentyfold, would now likely climb to at least thirty times its original value.

To be added to the official itinerary of the imperial family meant…

It was either already a successful city, or one with such high potential that the imperial leadership was keeping a close eye on it.

'Since we fall into the latter category, the entire continent will now be looking to Old Luton.'

"Um, Boss…"

As I arrived at work, Yuria carefully spoke to me.

"Oh, what’s going on?"

"Well… it's just that the hotel has been fully booked lately… I think we need to either hire more staff or improve working conditions."

Beneath the eyes of the red-haired woman, who resembled a squirrel, dark circles had formed.

In the past, she had looked downcast from having no work, but now she looked exhausted from having too much of it.

"Then for now, have the manager personally hire around ten new people."

A public hiring of ten employees—just like that.

Yuria’s face instantly brightened.

Like she’d just found a whole stash of acorns hidden under fallen leaves.

"Really…?!"

"Yeah, and starting next month, salaries will go up by one and a half times too. So hang in there."

A generous raise, on top of everything.

The manager’s crimson eyes sparkled, and the dark circles under them vanished as if they’d never been there.

"I suddenly don’t feel tired at all anymore." "But make sure to hire some handsome ones for the front lobby."

Yuria nodded enthusiastically.

She hugged the report in her hands tightly, beaming brightly.

"I’ll pick ones that look like you, Boss—!!"

"…"

Watching the scene unfold was Mansachs.

At the manager’s flattery, the corner of his eye twitched.

"That salary bump works wonders. Are you sure it’s okay to raise it that much at once…?"

"The hotel’s value has gone up more than twenty times. This much of a raise is the least I can do."

'That way, when it goes up to thirty times, I can say, "Didn’t I just raise your salary?" and score some points.'

I sipped my tea with a sly grin, like a cunning schemer.

Mansachs, seeing that expression on my face, shook his head, muttering that I hardly fit the image of a textbook good-looking guy.

"Then, since I’m your business partner, shouldn’t you cut me in too?"

"Cut you in? What for? You’re already rich."

I laughed, waving off the idea.

Then, to his credit, he came up with a useful proposal.

"Hey—don’t you guys need a musician to accompany Her Majesty the Empress on this visit? I’ll help you find one."

He shrugged and pulled out his notebook.

It was packed with the addresses of the empire’s highest circles.

"You’ve got more connections in the art world than I thought."

I flipped through the notebook of this son of one of the Three Major Newspapers with great interest.

From young genius violinists to currently in-demand opera singers whose popularity was skyrocketing.

As expected of a well-liked club president—his network was quite impressive.

"How about it? If I pull in my father's connections, I could even bring in someone higher up, you know?"

Mansachs placed his hands on his hips and lifted his chin proudly.

But…

I calmly handed his notebook back to him.

"No, there's no need for that."

"What…?"

The guy, who had confidently offered up his network, blinked in confusion as he took back the list.

"Did you already line someone up in advance?"

"No, but someone of this level won’t be enough to satisfy Her Majesty the Empress."

No doubt my fellow secretaries, especially Tobang, had already secured musicians of this caliber.

This wouldn’t be enough to stand out against a Grand Duke’s direct order.

"What are you talking about? These are practically the best in Nord. What better stage could you even hope for?"

Mansachs folded his arms and questioned me.

In response, I quietly set down my coffee cup and said,

"Bennet Tolkien."

The legendary musician, the first singer ever knighted.

The only singer ever recognized by the Grand Duke of the North.

But he was also a tragic man, the first to defy the Empire and be exiled.

He had opposed the war and was caught secretly helping refugees escape, which led to him being banished from the music world.

"That man already retired, didn’t he…? He’s been missing for ten years now."

Fortunately, the Empress had asked the Emperor for clemency, saying she wanted to hear his voice again.

Thanks to her request, Bennet had been offered a return to the music world—but he declined of his own accord.

"Of course, if we could find him and persuade him, that would be the best possible outcome…"

Mansachs, fully aware of the situation, let out a short sigh.

But then, his eyes widened at my unexpected reaction.

"Yeah, that’s the kind of reaction I was waiting for."

In this hopeless situation, I was smiling eerily instead.

"That’s the only way to satisfy both the Grand Duke of the North and Her Majesty the Empress."

Mansachs furrowed his brow at my expression.

"How do you expect to find a man who’s become a ghost…?"

"You’re right. It’s hard to track down someone who’s gone into hiding intentionally."

I turned toward the lobby.

Chefs in white uniforms were busily heading into the kitchen.

"So instead, wouldn’t it be better to lure him out?"

I raised one hand.

Click-clack—Yuria, who had been waiting at a distance, approached quickly.

"Manager, do you know what the social party schedule looks like at the other hotels?"

"Many of them are booked with back-to-back events starting this week. It looks like there's been a sudden surge."

Most of the events had popped up within just a few days.

Clearly, my fellow secretaries were contacting their family houses to bring in musicians.

"They're quick. Desperate to catch the Grand Duke’s attention."

"Shall we also prepare a party aimed at musicians…?"

Yuria asked tentatively, clearly a bit nervous.

I slowly nodded in response.

"Of course. How many kitchen staff do we currently have, including the chefs?"

"Eight in total."

"Good. Then let everyone know we’ll be holding a barbecue party at the hotel restaurant tomorrow."

"Understood. And who shall we invite?"

Yuria's eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing famous musicians.

But her expression quickly turned into one of deep disappointment.

"Invite mainly the 'vagrants' from Dale Town."

Because the guests I planned to invite were the exact opposite of refined musicians.

"…Excuse me? Wasn’t the party to recruit musicians?"

"Exactly. So why’s this suddenly turning into a charity event?"

The two business partners questioned me urgently.

With a dog on one side and a squirrel on the other yapping away, my ears were ringing.

"I have my reasons. For now, just follow my instructions."

With my hands behind my back, I looked toward the hotel entrance.

And then, I recalled an article I had seen in the papers during my early 30s, when I served as a chief secretary.

Even after returning to this life, I could never forget that headline.

「Famous Musician, Bennet Tolkien, Found Dead in Dale Town Slums.」

"Yuria, make sure most of the invitations go to Dale Town residents."

At the seriousness in my eyes, the manager nodded immediately.

I silently watched as she moved with composure to begin preparing for tomorrow’s party.

‘This will mark the beginning of the First Erian Charity Party.’

This event might go beyond a single performance...

It might change the course of the Empire’s cultural history.

「――――――」

The next day, around noon.

It was a weekday morning, a time when there were few guests staying at the hotel.

Thanks to that, we were able to host the charity party without major inconvenience to the customers.

"Thank you so much for inviting us, President Roger."

The nuns who cared for the homeless in nearby slums expressed their gratitude.

They gently urged the vagrants to be on their best behavior while dining, as hotel guests were also present.

"You don’t need to thank me. This event is something I chose to do willingly."

I shook hands with them, wearing the gentlest expression in the world.

In contrast, the face of my business partner grilling meat at the barbecue wasn’t nearly as pleasant.

"Hey, I’m from a Count’s family…!!"

Mansachs cried out in protest, wearing an apron and holding barbecue tongs.

He looked at me with the most pitiful face in the world.

"If you're short on hands, you should be grilling the meat yourself. Why are you making me do it?!"

"How wonderful it looks—an elegant party where the second son of a Count personally grills the meat."

I introduced him to the nuns standing beside me with a benevolent smile.

Even the most holy women in the Empire expressed their gratitude to Mansachs.

"Khugh…"

At their smiling faces, Mansachs could only press his lips tightly shut.

As expected, nothing controls nobles like religion does.

But I wasn’t standing alone at the entrance just to get out of helping.

Among these dozens of homeless people, there was someone I needed to find.

However, most of them had their hats pulled down low, making it hard to check their faces one by one.

So I made a small request to the woman overseeing them.

"Sister, would it be alright to offer our guests a glass of wine?"

"Wine…?"

Offering alcohol to people from a slum already teeming with alcoholics?

The nun looked hesitant, troubled by the idea.

"Just one glass each. Think of it like communion wine."

I brought my hands together and gave the most saintly smile.

Perhaps burdened by the sight, the nun eventually let out a deep sigh.

"Then… just one glass. Absolutely no more than that."

With her permission, I immediately called over Yuria and gave the order.

"Serve each of our guests a glass of wine."

"Yes, right away!"

The moment they heard wine would be served, most of the vagrants erupted in cheers.

They licked their lips as they stared at the red wine laid out before them.

From one corner of the dining hall, I carefully watched them.

Especially their fingers as they picked up the glasses.

"It's been ages since I’ve had a drink…!"

"Where else in the world would you find a hotel like this? Truly a blessing from the gods!"

The homeless guests clutched the wine glasses roughly in their fists as they drank.

As expected, most had no idea how to properly hold a wine glass.

But—

My gaze soon landed on a man sitting at the end of a table.

With a worn hat pulled low over his face, he held the wine glass by his index finger alone.

'Found him.'