Episode 103. Conference held
Why, for what reason?'
Rose was as cold as ever, not only during meals but even in the carriage.
The Grand Duke was utterly confused by Rose's sudden change in attitude.
Why on earth did Rose's attitude change so drastically in just one night?
'Are we officially dating now, Rose?'
'Yes.'
The Grand Duke, finding the atmosphere odd, asked for confirmation, but Rose's reply was short and concise.
'Rose... What's the problem?'
Rose's voice, speaking in front of so many people, bounced off.
Julius tapped his arm, perhaps finding the Grand Duke's blank expression strange.
"What's wrong?"
A whispered voice was heard, and the Grand Duke simply sighed as if nothing had happened.
"Did things not go well with Lady Serviat yesterday?"
Even though he made room for her, this fool still hasn't been able to clear up any misunderstandings?
Julius shook his head and clucked his tongue. The Grand Duke immediately retorted.
"What are you talking about? She was always my woman. And she always will be."
He growled at Julius, who was showing interest in Rose.
"Hmm. But why is there such a cold wind blowing between you two? What happened yesterday?"
Julius let the question slip, as if slyly probing.
"It's none of your concern, Juli."
The Grand Duke glanced at Julius and replied coldly.
"I wonder if our Lady Serviat was deeply disappointed by something and turned away."
A grown man and woman were spending the night in a room.
And two people who had feelings for each other.
Julius was certain that there had been a direct change between them.
What had happened between them, and how could they have suddenly become so cold in one night...?
Julius, who had been figuring out the situation by snapping his fingers, jumped to a conclusion.
"It seems my friend wasn't very good after all."
He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but apparently, he was nothing special.
Why, for what reason?'
Rose was as cold as ever, not only during meals but even in the carriage.
The Grand Duke was utterly confused by Rose's sudden change in attitude.
Why on earth did Rose's attitude change so drastically in just one night?
'Are we officially dating now, Rose?'
'Yes.'
The Grand Duke, finding the atmosphere odd, asked for confirmation, but Rose's reply was short and concise.
'Rose... What's the problem?'
Rose's voice, speaking in front of so many people, bounced off.
Julius tapped his arm, perhaps finding the Grand Duke's blank expression strange.
"What's wrong?"
A whispered voice was heard, and the Grand Duke simply sighed as if nothing had happened.
"Did things not go well with Lady Serviat yesterday?"
Even though he made room for her, this fool still hasn't been able to clear up any misunderstandings?
Julius shook his head and clucked his tongue. The Grand Duke immediately retorted.
"What are you talking about? She was always my woman. And she always will be."
He growled at Julius, who was showing interest in Rose.
"Hmm. But why is there such a cold wind blowing between you two? What happened yesterday?"
Julius let the question slip, as if slyly probing.
"It's none of your concern, Juli."
The Grand Duke glanced at Julius and replied coldly.
"I wonder if our Lady Serviat was deeply disappointed by something and turned away."
A grown man and woman were spending the night in a room.
And two people who had feelings for each other.
Julius was certain that there had been a direct change between them.
What had happened between them, and how could they have suddenly become so cold in one night...?
Julius, who had been figuring out the situation by snapping his fingers, jumped to a conclusion.
"It seems my friend wasn't very good after all."
He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but apparently, he was nothing special.
Julius's eyes, looking at the Grand Duke, grew moist.
"This poor guy."
He wiped away his playful expression and called him seriously.
"Lucas."
The Grand Duke's head turned involuntarily at the seriousness of his voice. The Grand Duke, facing Julius, flinched for a moment.
His eyes, filled with an unpleasant sadness, were wet, as if pitying him.
"What?"
Grand Duke Artaeum frowned, displeased. Julius, unfazed by the Grand Duke's attitude, patted him on the shoulder.
"It's okay. I still support you, brother."
"What are you talking about?"
"There's more to a person than that. It's the inner self! It's the inner energy that matters."
He emphasized the word "inner" twice.
"If you keep saying weird things, I'll kick you out of here."
The Grand Duke of Artaeum said threateningly. He hadn't actually intended to bring him to this conference today.
For one thing, Rose defended Julius, and he had no choice but to bring him along.
He'd thought embracing Rose would make him happy, but instead, he felt even more anxious than before.
Julius sighed, looking at the Grand Duke with pity.
He opened his mouth, debating whether to tell him or not.
Even with the most casual relationship, it wasn't easy to hurt a man's pride.
"No. But I, your only close friend, must step forward."
He clenched his fists and nodded, as if making a grave decision.
He had to tell the Grand Duke the truth.
"Lucas, are you... a eunuch?"
The Grand Duke's eyebrows quirked uncomfortably at the sudden question.
"You must be crazy. You want to know about my private life?"
"No, don't be angry and listen to me. If you're not a eunuch, are you perhaps a bit too quick?"
The meaning of fast is...probably 'that'.
The Grand Duke did not look kindly on Julius, who was invading his personal space despite his warning.
"Don't pay attention to me. It's none of your business whether I'm a eunuch or not."
It was funny to say such things to Julius.
"Don't cross the line anymore, Julius."
Her cold gaze swept over Julius as if warning him. Julius beat his chest and sighed as if frustrated.
"Ha... You tactless brat!"
Even though he told him this, he didn't notice. Whether it was when he was young or now, he was still tactless.
“Lucas, think carefully. Why did Lady Serviat suddenly change her attitude? Do you really have no idea? Didn’t something change between you two last night?”
As he spoke each word with sincerity, something suddenly flashed through the Grand Duke's mind.
The first night with Rose.
That was the biggest change between them.
‘No way...’
The Grand Duke's mind went cold for a moment.
‘That... changed her heart?’
That couldn’t be true. Rose was clearly very satisfied...
The Grand Duke's expression was blank, and he muttered softly.
“That can’t be...”
When it occurred to him that the Grand Duke finally understood what he was saying, Julius quickly struck back.
“Hey, Lucas. Do you know what the biggest mistake men make?”
“...”
“It’s the delusion that my woman is satisfied.”
The Grand Duke's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure at Julius’ words.
He wanted to refute him right away, but he didn't want to tell him about Rose. There was no need.
"The expressions, the gestures, even the voice! They can fabricate everything,"
Julius said with a serious expression, then crept over the edge.
"It seems... You were very poor, Lucas."
Julius patted the Grand Duke's shoulder again as he spoke. His gesture was sincere.
The first night with Rose.
That was the biggest change between them.
‘No way...’
The Grand Duke's mind went cold for a moment.
‘That... changed her heart?’
That couldn’t be true. Rose was clearly very satisfied...
The Grand Duke's expression was blank, and he muttered softly.
“That can’t be...”
When it occurred to him that the Grand Duke finally understood what he was saying, Julius quickly struck back.
“Hey, Lucas. Do you know what the biggest mistake men make?”
“...”
“It’s the delusion that my woman is satisfied.”
The Grand Duke's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure at Julius’ words.
He wanted to refute him right away, but he didn't want to tell him about Rose. There was no need.
"The expressions, the gestures, even the voice! They can fabricate everything,"
Julius said with a serious expression, then crept over the edge.
"It seems... You were very poor, Lucas."
Julius patted the Grand Duke's shoulder again as he spoke. His gesture was sincere.
"Don't be so depressed. Everyone has a first time. I'm good at everything, so I haven't experienced what you've experienced, so I can't empathize. I'm sorry, Lucas."
Julius's comforting words sounded even more annoying for some reason.
Julius continued to whisper in the Grand Duke's ear, but the shocked Grand Duke couldn't hear him anymore.
'Was I... that inadequate? Enough to change your mind in an instant?'
Grand Duke Artaeum felt more than just hurt pride; he felt a sense of self-loathing.
At the same time, Rose, standing on the dome-shaped stage of the auditorium, was conducting the conference, but her eyes kept drifting to the Grand Duke and Julius.
"What on earth are they talking about that makes you stand there like that?"
The auditorium was spacious and spacious.
Everyone was listening intently, but the Grand Duke and Julius were constantly whispering, as if they had so much to say.
If only she could hear what they were saying, her mind wouldn't be so restless, but there was no way she could hear them.
Because they weren't a direct participant in the conference, they had volunteered to sit at the very back.
Rose was constantly on edge, determined not to make a mistake.
She had a tendency to strive for perfection when working, so even before leaving the mansion, she constantly revisited what she had to say.
She thought she was good at controlling her mind, but seeing the two of them so affectionately made it hard to concentrate.
'...It's bothering me.'
Though she was concerned about the Grand Duke and Julius, she quickly pulled herself together.
Right now, work was more important than the Grand Duke.
Instead of a PPT, Rose turned over a huge piece of paper she had written by hand and said,
"This business is truly revolutionary. From the state-of-the-art facilities to the best service and the best products, everything is perfect."
Rose spoke clearly and with a steady voice.
Her stable tone, neither too low nor too high, was enough to inspire trust.
Furthermore, she had put considerable effort into her styling for today.
With her hair in a bun, a calm khaki dress, and finally, non-prescription glasses,
Rose had put considerable effort into creating an image that would evoke trust.
One of the representatives listening to Rose raised his hand as if he had a question.
“It sounds plausible, but the young lady’s words just sound like empty talk. The department store idea is a good one. We haven’t even tried that flush toilet thingy yet, but let’s assume it’s successful.”
He clasped his hands together on the table and spoke sharply.
“But, building a department store on Artaeum territory? This is truly unacceptable. Who would come to such a barren land with nothing?”
He bravely voiced his opinion, knowing full well that the Grand Duke of Artaeum was behind him.
The crowd murmured and shook at the man’s words.
“Yes. That’s reckless.”
“The young lady is quite clever, but she seems to be ignorant of the ways of the world.”
Rose had already expected this reaction, so she wasn’t overly flustered or anxious.
“You all know why the Artaeum Territory was destined to become such a barren land. It was abandoned after a long war. But the war is over. We maintain very friendly relations with the neighboring nations. The reason the Artaeum Territory was invaded more often than other places is because, as you can see, it’s a key transportation hub.”
Rose unfolded the map of the empire she had drawn herself. She pointed to the Artaeum Territory, nestled between the imperial capital and each nation.
“It’s connected to the Artaeum Territory. The capital, and the nations that have always waged war.”
She drew a line with a long stick, as if to show off.
“The southern part of the empire is great for relaxation, but it’s quite remote. That makes transportation difficult. The eastern part is full of dangerous facilities. It’s quite difficult for you, your esteemed ones, to visit on your own.”
Rose continued calmly.
"And the west, where the capital is. Building a department store there would be the safest option for now. However, the West is already densely packed with buildings. The existing commercial districts are already firmly established. There's no room for new expansion."
"Isn't that Young Lady Serviat's situation? We've already succeeded in our existing commercial districts, and we've already attracted a lot of existing customers. There's absolutely no need to gamble by changing our base. Besides, the young lady hasn't achieved anything yet. I don't know if I should say this, but I wonder if you're trying to be buried under our reputation."
Though his tone was polite, he was clearly ignoring Rose.
Grand Duke Artaeum, who had been listening to him, glared at the man with a fierce gaze.
"How dare you..."
Should he step forward for Rose? Should he force everyone to submit and kneel at Rose's feet?
The Grand Duke, clenching his fists with a chilling expression, felt his excitement subside as Rose continued to speak.
“Ask me... You’re sorely mistaken.”
Rose’s expression was relaxed as she spoke to the man.
“Everyone, I didn’t come here today to ask you a favor...”
Rose’s words caused a murmur.
“I didn’t come here to ask you a favor...”
“You’re definitely here to threaten me! I heard you were in love with the Grand Duke of Artaeum, so it seems you’re trying to use him to intimidate us.”
“Ugh... I trusted the Princess, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this...”
Sighs could be heard here and there. It was because they thought they were being forced into a department store they didn’t want.
Princess Diana was also flustered by Rose’s words.
“Surely... You’re not really planning to use my brother, are you?”
She glanced at the Grand Duke, who had a cool expression on his face, as if everything had already been prepared.
Rose’s voice resonated powerfully in the noisy atmosphere.
“I didn’t come here to ask you a favor; I came here to give you a chance.”
Her confident voice instantly silenced the surroundings.
“I was just beginning to explain why I chose the Arteum Estate in the north. While it’s true that the Arteum Estate is a key transportation hub, it’s also a land that will undergo countless changes in the future. Because there’s nothing here, anything can be built.”
Rose drew the atmosphere closer to her.
“For an existing commercial district to change, it takes at least 30 years to obtain consent from residents, evict existing tenants, and complete the demolition and construction. But for the Arteum Estate, it can be done in just six months.”
Rose pushed up her non-prescription glasses and smiled.
“As you all know, commercial districts change over time. Older and more established ones are weeded out, and new ones gain popularity. The moment the Arteum Estate department store and the surrounding commercial district are completed, the capital’s commercial district will begin to crumble.”
Of course, the capital’s commercial district won’t crumble easily. It will take a very long time.
Rose strategically brought up this line to shape the atmosphere in her favor.
A chorus of dry spit echoed from here and there at Rose's words. Her words struck them as somehow terrifying.
"When that day comes, you'll regret rejecting my offer to the death. You'll be in a shop with no customers, a place full of flies."
Rose's words, a smirk on her lips, were laced with sincerity.
"I'll give you exactly three days. I'll only accept applications until then. The first fifteen applicants will be placed in the best locations, with no conditions required. And... I want to let you know in advance that the rest of you will be approved or rejected based on strict criteria."
Rose set an unscheduled deadline for applications.
She gracefully bowed amidst the commotion and stepped down from the podium.
The conference had come to a truly perfect close.
After Rose left, they looked at each other, wondering what to do.
Soon after, a man followed her out, and the others, still unsure of what to do, hurried forward.
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