Chapter 140:  A Trap for Beasts (2)

How much time had passed since I sent the letter?

The cold sound of military boots echoed slowly through the Erian Hotel.

That sound always made most of the hotel staff tense.

No matter how much the wearer of those boots had helped the Foundation, or how perfectly she had filled in for the absent director...

The sharp, distinct atmosphere of the Grand Duke's household was not something one could easily get used to.

“Your Grace, you’re here.”

“Yes. Is the director upstairs?”

But this time, something was different.

The noble Luton Sword that usually hung at her waist—

Today, instead of that, she was accompanied by something wrapped in a luxurious cloth.

“Yes, that’s right. Shall I guide you?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll go up alone today.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter didn’t look too pleased with the way the staff’s gazes drifted toward the wrapped item.

She gave a light cough and stepped into the elevator with a look of disinterest.

“Doesn’t Her Grace seem a little different today?”

“She’s as cold as usual, though...”

At the counter, a female staff member asked, and the male employee tilted his head.

Then, a black-haired employee with neatly tied hair let out a deep sigh and spoke in a confident tone.

“No, something’s definitely changed. Before, it felt like if you made a mistake, she’d draw her sword on the spot…”

“And now?”

The female staff member frowned, as if trying to explain an instinctive gut feeling.

Then, as if she had finally found the right words, her face brightened again.

“Now it just feels like she’d make a mildly annoyed face and leave it at that?”

“What’s that even supposed to mean...”

The male employee looked at his colleague with a puzzled expression.

...

Regardless of the staff’s impressions, Echina’s face remained cold as ever.

Her focus was entirely elsewhere.

The whole time she rode the elevator, she kept her eyes fixed on the cloth at her waist, pretending not to care.

When she arrived at the 8th floor, where the director’s office was located, she moved forward without hesitation.

――――――

The office door opened.

Eventually, she met my eyes as I quietly stared out the window alone.

“Your Grace, you’ve arrived.”

“Yes. It sounded important, so I came in person.”

I guided Echina to the sofa at the center of the director’s office.

It looked like she had brought something with her, but that wasn’t my priority at the moment, so I didn’t even glance at it.

“Yes, it’s quite important. We're talking about hundreds of billions—possibly even several trillions, depending on how things go.”

Echina quietly placed the wrapped cloth beside her.

Then, as if it were nothing, she sat down and crossed her legs.

“Today, I’d like to propose an investment opportunity to Your Grace.”

“An investment...?”

Echina rested her elbow on her knee, clad in black stockings.

Then, with the sharp gaze she had inherited from the Grand Duke of the North, she asked again.

“Since you called me with a letter, I assume it’s a sure thing?”

“Yes, it’s a place with excellent prospects.”

I placed the business card of a certain company I had prepared on the table.

There was a bold sailboat emblem stamped on the business card.

“It’s a shipping company receiving full support from the United Kingdoms of the Northern Sea.”

“Shipping, huh... With the two countries about to ramp up trade, that sector's already seen quite the rise.”

As expected, she had quickly caught on to the current outlook for the shipping industry.

“Isn’t it a little late to be investing now?”

It was true that the shipping sector had already more than doubled in value compared to its previous stock price.

Such a steep climb had rarely been seen before, which led most nobles to believe it had already reached its peak and would soon start falling.

“I already put about a billion gold into shipping. It grew to 2.4 billion, so I was thinking of pulling it out.”

But I knew.

No—if you were someone who had seen the future, there was no way you wouldn’t know.

This surge in the shipping industry was only the beginning.

“Investment is always the fastest when you think it’s already too late.”

Like a sea momentarily calm before a storm, a massive wind was approaching—so large that even a child would soon sense it.

And it was coming from very far away.

“The peak of the shipping industry hasn’t even arrived yet. You should invest more.”

I made the offer to her confidently.

“How much do you currently have in assets?”

“Not much. I invested in my father’s business—about two billion.”

Her father’s business, huh?

Given the timing, it must be that one.

“You mean the Nord trade route improvement project.”

“How did you know that?”

When I guessed the Grand Duke’s confidential plan in one shot, Echina’s sharp eyes softened.

I simply smiled, as if it was no big deal.

“Well, the current trend is all about trade. And the North’s one major flaw is its barren roads.”

Domestic roads were well paved, but internationally, the Nord mountain range made everything harsh and difficult.

But the Grand Duke of the North had realized something.

Even if it required a massive investment—if a trade route could be opened through the Northern mountain range...

The resulting profits would be so vast that he wouldn’t need to concern himself with the Imperial Court’s scrutiny.

“If it’s improved, not only the Grand Duke’s household but all of Nord will enter a second golden age.”

That’s how important it was to become a major shareholder in trade.

“It would mean the era of the North is returning.”

Echina sank into thought for a moment.

Her siblings had probably all thought their father’s pursuit of the trade route was reckless.

But from the opposite perspective, it meant the Grand Duke considered it so important that he was willing to take such a risk.

And since she understood that well, she had willingly sent her investment funds to him.

“Did you invest in it too?”

Echina asked for my opinion first.

“No, I didn’t.”

“…You’re recommending this investment to me, but you haven’t put anything in yourself?”

The Grand Duke’s daughter stared at me.

She wasn’t suspicious—but she was clearly wondering why I hadn’t invested myself.

“Are you just testing the waters?”

“I’d never do that. I’m planning to bet the entirety of my current assets—eight billion gold—on Lloyd Shipping.”

I replied leisurely, resting one hand on the office desk.

With long eyes resembling a wild beast.

“And I intend to lend it to you, Lady Echina.”

“You want to invest your money under my name?”

At my words, she slightly furrowed her elegant brows.

“What’s the reason?”

“Well, because of your reputation, of course. If rumors spread that Lady Echina has invested in Lloyd Shipping, more capital will pour in.”

I presented a reasonable-sounding justification.

But in truth, I had another reason for doing this.

“It’s a perfect way to push the stock price up.”

If word got out that Echina had invested…

Then the siblings who had been wary of her rapid rise would respond.

A family that envied their own members more than outsiders’ success—

That was the Grand Duke’s house of the North, the Luton family.

“Of course, I’ll also make you a promise.”

I gently sat down across from Echina.

Then, as I poured her a cup of tea, I continued.

“I’ll tell you the exact timing to sell.”

I didn’t know the exact date when the skyrocketing stock would fall.

But I did have a general idea of when it would dip.

Roughly a month before that drop, I planned to sell everything.

After all, with how much I had already changed the course of events through my actions, it was safer to cash out early.

“……”

Echina kept her thoughtful expression.

I was sure she’d be displeased inside.

After all, it might seem like I was trying to exploit her family’s name for my own gain.

But surprisingly, her reaction was different from what I expected.

Echina silently stared at the cloth-wrapped item she’d brought.

Then, as if something had just come to mind, her moist lips curved into a slow grin.

“Well, fine. Think of it as a good rehearsal for something bigger.”

“A rehearsal… in advance?”

At her faint smile, I tilted my head in confusion.

Then Echina calmly unwrapped the cloth she had brought, and set down a luxurious lunch box on the table.

“Send me the gold. I’ll invest your share along with mine.”

The lid of the lunch box opened.

And soon, slices of luscious apples revealed themselves.

“But you’d better tell me exactly when to sell, alright? We’re in the same ‘boat’ now.”

The same boat.

That phrase felt especially heavy today.

But I didn’t let it show.

Because Echina was someone I had promised myself, even in my previous life, that I would repay—no matter what.

“Of course. Everything’s already in the plan.”

I accepted the apple she handed me.

Then took a bite.

It was deeply sweet.

“Still, how admirable. Sharing such a good opportunity instead of keeping it all to yourself.”

Echina looked pleased.

She looked on warmly as I ate the apple.

But I didn’t boast about it.

After all, this might be both a gesture of repayment and a kind of test for her.

In the world of investment, the key was knowing exactly when to pull out.

If you got drunk on the money snowballing around you and missed your exit…

You’d get buried under that very snow you’d built up—and die before you knew it.

That was something I learned back when the Grand Duke of the North had passed away, and I was serving Eric.

‘Let’s see if she, who in her previous life only ever served as commander of the knights, can let go of greed.’

Would she be able to resist the intoxication of wildly multiplying money and firmly follow my word to sell?

That would depend solely on her own resolve.

And this applied not only to her—but to the other predators who’d bite at the bait once they heard she’d invested.

Freya, whose desire ran deepest, just like her father.

Whether or not she’d escape this sweet trap… we’d soon find out.

“Lady Echina, the apple’s incredibly sweet. You chose well.”

“Right? I picked it out myself.”

Echina gave a soft laugh and watched me eat the apple with quiet satisfaction.

“By the way, what’s with the lunch box? Did the family pack it for you?”

“That’s right. I haven’t had lunch yet.”

I looked with wide eyes at the feast she laid out.

Perfectly sliced steak and vegetables arranged with meticulous precision.

Even just looking at it made me feel full.

“Want to eat together?”

“Perfect timing—I haven’t eaten either.”

Echina poked a piece of meat with her fork and handed it to me.

As if she were watching prey fall into her trap with immense satisfaction.

Unaware of each other’s true intentions, we shared a solemn meal while waiting for our targets to bite.

「――――――」

That afternoon.

A reporter from the Daily Time arrived in New Luton dressed in a discreet plain outfit.

Wearing a hunting cap pulled low over his head, he quietly entered a certain company.

The largest in the city—Luton Maiden.

Luton Maiden was currently a major conglomerate representing the textile and fashion industries.

The reporter, ascending to the company’s top floor, was led into the president’s office by a chief secretary radiating a chilling aura of mana.

“Ma’am, he’s from the Daily Time.”

“Let him in.”

When the elegant door opened, a stern woman seated behind the office desk revealed herself.

A woman with intelligent eyes, framed by beautiful silver hair—

Freya, the eldest daughter of the Luton family.

“So? What brought you straight to headquarters like this?”

“I just secured some exclusive news, so I skipped the main office and came directly.”

In addition to the faction supporting Archduke Eric, the Daily Time also had a group that backed the eldest daughter.

The man with the red hair, who served as one of the paper’s dual representatives, handed her the information with a solemn look.

“News about the second daughter, Echina. Word is she’s investing in Lloyd Shipping this afternoon.”

Freya, who had appeared indifferent up until then, flashed a chilling glare the moment her younger sister’s name was mentioned.

“Lloyd Shipping, you say?”

“Yes. And it’s a massive investment. One billion gold…!!”

At the number one billion, the eldest daughter furrowed her dark brows.

It just didn’t make any sense.

Granted, one billion wasn’t an enormous sum for the Luton family.

But Echina had already invested a large fortune into their father’s business.

Which meant she likely had little left in her own hands—so where had she scraped together another billion?

And more puzzling still, she had funneled all of that into a single company.

“Chief Secretary, what do you think?”

“It is rather unusual. Lady Echina has always been a very cautious investor.”

Freya rested her index finger on her sharp chin.

“Right. For someone so cautious to suddenly wring out every last coin and dump it all in one place…”

“Could it mean the asset is just that promising?”

At the chief secretary’s question, Freya fell into silent thought for a moment.

Then, she let out a faint laugh and slowly shook her head.

“No, someone definitely tipped her off.”

She curled her lips into a chilling smile, as if she already knew who was behind it.

“Roger Julius. It has to be that boy’s advice.”

“Roger Julius… You mean the young man who visited a few months ago?”

The chief secretary also clearly remembered the remarkable young man.

“He’s playing a clever little trick. Pretending it’s Echina’s investment while secretly funneling his own money into it.”

Freya rose from her desk.

And standing before the towering window, she gazed down at the bustling streets of New Luton.

“Lloyd, huh… Chief Secretary, run an investigation on them.”

The Grand Duke’s eldest daughter already knew exactly who stood behind Echina.

But that only made her more intrigued.

“If that boy Roger invested, it means he has solid grounds to believe in it.”

Currently, he was the fastest-rising figure in the North.

If he went so far as to hide behind someone else’s name to make an investment—

And if that investment proved worthwhile…

Then she would be the one to seize it first.