IBTPEOTMLC 16

Chapter 16

From Venus’s perspective, my behavior must have been hard to understand, but I could tell she was letting it slide gently in case I felt embarrassed.

“Didn’t the number of priests increase again after the forest purification ended?”

“Ah, yes. It did. But this is a secret, right?”

It was only a guess, but the other believers and lower-ranking priests seemed completely unaware of anything related to the forest.

The decisive moment was when, amid the chaotic atmosphere, a high priest calmed the anxious believers by saying it was merely a kind of emergency training drill.

“It’s a secret. Only high-ranking priests know.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me it was a secret in case I blabbed?”

Ah, wait…

“You said that because you know I don’t have any friends, right?”

Because you know there’s no one I could tell anyway.

When I narrowed my eyes and looked at Venus, she froze for a moment, then waved her hands in flustered denial.

“No, no, that’s not it.”

“Well, it’s true I don’t have anyone to tell.”

“No! Coco, that’s not what I meant.”

Venus, who had been hurriedly explaining herself, saw the playful look in my eyes and finally burst into a soft laugh.

Then, unlike just before, she responded to my joke in a practiced manner.

“I don’t have anyone to tell secrets to either, except you, Coco.”

“How do you know a secret that only high-ranking priests are supposed to know?”

“I deal with information too, you know.”

Venus said no more than that.

From then on, I decided that anything Venus told me, I would treat as confidential without needing to be told.

It wasn’t like I had anyone else to tell anyway.

While I was chatting idly and watching Oriéde eat her sandwich, Bay arrived right on time.

After exchanging brief greetings, we immediately began talking enthusiastically about business.

Oriéde seemed bored and was dozing off, but since at least someone was listening to me, I expressed my opinions with more passion.

“It has to look luxurious, no matter what. In short, it should feel like it’s expensive but worth the price. That way, it can establish itself as a high-end image without being constrained by price.”

Venus examined the Alexandrite closely. She let out a small exclamation as she watched its color change with the lighting.

Seeing her reaction, I eagerly added more.

“Nobles enjoy buying things that are more expensive and rarer than what others have, and showing them off. Right?”

“Of course. There’s a reason history recorded the story of a king who sold his country to buy a necklace. Greedy people will pay any price to obtain what they desire.”

I had read that story too in a book I secretly looked at in the count’s library.

Long ago, a single necklace appeared on the market. A foolish king, utterly captivated by its beauty, sold his country to buy it.

If it had ended as a moral tale, it would have been fine, but it was an actual historical fact.

In any case, that necklace, now part of history, was being kept in the Grinan Museum in the imperial capital. All old and precious items in this country were safely stored there.

Moreover, since that necklace also had historical value, the temple and the imperial palace jointly guarded it with strict security.

I wanted to visit it at least once.

I wanted to see how beautiful the items made with such devotion by ancient craftsmen really were.

I even wanted to take our own craftsmen with me. That would raise their standards even more.

Snapping out of my brief reverie, I listened to Venus as she continued.

“Nobles especially like to flaunt their wealth. That’s why they love expensive and beautiful gemstones and accessories.”

“Yes, but there are many gemstones in the world. That’s why first impressions are important.”

Venus pointed to the Alexandrite.

“Then rather than introducing other gemstones, it’s better to reveal this Alexandrite first. It already has value as a raw stone, but once craftsmen work on it, it will become even better. And that fits your goal too, Coco.”

That was why craftsmen were important. We weren’t just providing raw stones. Depending on the design, this gem could shine more—or not at all.

“So, Alexandrite has been discovered. That’s the first step. What’s the next plan?”

I had said I would explain the details as each step progressed, so the two of them knew the general flow but not the specifics.

I felt a little nervous. I had to clearly present the plan in my head in front of businesspeople and gain their approval.

If they gave negative opinions, the business would fail. The reaction to the gemstone itself was good, but how to use it and lead things forward was entirely up to me.

“As I told Bay, not many of these ores will be found. So I plan to start with a limited edition.”

I explained step by step. Nobles would focus out of curiosity on a gemstone that emitted two different lights, and they would focus again on the unfamiliar term “limited edition.”

“Limited edition means you decide on a quantity and sell only that much?”

I nodded lightly in agreement.

On the surface, it would look like we were releasing only a set amount as a limited edition, but in reality, I planned to release almost all the Alexandrite mined, except for a few pieces.

The quantity would still be fairly large, but if we released it as a limited edition at first, its rarity would rise and its value would soar. They would open their wallets because they wanted to be among the few who owned something rare.

“Is the reason for making it a limited edition because there isn’t much Alexandrite ore, or because you want to draw attention?”

“If the quantity is too small, we might actually run a deficit. And if we later release a large amount, it’ll be seen as cheap stock and the value will drop sharply. If you think about it that way, doesn’t ‘limited edition’ sound rather reckless?”

I didn’t avoid Venus’s and Bay’s eyes as they questioned me at the same time. Honestly, there was no way they didn’t understand what I was aiming for.

They were seasoned businesspeople.

Even so, I knew they were asking because they wanted to hear me realize it myself and explain it properly. They wanted me to grow.

So I had to show them that growth.

“To establish ourselves, what matters is impact, not money. Our only real strength is that Alexandrite is a gemstone with two colors.”

The two reasons Venus mentioned were also part of why I chose the limited edition approach. But above all else, the priority was impact. We needed to make a strong first impression.

“I don’t plan to sell the same item under the name of ‘limited edition.’ I’ll ask for different designs for each piece. Of course, I’ll pay the craftsmen extra for it.”

If they struggled, I was prepared to ask Bay to arrange visits to places like the Grinan Museum and show them various designs to inspire them.

“Even if the gemstone is the same, the design will be different, so it won’t be embarrassing like wearing the same outfit.”

Most noble jewelry designs were similar. Many looked alike, and often the same product was made in multiple copies and displayed.

If you bought such jewelry and wore it to a party, overlapping with someone else happened often.

When that happened, people felt awkward and avoided standing near each other.

I had heard similar things happened at modern celebrity parties, and it was the same here too.

Of course, Bay and Venus had found this out through market research and told me.

“That’s quite a good idea. Non-overlapping designs. If an expensive ornament bought to show off wealth ends up overlapping with someone of a lower rank, it hurts their pride.”

“Why would an expensive ornament overlap with someone of a lower rank…?”

“Well, there are various reasons. The most common is…”

Venus trailed off, then glanced at me and shook her head.

“You don’t need to know yet, Coco. You’re still young.”

Even if I looked young, I was an adult inside.

Since she was keeping it secret, I could roughly guess what it was. The man probably did something stupid like giving the same brooch to both his wife and his mistress.

Or maybe not.

“Then go on.”

“Ah, yes. After that, we’ll hold an auction.”

“Introducing the craftsmen?”

“Yes, very extravagantly, so it won’t feel like a new business.”

“And what about the next gemstones? If they’re not on the level of Alexandrite, their value could drop. How will you handle that?”

“I’m confident that the gemstones we release in the future will be just as beautiful as Alexandrite, and ones no one has ever seen before.”

“There’s no guarantee that special gemstones will keep being discovered. What will you do then?”

“I never planned to rely only on special gemstones. The goal is to sell special gemstones so that even ordinary gemstones look special.”

If Alexandrite, our first product, was successfully introduced to the world, the name of our trading company would rise day by day.

Because it was a limited edition, the price would soar. Once Alexandrite was firmly imprinted in their minds, they would naturally think the second and third gemstones were also expensive and beautiful. That’s how we would establish ourselves.

My explanation was a bit rambling because I wasn’t eloquent, but Venus and Bay listened without interrupting.

Venus nodded as if she understood, then pointed out a weakness.

“Coco, the plan is good. But you know all these plans require a lot of money, right? How do you plan to cover that? Selling land alone doesn’t seem enough anymore.”

She was right. Selling land alone was no longer enough. To begin with, I was only a broker, not someone directly investing in land.

Good properties didn’t appear all the time either.

That was why I had been hiding one last card, just in case.

My trump card for emergencies.

“Actually… I know where a diamond mine is buried.”

Even here, diamonds were considered precious. Unlike Alexandrite, they weren’t nonexistent, but among known gemstones, diamonds were the best.

“There’s a huge amount there. The stones are much larger than anything currently on the market.”

Just knowing that information would make people try to buy it at any cost.

I planned to sell that information for as high a price as possible.

“Then why do you look so reluctant?”

“Because selling it to someone other than Venus or Bay makes me upset.”

When I said it honestly, they both looked momentarily startled, then burst out laughing.

“That honesty is lovely.”

“Right. It is a shame to sell it to others.”

“…But I still have to sell it. I’ll tell you, so please sell it for as much as possible.”

“Oh my, don’t worry about that.”

Then Venus and Bay exchanged a quick glance. It happened so fast that I wasn’t sure if I had really seen it.

“It’ll probably take some time to get that much money, so I asked Bay to keep completely quiet about Alexandrite.”

At times like this, I needed to calm my excitement and proceed step by step.

If I rushed things just because I wanted to find that child, all the effort I had put in so far might come to nothing.

“There’s no need to wait. Go ahead with it regardless of money, Bay.”

“Yes, Lady Venus.”

Startled, I stopped them.

“W-wait a second! That much money hasn’t come in yet. There might be someone who’d buy the mine right away, but if it’s not the amount I want, I won’t sell.”

The wages for craftsmen and the cost of hiring workers were being covered by Venus for now, but the other expenses were a problem.

I planned to rent a place for the auction and provide each craftsman with a formal suit or dress.

And there was no way I would pretend not to know about the money Venus was supporting me with. I planned to repay everything.

Since we were preparing both the venue and everyone’s outfits extravagantly, the money…

All these thoughts tangled together as Venus gently took my hand and spoke softly.

“Think of it this way. I’m investing in you for the future. I’m not helping you for no reason—I’m investing so I can be repaid later.”

She told me not to feel burdened.

“Aren’t you in a hurry? I know you’ll feel more at ease the sooner the business stabilizes.”

“Venus…”

“I said I would support you, Coco, and that hasn’t changed.”

She said that unless my plan was nothing but empty dreams, she had no intention of stopping her support.

I never expected a chance encounter to sink so deeply into my life, so I felt happy—and yet strangely choked up.

“When income starts coming in—”

I cut Venus off urgently and clenched my fists.

“I’ll pay you back. With plenty of interest!”

No matter how close we were, and even if Venus said she would support me, money was not something to gloss over.

Money issues were sensitive even within families—how much more so between unrelated people.

I didn’t want to grow distant from Venus because of money.

“Then let the interest be having meals with me,” Venus replied playfully.

In the end, I relaxed and smiled a little.