More precisely, a court banquet.
This was not a place just anyone could enter;
only chosen nobles were permitted to attend.
And right now, Eileen was there.
&
She was attending this glorious banquet,
but for some reason, she could hardly focus.
“Eileen.”
At the sound of the voice, she turned her gaze and found an exceedingly handsome man standing there.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
Ian Luchevalt.
If Eileen Belmardian stood at the top among women,
then Ian Luchevalt stood there among men.
The Luchevalt family, like the Belmardians, was a house of immense power.
The interesting thing was that the two families had long been rivals, keeping one another in check.
And yet, when Ian saw Eileen, he smiled as though delighted and approached her.
“You, always so relaxed, are wearing an expression I’ve never seen before today.”
His eyes curved playfully.
“Ah, were you perhaps waiting for me?”
Eileen looked at him as though he were pathetic, then let out a small sigh.
Then she immediately turned her gaze away.
“The only time I’d ever wait for you is when you come kneeling before me.”
“Kneeling?”
Ian paused for a moment, then broke into a broad smile.
“Ah, I see. You’re asking me to propose?”
Eileen was smiling,
but her eyes held naked contempt.
“If your goal is to ruin my mood at a royal banquet, that’s a rather effective method.”
She spoke coldly.
“For a moment, I nearly lost all strength.”
“Hm, what a shame.”
Ian shrugged, looking entirely unaffected.
“But I’m serious, you know?”
He continued shamelessly.
“Think about it. Two people this exceptional were born into rival families. And at the same age, no less.”
He spread his hands as though performing in a play.
“We would be the ones to end the long-standing conflict. Where else could you find such a wonderful story?”
Eileen tried to move away, as though he was no longer worth answering.
It was then.
“Look, your true fate is coming.”
Eileen’s feet paused for a moment.
At the edge of her vision, red hair was the first thing to catch her eye.
A woman in a very splendid dress was walking toward them.
Her features were somewhat sharp, but her beauty was undeniably outstanding.
The moment she spotted the two of them, she approached without hesitation.
“Hello?”
Serafinlie de Harmont.
The Harmont family was the wealthiest house in Elstragad.
And since she, too, was the same age as Eileen and Ian, the three of them had often crossed paths since childhood.
After greeting them naturally, Serafinlie glanced first at Eileen, then immediately turned her gaze to Ian.
“What do you think?”
She lightly spread the hem of her skirt.
“I had it made specially for today.”
“It’s pretty.”
“Right?”
Serafinlie’s lips curled up in satisfaction.
“Hoho.”
It was obvious at a glance that Ian’s single compliment had put her in a good mood.
And a short while later.
The air inside the banquet hall changed.
The gazes of the nobles gathered there all turned at once toward the staircase on the second floor.
There, the royal family—the rulers of the Kingdom of Elstragad and the masters of this palace—were slowly descending the stairs.
And yet.
Strangely, Eileen could not focus.
Before she knew it, her thoughts had drifted elsewhere once again.
***
The Brennan territory ruled by the Signal family lay to the south of the capital, a place one could reach only after traveling half a month by carriage.
It was on the frontier, but its landscape was rather beautiful.
A mountain range stretched long behind it, and a great river flowed in front.
To either side, fairly wide plains spread out as well.
Since the Brennan territory had been built by carving into a small mountain, the Signal family mansion overlooked the entire village from the highest point.
And now, a carriage came to a stop in front of that mansion.
“Oh my, Young Master Rayon! You have arrived already?”
Seeing Albert, the butler, rush out in a fluster made me smile despite myself.
“I came quickly because I missed you, Albert.”
“Gasp! F-For you to say such a thing... This Albert is deeply moved, Young Master!”
As I went inside first, Albert, who remained behind, caught hold of Miles.
“I was surprised that he returned after only half a month, but his demeanor seems somewhat different. Sir Miles, did the Young Master learn a great deal in the capital?”
“I do not know.”
Miles looked as though he truly had no idea.
“He changed overnight all of a sudden, so I do not understand it either. I simply intend to tell the Family Head what I saw.”
“Hoho.”
Albert stroked his beard and laughed.
“Even so, it seems he has grown. This butler Albert is simply moved beyond words.”
Ignoring the conversation between the two behind me, I headed straight into the mansion.
Then I went directly to the study where my father was.
When I knocked on the door, a voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
When I opened the door and entered, my father and mother were sitting together,
and the moment Mother saw me, she looked at me with concern in her eyes.
“Sit.”
Father’s voice was heavy.
But I sat down without showing any particular agitation.
Drevan Signal.
Seeing the younger version of my father like this again felt strangely unfamiliar.
In the past, I had simply thought of him as a gentle man.
But looking at him now, he was different.
I could clearly feel the weight of a family head upon him.
“Why have you come back already?”
It would have been reasonable for him to be angry.
“The money spent while staying in the capital is too great.”
I got straight to the point.
“There may be no attendance fee for the parties themselves, but I cannot keep wearing the same clothes.
The cost of having new clothes made is no small amount, and if we want to avoid rumors, we have to stay at an inn of a certain standard, so lodging expenses continue to pile up as well.
All of that ultimately amounts to a major loss.”
Father immediately let out a sigh.
“Haa. You do not understand because you are still young.”
“...”
“The reason we bear that loss is so that we can make greater use of it later.”
“Father.”
I looked directly at him.
“Do you truly believe that merely showing my face can make up for that loss?”
Father’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“What?”
“To be precise, it would be this.”
I continued calmly.
“Making your face known, and then, only after several years, barely obtaining a small connection.
Information gained by luck in the process.
Or a link that happens to form by chance.
In the end, you are investing while expecting things like that.”
Father looked at me in silence.
“Of course, there may be cases where it brings profit.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“But is that truly worth the costs we are bearing right now?”
Perhaps my rebuttal was unexpected, for Father was momentarily at a loss for words.
I did not stop.
“That is no different from scattering money on the ground and hoping that crops will grow well someday.”
I paused briefly to catch my breath.
“Of course, it may have more meaning than that.
But in essence, it is similar.
In the sense that it is ultimately a method that relies on luck.”
And lastly, I added,
“Unfortunately, that is all the more true for a family like ours.”
Just as Father was about to say something again, Mother quietly took his hand.
At that touch, Father exhaled slowly for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“Very well.”
Father spoke in a low voice.
“But you do understand that what you have said is, in the end, nothing more than an excuse?”
“Yes.”
I readily admitted it.
“So during the remaining time, I went around the capital.
I was not simply playing.
In my own way, I observed the economy.”
Father nodded silently.
“First, our territory’s main crops are potatoes and sweet potatoes.
There is nothing special about that composition.
The quality is not bad even by the capital’s standards.
After all, it is not easy for a frontier territory to consistently produce second-grade crops.”
I paused for a moment, then continued.
“And yet, why does our territory remain poor?
I walked around the capital while thinking about that.”
This time, not only Father but even Mother quietly listened to me.
“The problem is distribution.”
I took out the paper I had prepared and unfolded it.
“For us on the frontier to send our crops all the way to the capital, the costs are too high.
It also takes a long time.
Especially in summer, the losses are even worse.”
I pointed to the calculated section with my finger.
“About one-tenth of our second-grade crops fall to third grade during transport, or, in severe cases, lose all commercial value altogether.
One-tenth may not sound like much, but as time passes, the damage is greater than one would expect.
When we already do not earn much to begin with.”
Looking at Father, I added,
“Since profits are not large, the people of the territory cannot earn money, and the family cannot properly collect taxes either. At this rate, even the settlers may leave.”
Father answered briefly, as though he already knew.
“We have been troubled by the distribution problem for a long time. But there is no clear solution, is there? Even if we join hands with a merchant guild or a related family, once the costs are deducted, it would ultimately be a loss.”
“That is correct.”
I immediately responded.
“In that case, I would like to ask one thing. Why must we sell only to the capital?”
Father’s eyebrow moved slightly.
“Because there is also the matter of paying taxes to the capital in crops, and because there is distribution profit.”
“Then what about sending only the tax amount to the capital and selling the rest elsewhere?”
I immediately held out the next sheet of paper.
“The Bedberiu territory is five days from here. On top of that, they consistently import potatoes and sweet potatoes. If we sell to them, we can maintain the crops at second grade, handle a larger quantity, and receive a better price.”
Father immediately shook his head.
“What if the crops rot, or their grade drops and we cannot meet the quantity? The compensation for the resulting losses would be considerable.”
His voice was firm.
“With the goods sent to the capital, we can get by even if we do not sell a portion of them. But transactions between territories are different. Meeting the agreed quantity is fundamental.”
“That is why I calculated it.”
I pushed another prepared statement of accounts in front of Father.
“Even if the quantity ends up being slightly short, it is more profitable overall to make up the shortfall by buying third-grade crops from the capital or settling it with money.”
Father looked down at the statement.
But soon, he shook his head.
“I can see your effort, but it is not as though I have never considered that. I have contacted the Bedberiu territory before as well.”
I thought as much.
“But ours is not the only territory they import from. It would be nice if things went according to this calculation, but they will not.”
“That is why I thought of this method.”
As if I had been waiting for that, I took out another sheet of paper and held it out again.
“An exclusive contract based on percentage shares.”
Father’s gaze fixed on the paper.
“What we need right now is iron. The Bedberiu territory has iron mines. If we bundle their iron and our crops together for exchange, it will be an attractive enough deal for them as well.”
“...”
Father silently looked over the calculation.
The space between his brows moved ever so slightly.
I could see that he was being persuaded.
“But their iron is not of good quality.”
Father lifted his head.
“Once processing costs are taken into account, would we not ultimately suffer a loss?”
“That is correct.”
I nodded.
“That is why we must make money with that iron again.”
This time, Father’s expression became a little more serious.
It might have sounded like nonsense, but because of what I had shown him so far, his face said to hurry up and explain.
“What is our territory lacking most right now?”
“...”
“Farming tools. Is that not so? The shortage in quantity is a problem, but the poor quality slowing down work is also a major issue.”
Father slowly nodded.
“That is true. Every year, we cannot make full use of all our farmland because we lack farming tools. There is also much land lying idle.”
“Then in the end, there is only one thing we need to calculate.”
I lightly tapped the table with my finger.
“When the cultivated area increases, how much will our actual profits increase?”
“Hmm.”
“But when I calculated it, the profit margin was lower than expected. Even if we sell farming tools, we would have to use them ourselves at first, so that initial loss is also a burden.”
At those words, Father’s eyes narrowed.
“Then why bring this up?”
As though I had been waiting for that question, I raised the corners of my mouth.
“I intend to change the crops.”
And with those words as the end of it,
I was thrown out of the study.
“...His resistance was stronger than I expected.”
I scratched my head.
Well, it was understandable.
Changing crops was no different from staking the survival of the family on it.
The moment we failed, we would suffer enormous losses that year, and the family could truly collapse.
So I had fully expected such a reaction.
Even so, I was smiling on the way back to my room.
At the very least, with this action alone,
I had sufficiently shown why I had returned from the capital so early.
Of course.
The part about changing the crops was not a lie either.