HST 23

Chapter 23

“Ten billion?”
“Yes.”
“Do you happen to be in debt?”
“No.”
“Then is gambling your hobby?”
“Not at all.”

Why on earth would this woman need such an enormous sum as ten billion? For Rose, who held no title, it was an utterly unrealistic amount to repay.

Could she be planning to say she can’t repay it and serve me for the rest of her life instead?
It almost seemed like a scheme to bind herself to him forever.

Rose scratched her cheek awkwardly, unsettled by the Duke of Arteum’s oddly stiff reaction. In truth, the money she really wanted wasn’t ten billion. This sum was a decoy for negotiation. You start by naming a huge amount, then gradually lower it. That way, you can end up borrowing the amount you actually want. What she truly needed was three billion Les. By setting the bar high, three billion would feel relatively cheap. If she asked for three billion from the start, he might refuse—but if she began at ten billion and worked downward, the deal could be concluded pleasantly.

Asking for three billion right away might sound too excessive.

Soon, the Duke would surely refuse, saying ten billion was far too much.

“Ten billion…”
His low voice resonated through the room.

Rose steeled herself and looked at him, ready to negotiate. However, the Duke’s response was completely different from what she had expected.

“Very well.”

“I know it’s an unreasonable amount—…What?!”
Rose doubted her ears.

D-did the Duke of Arteum just accept my proposal?

She couldn’t believe it even after hearing it. Not one hundred million, not one billion, but a full ten billion Les—and he was offering to lend it to her without asking for any conditions.

“Y-you’ll lend me… ten billion?”
Rose’s shocked voice rang out. Her eyes widened as if they might pop out at any moment.

“Didn’t you just ask me to lend it to you?”
“Th-that’s true, but…”

She never expected him to agree so easily…!

“You don’t think my life is worth less than that, do you?”
The Duke cast her a teasing glance. But—

That’s… scary.

To Rose, his sharp eyes and threatening tone were nothing short of chilling.

“That’s not what I meant!”
She hurriedly shook her head, anxiously watching his mood.

Then his voice struck her ears clearly.

“Then take it. My life isn’t worth any less than that.”

Rose stared at him in a daze.

This is like stumbling backward and catching a mouse…

She had intended to borrow a modest three billion, yet somehow ended up borrowing ten billion instead. She was so stunned she could barely think straight.

“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Y-yes, go ahead.”

Still half out of her mind, Rose replied with unfocused eyes.

“What exactly do you intend to do with that much money?”

The Duke was curious—about what kind of venture this woman before him was planning, and what she wanted to do with such a vast sum as ten billion Les. Rose gathered her scattered thoughts, then looked at him with clear eyes and spoke gently.

“I’m thinking of starting a business.”
“A business?”
“Yes. I want to try opening a department store.”
“A department store? What is that?”

It was a word he had never heard before. He frowned slightly as he asked again.

Before coming to the Duke’s estate, Rose had thought up quite a few business ideas: women’s clothing, makeup tools, and even becoming a building owner—the dream she had longed for in her previous life. If she chose another line of work, she’d have to toil endlessly until she got established. But if she became a landlord, she could live comfortably for the rest of her life without working. Yes, being a landlord is the answer! The excitement of possibly achieving in this novel the dream she had failed to realize in her past life refused to subside.

However, it wasn’t that simple. Even if she built houses and rented them out, the return on investment would take far too long. Buying land and constructing a house would cost about ten million Les. Annual rent here was around two hundred thousand Les. To recover an investment of ten million would take a full fifty years. And there was no guarantee she’d have tenants for all fifty of those years.

It would be better to build a commercial property and rent it out instead. If she erected a large building and brought in multiple shops, the monthly income would be much higher. That was how she arrived at the idea of a department store.

This world didn’t yet have such a concept. Shops were lined up in rows, and there was no complex where one could shop for everything at once. Rose was certain—she had a hunch—that if she built the first department store here, she’d be sitting on a mountain of money.

“A department store is a complex shopping center. Multiple shops are housed in a single building to improve convenience for customers.”

At first, Rose had envisioned something more modest, like a neighborhood mart. But with ten billion at her disposal, she could afford to think bigger.

“I’ll give you a share of the business, Your Grace. And of course, I’ll repay the ten billion as well.”

Though he didn’t fully grasp the business she was describing, the Duke nodded as he listened to her confident voice.

“But if you just gather shops together, how long will it take you to repay my money? If the rent is exorbitant, no one will want to move in.”

With ten billion borrowed, the building would naturally be quite luxurious—and that would drive rents up. The Duke pressed his sharp questions, poking at the gaps in her plan.

“The average annual rent for high-end shops is three million Les. Let’s say your department store charges double—no, triple that. Even if fifty shops move in and each pays nine million a year, you wouldn’t make ten billion Les even after ten full years, assuming you don’t spend a single coin.”

He tapped his knee with his fingers as he continued.

“And would they really pay higher rent just to enter your so-called department store? There are plenty of shops already well established without it.”

“They’ll want to come in. Eventually, they’ll be desperate to get in.”

The most important thing in business is the commercial district. No matter how well existing shops were doing, once a new infrastructure like a department store formed, the old locations would inevitably decline.

“And I won’t be charging rent.”
“…?!”

The Duke stared at her, his head filled with question marks.

“You won’t charge rent?”
He asked again in disbelief. His mind went blank, as if he’d been struck with a hammer. How does she plan to repay ten billion without even charging rent? This doesn’t seem like charity… so what is she plotting?

“I’ll take a commission on sales instead.”

At last, a smile spread across the Duke’s face.
This woman is extraordinary.

“To think of something like that…”

He couldn’t help but admire how brilliantly her plan was coming together.

“I’m thinking of a 30 percent commission.”
“Then if a single item worth ten million Les is sold, you get three million.”

Spending on luxury goods among nobles was quite active. That meant that with the sale of just one item, three million Les would go straight to Rose. Watching her in astonishment, the Duke slowly spoke.

“That’s quite an ingenious idea.”

But he soon voiced his concern.

“Still, from the merchants’ perspective, this won’t be welcome. The annual rent for a normal shop is three million Les. Would they really move in if you demand a 30 percent commission? They could just pay three million elsewhere and work comfortably for a year.”

He added bluntly,

“No one would willingly enter a business that guarantees losses. And even if some are fooled by sweet words and move in, I have no desire to see the weak exploited.”

The Duke felt uneasy about her plan. Thirty percent was a rate that would earn anyone the label of a ruthless employer.

Rose nodded, acknowledging his point.

That’s unexpected. I thought he wouldn’t care about the lives of his people at all.

Perhaps he wasn’t as cruel as she’d assumed.

I should clear up the misunderstanding.

She explained gently to the concerned Duke.

“To be precise, I plan on bleeding the nobles dry—not the merchants.”

Her lightly amused voice echoed clearly through the reception hall.

“The goods sold in the department store will be priced 30 percent higher than in regular shops. That way, merchants can sell without 부담, and I can earn enormous profits as well.”

The Duke’s frown finally eased.

“Nobles have more money than they could spend in a lifetime. Even if it’s 30 percent more expensive, they’ll choose the more convenient and luxurious option. Eventually, they’ll be fighting over goods they can’t even buy.”

No matter how she thought about it, it was a revolutionary business idea.

So that’s why she was so confident.

The Duke could tell she wasn’t just talking nonsense.

“Not a bad business at all.”

His once-sharp voice softened.

…He acknowledged my business.

An unexpected wave of emotion washed over her. To be recognized by someone—it brought her far greater joy than she’d imagined. Rose’s cheeks flushed red, and her gently curved eyes showed just how happy she was.

There was still the risk of failure, of course, but for some reason, she had a good feeling about this. Even though this world was a brutal novel that endlessly tormented its heroine, one thing was always certain—

the female lead buff always existed.