chapter 34
“Melanie! That’s harsh!”
Polius was extremely taken aback by Melanie’s words.
“You have neither talent nor sense for the Visual Stone business. You’re bound to fail if you try. Don’t you realize that?”
“What?”
“How long are you going to hold onto that absurd idea that you’re better than Master Damian Matap?”
Melanie ignored Polius’s flustered reaction and, filled with disdain and contempt, looked him squarely in the eyes with a slight lift of her lips.
“You can’t surpass Master Damian Matap, either as a man or as a businessman.”
“…You’ll regret saying that.”
Polius turned away, trying to appear as resolute as possible.
He decided then and there to properly commit to the Visual Stone business that Clara had proposed.
The first place Polius went after leaving Melanie was the real estate dealer he had previously visited about selling his building.
“Has anyone expressed interest in buying the building? When do you think it will sell?”
“The price is a bit high, so buyers don’t appear immediately. But it’s worth the value, so it will definitely sell.”
The dealer laughed casually, unaware of Polius’s true intentions. But soon, his expression changed when Polius spoke firmly.
“You want to sell it as a quick sale? No, just a little patience and it would have sold… Why rush?”
However, Polius’s resolute tone made the dealer nod in agreement.
Though the confusion in his eyes remained.
“At this price, it should sell quickly. It makes my work easier, so that’s good… No, it’s right to follow the seller’s wishes.”
Polius found the dealer’s lack of understanding amusing.
He wanted to ignite the flame of his own passion as soon as possible.
‘I’ll make you regret it, Melanie. I’ll make tears of regret flow from your eyes.’
He would make her regret not choosing him.
‘I’ll prove that I’m better than Damian!’
The long-standing, tiresome comparison with his half-brother Damian had haunted him since birth.
The pitiful self, belittled simply because his mother’s origin was considered inferior.
Now, the day had come to break free from that tiresome cycle and achieve great success!
I smiled after confirming with the real estate dealer that Polius’s building had been sold as a quick sale.
‘Selling a prime property at a loss… he’s really driven to madness.’
Clara had really done well.
Polius, brimming with unwarranted confidence, came to her.
At a time when Tandaeja had joined and he should have been fully focused on the Crimson Sun business, he was instead spreading confusing words through Clara that I supposedly liked him.
Even if I had intended it, hearing those arrogant words and actions made him think I still had feelings for him—it was more unpleasant than I expected.
‘But there’s no need for him to mistake me for liking him anymore.’
Polius just needed to feel the intensity of his emotions now. So I said what would shake him the most.
“You have neither talent nor sense for the Visual Stone business. You’re bound to fail if you try. Don’t you realize that?”
“You can’t surpass Master Damian Matap, either as a man or as a businessman.”
After scratching that itch, he wouldn’t be in a rational state to think things through.
There was a time I thought it was cool when he acted impulsively without thinking.
Now, that side of Polius was merely a weakness to be exploited.
Duke Clotilde was in shock after reading gossip magazines featuring stories about Melanie.
He had ordered his butler to investigate, but he found it hard to resist the urge to tell Melanie to stay home quietly.
There had been a reputation of him being overly obsessed with Polius in the past, but not like this—his name wasn’t this frequently spoken in society.
“Sigh…”
Yet even in distress, he had the duties of a duke to perform.
He exhaled and recalled the upcoming banquet he was supposed to attend.
‘I don’t particularly feel like seeing anyone right now…’
However, it had been far too long since he had shown himself in social circles.
Out of sheer responsibility, Duke Clotilde dragged himself to the reluctant event.
It had been a long time since he last attended a social gathering, due to the recent busyness of his territory.
“Oh, Duke Clotilde! You’re here!”
“You’ve been busy, but it’s been a while since we last met!”
So far, so good.
But Duke Clotilde was startled by what people said next.
“Amazing! How did you raise your daughter like that?”
“…Excuse me?”
“The Visual Stone business your daughter is running is quite a hit. I’m really envious!”
“Oh, it’s not quite to that extent.”
“Really? You have a good sense of humor.”
Yet the others seemed to interpret his bewilderment as modesty.
Then other nobles joined the conversation.
“Haha, the whole town is talking about the Visual Stones made by Miss Clotilde. No need to be so modest.”
“Exactly. My child was obsessed with the Black Moon Visual Stones as well.”
“It’s not just children. Even I’ve subscribed to the Visual Stones. I couldn’t even sleep properly yesterday…”
Duke Clotilde could distinguish between flattery and sincerity.
He was born to be a duke, and countless people had tried to get close to him.
‘What…?’
But now, their words were pure praise, envy for how well he raised his daughter.
Unlike the usual forced words to curry favor with a duke, these were sincere.
“Honestly, it’s impressive. Nobody could have thought of it.”
“Indeed, it’s the first time I’ve heard a count praise something as impressive.”
“Because it’s simply the truth.”
When a notoriously straightforward count praised him, Duke Clotilde finally realized the gravity of the situation.
“When did your daughter start the business, Duke Clotilde?”
“Where did she get the idea?”
“Honestly, it’s not just the Visual Stones, but the subscription service that’s truly impressive. When did she have such a business mindset?”
Duke Clotilde thought he knew his daughter well.
Or at least he thought he did…
But now, he couldn’t answer a single question they asked.
‘I knew she loved theater, that’s about it.’
“Duke Clotilde, when you first saw a Visual Stone, what did you think? You must have seen it first as her father.”
“To see something that amazing and not tell anyone… that’s remarkable patience.”
Duke Clotilde fumbled as questions poured in, then tried to change the topic.
“Hmm… I heard Melanie installed some kind of home theater in the manor.”
“Excuse me? What’s that?”
Even nobles who weren’t close to Duke Clotilde gathered, intrigued.
It was the busiest he’d ever been since debuting in society.
“They said it’s much bigger than the Visual Stones you can buy in stores.”
“How much bigger?”
“Since the screen was big, she requested the largest room in the manor, which I provided.”
“Good heavens!”
Melanie had said that even the larger Visual Stone was just a test she made.
“Can that Visual Stone be rented too?”
“Installed? Visual Stones aren’t installed, are they? Is this different?”
“A large size must require more mana stones. What’s the price?”
But Duke Clotilde could answer none of the questions.
He just said he’d invite them someday and barely escaped the commotion, his mind spinning.
‘Melanie made something incredible that has everyone this excited?’
Was it really such a large-scale business that all the nobles knew of it?
‘At this scale, there must be a lot to manage. I hope she’s not overdoing it.’
He was delighted by Melanie’s achievement but also worried she might overextend herself.
He feared Melanie might suffer like his wife, who had died young.
Duke Clotilde left the still-ongoing social gathering and headed to the manor.
Upon arrival, he asked the servants about the home theater Melanie had installed.
“I don’t know well… the wizard who came to install it said it wasn’t for rental.”
“They said it’s different from other Visual Stones, but I couldn’t understand the magical terms. Anyway, it uses a huge mana stone, so it’s very rare.”
After hearing this, the duke went to his study and began reading the business plan that the butler had kept for him.
It was the plan Melanie had shown to theater professionals while negotiating content contracts.
“…”
Melanie’s quarterly goals, the potential of the magical artifact market, the performance of the Visual Stone subscription service…
‘When did Melanie learn all this?’
