---
Elena's gesture caused the table to shake slightly, and the teacup hit it.
'Secret?'
At the same time, Benedict's crimson eyes twitched slightly.
As if he was in pain.
'She is a woman who is good at making others look emotional, even just by sitting in front of her.
I shouldn't get involved with her.'
That's why he shouldn't hear about women's secrets.
Sharing secrets means mutual trust more than anyone else.
He didn't want to be in such an affair with a woman.
Of course, that shouldn't have been the case.
That was a purely personal matter.
Although Elena wrote many more papers than the contract required, and cleared up the misunderstandings among the residents of the area, Benedict decided not to hear the answer and shook his head.
Elena laughed at his serious gesture.
“I knew you would be curious.”
Screw it.
Benedict closed his eyes tightly.
He obviously thought he didn't want to hear Elena's secrets.
Instead of turning his head horizontally, he nodded vertically against his will.
“Haa, so… how do you do this?”
Finally, he put down the paper he was reading and asked Elena.
Elena leaned back in her chair and smiled shyly.
“Hmm, how do I explain it?”
Elena leaned back and formed a square with her thumb and index finger.
Benedict frowned slightly.
"What do you do?"
“I store the scene contained in this little box in my head.”
Elena extended her arm, forming a square with her fingers.
She closed one eye and stared between her fingers, as if assessing what was in front of her.
Suddenly, she met his gaze with blue eyes through her slender white fingers.
“Have a bath.”
Benedict looked away from her without realizing it.
“I'll close my eyes now.”
Elena continued speaking, closing her eyes tightly.
“When I close my eyes like this, the things I have stored in my mind come flooding back to me like images.”
“What is the secret behind this?”
Benedict laughed, his anticipation fading.
He was expecting a magical method, but now he felt like he had been tricked.
“Anyone can do this.”
He closed his eyes tightly, as if he wanted to prove his point.
In the pitch black darkness, Elena's face, which he had just seen, floated out.
A small, delicate face, large, round eyes, a prominent nose, and full, softly curved lips.
Aside from being a bit cute and pretty, there wasn't much else.
He replied jokingly.
“I'm not good at that.”
Elena chuckled, closing her eyes and raising her right hand in the air.
“Your Excellency, the books stacked on the desk behind your left shoulder are, in order, Introduction to Military Science, Understanding Land Administration, and How to Refuse Love Without Getting Hurt, correct?”
“...!”
“…but who brought romance books to the office?”
Elena closed her eyes and tilted her head to the left.
Bang!
Benedict quickly got up and shoved the book in question, ⟨How to Reject Love Without Getting Hurt⟩, into a drawer.
He had seen it a few days ago when he stopped at the library, hesitated, then quickly picked it up.
He wasn't worried that Elena would get hurt later, he was just curious.
“Hmm, that's it?”
After hiding the books, he was finally able to get back on track. snort.
“Three books, really?”
Elena laughed lightly at his reaction.
“Of course, we're not finished yet.
The linen curtains next to the right window have 13 folds, and the vase holds 29 roses.”
"… This is correct."
Benedict's mouth opened slightly at the exact description, as if he was watching.
Elena's expression was mildly smug.
“If necessary, I can even imagine a person’s face.
Not vaguely, but like a painting.”
“What do you mean by the expression ‘like a painting’...”
At that moment, Benedict could not complete his sentence, as he froze in place from the gentle touch of her fingers on his face.
“For example, there is a small scar above the Archduke’s eyebrow.
A slight mole on this cheek.
A slight tear mark on your lips.”
Benedict subconsciously held his breath as her hands slowly traced his face.
It was clear that she was trying to seduce him under the pretext of revealing her secrets.
So he had to move those annoying fingers away from his face, but his body didn't move at all.
He stared at Elena's face with his eyes closed and a blank stare.
The afternoon sun shone brightly on her honey-blonde hair.
“...!”
He felt dizzy for a moment.
Was it because of the bright sunlight, or because of the soft fingers touching his face?
Benedict slowly closed his eyes, trying to correct his blurry vision.
Badump, badump, badump-
His heart was beating abnormally fast.
Elena's eyes opened at that moment.
"How about this?
Sounds very useful, doesn't it?"
“...!”
He felt like his heart, which was beating so fast, would stop.
At this moment, there must be something wrong with his heart.
Benedict couldn't stand it anymore, so he jumped out of his seat.
He walked slowly towards the door.
Elena, puzzled, looked at his back and shouted.
“Oh, where are you going, Archduke?”
“Never mind, you have to come back too.”
He answered without looking back.
His instincts, trained to sense danger on the battlefield, were telling him.
If he saw Elena again, something dangerous might happen.
He didn't know what it was, but it was dangerous.
∗ ∗ ∗
“Hmm… the construction of the workshop is going very smoothly, and the production rate within the region has increased by 40% compared to last month.”
Albert's face lit up as he reported the situation on the property.
He, who had previously doubted my plan, was now working harder than anyone else.
At first, I suspected that he had been bribed by the Crown Prince to obtain a special loan to overthrow the Archduke.
He seemed genuinely interested in the Archduke and was willing to resort to private loans.
“However...”
Albert's face straightened slightly as he immersed himself in his report.
“The Archduke’s cash reserves are about to run out.
We have already covered three months of the budget with construction costs and staff salaries.”
His words were sincere.
It will take longer to manufacture and sell watches, and implementing our plan with our current cash reserves is not possible.
“It's warm these days, so there's less mercenary work...”
The Archduke murmured quietly as he listened to Albert's report.
He seemed determined to make up for the budget deficit with his actions once again.
When I saw him contemplating his thoughts with interest and a serious expression, I found myself smiling.
“It's good to be ambitious, but you don't have to be this time.”
“Is there any way to secure this amount of money now?”
I nodded confidently.
I couldn't rely entirely on magic and wait for him to return safely, so I had already prepared an alternative.
“I got a loan.”
“Loan…?”
“Yes, I have agreed to receive investment money from Young Marquis Spencer.”
A deep furrow appeared between the Archduke's eyebrows.
He looked suspicious.
“Is Eden Spencer lending money to the Archduke’s residence without any compensation?”
"It's not for nothing.
He has agreed to give the Spencer Group exclusive distribution rights for the watches.
The Archduke's family does not have a distribution group."
This was the secret deal I had made with the young Marquis Spencer on the return voyage from the kingdom.
For us, there was nothing wrong with this deal.
The Spencer Trading Company was then the most successful business group in the empire.
However, the Archduke seemed nervous.
“Is this really the only price?”
“Hmm… there were other things, but they weren’t as great as the opposite, and they were kind of unusual...”
On the return trip from the Grace Kingdom, I subconsciously frowned as I remembered the other conditions he had imposed.
“So you're asking for trade money for the monopoly?”
"certainly.
You know the importance of 'monopoly' better than anyone else.
"If you don't want to, I'll look for another dealer."
I closed my eyes with a meaningful smile and smiled, then Spencer's eyes lit up.
He finally smiled and accepted the offer without hesitation.
"Good.
As a businessman, I can't pass up an offer from someone like you.
However, I would like to add one more condition...”
As I was remembering the promise of that day, Archduke Richard's questioning voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“What exactly is Eden’s offer?”
At that moment, the office door opened, and a cheerful sound echoed throughout the room.
I blinked at the sight of the man who suddenly appeared.
“Oh, you were talking about me, weren't you?”
Aiden Spencer, who was exchanging glances between the Archduke and me, closed his eyes and smiled.