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Chapter : 09
What I wanted to know was when his obsession with me would finally fall away.
Judging from this case, as long as I possessed magic, Harten’s interest would undoubtedly remain fixed on me forever.
No matter how I looked at it—top to bottom—it was a relationship that benefited me in every possible way.
“Elin, Selin.”
Humming to myself as I headed toward the villa, I turned around.
The sun had nearly set, and stars were beginning to sparkle one by one in the sky.
“You two sisters, and the physician Virt as well. You’re all truly serious about following me with one heart and one mind, right?”
The two, who had been waiting for my answer with slightly anxious expressions, quickly nodded.
“Yes, we are.”
“We’re people capable enough that the young duke sent us to this island to accompany Lady Eani! We won’t disappoint you!”
“Hm, four people.”
A suitable number to start something with.
Besides, in the current situation, they were the most easily available workforce.
After finishing my quick calculations, I spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Alright! Then I’ll be counting on you from now on!”
At my acceptance, Elin and Selin broke into relieved smiles.
Of course, their expressions changed immediately at my next words.
“If we’re going to turn this island into a tourist destination and develop the villa into a resort, I’ll need your help—a lot!”
“Th-thank you for accepting us… wait, what?”
“A… resort?”
Looking at their flustered faces, I explained simply.
“Yeah, a resort! Isn’t a beautiful island incomplete without a resort?”
At my words, Elin and Selin were left stammering, unable to respond.
I gave them a bright smile.
“I was just thinking I needed workers anyway, so this is perfect~. You’re tied to me by your very lives, after all—I can trust you~.”
From inside, the smell of food wafted out; it seemed Bellin was preparing dinner.
Breathing in the aroma, I started walking lightly.
“It’s going to be fun from now on~.”
“Lady Eani, could you give us a more detailed explanation…!”
“Uh, sister…! This is okay, right?”
That night, we ate a delicious dinner and fell fast asleep.
No dreams at all—just a truly pleasant, deep sleep.
“I heard the story. You plan to build a resort on this island?”
I woke up at the appointed time and was eating breakfast when Bellin spoke up.
Beside her were the remaining sisters and Virt as well.
“Yeah, don’t just stand there—come sit here~.”
The table was large anyway.
When I gestured to the seat across from me, Bellin hesitated slightly, then finally sat down.
She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say.
“To be honest, I was incredibly surprised when I heard it from my sisters and Selin. I even thought this might be an opportunity granted by the gods!”
“Wait, something just occurred to me. You three sisters are atheists, yet you sometimes mention gods. In cases like that, which god are you actually thinking of? A god from a specific religion? Or one that exists only in your imagination?”
“Doctor! Save those pointless questions for later!”
Virt and Selin bantered back and forth as they took their seats beside Bellin.
Elin, who was still standing, hesitated over what to do before choosing to stand behind me.
No matter that I had given permission—she didn’t seem able to sit at the same table as the person she served.
“Everyone’s character is so distinct. I like it.”
Once everyone had settled, Bellin began speaking with a serious expression.
“Actually, this is very personal information, so I hadn’t mentioned it before… but our family has been in the lodging business for generations!”
“Oh? Really?”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected revelation.
Seeing my reaction, Selin enthusiastically chimed in.
“That’s right! We ran an inn, and it was quite large! Starting from the small city where we lived, we expanded the business all the way to a bustling metropolis in the southern part of the Empire!”
Elin added,
“We operated up to four branches… Back then, Father was truly passionate.”
Somehow, that last line sounded bitter.
Well, the three of them had come to this island with me to pay off their debts, after all.
As expected, Bellin’s expression darkened.
“The business was doing well, and Father promised to pass the inn on to me, since I was the most passionate about it. But in the end… our inn closed down.”
She clenched her teeth.
“Because of that damned Quend Hotel…!”
A hotel.
The word sparked my interest.
“I was curious about that. Most nobles around here favor the ‘Quend Hotel,’ right?”
Elin had mentioned it during a brief market survey earlier.
At my question, everyone nodded.
“It’s operated directly by the Marquis Quend’s family. There isn’t a single region in the Empire without one.”
“Just looking at the exterior, it’s insanely luxurious! Compared to other high-end hotels, the interior and service are on a completely different level!”
“I once stayed at a Quend Hotel while attending a medical academic conference with my mentor. It truly lives up to its reputation—the marquisate pours its wealth and connections into managing them. One particularly big advantage is that, through direct contracts with the Mage Tower, each branch employs small teams of mages to maintain magical convenience facilities.”
Elin, Selin, and Virt spoke in turn.
Then, as the finishing touch, Bellin—clearly harboring deep resentment toward the Quend Hotel—slammed the table.
“But the Quend Hotel violated basic business ethics! They should have stuck to serving only nobles as a luxury hotel! Why did they go so far as to create cheaper, cost-effective hotels too?! Those places had slightly lower service and interior quality, but they frequently offered discounts—and stole away the middle-class customers who had been our inn’s main clientele!”
After raising her voice, Bellin seemed to realize she had gotten too worked up and hurriedly bowed her head.
I lightly accepted her apology and poured her a cup of water myself.
“I’m listening. Go on. How big is the Quend Hotel, really? Is it fair to say they have a stranglehold on the hotel industry?”
“Yes.”
After gratefully drinking the water I handed her, Bellin let out a sigh.
“They’re present in every major city in the Empire, so their accessibility is excellent. And since every branch is kept in top condition, there’s even a saying that when traveling somewhere unfamiliar, you should always choose the Quend Hotel. Because of that, other hotels had no choice but to collapse.”
Elin and Selin quietly added,
“Our family was one of those cases. At first, our customer bases didn’t overlap, so we managed to hold on. But after Quend launched cheaper hotels… our finances really started to crumble.”
“Ugh! Just thinking about that time makes me sigh. No customers, tons of fixed expenses. Our parents ran themselves ragged trying to keep the inn afloat.”
So, a classic case of a large corporation using capital to crush small businesses.
In modern times, it happened so often it barely even made the news.
“Especially a tactic my aunt used all the time when she was in charge of the food subsidiaries.”
And in the end, I had used that very tactic to drive my aunt out.
“Well… that’s all in the past now~.”
It was interesting to see the same old structure playing out here too.
“And that’s how you ended up turning to loan sharks.”
At my words, the three sisters spoke gloomily.
“Yes… that part was Father’s greed. In the middle of all that, he even hired mages. Since the Quend Hotel’s greatest strength was its magically maintained facilities, he thought we could at least imitate that to some degree…”
“Mages are incredibly rare these days, so their fees were astronomical! And the mages we managed to hire didn’t even have the level of skill we’d hoped for!”
“Hehe, but you know~ the rooms they worked on were really nice. Especially the bathrooms—they were unbelievably clean and convenient.”
“Selin!”
“Selin!”
Elin and Bellin shouted in perfect unison, as if rehearsed.
