Ch#75
Chapter 75 – Goldrain’s Competitor 2
“Ask away if anything’s unclear.”
The Duchess’s warm smile and direct gaze brought a flush to the cheeks of several officials.
Adem thrust his hand into the air without warning.
“Your Grace, when you say ‘moving in,’ does that mean merchants won’t need to purchase land or structures to launch their shops?”
For a lowly trainee official to speak up first took real nerve.
He sensed his superior’s icy stare from the front row, yet his eagerness overpowered any hesitation.
“Precisely. Valpide Lake belongs to the Blenheim estate, so selling off the land isn’t an option. The duchy will construct the stores and lease them to prospective vendors.”
“But in the North, Your Grace, folks generally dislike leasing. They’d rather pay a premium upfront to own their establishments outright.”
“Certainly, those with deep pockets might prefer that. Yet plenty aspire to entrepreneurship without the funds for outright purchase. Rentals lower the barrier, letting more people launch ventures.”
This approach, she noted, would foster a diverse array of shops in the area.
“So the leases generate revenue for the territory?”
“Not quite—the funds cover upkeep. I envision a dedicated district office to oversee operations.”
“Does that mean the Merchant Guild?”
The Duchess shook her head.
“No, this office would handle day-to-day management: nurturing businesses, ensuring security, and coordinating fixes for any damage.”
Adem’s mind raced. Bundling such support into the rent would ease merchants’ reluctance to lease.
“The duchy’s coffers wouldn’t suffer, then.”
At his eager inflection, the Duchess wrinkled her nose in playful mischief.
“To be exact, the Grand Duke is essentially providing the land gratis—no charge for the property itself.”
“If the Duchess consents, I’ve no objection,” the Grand Duke interjected from her side.
“After all, the aim is to invigorate trade.”
He’s seeking approval from his new bride on estate matters—and with such tenderness.
“Consensus reached, then.”
As officials gaped at the exchange, the Duchess beamed.
“Has that cleared it up?”
“Y-yes, thank you, Your Grace.”
Adem sank into his seat, his voice quivering.
Her assured handling of even nitty-gritty queries ignited interest, and hands shot up throughout the room.
“Your Grace, could you elaborate on this ‘circulating carriage’ setup?”
“How extensive will the management office be?”
“Will there be an entry fee for the lakeside?”
She fielded each inquiry with unflagging poise and patience.
At last, Oswick lifted his hand.
The Grand Duke, observing silently until now, fixed him with a frosty glare.
“Are you all going to pester the Duchess with every trifle? Does no one here value their salary?”
Oswick blanched and started to withdraw, but the Duchess let out a gentle chuckle.
“It’s no trouble, Your Grace. I’m glad to assist.”
The Grand Duke’s features eased at once.
“Very well, if you insist… pose your question.”
Oswick shifted uncomfortably, scanning the room before proceeding.
“Your Grace, this fountain performance you described—is it already a feature in the capital? Your words leave me struggling to visualize it.”
Fountains weren’t unknown in the North, but not affixed to a lake as she outlined.
“Ah, truth be told, I’ve never witnessed one myself. I simply envisioned it…”
“What?”
So… nothing like it existed yet?
“Rest assured. Enolius will bring it to life.”
A mage?
Her eyes drifted to the table’s far end.
Officials turned, spotting the mage tucked in the corner.
He scowled, irked by the spotlight.
“So that’s the reason you summoned me here.”
Disdain laced his words.
“I’m a mage, not some laborer.”
“Mage.”
The Grand Duke’s voice turned leaden.
“Mind your manners toward the Duchess.”
Undeterred, the mage swept an arm across his chest in an overdone, sarcastic bow.
“Most honored Duchess, with all respect, I didn’t journey north to craft fountains.”
“Is that the case? I figured a talent like yours could manage it effortlessly,” she countered, averting her gaze with feigned regret.
“I never claimed inability. Merely unwillingness.”
“Mage.”
The Grand Duke’s tone plunged deeper, icier still.
A frigid wave rippled outward, prickling the skin of those nearby.
“Your Grace, don’t be too severe,” the Duchess urged softly.
“I may have overreached. I imagined Enolius conjuring a lakeside fountain, but naturally, the capital boasts renowned mages for such artifacts…”
“Think a petty jab like that sways me?”
Enolius scoffed derisively.
“Those vaunted capital artificers don’t hold a candle to my prowess.”
“Oh no, I’ve upset you. Forgive me.”
She brushed her lips and turned to the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace, maybe we should commission a capital mage for the fountain.”
The standoff crackled with tension, silencing the onlookers.
“The fountain display is key to drawing crowds to the district.”
“I see,” the Grand Duke replied, his mouth twisting.
“It’s humiliating that the North’s sole mage can’t rise to the task.”
A exasperated huff echoed from the corner.
“…All right. I’ll do it. Enough already.”
“Wouldn’t that burden you unduly?”
The Duchess pressed her palms together, eyes sparkling.
“With Enolius, it’ll be spectacular. I can hardly wait.”
“Revel too soon. I’m bound by contract, nothing more.”
The officials gawked, stunned.
She’d bent that arrogant, stubborn mage to her will in mere moments…
Fresh from witnessing his capitulation, the group reconvened without a whisper of dissent toward the new district.
The session wrapped up far sooner than expected.
With the delegation’s arrival looming, timelines pressed urgently. Officials streamed from the hall to dive into preparations.
This venture might truly transform Blenheim.
Sunlight flooded the hallway as Adem strode along, a long-dormant fire kindling in his heart.
Blenheim’s bureaucrats proved far more competent than the Merchant Guild head.
Once the Grand Duke endorsed the scheme, momentum surged.
“Some elements remain fuzzy for me. Would you mind walking through the key aspects again?”
In truth, he was delegating the grand choices to me while shouldering the drudgery—intuiting my desire for hands-on oversight.
Shaping the district to my exact vision—what exhilaration!
Construction supplies for the lakeside had begun arriving apace, they reported. Eager, I readied to inspect them alongside Cecilia.
Yet as we emerged from the entry hall, raised voices drew my eye to knights clashing by the carriage.
Norton and Tiern?
The standoff looked heated; I hastened out.
“What’s this about?”
“Your Grace.”
Both snapped salutes.
Norton’s presence fit—he’d resumed escort duties—but Tiern?
“I’ll convey you by coach,” Norton declared, advancing with an outstretched hand.
“Your Grace.”
Tiern interposed himself abruptly.
I tensed, bracing for confrontation, but he dipped into a courteous bow instead.
“Grant the 9th Knight Division one more opportunity, I beg.”
“…?”
Unlike our prior tete-a-tete, witnesses abounded now: knights from both units, Cecilia, the driver.
His public bid for redemption baffled me, yet the audience demanded I hear him out.
“I know I let you down.”
Norton and his 1st Division comrades scowled at Tiern’s group, bristling.
Evidently, they’d skirmished before my arrival, the 1st shoving the 9th aside.
“But I won’t yield so easily. The 9th’s honor forbids it.”
“I believed we’d resolved this,” I replied.
My stance had been unequivocal: I wanted no part of him.
I leveled a piercing glance, but Tiern had transformed. Genuine remorse etched his features, his stance humbly deferential.