“House Person, those bastards are complete scoundrels!”

“……What?”

At the profanity that burst like lightning from the lady’s mouth, Oren’s eyes became as big as bowls.

‘Scoundrels’ from such a small and elegant mouth!

The teardrops in the shocked Oren’s eyes went right back in.

The flustered Oren hurriedly looked at Mel, but Mel, already familiar with this situation, just gave Oren an awkward smile.

However, as if not noticing their strange atmosphere, Arthe continued to comfort Oren in a rather radical way.

“Don’t cry. Master, you did nothing wrong at all. Such bastards with no business ethics should be destroyed somehow!”

“No, Lady. Pl, please calm down.”

Finally, Oren urgently stopped Arthe instead, but Arthe was already thoroughly angry at House Person’s behavior that was far beyond propriety.

To recognize coffee’s value and make deals with foreign trading companies to secure exclusive contracts — wasn’t he someone with considerable ability despite being a small trading company?

To backstab the results such a person had achieved. How difficult it must have been later when coffee became a huge hit.

Arthe, who recalled the enormous profits in her head, sincerely comforted Oren.

“I know the value of money, but I’m also someone who knows propriety. If the baron brings contract terms within an acceptable range, I will also review them positively.”

“Lady. You are truly my benefactor. I will definitely bring contract terms that will satisfy you.”

It was none other than the empire’s only ducal family, House Frey.

For such a ducal family to provide full support.

No matter what family might approach, there would be no jackpot like this.

Oren kept nodding.

Eventually, Oren, who had even finished writing the contract with Arthe, promised to first supply all the coffee beans the Oren Trading Company possessed.

Arthe carefully checked the coffee bean samples Oren had and said.

“The quality is quite good. Please take care of us in the future too.”

“Yes. Of course. Though the trading company’s scale is small…… we take pride in quality alone.”

“Good. And here is one-third of the contracted payment. I’ll give you the rest after receiving the coffee beans.”

The contract money Arthe handed over was the largest income since the Oren Trading Company’s establishment. Oren once again wiped his moistened eyes with a handkerchief.

“Honestly, Miss. At first I thought you were either crazy or a debt collector. But now you really look like an angel.”

“Being too honest is also against etiquette. And calling me crazy. How upright a person am I.”

“Of course! Miss, I will never forget this kindness.”

Just three hours ago, he had been coldly rejected by Newport House’s manager.

The humiliation he suffered there that day was the greatest fortune of his life.

The moved Oren once again poured out his overwhelming emotions and clung to Arthe, wailing for a long time.

Eventually, only after Mel gave him a pointed remark asking if he wouldn’t be busy from now on, did Oren hurriedly pack his things and leave the ducal family.

“He’s a kind person. How pitiful.”

“That’s right.”

It was when Arthe, who had watched Oren get in the carriage with Mel and returned, had just entered the mansion.

“My goodness, Miss Arthe! What on earth have you done!”

Whether he had already heard the news, Aidan, the family’s butler famous for being strict, was hurriedly running from the end of the corridor.

He had run so urgently that his wig was bouncing on the butler’s crown.

In the hands of the butler running urgently was a paper with the contract amount written on it.

“Three thousand gold! What kind of business is Miss, who only read books in her room, doing with such a large amount!”

At that moment. Looking at him running toward her, Arthe narrowed her eyes.

***

“Three thousand gold!”

Completely ignoring Arthe’s displeased expression, the butler stood before Arthe in an extremely excited state and opened his mouth accusingly while spitting.

“Moreover, what kind of item…… Miss, you probably don’t know well, but not everything works out just because it’s creative.”

“I won’t deny it’s a new business. But I didn’t invest looking only at the creative aspect.”

Arthe answered in the calmest tone possible.

However, the butler immediately snorted and sneered.

“Then what exactly did you see to decide to invest such a large sum of three thousand gold?”

“It’s a product whose success has already been verified on the Rania continent.”

“Ha! What would someone who has only looked at books know? Do you think reality is that simple?”

“……”

“Cancel the contract immediately and leave such important matters to His Grace and me from now on. What business do you think you’re going to do, Miss?”

“Butler, aren’t your words too harsh?”

“Mel.”

At the butler’s words that completely ignored Arthe, Mel stepped forward angrily, but Arthe calmly restrained Mel.

And slowly turned her head to meet the butler’s gaze.

“Butler. I understand my annual allowance is about 3,000 gold.”

At those words, the butler flinched for a moment then opened his mouth triumphantly again.

“That may be so, but the ducal family’s finances are my responsibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re the duke’s daughter, you must have my approval to make such large expenditures.”

“The allowance already allocated to me is entirely under my control. Since I’ve barely spent on anything beyond necessities until now, I’m using it within my budget.”

“Even so, it’s not acceptable. I cannot tolerate such reckless luxury!”

“How dare you.”

At those words, the butler stopped the words he was spitting out. Arthe’s expression, which had maintained tranquility, had become utterly cold.

“How dare you interrupt my words. Your rudeness is excessive.”

At Arthe’s voice that had become extremely low, the triumphant butler’s momentum shrank.

Nevertheless, he opened his mouth to make some rebuttal.

“Moreover, calling it luxury…”

Arthe looked straight into the butler’s eyes.

Her pupils were utterly cold.

While the butler was flustered by that cold gaze, Arthe’s low voice flew at him consecutively.

“Calling a business clearly for the ducal family ‘luxury’. I don’t know how far I should accept a subordinate’s remarks that cross the line as loyal counsel.”

It was a sharp admonishment that made him realize who the master of the family was.

The butler swallowed at this first sight of the lady he had always considered easy to handle.

Even so, he couldn’t back down here.

The butler continued speaking with a slightly softened attitude.

“I, I apologize for being rude. However, I have managed the family’s finances for decades. I think I can naturally give this level of opinion.”

“Butler.”

Arthe opened her mouth, but the butler shut his eyes tightly as if saying ‘whatever’ and raised his voice.

“A, anyway, I will report to His Grace immediately!”

The butler eventually went to the duke’s office and complained about the business Arthe had started.

Arthe too, when the butler brought up even her father, first followed the butler to her father’s office.

It was a situation she would have to face once anyway to expand the business greatly.

Thanks to the butler making a big fuss, Duke Frey, the butler, and several advisors had hurriedly gathered in the duke’s office.

“Taking advantage of my absence, she already stamped the seal and gave part of the contract money as advance payment. Not only that! How extravagant she’s been lately…… Jewelry, clothes, desserts — she’s already squandered several months’ allowance in just one month!”

The butler spat as he gave his passionate speech.

“This is unbelievable…… I was planning to spend five years’ worth, but it’s only a few months’ worth?”

At Arthe’s muttering, she felt the duke looking at her as if dumbfounded, but Arthe slightly avoided the duke’s gaze.

Then the butler raised his voice even higher to argue.

“This contract must be withdrawn immediately. It’s a matter of the family’s prestige!”

“Since the contract has already proceeded, it can’t be helped. Moreover, this contract……”

At those words, Ian, the duke’s advisor who had been carefully reviewing the contract and materials from earlier, hesitated for a moment, glanced at Arthe, then continued.

“It doesn’t seem to be such an unreasonable contract as the butler says.”

At those words, the butler raised his voice with a face flushed red.

“But it’s an insignificant small trading company with no track record! We can just unilaterally break the contract!”

“That would be the ducal family bullying a small trading company. We cannot tarnish the family’s honor over such a matter.”

“That’s right, Father. Such scoundrel behavior is unacceptable.”

At Ian’s words and Arthe’s added comment, the butler, with a boiling face, swallowed his words and this time looked desperately at Duke Frey.

“But Your Grace. Coffee — I’ve never heard of it. You must cancel the contract immediately with your authority as the head of the family.”

“Hmm……”

The duke, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, looked at Ian.

“What do you think?”

“I judge it to be a business sufficiently worth investing in.”

Pushing up his glasses that had slid down his nose, Ian spoke coldly.

“Recently, interest in foreign cultures has surged among young people, so if we promote it as a mysterious beverage from the Kingdom of Rania, I think it can sufficiently attract interest from the empire’s younger generation.”

At Ian’s logical words, the duke nodded.

“Also, I think the exclusive contract is a great advantage.”

“If you say so, supporting it wouldn’t be bad either. Moreover, it’s Arthe’s first business venture, so should I as a father pour cold water on it?”

At the duke’s words, the butler quietly bowed his head.