SD 03

Chapter 3

To understand the ‘bet’ Benedict mentioned, we need to explain why the siblings left their hometown of Chavin and moved to the capital, Lenore.

It was due to a certain plan established the year before last, shortly after they won the lawsuit concerning their purchase of a noble title, a business venture that had to be initiated from the capital.

The Bonnel family’s business, which began with their grandfather’s mining operation and progressed to a confectionery factory, consumer goods factories for milling and sugar refining, and distribution, now extended its reach to every corner of Beloff. The ultimate goal was to establish a central bank encompassing the entirety of Beloff.

The current banking system in Beloff varied by territory, often leading to unpleasant and occasionally ridiculous situations. This ambitious plan was conceived to capitalize on that flaw. Before the full-scale authorization process, their mother remained in Chavin to finalize the transfer of businesses across various regions, and their uncle was scheduled to visit the factories he directly supervised before coming up to Lenore.

Thus, Annette R. Bonnel and Benedict Bonnel, who had arrived first, divided the responsibilities for establishing the foundation in Lenore.

Annette R. Bonnel was tasked with finding and purchasing suitable locations for future bank strongholds and properties showing potential for investment, alongside Riebner. Benedict Bonnel’s mission was to frequent salons and social clubs, meeting people from the House of Lords and the Assembly to cultivate a favorable attitude toward the Bonnells.

To start with the conclusion, neither task was easy. It was somewhat the situation Annette R. Bonnel had bitingly mocked Benedict for: ‘Isn’t your job just to grin, drink, and applaud the blustering of pot-bellied toads?’

Lenore differed from other provincial cities in that it was overflowing with wealthy people, diminishing the effect their financial prosperity—the Bonnells’ strong point—could bring. They were from Chavin in the remote southwestern region, far from the central areas, so they lacked key connections. Furthermore, the old guard of Lenore looked down on the siblings’ youth… The list of obstacles was endless. Of course, the biggest hurdle was the atmosphere of Lenore itself.

What kind of place is Lenore?

This political capital of Beloff, dominated by the Lion Party, is home to many who believe that prioritizing honor is a virtue. From its very beginning, the Bonnel family drew the scrutiny of many old, established houses, sometimes earning outright contempt.

They bought their title. They don’t know the meaning of honor. They don’t qualify as nobles. How dare the nouveau riche.

Given this situation, it was an overt obstacle to their large-scale business venture, but the greater difficulty lay in how one obstacle gave birth to others.

It was the unpleasant situation where people who acted like cooperative friends in Chavin would suddenly feign ignorance—’When did I say that?’—to avoid the scrutiny of the Lenore nobility… In fact, Annette R. Bonnel had experienced something akin to betrayal from Baron Cobain, the owner of the Soles Musée Gallery, and was currently resolving the matter.

To describe the cowardly Baron Cobain, who had gone silent as soon as she contacted him after arriving in Lenore, despite their former friendliness, he was the most troubled kind of honor-seeker: the ‘impoverished honor-seeker.’ This meant he was a pathetic sort who pretended to be important while owning next to nothing.

She should have recognized his intelligence earlier, considering he was making the severe mistake of selling luxury goods in a middle-class street and had been operating at a deficit for several years…

At first, she didn’t understand his silence, even when she offered far more than the market price. But through attending a few social gatherings in Lenore with Gervais, her fiancé, she began to surmise the reason. Baron Cobain was desperate to earn the approval of the Lion Party members who looked unfavorably upon ‘those Bonnells’ stirring things up in the capital.

And while Annette R. Bonnel struggled for this reason, Benedict Bonnel, who was working on building connections within Lenore, had his own headaches.

The Lenore House of Lords consisted of the National Senate, composed of two parties, and the comparatively short-lived Lower House. The National Senate was dominated by the Lion Party and the Platypus Party, while the Lower House seats were held by the Kiwi Party, representing the working class.

As mentioned, the Lion Party members were high-ranking aristocrats, known as Traditionalists, a kind of Royalist faction. The Platypus Party, ambiguously influenced by the currents of the time, was a mixed bag: the Red Ducks were favorable toward breaking with custom and new reforms, while the Blue Platypuses agreed to change but insisted on respecting customs and culture as much as possible. It goes without saying that the people the Bonnells could possibly relate to, given their ‘treatment’ in Lenore, were naturally the Platypus Party members.

Benedict Bonnel’s first targets were the Duke DuJardin and the Earl Peregrine, who belonged to the Red Duck faction. The Duke DuJardin commanded a following merely by his name, and the Earl Peregrine’s father-in-law was known to be Robert Gustav, the Minister of Justice.

Thus, Benedict managed to somehow appease and begin socializing with Duke DuJardin, but the Earl Peregrine proved to be an unexpectedly difficult opponent. Though he belonged to the Red Duck faction, he retained a tendency to look down on the gentry, and worse, he wouldn’t even associate with Benedict Bonnel, citing his young age. So Benedict put his attempts on hold and focused on solidifying his relationship with Duke Magnusi DuJardin…

Since things were not going smoothly like this, both Annette R. Bonnel and Benedict Bonnel were considerably stressed, and the siblings’ stress, more often than not, led to quarrels and conflicts.

‘Beni, I didn’t know you were so incompetent. Wouldn’t it be faster to wear a garter belt and seduce him?’

‘Are you kidding me? Have you said enough? Incompetent?’

‘What else is it if not the epitome of incompetence to bring shame to the family name and then tuck your tail between your legs? Are you trying to emulate Jean-Gauthier’s statue of “The Thinking Man”?’

‘You’re having trouble with the Soles Street matter yourself, aren’t you? You’ve worn down the heels of your shoes, haven’t you?’

‘My situation is naturally different from yours.’

‘Different my foot.’

‘It’ll be over soon, anyway.’

‘It’s over my eye.’

‘Then let’s make a bet. Which will happen first: me securing the Soles Street property, or the Earl Peregrine’s invitation?’

‘You’ll regret it.’

‘No, you will regret it.’

This is how the bet came about.

Annette R. Bonnel stipulated that if she won, Benedict Bonnel would have to give her the Jagumud racetrack and the Morverde Company bonds, which were in his name, as a wedding gift. She also included calling her ‘Nuna’ (older sister) for a month.

In response, Benedict Bonnel said rude things like, ‘What did you do that you weren’t buried alive with your conscience when it died?’ but then he demanded the first edition of Jacqumoud’s Transcendental Journey and all of the investment shares in the Crepin Company. The Crepin Company was a famous brand in Lange, the city of weaving and arts, and the shares were owned by Annette R. Bonnel’s friend. He was aiming for that. Who was the one acting like a devil?

However, since she intended to win the bet anyway, Annette R. Bonnel agreed, and the wager began.

She reset Baron Cobain as her top priority. As it turned out, he was the living embodiment of a slippery loach, possessing a surprisingly excellent ability to hide. But help comes to those who struggle, and Gervais, her fiancé, upon hearing Annette R. Bonnel’s predicament, said:

‘I don’t know about persuading him, but meeting him shouldn’t be difficult.’

Ah, to explain Gervais: he was a pure Lenore native who had been in a long-distance relationship with her for a year, the eldest son of the Alderfreud family. Since the Alderfreud family leaned toward being traditional Lion Party supporters, there were some twists and turns before they reached their current state, but they eventually became engaged to be married.

His advantages were a decent face, an easygoing personality, and kindness. His disadvantages included a love for partying, a fondness for alcohol, and impulsiveness. But she liked him. Especially his spirit, which was unlike many men nowadays—a mere slacker with no particular talent or skill, yet willing to step up to help her.

‘That man barely misses a Lion Party member’s party. About half a year ago, he even brought a quite decent present to my uncle’s dog’s litter party.’

Baron Cobain, what a pathetic human being…

‘You know, right? The party at Cheboteteu in a few days.’

‘Chebotet?’

‘Oh, Annette R. Bonnel, you’re so cute. It’s Cheboteteu. You seem to know everything but miss the important things.’

‘So what is it?’

‘How can you be so pretty even when you frown? But don’t frown, you’ll get wrinkles. I’ll explain. Cheboteteu is the mansion where the Duke of Yorkshire lives. So, the Yorkshire family is hosting a party. I thought it would be canceled because Sir Lionel Yorkshire had that unfortunate accident recently, but it’s going ahead as planned. Unless something major happens, Baron Cobain is likely to attend…’

The Yorkshire family was so famous that virtually no one in Beloff didn’t know the name. It was a massive pillar that had been deeply rooted in Beloff’s political and business world for so long that they could almost be called a founding family. Although their power was now largely diminished to little more than an administrative body, they had produced the Chairman of the Privy Council, once considered the highest administrative body, multiple times, and members of their family had occasionally become Queen.

They were the so-called ‘Sacred Bones’ among the Lion Party.

From the perspective of the Bonnells, who were a thorn in the Lion Party’s side, this was not welcome news. Moreover, she had heard the persistent rumors that the Yorkshire family was on bad terms with the DuJardin Ducal family, whom Benedict Bonnel was currently cultivating.

‘I understand the Yorkshires are having a party… but not just anyone can go, right? Are you suggesting I sneak in?’

‘What are you talking about? I’m standing right here. Don’t you understand?’

‘You have an invitation?’

‘Of course. It came for my father, but he said he has another engagement that day. They won’t make a fuss over one or two companions, so I can take you as my guest. They don’t properly check the identity of companions, so you don’t have to worry.’

‘Oh, is that so?’

Gervais had more resourcefulness than she expected.

That changes things.

The Bonnells had not yet officially debuted in Lenore society and were acting with extreme caution. Frankly, his proposal wasn’t the best option, but merely the least bad one. Still, if her identity wasn’t revealed, there seemed to be no serious issue.

Even if there were a possibility that the Earl Peregrine might be hit by a carriage tomorrow and fall in love with Benedict Bonnel, she would still be searching for Baron Cobain today. After all, resolving the Soles Street property acquisition was her responsibility, not just for the sake of the bet.

—And so, back to the present.

“The Lion’s Den isn’t just a figure of speech, you know.”

“Lions, Platypuses, or Kiwis, they are all equal under taxation.”

“That’s a dangerous remark! What if Baron Cobain doesn’t show up? It’s an unnecessary risk.”

“I’ll handle it, so would you please stop worrying about me?”

Annette R. Bonnel, smiling confidently, was informed by the maid a little after 5:00. Gervais’s carriage had arrived.

“I just have a bad feeling about this, seriously.”

“You need to curb that ‘feeling’ talk. It’s driving me crazy.”

Benedict Bonnel, watching Annette R. Bonnel fix her attire, showing no intention of backing down, said in a half-defeated voice:

“Then promise me. Don’t rely solely on Gervais or rashly mess things up. Keep a low profile, and especially, limit the alcohol.”

“Nag, nag, nag.”

“I’m serious. Don’t cause trouble. Do you understand?”