CH 12

Kingdom of Bellenios, Vienna, bordering Istacio on the eastern border.

When they reached the beginning of the territory, the knight leading the procession approached the carriage Ellen was riding in.

“Lady, you should get some rest now, we will be arriving soon.”

“I see. Send a dispatch to the Lord’s castle.”

At her words, the knight bowed and turned to go.

“This is the first I’ve heard of Vienna from what you’ve told me, my lady, and it’s not a bad looking place.”

Sally gazed out the window in wonder and admiration.

“It is, isn’t it? The plains are wide and the climate is cool.”

Such were the characteristics that made the Vienna territory famous as one of the granaries of Bellenios.

In fact, unlike the older generation, Ellen’s generation did not have to suffer from food shortages.

So when they hear that somebody is going to import food from another country at several times the usual rate, and with potatoes, they’ll know you’re preparing for war, and there’s a lot of scrutiny.

That’s why she chose this place.

Here in Vienna, where Gillian was promised a title of countship in exchange for supporting a rebellion in another country.

“My lady, it looks like someone from the manor has arrived.”

Sally, who had been looking out the window, straightened up, noticing a horse in the distance.

She walked over to Ellen, hastily checked her dress again, and returned to her seat before the rider approached the carriage.

“Is there a Lady Kryant here?”

Hearing herself recognized, Ellen threw open the window. The messenger was a man who appeared to be a knight of the House of Vienna.

“I am Ellen Kryant. Have you been sent by the Lord of Vienna?”

“Yes. He respectfully requested that I bring you here.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Let us depart, then.”

If today’s deal was finalized, this estate, and the people who depended on its production, would fall victim to famine.

It was not without guilt.

But food is a finite resource.

There are only so many of them, and she’s just choosing the ones that are more favorable to her.

With that thought, Ellen steeled herself to focus on the negotiation.

When she arrived, she was greeted by a group of servants led by the castle’s butler.

The Viscount of Vienna, the owner of the castle, was nowhere to be seen, which Ellen assumed was because the visitor was a countess, not a count.

The castle’s butler approached her.

“You have a lot of luggage. I will assign some servants to help you.”

“I’m ready. I have a maid with me.”

Ellen gestured, and Sally, who had been standing behind her, turned to look at her.

“Then the escort will be…?”

“Never mind. I don’t want to sleep on my nerves with strangers by my side.”

“Yes, I see, in that case, I will only escort you to the room prepared for you upstairs.”

With that, the butler led her upstairs.

“This is where you will be staying, please make yourself comfortable, and when the maidservant comes to fetch you, you may come down to the feast hall at that time.”

“I see. Thank you.”

With that short bow, the butler bowed deeply again, then turned and left.

* * *

The Viscount of Vienna could hardly contain his delight.

The name Kryant was one he recognized. It was the very place that was said to hold the wealth of Istacio.

He could not have been more excited to visit this estate from such a family.

At the feast he had so painstakingly prepared for the castle’s users, Lady Kryant entered.

“Thank you for the invitation, Viscount Vienna.”

“I truly consider this visit an honor, Lady Kryant.”

The Viscount greeted Ellen with the kindest smile he could muster.

Soon the clinking of silverware echoed in the quiet hall and the meal began.

“To think that the daughter of an Imperial Count personally visits the outskirts of this insignificant kingdom.”

The Viscount of Vienna gestured exaggeratedly, as if he were at a loss for words.

“Speaking of outskirts, I must say that your castle looks quite impressive on the way here.”

“I am flattered that you would say so. Though it pales in comparison to Kryant’s reputation.”

“Viscount, you keep me afloat more than I care to admit.”

Ellen laughed softly, and the Viscount laughed heartily, bringing up his praise of Kryant.

“Haha, Kryant is famous in more ways than one.”

“Oh my, is that so? And now that you mention it, I wonder what the rest of the world thinks of our family.”

“There is no end to what we can say, but the most famous ones are definitely Leto, a research institute, and Alba, a textile company. With that amazing pioneering mind and seasoned business skills…”

The Viscount of Vienna’s voice drifted off into a dreamlike daze as he spoke of Kryant.

He rambled on for a while about the wealth and fame he wished he could have, and then he got to the point he’d been trying to make all along.

“So today, I’m looking forward to seeing what surprises you have in store for me.”

What a bargain.

At the viscount’s somewhat sweetened appearance, Ellen smiled softly.

“Well hmm, it’s hard not to know about Leto in this day and age, so we’ll have to talk fast, and here’s what I want.”

She pointed to the potato salad on her plate, finely grated and tossed with a large amount of sugar.

“Seed potatoes, a thousand tons.”

“… Potatoes?”

The Viscount’s voice cracked at the end, as if he’d just been told something he hadn’t expected.

“Potatoes, great. You mean potatoes? 1,000 tons of them?”

“And some grain flour, which I don’t mind if it’s a little stale, so you can sell it cheap.”

Ellen ignored the viscount’s half-question.

Perhaps understanding her intention not to ask questions, the viscount didn’t follow up with another.

“Hmph. I see you have food trade in mind, but I’m afraid that even though we are a food producer, we can’t sell that much at a time, first of all, we don’t have that much…”

“In addition to the stored grains here, if we purchase a sufficient amount of produce from nearby territories to sell in the market, it would be possible, Viscount.”

“It’s true. This place is an agricultural land that sells crops, but…”

“Viscount.”

Setting down the glass she was holding with a clink, Ellen stared straight at the Viscount of Vienna.

“Do you think I just came empty-handed without knowing anything? You should also do enough to roll your eyes.”

The corners of the Viscount’s mouth twitched as he smiled at Ellen’s cold stare.

It was hard for even the Viscount to resist the insult of such blunt words.

Under normal circumstances, she would not have taken this approach.

However, if she looks easy here, he will continue to try to make nonsense, which will make it difficult to keep her in control of her future.

So for now, she had to play hardball, even if it hurt the Viscount’s feelings.

After all, an opportunist always listens to his opponent’s terms.

The Viscount’s eyes fluttered, but he kept his fake smile on his face.

“You didn’t come empty-handed… so let me hear what you have in store, so I can try my hand at bouncing the abacus.”

“I see you’re finally ready to get down to business, Viscount.”

Ellen laughed softly and swirled the wine glass she was holding.

“Let me tell you, then: in exchange for the deal, the territory of Vienna will be home to companies run by my family, including the textile company Alba, and the boutique Thalia, both of which originate from our Leto family.”

“Leto and Alba…!”

“It is a good environment for building a factory because it is just downstream of the river. In fact, the Viscount also wanted to build a factory instead of farmland, right? You just couldn’t afford it.”

Ellen’s eyes narrowed. The red wine slipped between her lips.

“Well, if I were to turn down this offer…”

“Then I’ll have to find someone else with whom I can bargain, for there’s one right next door with similar terms.”

“You don’t mean Delvon, do you?”

“Oh, that’s a candidate, too.”

Right next door to Vienna is another agricultural town, Delvon.

It was also a private estate of the Viscount of Vienna

.

Ellen’s tone brightened at the thought.

“How much tax will you collect? I don’t think there are any other estates that can match it, at least not here in Bellenios. What do you think, Viscount?”

“That, I agree, but…”

“Ah, I see, then have you decided?”

Ellen asked, and the Viscount of Vienna began to laugh embarrassedly.

“Haha, my dear. As the young lady knows, originally this kind of story should be discussed slowly…

It was obvious why he was suddenly salivating at the mention of Leto and Alba’s names.

Why she needs food, why he was chosen.

It was a stalling tactic, based on the assumption that if he knew the reasons, he could get something more out of her.

At times like this, she had to push herself so that he couldn’t think deeply.

Ellen cut him off mid-sentence.

“I beg your pardon, but time is money to me.”

With a wave of her hand, she summoned a servant.

Directing them to pull out the chair she was sitting in, she stood up as soon as it was sufficiently out of the way.

“I’m sorry it was unsuccessful, Viscount. May you be at peace.”

The Viscount stared at her, dumbfounded by her sudden behavior.

Then, realizing that she was serious, he called after her as she turned to leave.

“La… my lady, wait a moment, wait a moment!”

When Ellen stopped moving and looked back, he began pouring to Ellen out what he wanted as best he could.

“Very well, flour and cornmeal, I’ll sell all but the bare minimum, but a thousand tons of seed potatoes really isn’t something I can prepare on my own. Time, I need more time…”

The Viscount’s words grew quieter and quieter.

He glanced upward, studying Ellen’s expression.

“How you’re going to arrange that is none of my business; the important thing here is that I need the thousand tons of seed potatoes you’re going to send me, and the Viscount needs the factories I’m going to build, don’t you think?”

“Of course, but… I can’t write a contract right now. We also need to figure out where to source the supplies for each territory, and since this is the first time a company from another country has entered our territory, we need to seek advice…”

“Oh, I see.”

Relief flashed across the Viscount’s face as Ellen nodded slightly in agreement. But it was fleeting.

“So how many hours do you need?”

“As in, how many hours…?”

“Yes. How many hours?”

The viscount looked like he’d been slapped hard on the back of the head.

“Three, three, three hours! I’ll send someone in three hours, and we’ll work it out from there, how about that?”

“… All right.”

Ellen nodded.

It was a change from the cheerfulness of their first conversation, and one could almost call it rude.

But what actually flashed across the Viscount’s face was an intense sense of relief and joy that he hadn’t missed out on this good fortune.