chapter 30
I heard my father take in a breath, like someone trying to suppress a sigh.
“I know this alone isn’t enough, but still…”
I couldn’t see his face since my head was lowered, but I felt the faint sound of him rising from his seat.
Without another word, Father walked past me.
The door opened, then slammed shut with a bang.
Even after he was gone, I kept my head bowed for a long time.
After several formal procedures, I stepped down as the head of the Clotilde Trading Company.
A few days later—
I gathered a few documents from my office, preparing myself for something I really didn’t want to do.
“I already told them my position would be changing. Enough time has passed; they must have made their decisions by now.”
Since I was no longer the head of the company, I needed to talk again with the Clotilde employees who had been stationed in the Mage Tower.
Of course, I had no intention of canceling the distribution contract with Clotilde.
That project was about expanding the business, and it aligned with my dream—to grow the Clotilde Trading Company beyond what it had been when Mother ran it.
“But since Father is now the new head, I’ll need to clarify each person’s role and how they’ll work.”
After all, there were several Clotilde employees who were practically working as if they were members of Black Moon now.
“Thanks to those employees, the early stages of this venture went so smoothly… but how will I fill that gap now?”
With a heavy heart, I summoned the employees from Clotilde.
I just felt sorry for them.
Their work would be changing all of a sudden.
I thought it was only right to apologize to them in person before they left.
“It’s my incompetence that caused this, and yet they’re the ones who’ll suffer for it…”
When they returned to Clotilde, I planned to ask Father—who would soon be the new head—to treat them well.
Shameless or not, I had to at least try.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve stepped down as the head of the Clotilde Trading Company. So…”
But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more. My lips pressed shut.
“So…”
My voice trailed off again.
Ah, I wanted to at least say goodbye properly, since this would be the last time. But it wasn’t easy.
“Melanie Clotilde, you’re really pathetic till the very end.”
Hesitating any longer would only waste their time.
“You don’t have the right to hesitate now.”
Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke quickly.
“So… I think it would be better for all of you to return to the Clotilde Trading Company. That would be best for you.”
I had planned to add that since cooperation between Black Moon and Clotilde would continue, we’d still see each other occasionally.
“And after that, I’ll explain what happens next…”
But before I could continue, one of the employees said something completely unexpected.
It was André, the senior employee who had never liked me much.
“I heard it’s possible for us to leave Clotilde and officially join Black Moon.”
“Pardon?”
“We’d like to keep working here, as employees of Black Moon.”
I blinked at him.
“Black Moon is, to be honest, still a new organization. The Clotilde Company is far more stable. Why would you stay?”
“Haha, we’ve already talked about that among ourselves. Isn’t that right?”
André looked to the side, and a younger employee spoke up with energy.
“We all decided we want to stay—to follow you, Representative Clotilde!”
“…What?”
It was the kind of line you’d expect from a drama.
But instead of feeling moved, I started to wonder if my hearing—or their sanity—was malfunctioning.
“Last year, people called me an incompetent, useless noblewoman. How could I possibly be hearing this now?”
When we first started Black Moon, most of these employees had looked down on me.
Sure, I had shown some ability and diligence since then—
But that’s only “compared to last year,” and considering how terrible I was at the start, my improvement probably looked more dramatic than it really was.
Even so, this kind of loyalty? It didn’t make sense.
“This is strange. There’s no way they’d genuinely want to follow me.”
Ah… could it be something else?
“Everyone, if you think I might use my status as a duke’s daughter to retaliate against you personally, you don’t need to worry about that.”
“…Excuse me?”
The employees looked bewildered. I spoke more seriously.
“I know it’s my fault that things got difficult for you when I stepped down, but I’m not shameless enough to punish anyone over it. I just wanted to apologize properly before you left.”
“No, no! We never thought that! As we said earlier, we just want to stay here, working with you at Black Moon!”
“…Are you all sane?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh—uh, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to say I don’t trust you. I just meant I’m really surprised. Truly.”
Without realizing it, I’d said what I was thinking out loud, and had to scramble to recover.
But honestly, could you blame me? It was too unbelievable!
“Representative, we’re perfectly sane. You wound us!”
“Why twist our words like that when we’re being sincere?”
The employees protested indignantly, and I had to apologize again.
“Ah, sorry. I was just… overwhelmed.”
What a way to end my time as their representative—by offending them.
I cleared my throat several times and tried again.
“But really, this doesn’t make sense. There’s no real reason to stay here. Doesn’t Black Moon pay about the same as Clotilde?”
If the pay’s the same, working at Clotilde—a bigger, established company—should make more sense.
“Well, the work at Black Moon just seems more exciting.”
“I want to help make your dream come true, Representative.”
“I want to bring new things into this world—like the video stones! And there are still so many artifacts you’re planning to develop!”
Honestly, I still couldn’t believe it.
Had I really done that well by them?
If I took their words at face value and they later changed their minds, I’d be crushed.
“Ahem, I understand what you’re saying.”
I decided to pretend I believed them—and quietly test their resolve.
“If you truly want to keep working for Black Moon, we’ll need to draft new contracts…”
I paused, glancing at their faces.
“Once you sign, you can’t back out later.”
“Of course.”
“I won’t hold it against you if you change your mind, so please think carefully.”
“Representative Clotilde, do you not trust us?”
To my surprise, their tone became firm.
“Why else would you be rejecting us like this?”
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
They were glaring at me now—actually glaring!
“Guess I wasn’t exactly a terrifying boss, huh.”
Well, so much for the theory that they were just scared of my noble status.
I could read the room—if I kept doubting them, they might actually get angry.
Still, it was hard to believe people could change their view of me this fast.
“Hmm?”
But I had to admit they were serious—because…
“We mean it, Representative. This is the proof.”
They laid down a stack of papers in front of me.
I couldn’t deny it after seeing that.
“These are new contracts. We’ve already signed them.”
“All that’s left is for you to sign, and we’ll officially be Black Moon employees.”
“Haha, you can’t back out now, Representative! You’re the one hiring us!”
Judging by how things unfolded, André had been the one leading this charge.
Wait—wasn’t he the same senior who used to criticize me the most?
“Ha…”
I looked around the room at each of them again.
Even though I had repeatedly offered them a chance to return to Clotilde, not a single one left.
Not one.
I might know, thanks to the novel, that this business would succeed—but they didn’t.
We were still a new organization, working with unproven technology like video stones. They, more than anyone, knew how often promising ventures collapsed before taking off.
“The fact that they chose to stay—it’s something to be grateful for. It couldn’t have been an easy decision.”
Realizing that, I felt a new sense of responsibility settle over me.
“Thank you… for choosing to stay and work with Black Moon.”
For the first time, I felt it clearly—Black Moon wasn’t just my dream anymore. It had become our dream.
I mumbled a few awkward words about working hard together, then quietly slipped out of the room.
Honestly… my eyes were stinging a little.
