Chapter 19
It was, for all intents and purposes, an imperial order. Not even concerning a private business of the Artemio Count family, but a state project officially commissioned by the Imperial Court. And if the Court decided to transfer the rights to someone else… what could anyone do? It was a command from the mighty Emperor himself!
Count Artemio’s beard trembled with fury.
“…Nothing has gone right since Ellice died.”
As the aide spread the official decree neatly onto the desk, he thought to himself:
‘More accurately, things stopped going right ever since you cast out Lady Veloce…’
Now everything related to the National Healing Center was about to fall into Veloce’s hands. Count Artemio slouched in his chair and ground his teeth in frustration.
“What about that task I ordered earlier? The one about taking out a loan in Veloce’s name.”
He had made a scene at the bank, demanding a loan under the pretense that Veloce would become a duchess. He had even sent the aide back to collect the money afterward.
‘Like that was ever going to work…’
And after throwing Veloce out? Besides, she wasn’t even a duchess yet.
“They said it’s impossible, sir.”
“Damn it! You useless wretch! What the hell are you even doing here, you worthless idiot who’s only wasting money!”
The aide clenched his jaw, swallowing his anger.
He had just eaten the breakfast his young siblings had lovingly prepared before heading out for work.
“I’m sorry, my lord.”
The Count glared at the aide bowing his head, then huffed and spat,
“Then what about the money Alexand and Ellice left behind? I need at least that to start a new venture!”
It seemed more logical to pay off his debts first, but the aide remained silent on that front. Count Artemio was not the type to accept honest advice as it was meant.
“…That money was entirely inherited by Lady Delerone. It cannot be accessed or used freely. Only her legal guardian may…”
“Guardian?! Of course I’m the guardian! What the hell are you talking about?!”
“When Lady Ellice passed, she entrusted Delerone to Lady Veloce. Since Lady Veloce left with the child, she is legally the guardian.”
Moreover, direct family members could not serve as guardians by law.
“The only one who can appoint a new guardian is Lady Veloce.”
“Damn it all!”
Count Artemio couldn’t contain his fury and kicked the desk hard.
“Haa… fine. So everything hinges on Veloce now, doesn’t it?”
Count Artemio exhaled raggedly.
“Yes. I also heard she’s been tasked with selecting investors for the Joseon venture.”
“What?! That girl?! Even our merchant guild applied for that!”
“That’s correct, sir.”
“Hah. Then if she has any sense, she’ll pick our guild. Good. I’ll go and speak to her. Make sure she comes to see me.”
“…Yes, sir.”
As if she would…
The aide bowed again, his face unreadable. The Count was still far from understanding his own situation. He still had no conscience. No self-awareness.
***
“Huh? I have to do this too?”
I looked at the evaluation sheets passed to me and asked Marten. He nodded as if it were obvious.
“Yes, Lady Veloce. His Excellency said it would be best for you the originator of the idea, to handle the final selection as well.”
“Ooh…”
So now I’m… HR too?
“Just narrow it down to about twenty candidates for the interviews.”
“What if I judge unfairly?”
“Then that’s their fortune.”
Marten gave me a reassuring smile that basically said “You’re completely blameless.” That guy…
Ever since he received that gift, his flattery level had gone up. Seriously, the right bribe does make social life easier.
“Well, I’ll give it a try.”
“Thank you, Lady Veloce.”
“For the honor and benefit of Jeremias, I vow to judge with utmost fairness.”
I raised my right hand solemnly. I meant it… but Marten seemed amused, laughing as he mirrored my gesture.
“I, too, vow to serve Lady Veloce with all sincerity.”
“Great!”
I clapped my hands together in excitement and opened the evaluations. I needed to sort them in order of least disqualifying factors. There was no such thing as a perfect person. But they had to be capable enough not to cause problems abroad…
Still, they made it through the document review, so they had some competence. The products they intended to sell overseas weren’t bad either. All that remained was to assess the merchant leaders’ character. But they couldn’t be pushovers either.
Sorting through the files took the entire day, even with Marten’s help.
“You must eat dinner now, Lady Veloce. You also skipped lunch. The maids are fretting.”
“Oh no, is it that late already?”
“By the way… are you seriously planning to pass this applicant?”
Marten held up one evaluation with a concerned look. Right on top was a name I never imagined I’d select.
The Artemio Merchant Guild.
“For now, yes. Actually, the head of that guild has an admirable personality.”
“…You truly are fair and just, Lady Veloce.”
“This isn’t just about me. I want to make decisions that benefit Jeremias. That’s my responsibility.”
Honestly, who would’ve thought someone with such character existed under Count Artemio? I always wondered how he managed to run a guild, but I guess he did have an eye for talent.
What a waste…
“Though, the Carman Merchant Guild’s head is a little…”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, bluntly speaking, he seems kind of like a pushover. But Maynus said it’d be good to stay on good terms with the Carman family.”
“…He’s right. Her Majesty the Empress is a good person.”
“Just because someone’s a good boss doesn’t mean their employees are capable. I think I should talk to Maynus about this.”
“Yes, thank you.”
From here on, it was out of my hands and into Maynus and Marten’s.
“If only the Artemio guildmaster could switch places with the Carman one.”
“…Indeed.”
See? Exactly.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could just swap the two? Marten nodded, seemingly understanding my thoughts.
***
Before the imperial banquet, Marten brought the documents he had organized with Veloce to Maynus. Glancing at Marten briefly, Maynus looked through the files.
“…You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“You and Veloce. You seem quite close now.”
Marten glanced at Kahir, who shook his head vigorously. Taking the hint, Marten gave the proper response this time.
“It’s a professional relationship, sir.”
“I could hear laughter all the way outside. Yours, especially.”
That loud laugh from earlier… oh, Marten, you fool…
Marten clenched a fist toward his past self and quickly shook his head. Everyone at Jeremias had noticed Maynus acting differently toward Veloce lately. Like that whole gift incident.
When he was the only one who didn’t receive a gift from Veloce, he became insufferable. But once he got those cufflinks, he wore them every day. And he kept conveniently propping his elbow on the table and lifting his hand…
Just so the sparkling cufflinks would show.
“I didn’t mean anything… I guess my voice was too loud. Lady Veloce is so efficient that everything went smoothly…”
“I see.”
Maynus’s expression relaxed slightly, and Marten breathed a sigh of relief.
Working with Veloce was genuinely a delight. She was capable, creative, and adaptable. She lacked nothing.
But things were becoming complicated for other reasons. Because of Maynus.
“Yes, that’s right. Oh, and Lady Veloce mentioned that the head of the Artemio Guild is quite talented. So she wondered if Count Carman might consider scouting him…”
“Really?”
Maynus nodded while checking the documents. The Carman merchant leader had always lost out to the Artemio Count family not just because of Ellice’s influence but because he was soft and indecisive. The only reason he hadn’t been replaced yet was because of Count Carman’s kindness.
But you couldn’t rely on the Count forever, especially overseas. Maynus’s face darkened as he considered this. After some thought, he set aside both the Artemio and Carman guild documents.
“Schedule interviews with the remaining eighteen guilds first.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Maynus gazed meaningfully at the two files he had pulled aside. He trusted Veloce’s judgment.
And perhaps… the Empress would take an interest in her story too. He might have found a way to make Her Majesty take a liking to Veloce.
