Chapter 59
“…What?”
“When are you going to stop playing house? Just because you sold some oil, you think you’re a real merchant now?”
…Something felt wrong. That wasn’t the answer she expected. Not even close.
“You stole a client from the Doman Firm? Do you have any idea how humiliated I was because of that? Wearing the Goldrail name and spreading disgrace everywhere!”
“I… only did what a merchant is supposed to…”
“I gave you that branch to manage, not to turn you into a merchant!”
What… what was he even saying? Her eyes widened in disbelief, and Yulkes snapped in irritation.
“You’re my daughter. Don’t you get it? A daughter, not a merchant!”
She was forced to confront a truth she hadn’t wanted to hear—hadn’t wanted to believe.
“Rising profits? That pathetic branch’s revenue doesn’t even make up five percent of Goldrail’s total! And you’re proud of earning pennies?”
No. It’s not about total revenue. It’s about profit margins.
The operating profit of this shop over the past six months outpaced other branches by far. That’s proof of growth potential.
“And Chelosi Restaurant? A place for commoners! So what if you made a deal with them? Don’t forget—we are nobles!”
Chelosi may have catered mostly to commoners, but it was a highly regarded restaurant featured in gourmet travel journals. Just being listed as a supplier offered invaluable advertising potential.
Even if it means a loss, strike a deal with a well-known name. That was one of Wilhelmina’s lessons.
“And I heard you’ve been bragging about beating the Doman Firm? Now people are calling me the fool who can’t control his own daughter! Other branch managers say you threw a tantrum at Doman!”
It was Doman who threw the tantrum. She had never once engaged in anything illegal. Anyone could see that the other managers were simply jealous and trying to undermine her.
She wanted to speak. She wanted to launch a sharp rebuttal at Yulkes’s irrational accusations.
But the words wouldn’t come out.
And Jane realized—it wasn’t anger or embarrassment holding her back. It was despair.
“Do you still not understand why I gave you that branch? Ugh, this is why it’s a mistake to give a girl too much education…”
“Then why did you give it to me? What was the real reason?”
“You still don’t get it?”
SLAM—!
Yulkes smacked his palm down on a cabinet, his voice rising.
“You’re my daughter. My only daughter. Don’t you realize what that means? And you dare call yourself the daughter of a merchant?”
“I…”
That couldn’t be it. No way.
Jane covered her mouth with a trembling hand. She had never imagined such a future.
“I taught you math and personnel management so you could run a household. I gave you the branch just so you could have ‘work experience.’ You think I did it so you could haul around sacks of flour or pick fights with rival firms? For what, fun?”
Fun?
She did it for herself.
To earn money on her own strength. To become a real merchant she could be proud of.
She suddenly thought of all the scolding letters Yulkes had sent her.
Harsh, cruel words. Still, she had believed she could change him. Because it was the reasonable thing.
Reasonable?
…Had she truly believed she could persuade Yulkes—her father?
You can’t reason with someone who doesn’t live by reason.
Wilhelmina’s words echoed in her mind, along with the somber look on her face.
Maybe Jane just didn’t want to face the worst-case scenario.
That her father was never someone you could talk sense into.
“…Then what do you want from me, Father?”
“I’ve already told you!”
“Where, where am I supposed to do that?”
“Obviously, in the household you’ll marry into as lady of the house!”
Her breath caught.
Lady of the house? Don’t tell me… he wants me to get married?
The truth clicked.
The daughter of a merchant who had run a branch, with excellent calculation and management skills.
Educated just enough to be suitable for a noble household.
Yulkes never raised her to be a merchant—he raised her to marry up. To marry into a noble family.
Why? That was obvious. To escape the shackles of a first-generation noble whose title wouldn’t be passed down.
“So you’ve been lying to me all this time?”
“Lying? You deluded yourself.”
“…But why didn’t you say so from the beginning?”
If he had just told her that her education was meant to prepare her for marriage, she wouldn’t have been so shocked now.
“….”
Jane bit her lip and looked down. The despair choking her made it hard to speak logically.
She had debated with business partners—equals. But she’d never argued like this with someone who was both her boss and her parent.
Seeing her silence, Yulkes scoffed with satisfaction.
“If you understand now, shut the shop down and come home. Fix that foolish attitude and apologize to the other branch managers for all the trouble you caused.”
“….”
“And bring back the profits! That branch was mine—I should be compensated for retrieving it. If there are any unpaid bills, settle them—”
“…Is that it?”
“What?”
She slowly lifted her head. Her eyes, laced with icy fury, startled Yulkes enough to make him step back.
She caught the contradiction in his words and locked eyes with him.
“So a noble family has finally agreed to buy me, huh?”
“You little—!”
His brow furrowed. She had hit the mark.
The deal must have been finalized recently. That’s why he came so suddenly.
No noble family would easily accept the daughter of a nouveau riche merchant.
Even if all of this was for marriage, Yulkes wouldn’t risk failure. If no match appeared, he would’ve accepted Jane as a merchant instead.
Then who is it? A house recently connected to Goldrail… one desperate enough to marry a commoner…
While glaring at Yulkes, her mind rapidly worked through the clues.
It must be the main daughter-in-law. Marrying off a daughter to anyone but the heir would be pointless. The family must be in need of money, and not one of the old-line nobles. It needs to be a house Goldrail can influence…
And one more thing: Yulkes had always wanted to do business in military supplies for nobles.
Thanks to the mine discovered by Viscount Milo, the market will soon be flooded with ore. There’s a certain artisan family aiming for that boom.
Artisan families that crafted weapons or armor usually ran their own supply companies. But some only had the skills, lacking money or a merchant arm.
Families that couldn’t keep up with the booming ore market due to lack of funds…
“…Is it the Billow family?”
“…!”
“They had one son, right?”
An outdated household, despite their past glory. All because the heir was a reckless fool.
Their decline was due to a son who squandered his aging father’s money.
A family just the right size for Goldrail to devour.
“You’re selling me off to that degenerate?”
“Watch your mouth! He’s your future fiancé!”
Despite his words, Yulkes didn’t look remotely respectful.
Jane gritted her teeth.
Is that all I’m worth?
She never thought too highly of herself—but she certainly didn’t deserve to be married off to some has-been noble family’s disgrace.
She stepped closer.
“I won’t accept this. Did you even read the ledgers? I outperformed my brother, and even the west branch manager you favor. That’s just in one year. Give me one more year, and when the other restaurants are up for contract renewal—”
“And I’m telling you—that’s not the point!”
Yulkes exploded in a shout.
“Do you know what’s more important than money in this world? Honor? Trust? No. It’s status. With the right title, you don’t even need to run some miserable business like this!”
“It’s not miserable!”
Her voice didn’t match his in volume—but it carried far more weight.
The force in her tone made Yulkes flinch despite himself.
“I understand why you think status matters. And I know you see my work as trivial. But it’s meaningful. Success doesn’t betray you, and hard work doesn’t crumble. No form of success is ever worthless.”
“…….”
“And say I do earn a noble title—how is that my strength? How is it my success? If I achieved nothing with my own hands, how could I ever treasure it?”
“…You really are a fool.”
Damn I really want to punch him in the face…