🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 53
‘You want to make accessories out of that expensive crystal?’
It was truly a thought only the top merchant guild in the Empire could have.
I had no choice but to clasp my hands politely and let my eyes sparkle.
Because—
‘This will work. This is a profitable venture!’
Just listening to Yeloise’s plan, I could already imagine nobles flocking with bags of money in hand.
The nobles I’d seen so far loved anything expensive and rare.
The academy that only high-ranking nobles could attend.
Goods from the Western Continent that were hard to obtain in Wigdnia.
Even dresses released as a summer limited edition in boutiques!
The more expensive, the rarer, the more desirable it became.
Nobles valued and longed for such things.
Crystals, with their rare and radiant glow, would undoubtedly awaken the nobles’ desire to possess.
It would probably shake the social scene in no time.
But Yeloise’s plan didn’t seem to end there.
“You can even infuse a beastman’s power into crystals.”
Though it required special treatment, I had heard that high-purity crystals could store the mana of a beastman.
But why was she telling us this?
Gerard, Kenich, and I all stared blankly at Yeloise.
“If Lia were here, you’d understand.”
Yeloise sighed deeply, as if frustrated, then glanced at Gerard.
“Gerard, if you had someone you loved, what would you want to do?”
“W-well…?”
“Hah, really.”
Yeloise’s gaze moved to Kenich sitting across from her, but he remained silent as well.
“Tch, you’d have to experience love first to understand.”
Yeloise’s words were right.
Whether it was a subordinate or a superior, it was the same.
Spending most of their time at a desk, they were clueless when it came to matters of romance.
“When you have someone you love, don’t you want to always be with them? And even if they aren’t next to you, wouldn’t you want proof that your hearts are still together?”
“You mean like a couple ring?”
Kenich, who had been sulking the whole time, asked with a crooked look.
“Something like that. The real goal of the Rose Guild is to make high-end engagement rings.”
Yeloise finally nodded with satisfaction.
Then, as if she were a woman who had just received a proposal, she clasped her hands together.
“A ring that contains a piece of the one you love. Isn’t it romantic? This will surely—”
“It’ll make money.”
“It’ll become a trend.”
Kenich and Yeloise spoke at the same time.
‘No wonder they’re siblings.’
I nodded, alternating my gaze between the two similar-but-different siblings.
As Yeloise said, if rings were made from crystals, it would surely become fashionable beyond Wigdnia and even across the Western Continent.
If that happened, the Rose Guild would become an even greater guild than it was now.
Yeloise would gain wealth and power without the name of Kreutz.
After all, anything related to a once-in-a-lifetime marriage always comes with a premium.
But there was one thing that had to be clarified.
‘All of this depends on the crystals being mined from the Gelende Mines.’
I looked up at Yeloise, clutching the chestnut I had been holding.
Her golden eyes, identical to Kenich’s, glimmered with the same madness they had when she first saw me.
The plan was undoubtedly based on a strong conviction that crystals would be found in the Gelende Mines.
‘Does Yeloise know something else?’
No, she definitely knows.
Suspicion quickly turned into certainty.
After all, Yeloise was already the owner of a guild that had conquered Wigdnia and extended its reach to the Western Continent.
There must be a valid reason she was speaking about such a plan.
And of course, I wasn’t the only one thinking this way.
“You know something. Either you’ve heard it or seen it.”
Kenich, who had been quietly observing Yeloise, finally spoke softly.
“Hmm, maybe?”
Yeloise simply maintained her meaningful smile.
The more the corners of her lips curved, showing off their sleek lines, the more Kenich and Gerard became convinced:
Yeloise knew something important.
“Let’s go into partnership.”
Kenich’s words were somewhat unexpected.
He, too, disliked working with others, even as a member of the Kreutz family.
Even if it was with his own blood.
“If I share what I know, what can you offer me?”
“I’ll share information and help you win the auction for the mine, and in return, I’ll give you distribution rights for the crystals. Of course, exclusively for the Rose Guild. Kreutz will cover all the auction costs.”
It was a generous offer for information.
Without spending a single coin, one could obtain the crystals and their distribution rights.
But Yeloise merely tilted her head.
Suspicion briefly flickered in her narrowed eyes.
“And what does Kreutz gain?”
“The mine itself.”
Kenich answered without hesitation.
In truth, the wealth a crystal mine could bring didn’t excite Kenich much.
It would just be one more asset added to his already overflowing fortune.
But not having control over the mine was a different matter.
If the Imperial family or Astrahan, who supported the throne, gained control of the crystal mine, it could cause a major stir.
Crystals, being essential to magical artifacts, were closely linked to urban prosperity and, moreover, to military power.
“If I can’t have it, I’m willing to destroy it.”
Kenich spoke his mind without hesitation.
He had no intention of letting the Imperial family acquire another crystal mine when they already owned one.
“I knew you were reckless, but this exceeds my imagination. Well, it doesn’t hurt me, so…”
Yeloise lightly nodded at her brother’s words, as if agreeing that relying on him was better than pleading with the throne.
“Hmm, where should we start?”
She toyed with me in her palm as if pondering, then spoke bluntly.
“I’ve discovered crystals.”
“W-what?!”
Wasn’t that a little too direct?
“Y-You discovered crystals? Wh-where, how?”
Startled, Gerard’s words rushed out.
“I found them while enjoying a hobby at a village market about an hour from the Gelende Mines.”
“Wha…?”
Could the Empire’s only princess really have hobbies at a market?
The so-called worst villainess of the Empire, and a market?
I tilted my head, puzzled by the unlikely combination, and Gerard spoke cautiously.
“You mean… you were browsing an antique shop?”
“Yes, exactly. Sometimes treasures are found in unexpected places.”
Yeloise said she took great pleasure in discovering antiques hidden away and reselling them at a high price.
“The shop owner said it was a stone his grandfather’s grandfather found in the mountains.”
“If it’s from his grandfather’s grandfather, that was before crystals were widely developed.”
“Since it’s a remote village far from the capital, it had collected dust, so I bought it for 10 gold.”
Yeloise’s eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke.
‘10 gold for a single crystal?’
It was an absurdly low price, less than one percent of its value.
“Rip-off…”
Gerard muttered quietly, but Yeloise seemed unconcerned.
“A gem only shines when it meets an owner with discerning eyes. Otherwise, it’s just a rock.”
She was right.
Had Yeloise not discovered it in the antique shop, it would have likely been discarded without even yielding a gold coin.
‘Moreover, it wasn’t even verified as a crystal.’
Regardless, it had been a good deal for the antique shop owner.
“So where are the crystals now? Can we see them?”
At that moment, the air in the reception room froze, and all eyes turned to Kenich.
Yes.
The most important thing now was to confirm the crystals.
Whether the crystals Yeloise spoke of were real.
