Chapter 61………………………………………
For a moment, a cold silence settled over the office.
Anyone from Berkshire knew how carefully Ariana had raised those tulips.
Of course, a few tulips could simply be bought with money.
Still, Perez had received as many as fifty, and as a grandfather who hadn’t even received a single one, Schwaben’s expression turned oddly complex.
“…I feel hurt.”
After a brief silence, Schwaben added as if in disbelief,
“Honestly… it’s been so long since I last felt something like this.”
“…Could it be that Perez is just that special to the little one?”
Alexandro, who also felt a bit hurt inside, sympathized with Schwaben’s feelings.
At a young age, it’s possible to like friends more than family.
Even at Alexandro’s remark, Schwaben gave no reply.
…So the lord truly dotes on the little one, just as the rumors say.
Meanwhile, Cherdikas observed Schwaben’s expression and thought to himself.
Even though he already knew, seeing it firsthand made him realize it more clearly than ever.
…Perhaps… instead of His Grace the Duke, the little one might inherit the family?
Among the previous heads of the Berkshire family, there had been exactly one rare case where the third generation inherited the position.
At that time, the family head had temporarily revised the internal rules so that not only the second generation, but also the third could participate in the succession competition.
If Schwaben were to change the rules again this time, it wouldn’t be impossible for the little one to become the head of Berkshire.
Even if being a woman might put her at a disadvantage in a male-centered noble society, if Schwaben truly intended Ariana to be his successor, Cherdikas was willing to become her right-hand man.
…For a family like Berkshire, which values financial power above all, it makes sense for a genius to inherit it.
Cherdikas had no ambition anyway; he was far more suited to wielding a sword.
His younger brother Alexandro also admired Cherdikas and Adrian, and leaned more toward swordsmanship.
In Cherdikas’s eyes, Alexandro’s ability with numbers was only on par with Dandolo.
Which meant he was unfit to be Berkshire’s heir.
Although Adrian’s ducal title was merely a single-heir nobility without inheritance rights, exceptions could always be made.
If, as Cherdikas predicted, Prince Kael ascended the throne in the future, he would surely agree to a new arrangement.
In the distant future—if Cherdikas inherited Adrian’s ducal title, and Ariana became the head of Berkshire…
That would be the most ideal outcome for me.
Adrian seemed to have no attachment to Berkshire at all.
Rather than letting their uncles inherit the family, it would be better to support Ariana in becoming the head.
Cherdikas had not the slightest intention of competing with his younger sister for the position.
Even at a young age, he was remarkably self-aware.
No matter how much financial education unique to Berkshire he received, it never interested him.
As the eldest grandson, raised with privilege, he had never felt desperate about money.
But the little one is different. Throughout that conversation that day, her eyes sparkled as if filled with starlight.
At the time, he hadn’t understood what that gaze meant.
It simply felt adorable and charming.
But the more he reflected on that tea time with his sister, the more he realized—
Her eyes had shone brilliantly and intensely, like the sun.
That was her ambition—and her desperation for money.
It was easy to understand why Schwaben was especially weak toward her.
After all, the lord himself had been born as the illegitimate child of the previous head, and was the most frugal person in Berkshire.
On the other hand, for Cherdikas, the exhilaration he felt while wielding a sword was far more thrilling and meaningful.
When he immersed himself in training and suddenly realized time had passed, feeling the cool breeze over his entire body—those were the moments he felt happiest.
As for Alexandro, who still seemed unable to let go of his ambitions, Cherdikas figured he could guide him as an older brother.
The day when Berkshire’s succession competition truly begins may not be far off.
Cherdikas quietly stared at his grandfather, who had pressed his lips into a firm line.
“…Why would someone as noble as you come to see me…”
Ariana blinked as she looked at Colombersh, who seemed utterly flustered.
Aside from Heli, this was the first time she had personally arranged a meeting and visited someone.
“Let’s sit down and talk first.”
“…M-my apologies, Lady. I was so flustered… p-please take the seat of honor.”
Following Colombersh’s guidance, Ariana sat down.
Maps of an imagined world were posted all over the office walls.
The real historical figure Columbus might not have had such a servile personality toward high-ranking nobles, but just as the tulip bubble hadn’t unfolded exactly like real economic history due to the tyrant’s influence, things here were different too.
“I’ll get straight to the point, Baron Colombersh. I want to become the sole sponsor of your New World expedition.”
“…Pff!”
Startled, Colombersh spat out the tea he was drinking.
His eyes trembled with shock as his jaw dropped open.
Ariana calmly waited for him to regain his composure.
“……”
“…M-my deepest apologies! To behave so rudely before someone of your stature… I deserve death… I’ll clean this up immediately—”
Watching him fumble for a handkerchief, Ariana let out a quiet sigh.
“Take your time. You didn’t spit the tea on me, so it’s fine.”
…Deserve death? That’s ridiculous.
If she failed to sponsor Colombersh, Ariana would be the one at a loss.
Wasting time calling servants to clean the office annoyed her more.
She wanted to settle the matter of sponsoring him quickly and clearly.
Now that she had repaid Perez’s favor in full and secured an astronomical number of expensive tulips, it was time to seriously grow her seed money.
‘Ariana von Berkshire. She’s rumored to be a notorious villainess. And yet… she doesn’t get angry over my mistake?’
Still flustered, Colombersh wiped the tea from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Then a delayed wave of excitement struck him.
After all, this was the first high-ranking noble to offer him sponsorship.
His heart began pounding.
People say everyone gets three chances in life—this felt like his third and final opportunity.
Because his expectations of Ariana had been so low, even her calm demeanor felt like generosity to him.
The investment proposal on the table had been soaked with tea.
Yet Ariana looked completely indifferent, as if she didn’t even need to read it.
“…Are you serious?”
“What do you mean, ‘serious’?”
“…About sponsoring me…”
“Of course I’m serious.”
“But…”
Colombersh hesitated.
The Ariana before him was unbelievably adorable.
Her soft pink hair and sparkling pink eyes looked like jewels.
Anyone would have their heart melt when facing such a lovely girl.
Colombersh was no exception.
Had he married earlier, he might have had a daughter her age.
But no matter how young and approachable she seemed, Ariana was still the Lady of the Berkshire ducal house.
Ariana spoke slowly,
“Do I look like someone with too much free time? I’m quite busy myself—I’m not so idle as to act without thinking.”
