CH 70

Although it was presided over by Enoch, it was, in any case, a meeting at my request. He looked back at me and nodded as if telling me to begin.

“I picked ten people, but interviewing all of them seems like a waste of time. It would be nice if we could work on it together.”

While everyone agreed, Mila Burton looked at me with a slightly annoyed look and turned her head.

In any case, four people were selected from the meeting. The only thing left to do was notify them of the interview date.

After the meeting, I carefully reviewed the proposals of one of the remaining four.

Given the different penmanship, they seemed to have written the proposals themselves.

However, the handwriting of one person was particularly flashy and familiar.

‘Hmm, where have I seen this before?’

This person had the most money, had plenty of liquidity, and had good credit. Above all, this person had already invested in mining development several times. 

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What was unusual was that, while most of the other people were nobles, this man, although a commoner, achieved such wealth.

‘If everything was done legally, that would be great.’

The interview hasn’t even happened yet, but I already had this person in mind.

“Is there any problem?” Enoch approached me from behind and asked. Now it was just the two of us in the conference room.

“No, more than that…”

“Looks like someone caught your eye.”

At Enoch’s words, I turned to look at him. A meaningful smile hung on his lips.

I don’t know the meaning of that smile, but the moment I saw him, I remembered the things I had been trying to investigate before.

When I slowly rose from my chair, Enoch stepped back and pulled it back for me. 

I turned around to face him, and with a smile, I said, “By the way, I heard that the Crown Prince’s office doesn’t have overtime?”

“Ah, that’s not to say it doesn’t happen at all.”

“If you look at it that way, it seems that I am the only one who has been working overtime for a few days. They said that they had already selected all of the candidate documents.”

“…”

Enoch kept his mouth shut, and I sighed, not because of Enoch but because of me and my weakening heart. But, unfortunately, Enoch seemed to think I was furious.

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He rushed on with an excuse. “I’m sorry, Count. But I used this method because I was worried you’d stay in the house.”

“I know, but I would have understood if you had just told me. My eyes feel like it’s about to fall out the last few days…”

As I talked, I realized that he couldn’t have caused me to work for anything.

Looking at that many documents, I actually got some pretty helpful information. I saw the names and families of the many wealthy people, their interests, investment decisions, and the flow of money, and I could also know their reputations, even in small ways.

Of course, even if I couldn’t memorize all of them because I skimmed past them quickly, remembering a bit of it would be of great help someday.

As I paused and looked at him, Enoch asked, “What can I do to ease your anger?”

I didn’t expect him to say anything like this, but I didn’t miss the opportunity and thought of what to ask. 

“Personally, I would like to hire an escort knight, but I would like Your Highness to recommend someone you trust.”

“Then one of the Imperial Knights will serve as the Count’s escort…”

At Enoch’s answer, I slowly shook my head and said, “I need my own person. Of course, I have to find it, and it’s up to me to make it my own.”

Enoch’s eyes lit up as if he had remembered someone for a moment, then frowned. I tilted my head at his expression.

“Is that too much of an unreasonable request? Then…”

“Ah, no, not at all. Could you give me a little time?”

I nodded, but Enoch’s expression remained vague. 

A few days later, the interview to recruit investors to develop the magic stone mine began.

The four chosen were similar in terms of conditions for finding mining investors. All of them had the upper end, and therefore their funds’ size, liquidity, and creditworthiness were good.

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Of the four, three were nobles, and one was a commoner.

I had to choose two under all the same conditions. And one of them had to be able to do a private transaction with me quietly.

So, I overlooked everyone else and called out the person with the flashy handwriting that caught my eye. It was Billy Gordon, the commoner.

“Mr. Billy Gordon?”

“Yes, Count Spillet.”

After a brief interview with Enoch and other people in the Crown Prince’s office, I asked to speak privately with him.

He didn’t seem as old as I thought. However, even though he was a commoner, he must have learned manners on his own, and his behavior in this palace was not very awkward. Maybe he hired a tutor because he frequently dealt with nobles. 

I could have spoken casually with him because he was a commoner, but I addressed him formally since he’s here as an investor.

Since the magic stone cave belonged to me, Enoch left the decision to me. 

While I was grateful that Enoch encouraged me like this, even though the income of the Imperial family was involved, I felt a little uneasy. Would I be able to judge well? 

Billy Gordon smiled as he stared at me. His smile felt weighted as if there was more to it than goodwill.

“Do you know me?”

“Only through a one-time correspondence.”

“Correspondence?”

I thought about it for a moment, then trembled at the sudden memory. Then, I looked at the handwriting on the papers on the table once more.

I thought I’d seen it somewhere before.

“…Were you the one who asked me to sell my title?”

“Oh, I didn’t write my name, so I didn’t expect you to remember it.” 

Billy Gordon agreed immediately, and I had to be a little wary of him.

“Do you still want it?”

“If you’re willing to sell it, I won’t decline,” he said.

I was wary of him, but I leaned against the back of the chair and crossed my legs to look relaxed. Now that I knew his identity, I had to change my attitude a bit.

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“You have money, but since you don’t have a noble status, it’s hard to get information, and you get rejected every time for being a commoner.” 

As I continued, Billy Gordon’s expression hardened little by little.

“You need a status by any means necessary, so you’re willing to pay for one for a lot of money.”

“That’s right. Is that wrong?” Billy Gordon answered calmly, his face slightly flushed. Like a seasoned merchant, he knew how to control his emotions even if he wasn’t perfect at it just yet.

If he were, he probably wouldn’t have blushed like that, but I held my tongue and decided he would be a good partner.

“But you can feel it, the wall of that status that money couldn’t do anything about. So what kind of noble would sell it for a few pennies?”

Billy Gordon raised an eyebrow and spoke slightly lower, “But I know the Count is not in such a relaxed situation. While you became the future Duchess of Clifford, you only settled half your debt.”

“Ah, knowing that will speed things up.”

“What do you mean?”

It unsettled me when he mentioned the debt, but I laughed it off and went straight to the point.

“Yes, I’ve paid off half my debt. But, unfortunately, it will be too much of a loss if I sell my title to pay for the other half. Even ten times that number is still not enough.”

“You’re saying you won’t sell it.”

Billy looked a little uncomfortable, but he seemed quite curious about what I was about to say. 

“Triple.”

Billy Gordon’s eyes widened at my words. Of course, I just said I wouldn’t sell it even if it were ten times the amount, so his surprise was understandable.

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“What…are you saying?”

“I’ll lend you the title if you give me half the amount you mentioned earlier, triple the four billion gold.”

I could pay off all of my debt if it were only double the amount, but if I would need three times as much if I wanted to live decently for a while.

‘Count Spilet’ was really just a title and had no income because Erin had already sold the estate before.

In any case, it would take a considerable amount of time before the magic stone mine development began and its product distributed and sold to make a profit.

This wasn’t a world where one could easily find a job and earn money, so the rest of the gold was my cushion for an uncertain future.

“So, twelve billion gold. Whatever it is, it’s a lot of money. And what do you mean by lending the title?”

“It’s exactly what it means. I can’t give you the title, but you can use the title to solve things you couldn’t because you’re not a noble.”

I didn’t miss the twinkle in Billy’s eyes as I spoke. But despite his obvious interest, he said something else.

“I have already made a great fortune. Of course, it’s inconvenient that I don’t have a title, but that doesn’t mean I’m desperate enough to pay that much,” he said. “How about double? Eight billion gold.”

“You sure are quick to offer an amount despite not needing it.”

“It’s better than nothing.”

I stretched out my arm and gracefully held the teacup in front of me. Then I turned the teacup back and forth to show it to him.

“This teacup is pretty, isn’t it?”

With just that gesture, Billy Gordon seemed to understand.