RCHR 30

Chapter 30

Tanisha’s confident stride, the way she deliberately called over a distant employee just to remind everyone she was the master of this place.
And then, while offering a seat, the arrogant glint in her eyes as if to whisper, This position is not something you earned—it was given to you because of the Duke.

Rebecca retraced Tanisha’s every move from the moment she first laid eyes on her until now.
And she quickly read her desire.

Like the calm before a storm, silence stretched between the two women.

Under Tanisha’s relentless gaze, Rebecca abandoned her original plan and began to execute a new one.

“I will insist on remaining only as a business partner. I’m not qualified enough to take the position of merchant head. That role belongs solely to you. I trust Julian’s judgment.”

Without waiting for Tanisha’s response, Rebecca dropped into the guest chair across from her.
She only smiled at her, round and round.

That role belongs solely to you…

Somehow, the fight drained out of Tanisha, and she hesitantly pulled out her own chair to sit.

From the moment the Duke entrusted her with this place, Tanisha had anticipated a fierce battle to claim the position of merchant head.
So, after uncovering Rebecca’s identity, she had spun countless scenarios and devised strategies.

She had been clever from a young age, taking on the troublesome chores of the Duke’s household.
The hot-tempered Duke caused daily accidents, and she lived a life of endless busyness.

Yet no matter how hard she worked, her wages never increased. Worse, her parents usually took them all.

“It’s only natural that the Chenisters serve House Johannes. How dare you even think of keeping money! And this money—we’ll hold onto it until you marry.”

Lies.

After the former Duke’s death, her parents lost their positions and relied entirely on the incomes of Croa and Tanisha.
Since they were rather extravagant, Tanisha knew she would never get back the money she had entrusted to them.

Croa also gave money to their parents, but unlike Tanisha, he never complained.

Tanisha, however, was different.

She begged her parents, who constantly demanded party expenses, to work at least a little, but only received cold refusals in return.

“We served the House of Duke Johannes. How could we stoop to dealing with such lowly nobles beneath us?”

“But our family is only a baron’s!”

She screamed inside, but never voiced it aloud. She couldn’t bear to wound her proud parents.

Thus, Tanisha’s long-cherished wish was independence.
The Tanisha Trading Company was the starting point of her dream.
She had already prepared a vault to store her independence funds.
Once enough money was gathered, she would repay the Duke’s initial investment and leave the ducal residence.

For that reason, Tanisha could never yield the trading company to Rebecca.

From her investigations, Rebecca appeared to be nothing more than a frail noblewoman.
If such a woman desired the position of merchant head, what else could it mean?

She must be trying to gather money for a divorce from her unfaithful husband.

And she was using the infamous Duke Johannes as her means.
Tanisha didn’t know how she had managed to sway the Duke, but contrary to rumors, she concluded Rebecca was no ordinary woman.

That made her prepare even more thoroughly, ready for all-night negotiations.

With all in place, Tanisha sent Rebecca a letter—essentially a challenge.

She had assumed Rebecca would be no different from herself, perhaps worse.
She expected her to appear dripping in jewels, ready to crush her confidence.

Yet Rebecca had shown up dressed no differently from the market folk.
Worse, she outright said she didn’t want the merchant head’s seat.

No wonder Tanisha’s mind was in disarray and she could barely introduce herself when Rebecca asked:

“So, may I know the name of our merchant head?”

Stammering, Tanisha replied in a tone even she thought foolish:
“T-Tanisha Chenister…”

At the name Chenister, Rebecca flinched. Now that she looked, Tanisha’s features did faintly resemble Croa’s.

Croa had often spoken of his clever younger sister in her previous life, so Rebecca guessed immediately that Tanisha was his sibling.

She felt relieved she had abandoned her plan to claim the merchant head position.
She could never trample on the dream of Croa’s little sister.

Rebecca checked the clock over Tanisha’s shoulder.
There was little time left to reach her next destination.

“Since time is short, I’ll be brief. All I want is money. Let’s split it sixty-forty.”

At the mention of money, Tanisha snapped back to focus.

“Who gets the sixty?”

“You do. I’ll only provide useful information, while the hard work falls on you. If that doesn’t satisfy you, I’m willing to go as high as seventy.”

It was exhilarating. Tanisha had bargained plenty before, but never for profits that would go directly into her own purse.

Besides, Julian had drilled into her that the trading company’s earnings belonged entirely to Rebecca.

So Tanisha had planned to secretly bargain a cut with her.
Strictly speaking, it was deceiving the Duke, but she knew Julian would overlook such minor embezzlement in recognition of her efforts.

For a moment, greed tempted her to push for seventy. But she held back.
Even if Rebecca allowed it, she feared the consequences if Julian ever found out.

“Fine. I agree. But I’m curious—what kind of valuable information is this?”

Rebecca smiled faintly. She pulled a stack of papers from the desk and began writing with her quill.

The scratching sound filled the room until she stopped.

“It’s a list of goods that will soon skyrocket in price. Since you even uncovered my identity, I trust you’ll have no trouble making a fortune.”

Suspicious, Tanisha accepted the list.

Blue ceramics from the Kingdom of Yuria, pepper from the Kingdom of Caribana, coffee beans from Bongani, Tamara ladybugs…

All of them were currently worthless goods.

“Do you have clairvoyance…? How else could you know these prices will rise?”

Clairvoyance? Perhaps. In truth, she had only listed the luxury goods that had exploded in popularity around this time in her previous life.

The Devonshire family had always been first to acquire such trends, so Rebecca remembered them vividly.

But there was no time for detailed explanations.

Anxiously checking the clock, Rebecca said:
“I can’t go into detail, but trust me. And be sure to monopolize the Tamara ladybugs. Make sure they can only be purchased through this company. Soon, people will pay extra for them. Raise as many as you can until then.”

It was a ruthless trick, but necessary.

Though Danaë’s salon promised great profits, it would take time to open.
Rebecca had no intention of being bound to Zeppelin during that long wait.
To quickly repay House Obelia’s debt to him, she had no choice but to use her past life’s knowledge.

Rebecca poured out memories like a storm upon Tanisha.

“And here, this mine contains high-quality iron. Soon there will be a civil war in the Kingdom of Caribana. Since that kingdom lacks iron, they’ll seek to import large quantities. Secure the mine, and you’ll make immense profits. Also, buy coffee beans only from a merchant named Adolf…”

Feverishly, Tanisha scribbled every word, terrified of missing anything.

How long had Rebecca spoken?

At last, when her memories ran dry, she gulped down a glass of cold water.

“Haa… That’s all. Can you manage it?”

“I must. No, I will succeed.”

Tanisha’s eyes sparkled.

Rebecca was surely a saint blessed by the goddess Depria.
How else could she describe the future with such precision, as if she had seen it?

Anyone else might dismiss it as nonsense, but Rebecca was vouched for by Julian.
Even Tanisha, who disliked him, acknowledged his keen judgment of people.

Anyone he deemed dangerous always turned out to be armed with a knife.
Anyone he said would bring profit, always did.

So Tanisha erased every trace of doubt and clutched the notebook of Rebecca’s words to her chest.

“Please, won’t you at least have some tea before leaving…”

At some point, all hostility had vanished from Tanisha’s eyes. She regretfully tried to detain Rebecca at the door.

Rebecca, finding her cute, smiled unconsciously.

“Next time, if I become a free woman, let’s take time to truly get to know one another.”

“A… free woman?”

Rebecca realized her slip, but Tanisha already seemed to understand and didn’t press her further.

Rebecca added one last thing:

“A lady named Danaë Obelia will come to you. Share the profits with her. She’s wise, so if you run into difficulties, consult with her.”

“Understood. And how should I report?”

“Report to Julian. That way, I’ll know too.”

She had said this while thinking of Leo, the cat who had recently been playing messenger between the two.

But Tanisha seemed to take it differently, her face reddening slightly as she nodded.

Could it be… there’s something between them?

Rebecca only gave her a warm smile and headed toward her next destination.
The smell of freshly baked bread tempted her forward.

“Remarkable that you should seek me out like this.”

Emperor Zahidra, having just found a rare moment of leisure for tea, was startled when told Julian had come to see him.
It had always been the Emperor who summoned him, never the other way around.

“Have you been well?”

At his oddly courteous tone, Zahidra was at a loss for words and simply stared blankly at Julian.