Chapter 66
While quietly reviewing documents, Licht raised his hand cautiously. His posture was polite, genuinely sincere.
“First… may I ask a few questions?”
“Go ahead. What about Mikhail?”
“Let’s wait until the department head finishes with his questions. What I’m curious about is something different.”
Looking into Mikhail’s gentle eyes, I could guess what he was about to ask.
‘He must be curious about why I’m starting a business.’
He had probably wondered why I suddenly appeared after living quietly in the annex all this time.
More than the specifics of the products, this question was what Mikhail would focus on.
I gestured to Licht, signaling him to go ahead with his questions. He immediately began firing them one after another, as if he had been preparing for this.
“I see you’ve used corn starch. Corn doesn’t grow well in the West, and it’s too far to import it from the East.”
“You can import the starch from the East. Its shelf life will be extended significantly, so there’s no problem. Besides, grain processing is best done in the East, isn’t it?”
“Now, the glycerin, the method of production… this is something I’ve never seen before. Did you come up with this idea, Duchess?”
“I learned it at the academy.”
“…I see. Then, the method of efficiently pressing the oil—who taught you that? And the method of removing the residue as well…”
“I learned that at the academy too. If you’re curious, you can dig through the academy’s library.”
“The name of the book?”
“I can’t remember.”
“…Alright. Now, how did you acquire this kaolin?”
“Coincidentally, an alchemist in the busy district was experimenting with it. I tried it and liked its properties, so I chose it.”
“Well… this is good. Now, last but not least, how will you certify the stability of these products?”
Here it was.
I had been waiting for this question.
Licht had a look on his face that said, “You can’t escape this question,” but I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
The project proposal contained only the efficacy and cost of the products, but there was no mention of experimental results. In other words, this question was deliberately guided.
I pulled out a prepared experimental report and handed it to them, extending my arm and slowly peeling off my gloves.
“…Oh!”
Licht’s eyes widened as he looked at my left hand, then he sighed when he saw my right hand.
I had been doing laundry with harsh detergents for the past month.
My skin was sensitive, so my hands had rashes and wounds.
I applied ointment to heal the wounds, but the detergents continued to make my skin rougher.
My left hand was in this condition, but—my right hand was fine.
Ever since hand cream had been developed, I only applied it to my right hand. It was in better condition than before.
I extended both hands to Licht and Mikhail.
“The left hand is untreated, the right hand has been treated. I did the experiment for a month and confirmed there are no side effects. You can refer to the report.”
“…Goodness, the Duchess did laundry?”
Rather than being surprised at the hand cream’s performance, I felt strangely uncomfortable that they were surprised by my doing laundry. The word “times” kept echoing in my head.
“Do you want to touch it?”
“…I don’t think I can make such an impolite gesture to you, Duchess.”
“The results of the deodorizer experiment…”
“I won’t look. This report is enough.”
“Really?”
Mikhail, who seemed anxious, clearly thought I was going to show something here, but I wasn’t.
The stability of the baby powder’s ingredients had already been tested by the alchemist.
Licht’s demeanor softened.
He let out a small, awkward laugh and spoke.
“Just one last question. Why did you personally conduct these experiments? There must have been many servants with chapped hands.”
“I believe experiments like this should be done personally for credibility. I couldn’t just have the servants do the laundry—they could introduce many variables.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
“Is there another reason?”
“…”
Licht looked at me quietly.
His face, full of wrinkles, displayed an intellect that seemed to be trying to see right through me.
“…I see now why the servants in the annex don’t want to come out.”
“What did you say?”
He murmured so quietly that I didn’t catch it.
When I asked again, he smiled, dismissing it.
Mikhail, who was next to him, spoke with a warm voice.
“Is that all, Supervisor? Any more questions?”
“Yes, this old man’s doubts are satisfied now.”
With that, Licht suddenly stood up and picked up the documents.
“Your Grace, can we proceed with the Duchess’s business, then?”
“If the department head deems it acceptable, I am always in favor.”
“How flattering.”
His tone suggested he knew Mikhail would agree.
As he was firing questions, the two exchanged strange glances, and it seemed their conversation was already over.
Licht left the office in that state.
“Where is he going?”
“He has much to prepare. You two can enjoy your conversation. I will see you again soon, Duchess.”
With a polite bow, he left the room. His sudden exit left me blinking, looking at Mikhail.
Click—
The door closed, and I was left alone with Mikhail in Licht’s office, an awkward situation indeed.
“…Shall we serve the tea as scheduled? Please, sit, Mother.”
“But soon—”
“I’ll delay the schedule. It seems your conversation is more important.”
He guided me to the sofa, a more important priority than any schedule.
Normally, he would have focused on the schedule, but now, he was guiding me to relax.
Since I had been standing for so long, my legs were sore, so I didn’t protest and leaned back deeply into the sofa.
As if waiting, the butler outside brought tea and snacks.
After taking a sip of the warm tea, Mikhail slowly spoke.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you could persuade the supervisor like that.”
“It’s thanks to the considerate supervisor who understood.”
“That can’t be right. There is no one more rational in this estate than him. He was impressed by you. He said he hadn’t seen that side of you in a long time.”
His praise, which seemed genuine, was overwhelming. Mikhail’s compliments had never been false.
I averted my gaze and took a bite of the snack.
“Honestly, if I had known you were this sharp, I should have brought you into the main house instead of the annex.”
“…”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t want to explain how uncomfortable it would be for Helene. It was unnecessary interference.
‘…Wait, does he know what he’s saying?’
It was hard to guess Mikhail’s true intentions. Maybe he was saying this because he wanted to keep an eye on me, thinking, ‘She’s sharp, so she needs to be monitored.’
“So now I’m even more curious. The reason you’ve taken such an active role—was it because of Jane Goldrail?”
“…You knew.”
“I know the identity of the guests coming to the annex. You are a precious family member to us.”
Isn’t that what they call surveillance?
Then again, it wasn’t surprising—he’d likely investigate the guests at the main house as well, so it was no different for the annex.
“Of course, I think this business seems promising, so I will approve it, but I don’t understand the connection with Jane Goldrail.”
“It’s simple. I want to give Jane Goldrail a chance.”
“You want to entrust this business to her?”
“Not necessarily. That’s your authority. My request is simply to provide the opportunity.”
“The opportunity, you say…”
There are countless trading companies that would want to be responsible for the raw materials of this business.
Grains, ores, glass products, and distribution—merchants from all kinds of fields would want to get involved.
I wanted the authority to select them.
“I want you to invite 20 trading companies and host a banquet. You’ll choose the companies to contract with from that group.”
Mikhail may not be familiar with this, but it was essentially a bidding process. Of course, the details would differ.
“Then I just need to select Jane Goldrail?”
“That’s your decision. Leave your personal interests aside.”
He didn’t need to step in to help me.
If things went according to plan, he would have no choice but to choose Jane himself.
“I want three things. First, allow me to recommend the 20 companies. Second, host a review event for them in two months. And third, you will evaluate them objectively and select the one to partner with.”
It was an extraordinary request.
It would be a sensitive matter for a Duke to host a banquet with merchant companies, and even more so to invite 20 of them. It was clear to anyone that he intended to select the one who offered the most bribe.
The selected companies would attend the event with huge bribes, hoping to win Mikhail’s favor.
Even though requesting bribes was customary, this kind of blatant move was highly unusual in noble society.
